LIFESTYLE // A beginner's guide to Les Mills Body Pump (from an absolute beginner)

Hi there!

If you've been following me on instagram you might have noticed me going on (and on and on) about my escapades at the gym. I've started doing two classes a week, one of them being Body Pump. I've decided that this time round on my trip to being healthier I'm avoiding high impact cardio and trying to give low impact high rep a go. I've also been told by everyone and their gran that I need to try weightlifting. I didn't want to pay extortionate amounts of money for a personal trainer and so went for the next best thing - a weight lifting class. Here we are now, 3 weeks later, writing a post on my experience (spoiler alert - it's good!).

Body Pump is an hour long weightlifting class focused on low weights and high reps. I read somewhere that you can do something like 700 reps in a class (which seems a lot and I don't have any reliable sources for this!) so it is definitely a workout. The class systematically works through your entire body from arms, to chest, back, legs and core. The instructor shows you technique you need before each track before playing loud, high energy music to guide you and hide your screams (well my screams).

Before each class you need to get a step, bar, range of weights (and clips) and a mat. It seems very overwhelming but I'm sure the instructor will show you exactly what you need. I went for the lowest possible weight (1.25 kg on each side of the bar) and didn't budge from that in my first week and would 100% recommend that. I'd suggest trying to finish the class rather than work with high weight and not do half of the exercises. I get a much greater sense of accomplishment knowing I've kept up than increased my weight.

So, what do you need to know if you are starting Body Pump for the first time?

1. It's not as scary as it looks. The weights are light and you can stop as much as you want.
2. People will be working with more weight than you. That's 100% okay! You do not want to push it to hard, injure yourself, and never go back.
3. Technique is very important - probably more so than the weight you are lifting. Bad technique = more likely to injure yourself.
4. It will take some time to increase your weights. I'm trying after 3 weeks to increase the weight on certain tracks I find easy. If I can't complete the track, I'm not upping the weight!
5. It's surprisingly fun. I would not have thought I'd have found an hour of picking things up and putting them down enjoyable but I kind of do. Sure, I ache after but I'm already feeling stronger (and I love that feeling).
6. You're going to ache but it's okay. It means you're improving! Sure, if it hasn't gone after a couple of days, maybe go see someone about that. But if those muscles ache, you know you've worked them.
7. Make sure you stretch between tracks and stay for the final stretch. It really is essential! Don't be tempted to skip it and get home 5 minutes earlier.
8. Drink lots and lots. My instructor tells us every other track to get a drink because thirsty muscles are tired muscles. I find it helps me a lot!
9. Wear clothes you are comfortable in. I tend to wear tight but thick sports leggings and an oversized top. There are loads of squats and lunges so you may want to check that your clothes are squat proof.

So, that is a quick post on Body Pump (find one near you here!). I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to workout classes and find Les Mills classes are the only ones I manage to stick to. The mix of music to distract me and constant movement makes it slightly more bearable. I think it's a simple way to learn a little bit of weight lifting technique, introduce you to something different and give results pretty quickly. I'm already seeing muscles in my arm I hadn't had before!

Have you ever tried Les Mills classes? Which ones do you enjoy? Let me know!

Rachael