Oct 25, 2011

Body Pump 79 Review

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DISCLAIMER: I did this workout at 6 a.m. yesterday so it’s entirely possible that I dreamt the whole thing and there actually is no Body Pump 79.

Okay, now that we’ve cleared that up, on to my review of Body Pump 79 (or at least what I remember of it).

Warm up – I missed half the warm up because the instructor didn’t bother waiting for everyone to set up before starting. I understand starting without waiting for latecomers, but in this case the class starts a few minutes after the gym opens so there isn’t a lot of time to set up before class. She could have waited like an extra two minutes for everyone to get their weights (I wasn’t the only one not ready when she started).

Actually, I’m not a fan of this instructor in general – she always screws up the choreography and she’s not nearly as fun or motivating as some of my favourite Pump instructors. But, with my new work schedule, I’m stuck with her on Monday mornings. That kind of ruined the warm up for me but I think under different circumstances I would have liked it (the warm up song was a remix of Taio Cruz’s “Higher.”)

Squats – my main complaint here is that the music was kind of underwhelming. This is always the most difficult track for me so I like a good, high energy song to get me through it. “Closer to the Edge” just wasn’t doing it for me. I do like the combo in this one though – four single squats with four bottom halfs. I hate it when there are too many singles in a row because I can’t get deep enough into the squat without falling behind after a few reps; four in a row is manageable and the bottom halfs are always a nice a challenge.

Chest – set to Sean Kingston’s “Party All Night (Sleep All Day).” Finally, a song that didn’t make me want to go back to bed (which is saying a lot given the ungodly hour. Sean Kingston = guilty pleasure). The first few sets of this were fun and by the time the break came, I was thinking, “really, that’s it?” Yeah, don’t be fooled by the easy first half. The last set went on forever and I was dying by the end of it.

Back – this one is set to a dancey version of “Written in the Stars.” Here we see the return of the power press from a few releases ago (one clean followed by three presses). I had an “oh shit” moment when we first started when I looked around and realized I had more weight on my bar than anyone else in the class, instructor included. But I’m glad I didn’t chicken out because it turned out to be the perfect amount of weight for me. The power press wasn’t nearly as hard as I remembered it to be although there is a challenging set of seven wide rows in this release. This used to be one of the most difficult exercises for me but I’m getting better at it.

Triceps – there are two versions of this track - ”Born This Way” and “If We Ever Meet Again.” We did the Lady Gaga version. This one starts off easy with two sets using the bar for overhead extensions and presses. Then you get a painful set of tricep dips and overhead extensions with a plate. The last two sets are hard but Gaga got me through it ;)

Biceps – set to “Livin’ on a Prayer,” this one felt really challenging even though there’s nothing new here. I just sucked. There was a long set of singles at the end that for the life of me I could not complete. I hate not being able to complete sets. Next…

Lunges – this one is very similar to the lunge track in Body Pump 78. You start with squats, do a set of lunges on one leg, squat again, lunge with the other leg, squat, lunge, etc. Your legs will burn by the end of it. Aptly, this track is set to Bruno Mars’ “Grenade,” a song about loving something even when it brings you torturous pain. Kind of how I feel about Body Pump.

Shoulders – I’m usually ready to call it a day by the time this track comes around but I actually really like the shoulder track on this release. We get the Arnold press in this one, which is one of my favourites.

Abs – we start off with weighted crunches only here we hold the plate in a different position because it apparently activates your core better. I found the positioning awkward and it ended up tiring out my arms more than my abs. Luckily, we weren’t there for long and moved on to side planks pretty quickly. There are no hovers in this one so it was a nice break from the more challenging ab tracks of the last few releases.

Overall, this wasn’t my favourite release but that could be because of the time and the instructor. I’m going to try it again on Wednesday night when my favourite instructor teaches and re-evaluate how I feel about it then.

What are some of the qualities of your favourite (or least favourite) instructors?

For me, my favourite Body Pump instructor gets me, well, pumped about the workout. She makes jokes, yells out motivational phrases (from “Yes you can!” to “Earn your dinner!”), gets us amped between sets (especially the back track; whenever we put the bar down, she starts jumping around on the stage to get us pumped for the next set of clean and presses) and encourages us to challenge ourselves with the weight. She’s also ripped so I feel oddly powerful just doing the same exercises as her. I’m looking forward to re-visiting Body Pump 79 at her Wednesday night class.

Filed Under: Strength Training · Tagged:
Oct 21, 2011

In Defense of Body Pump

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Browse the Internet and you’ll find some pretty mixed opinions about Body Pump. Some bloggers and fitness enthusiasts swear by it as a fun and effective strength workout, while others label it as more of a cardio workout that does little for building strength and muscle.

A few months ago, when I first set out to build muscle, I did some research and decided to adopt a free weights routine instead of attending Body Pump classes to achieve my goal. Within the online fitness community, the consensus was overwhelmingly in favor of heavy weights/low reps over lighter weights/high reps. So, I began following the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, bought a tub of protein powder, jacked up my caloric intake and got under an Olympic bar for the first time.

                      

To be perfectly honest, once my initial enthusiasm for the program wore off, the extra food was the only part I continued to enjoy. Free weights are just not my thing. They’re boring, I hate having to wait around for equipment, I hate being surrounded by dozens of personal trainers and their clients. I just didn’t enjoy my free weights workouts as much as my Pump classes.

So, despite getting some decent results, after completing stage 2 of 7 of the program, I lost motivation to continue and decided to train for a half-marathon instead. Total 180, I know, but it was something I’d been thinking about doing for awhile. I put my muscle building plans on hold and focused on running. I continued to strength train twice a week but only did Body Pump classes and didn’t add any weight during that time. I still used a load that was challenging but didn’t make a concerted effort to add more every week.

And then something weird happened. I built muscle. Without trying to.

I’m not sure how it happened – all I know is that my arms didn’t look like this a few months ago.

So now that the half marathon is over, I’ve decided not to go back to the NROL4W program. If my results are just as good with Body Pump and I like Body Pump more, why bore myself to death with free weights? So I can feel like a “real” weight lifter (I do admit, I always felt pretty bad ass squatting 90 lbs)? Not worth it.

The moral of the story – when it comes to any workout, there will always be mixed opinions. Some people will swear by a certain workout with cult-like devotion, while others will eschew it as ineffective. At the end of the day, you have to find what works for you, both in terms of results and enjoyment. For me, Body Pump is fun and it works. For others, it’s monotonous, has too many reps and doesn’t get results. I can respect that view as well. I just won’t let it influence my workouts anymore.

What’s your favourite way to strength train?

Filed Under: Strength Training · Tagged: ,
Oct 15, 2011

Should You Do a Workout You Hate?

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While training for my first half marathon, I made a strategic decision to cut back on other activities in order to improve my running and avoid injury. I reduced my strength training workouts from three to two and eventually one per week as race day approached. I did a weekly spin class to incorporate some cross training into my routine but cut out any high impact cardio classes, namely Body Attack, Body Step and boot camp.

Now that training is over, I’ve started getting back into my old routine with one notable exception – I just can’t bring myself to go back to boot camp. After a three-month hiatus, I have no desire to participate in a full hour of non-stop burpees, jumping jacks, squat jumps and high knee runs mixed with pushups, planks and other strength training moves. I know this kind of workout is highly effective but at the same time, it’s by far my least favourite type of workout.

At first, I thought I was just being lazy, that I just didn’t feel like pushing myself with a boot camp style workout. But then I remembered that I just trained for a half marathon, which definitely requires hard work, discipline and a willingness to step outside of one’s comfort zone. It also occurred to me that Body Attack isn’t exactly an easy workout – there are also lots of plyometric moves and intense cardio peaks during the hour – nor is Body Pump a walk in the park with its zillion reps and supersets.

The fact is that, unlike running or my Les Mills classes, I never had any fun at the boot camp class I used to go to. I work hard during my other activities but I don’t notice all the signs of a tough workout – sweat, gasping for air, elevated heart rate, burning muscles – as much because I’m enjoying myself. And while I acknowledge that boot camp is most likely a better workout, in the long run I think it’s more important to choose an activity based on what you enjoy as opposed to how many calories you’ll burn. That’s the trick to long term success with any workout regime.

This doesn’t mean I’ll never return to boot camp but I’m not going to force myself to do it every week as I did in the past. This is all part of a conscious effort to move towards a more balanced approach to diet and fitness, one that focuses more on overall health instead of physical appearance.

That being said, here’s what this week in fitness looks like – and I loved every workout (even the 6 a.m. RPM class I managed to make on Thursday morning):

Sunday – RPM
Monday – 12.5 km run
Tuesday – Body Attack
Wednesday – Body Pump
Thursday – RPM
Friday – Rest

I’m planning to cap the week off with a Body Pump session this morning and possibly a run in the afternoon (weather permitting).

What do you think – do you think it’s more important to choose workouts based on their effectiveness or your own personal preference? Would you regularly participate in an activity you hated just to see results?

Filed Under: Moderation · Tagged: , , , ,
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