I got to try the new BodyPump release last night and according to our intructors (it was a release class so it was team taught), it contains 800 reps. Yowza.

I once attempted to count the reps in BodyPump so I could log my workout on Fitocracy (which is the main reason I stopped logging my workouts on Fitocracy – it took me longer to log the damn workout than it did to actually complete it), and usually lost count somewhere after the squat track. But 800 reps sounds pretty accurate. 

Here’s a review of BodyPump 81. Also, because we’ll be doing this release for the next four weeks, I’m going to keep track of my starting weight and try to add to at least one track each week.

Warm up – for me, the warm up is all about the music, as it sets the tone for the rest of the workout.  I didn’t care much for Cobra Starship’s “You Make Me Feel…” when it was on the radio but for some reason it works here.
Starting weight - 7 kg

Squat – the song is a remake of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ remake of Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Great song for the squat track. In terms of difficulty, this is a pretty average squat track so I’m really going to focus on adding weight for this release.  
Starting weight – 17 kg

Chest – I’ve been going pretty heavy with chest lately. In fact, just the other week, one of the more ripped Pump instructors gave me props for how much weight I had on the bar (I realized after the track was over that I had more weight on my bar than she did, which was quite possibly my proudest BodyPump moment ever). Because this was a new release, I decided to take it down a notch. It was still quite challening but I’ll probably try to increase next week. The song is kind of forgettable but could grow on me.
Starting weight – 10 kg

Back – the music here is awful but the choreograhy is a little different, which keeps things interesting. In your first set of each round, you do one clean and press with one triple dead row four times. In your second set, you do four clean and presses in a row followed by four triple dead rows. Wide rows only show up in the last two rounds.
Starting weight – 12 kg

Triceps – I’ve been doing more of the Express format of BodyPump lately, which doesn’t have triceps or biceps in it. As a result, my arms are pretty weak these days and this was a bit of a struggle.
Starting weight – 7 kg

Biceps – this one is really short but intense (my favourite kind of bicep track). I struggled through the last eight reps but managed to get through without skipping any.
Starting weight – 5kg

Lunges – I love this song (“San Francisco”), which is also featured in the latest RPM release. The choreography here is almost identical to BodyPump 80. The plyometric lunge is back and even though it’s a killer move, I don’t find these tracks as challenging as some of the other more recent lunge tracks (“Grenade” and “Fireworks” from 78 and 79 come to mind). I think it’s because the last two lunge tracks have been shorter with more explosive moves, while the tracks from the late 70s went on forrrreeeeevver. The end result is the same though – my butt hurts this morning.
Starting weight – 10 kg (for squats – the lunges are body weight only)

Shoulders – nothing new here but I found this one harder than usual. Maybe I was just having an “off” night.
Starting weight – 7 kg on the bar, 3 kg dumbbells

Abs – the music is fun (“Mr. Saxobeat”) and this one isn’t too challenging. I love the mountain runner plank at the end and I’m glad they’ve switched it up from the usual hovers.

Favourite tracks - Squat, Chest, Lunges, Abs

After BodyPump, I decided to stay for yoga. I find that when I do BodyPump and just go to bed right after, I’m really sore the next morning. Doing some light activity afterwards helps with recovery. I was a little bored in yoga but it was pretty easy, which is just what I needed.

Rest day today!

Have you tried the new BodyPump release? What did you think?

What are your strategies for preventing muscle soreness? My winning combo is – adequate stretching, protein, light activity and foam rolling after strength training. Unfortunately, I am usually too lazy to do all four.