What is Body Pump?
Body Pump is acardio-based weight trainingprogram that uses a barbell and weight plates for a fun, full body workout. It is brought to us by Les Mills and started back in the 1990s.Now it’s inmore than 19,000 gyms and clubs and YMCA’s in 100 countries around the world.
The class is designed to uselow weights and high reps to achieve what Les Mills calls the REP EFFECT. The 800-1,000 reps per class takes muscles to fatigue while using light weights. Participants are led by an instructor who models the movement and helps members with form. According to Les Mills, you can expect to burn an average of400 caloriesduring a 55-minute Body Pump workout, but it's the building of lean muscle mass that provides the long-term benefits. Every three months, Les Mills releases a new workout with new music and new timing/choreography, but the foundation is the same.
There are 10 tracks of music each working a different muscle group.
- Track 1 is a full body warmup, getting you ready for the workout ahead.
- Track 2 is squats, usually over five minutes of squats with the heaviest lift of your class.
- Track 3 is chest. You get to lie back on the step and press it out.
- Track 4 is the back track with deadlifts, dead rows and clean and presses.
- Track 5 is triceps, dips, kickbacks, overhead extensions and more. All triceps!
- Track 6 is biceps - curls with bar or plates with music to keep you motivated.
- Track 7 is lunges. You go back to legs. Sometimes there is no weight required, but every time you feel this track the next day.
- Track 8 is shoulders, with pushups, side raises, rotator raise and so much more. Don’t we all love pushups?
- Track 9 is abs. It’s all about the core, with planks, crunches and sometimes weight is added.
- Track 10 is the cool down. It's so important to stretch out all the muscles you worked to fatigue in the last 55 minutes. It’s almost like a reward.
Even if you are new to the Y, all levels are welcome and new Pumpers are encouraged to start light and maybe only stay for the part of class the first time. This workout set to music flies by as you get your REP EFFECT on. Please check our schedules and sign up today! Both branches have several Body Pump classes a week.