Bodypump

[milkysmum]

Went to my first bodypump class yesterday. For those that attend- how long to get the hang of this? I have very poor upper body strength so just kept the lowest weight on for the whole class- and I struggled a bit to to the overhead presses with that on for the zillion reps they do!
Also I can't imagine being quick enough to change the weights on the bar for the different exercises like people were doing- does that just come with practice?
I did like the class ( sore arms and thighs this morning- but in a good way) - it just seemed way quicker than doing weights in the gym and I felt a bit uncoordinated with the whole thing.

It takes a few sessions to get the hang of it. Don't worry about speed or how heavy the weights are. At this stage, focus on getting the technique right. Then look at speed, then weights.

Does your instructor know you're new? They should be keeping an eye on you and giving you options to make it easier. If you can't manage all the clean & press reps, do as many as you can and then replace them with rows (the move you do in-between clean and press).

Keep at it though. Pump is great!

Yes I went up to the instructor at the beginner at the start, told her I was new and that I had no clue what I was doing. She was lovely and did keep making eye contact with me throughout and mouthing " are you ok ?" etc during the class.
I think the thing is I look a lot fitter than I am, slim, pretty athletic looking- but seriously just no upper body strength at all ( can't even manage one push up) ! I'm really hoping this helps as would love to get into strength training. I'm 41 and really want to focus on my fitness this year.

Yes keep at it. Stick with the lowest weights and you will build muscle and improve. Many people in the class will have been young for years so don’t be intimidated by what they are doing.

Doing it for years!

Thank you. So it's ok not to be switching about the weights for the first few weeks?
I'd like to do 2 classes a week really but can only see 1 that fits in with work and childcare. I'm also doing a couple of Pilates classes and gym sessions a week. Will 1 bodypump a week be enough to build strength? ( if I try and do some weights in the gym also )

Yes its fine to stick with the same weights until you get the technique/speed of moves. Then you can graduate to sticking a extra plate each side for squats and see how you get on.

When I first started I only did 1 body pump per week. I do 2 now but also do attack and combat and balance to mix up the types of workout

You get the hang of it, I used to do it years ago. I’m now an overweight 49 year old and just getting back into it.
I’ve bought myself some body pump weights and Lesmills online has an offer on at the moment for first month free and second month £3.90 as I can only make it to 2 gym ones.

Im trying to get fitter in time for a holiday in May.

There are lots of YouTube body pump videos that are free too.

I’m really uncoordinated and I can do body pump - there are a fixed number of moves they just put them together differently for the different releases so once you’ve learned what a dead lift is vs a dead row for example you’ll be fine.

Agree with others saying to stick to low weights while you’re putting it all together. Your strength will build - I started in October 2020 with 2.5kg either side for the back track and did 6kg either side this morning on a track with push presses, which felt like a real achievement.

Also I can't imagine being quick enough to change the weights on the bar for the different exercises like people were doing- does that just come with practice?

It all comes with practice! Although even after a long time doing Pump, I am still usually several reps behind when changing plates on the bar. I sometimes wish I could just set up two bars ...

It also depends what equipment you are using. The Les Mills smart bars make it easy to add and remove weights. If you have different bars with clips or collars then changing weights can take longer

I use the same weight for squats, chest and back (6kg per side). I used to go heavier on squats but have dodgy knees so i go a bit lighter now. Often use plates instead of the bar for biceps and the lunge track.

Thanks everyone. The bars look like this, apparently they are easy to get on and off but I still found mine fiddly to set up and get off at the end, maybe just because I'm not used to it.
I'm taking the kids to tennis this evening and was going to go in the gym for an hour rather than sitting around in the cafe- my arms and legs feel tender from pump yesterday though still- gym a good idea or not to people think? ( I'm still getting used to what's a good amount of exercise to be doing!)

Set up more than one bar with different weight options, that's what I do. I also have loose plates as I often struggle with using a bar for squats as it makes my shoulders hurt so I swap to a loose plate.
Just so what you can, I often do less reps than are being called out because the instructors are young and super fit and I'm 47 and a bit slower! Who cares? I work to my maximum and look to improve my personal best so I don't care what others are doing.

They're the smart bars by the looks of it. Pull back the red bit until it clicks (I use my thumb to hold it in place) and then slide the plates off. Just slide plates on without touching the red bit

I have done body pump when I was 16, loved it and then got into serious heavy weight lifting. For a bit of rehab after an injury I went to body pump as I had moved out of area and was yet to find another gym. Big mistake. The 'instructor' was so rogue I left half way through. He was rushing through exercises and the amount of poor form I saw from the people in the class was dangerous,especially as he spent more time flexing his own muscles and looking at himself.

Please please pleeaaase do not be put off by the speed the rest of the class goes. They're likely rushing to keep up and have probably never been taught how to do the movements properly. Go at your own pace and don't be too quick to increase your weights! If something hurts, stop x

Thank you, that's great advise. I presumed the aim was very much to keep up and go fast, but yes makes sense that whilst getting proper form correct it really doesn't matter if I'm a few reps behind!

I’ve done pump for a while and do at least two classes per week
Really concentrate in your form - keep at the same weights for a while and low
Key is the timings and the form as that will build your strength
Keep to the front of the class where you can really keep track of the instructor and they can watch your form - This will help you stay injury free
Get your plates next to you for easy changes - I only really changes weights for the back track and chest
I hold a single plate for squats as I have a bad knee
Good luck - it’s a really transformative exercise class

I'm an instructor. Don't worry about your upper body strength at all - half the people who come to the class can't do a push-up the first time. I couldn't either!

If there's enough equipment for everybody then absolutely take 2 bars and an entire collection of weights. Once you've been a few times, consider also how to make the changes quicker - for example, if you want to do 5 kilos for back but 2.5 for triceps, it's faster to put 2x2.5 kilo plates on the bar and just slide one off, as opposed to removing 5 and adding 2.5.
It's also totally fine to start heavy and swap to lighter weight half time through the track, you don't have to worry that you put too much and then won't be able to finish.

Thank you Katharina! Is there a set order that they stick to in the classes and a general guide to which of the exercises can be done with slightly heavier weights then?

The classes all follow the same format although 45 minute classes miss some tracks out.

An hours class would be:
Warm up, squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulders, core, cool down.

There are also combined tricep/bicep and lunges/shoulders tracks although some 45 minute classes miss out the arm tracks or the lunges and shoulder tracks - depends on the instructor.

Can normally go heavier on squats and back track and then lighter for others

Not Katharina but the order in every pump class is, together with the weights I use:

• warm-up: use your default weight. I use one 2.5kg plate and one 1.25kg plate on each end of the bar.
• legs (i.e squats): the heaviest you want to go. I use 5kg each side.
• chest: default weight or a bit heavier.
• back: default weight.
• triceps: lightest you will go. I use a 2.5kg plate in each hand or one 5kg weight.
• biceps (often together with triceps): triceps weight or heavier. I often start heavier and drop down midway through the set.
• lunges: default weight. Depending on how knackered I am I use either a 2.5kg or 5kg hand weight when not using the bar.
• shoulders (sometimes together with lunges): 2.5kg or 1.25kg hand weights, depending how tired I am.
• abs/core: if we're using a hand weight I go with 2.5kg.
• stretching: no weights.

About half the people in the classes I go to use heavier weights than me and I used to go heavier when I did pump more regularly. Most people use about the same and new people go lighter. Nobody cares what other people are using. I take my own set of 2kg dumbbells along for when my arms get too tired for 2.5 plates but I don't have time to swap lower.

My instructors hate it when people thrust their hips and remind us to squeeze our bums a lot to stop that happening. They're also very hot on technique for press-ups.

Yes. The classes (the full 55min ones, there is also a 45 and 30 min format) always go:
warmup - lightest weight
squats - heaviest weight, at least double the warm up weight, advanced people go for 3-4 times the warm up weight
chest - half to 1/3 off squat weight
back - add a bit to chest weight
triceps - a little more than warm up weight
biceps - about same as triceps
lunges - depends, if it's all bar work then about back weight
shoulders - about same as biceps
abs
cool down.

I would recommend, take a little notepad or post-it and write down next time what weights you were using and how it felt, if you think you should go up or down. You'll get a hang of it soon, but it's 10 tracks so can be difficult to remember initially.

@milkysmum

Thank you Katharina! Is there a set order that they stick to in the classes and a general guide to which of the exercises can be done with slightly heavier weights then?

Squat weight should be your heaviest weight as works your biggest muscles.

Biceps, and triceps your lightest on the bar. Shoulders light as well as completing the movement correctly is more important than overloading with weight, shoulders are a complex muscle group.

Chest and back somewhere in the middle between squat weight and the others.

In terms of clipping on an off the weights, it's easiest to do when the middle slit is horizontal as per your photo - I used to find it easy to clip off the first side then harder on the second and discovered it was because the bar was flipping over so the slit was vertical and it's harder to take them off, so just make sure you roll your bar so the slit is horizontal each time you unclip.

With regards to your original question, I started in September on lightest weights and now warm up with 5s on each side, squat with tens on each side and chest and triceps around 6 on each side.

Lunges a single 5 plate weight.

Shoulders I use

I’ve been doing it a couple of years and it does take a while to get the hang of the quick changes! I absolutely love it though and do it four times a week.

I have built up to 5k for warm up, 15k for squats, 10k for chest, 12k for back then a single 5k plate for triceps, 5k plates for biceps/lunges.

Those are very decent weights, Cecily! Women often tend to be wary, especially if you are from the generation that was told never to touch any weights as apparently you will bulk up immediately (as if!). But you really get the best results if you challenge yourself.