Les Mills Smart Bar - Worth it?

[EnamelledStars]

So, since the gym has closed I tried the free trial to the Les Mills classes. I’ve been doing Body Pump at home with dumbbells, but definitely struggling due to the size of them for back exercises/ clean+press. I also don’t have a step (mostly an issue for chest exercises).

I usually do Body Pump, Body Combat and then some HIIT classes at the gym anyway, and do some weight sessions too.

I’m considering the smart bar bundle - but it’s £469 and doesn’t include the 10kg plates (£108 EACH!).

I pay £50 per month for my gym membership though so it would only take a little over a year to break even if I cancelled the gym altogether.

Is it worth it? Does anyone have it and find it fulfills all their fitness needs? Or does anyone have a knock off version that’s just as good?

I ordered a slightly used one (apparently used to film a release) , it should arrive today. It was cheaper than the new ones and I got some extra plates.
I have barbells & clips but the weights are too think in the middle for my small hands.
I am shielding so won’t be back at gym any time soon, and as a result am saving £90 per month so it will pay for itself in 4 months of use. Plus my DH is getting into it, so result!

Sorry too thick! ( me & the weights)

I thought about it too, as am really missing BodyPump. But I fully intend on going back to the gym once it's open again so I figured it was probably a waste of money.

I have bought a Step though and a range of hand weights. So am making do.

Our gym has given everyone 2 months free access to the Les Mills on demand service which has been great. I've been doing a mix of Combat, Step, Pump, Balance and Attack. There are also some classes that our gym don't offer - Sh'bam, CX and Barre - which is surprisingly hard - ballet dancers are so strong!!

There are some shorter Pump routines which only use handweights so I don't feel like I'm missing out too much.

I'd definitely recommend the Les Mills On Demand service. It's been great.

If you're going to quit the gym and stick with the LMOD workouts then I think it could be worth it, but it depends how much you'll miss the social side of group workout. It doesn't bother me as much, I far prefer being able to work out when it suits me and I'm not a very sociable creature at the best of times, but some people I know see it as a social activity and enjoy making friends in their classes.

I agree that dumbbells aren't ideal but they do some of the job if it's just temporary. The issue with other barbells is getting hold of them just now, I've been looking for myself and have really struggled.

Yeah, I feel conflicted because I do like the social side. However, I split with DP before all of this so once he moves out I will struggle to get to my regular classes due to changes in childcare so I’m also wondering if this will make more sense in the long run.

It does seem really difficult to get any other equipment other than the branded ones at the moment. I’d be happier spending around the £200-£300 mark as it does feel quite expensive.

I’ve also considered just the step for now which could do the trick. I’m quite conflicted.

I couldn't find a bar bell anywhere so I have ordered a weighted bar from ebay which cos about £30 so much, much cheaper. Its suitable for doing pump with.

I am going to order a couple of different weights. Just ordered the 5kg one first to see what it was like.

This is it. You can get a range of weights up yo 10kg

That’s a really good idea! Thank you. And much cheaper for now whilst I decide what to do in the future!

I've been using Les Mills OD for a couple of years now. I was originally using a cheap barbell set and step (about £50 in all) but promised myself if I kept up with it I'd treat myself to the official equipment. My rationale being that I'm not paying for a gym membership.

I got the Total Body Reinvention set - smartbar, step, mat and smart band. A cheaper barbell would absolutely do the same job. The difference is that the smartbar feels nicer and is more comfortable, plus has quicker and easier changes.

I notice a lot of difference with the step. This one is very sturdy and long, so a big contrast to my £10 eBay job which sounded like it would break if I jumped on it and too short to comfortably lie on.

I don't regret buying it at all but as someone mentioned before, any additional plates are really expensive. You get 2 x 1kg, 2.5kg and 5kg with the smartbar. If the plates were cheaper I'd also like 2 x 3.7kg and 2 x 7.5kg and 2 x 10kg too which is probably about £400ish