Tag Archives: les mills

Love your DOMS – it shows that your exercise is working

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On Sunday I had a severe case of DOMS. I’m sure you have had that too at some point?

What is DOMS?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. When you do a new exercise, or change your routine to target a different muscle group, the muscles involved will hurt between 24 and 48 hours later. It can provide some unintentionally hilarious results. You might find that you have to crawl out of bed sideways or that sitting down becomes a slow and delicate procedure, or that walking becomes a noticeable hobble.

what is DOMS

It’s the body’s way of adapting to a new exercise and the ache is caused by micro-tears in the muscle fibres. The next time you do the new exercise the effect won’t be as bad. So as long as you don’t over exert yourself, and keep stretching and maintaining good blood flow to the affected muscles, DOMS is not a bad thing. It shows the body is responding to new stuff.

DOMS also highlights the need to change your exercise routines frequently otherwise the body becomes used to the movement and any training effect is reduced.

The first time I experienced DOMS was after my first Body Pump class. This was long before fitness bug consumed me and decided to train to be an instructor – I had to be dragged along to the class against my will. Once there I did not want to look “weak in front of the other guys”. I used weights that were really too heavy for a first timer. I got through the class with it’s hundreds of squats, lunges and bicep curls and admitted to the person who dragged me along that I had really enjoyed it. But the following day my quads were burning with a high intensity of pain. I couldn’t walk but I couldn’t sit down either. I had to put hot water bottles on my legs to soothe the pain.

what is doms

This week I launched the new releases of Body Combat and Body Balance to my class participants (read about the new music and moves here). The former contains martial arts routines with over 100 powerful side kicks. The later has a standing strength routine of deep Yoga Warrior poses that lasts nearly 10 minutes. The combined effect of this has been DOMS worse than I have experienced in a long while.

I know my participants have felt it too. I’ve seen them post comments on twitter. They feel the aches and pain, but soon they’ll see the gain, and that makes it so worthwhile.

So be proud of your DOMS. Love your DOMS because it is your body telling you that the effort you are putting into your exercise is working.

Over to you: I’d love to hear your stories about how you have experienced change from your exercise. From really bad DOMS, to a visible tightening of the tummy muscles, please post a comment and share.

Fitness rocks on down at the Super Quarterly

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Imagine a fitness class crossed with a rock concert. A workout in “the round”. A group fitness experience at Glastonbury or “T in the Park”. This is a Super Quarterly

Any fitness instructor who teaches one of the Les Mills programmes – I teach Body Combat and Body Balance – has to go on what we call a quarterly workshop every 3 months to see the new music and the new moves.

Super Quarterly

These are usually held in fitness clubs like David Lloyd or Bannatyne’s, and it is essentially a load of instructors attending their own class just like a participant would. Except our instructor is a Master Trainer.

Occasionally they hold a Super Quarterly where the new classes are showcased in a massive venue. We recently had a Super Quarterly in Edinburgh and the atmosphere was incredible. Hundreds of instructors. Loud music. International Master Trainers. It is so motivational and uplifting to feel so much fitness power in one room.

First up was CXWorx - I’ve written about this work out before – it is a 30 minute core training programme and it hurts. In the days that followed I discovered muscle soreness I never thought possible. Abs and butt muscles were totally on fire. I imagine doing this several times a week will yield impressive results.

Then came Body Balance, a delightful mixture of Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates. And it’s tough too. Not in an aerobic sense but it strengthens, stretches and tones. The guest presenter from New Zealand was Corey Baird. He has a soft soothing manner and looks like he was chiseled from oak. The girls love his body and I guess I can see why. Ann-See Yeoh and Kathryn Cullen from the UK put in their usual precise and calmly motivational performances.

super quartery

Of course everyone was building up the last class of the day, Body Combat. This highly intensive, heart thumping mixed martial arts class takes participants out of their daily lives and into a land of make believe – the Bruce Lee film. Or Bruce Willis, or Captain Jack Sparrow, depending upon who your action hero is. Presented by programme director Dan Cohen, the Vauxhall brother, who is short in stature, but giant in technique, moves and motivation. The room simply shook to the thunder of the music and the intensity of the workout. Our UK trainers Dave Cross and Phil Harrison proved their worth alongside the wee man, and the crowd roared its approval.

Here’s a brief video of the Combat masterclass. Just look at all those people fighting for their fitness.

I’m now learning Body Combat 51 and Body Balance 56. I’ll be launching soon. It’s going to be amazing. It’s going to hurt. And it’s going to work.

Over to you: Are you a Les Mills Instructor? Did you go to a Super Quarterly? What do you think of the new releases. If you are a participant in a class – let me know what you think of the new moves and the new music. Please post a comment below.

6 Ways to sculpt your core with CXWorx

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I finally got to try CXWorx, the 30 minute core work out class recently launched in the UK by Les Mills the creators of Body Pump.

CXWorx for your core

Many clubs run classes sporting titles such as “Ab Attack” or “Core Extreme”. These too run for 30 minutes and feature endless sit ups and oblique curls. On paper CXWorx promises a similar experience but with the added Les Mills standard accompaniment of the hottest musical sounds from charts around the planet.

It is not the same believe me. The creators of this class have crammed much variety of exercise into the allotted time to work your core from every angle. You start by realising your core is not just the abs. As the instructor said, “What is your core? Well chop of your head, your arms and your legs and what is left is your core.”

So it includes the shoulders, the glutes, the obliques, and the muscular slings that criss-cross the body creating the X-shape of muscles referred to in the class’s title.

I was already tired having just taught a very busy Body Combat class but I promised myself I would stay as the CXWorx instructor came in. She started by giving out resistance tubes. There are three levels and I inadvertently chose the hardest one. They have handles because you need to hold on tight. Another optional extra is a weight plate.

We got started lying down on mats on the floor as the music kicked in.

  1. Warm Up: A rapid combination of leg extensions, crunches and oblique crunches. Even as early as this you learn the importance of a flat back against the floor and a strong belly and how easy it is to lose technique and arch the back. Don’t. It stops the exercises or from working.
  2. Core strength 1: Here come the hovers. This is tough stuff. The instructor introduces arm and leg movements but you have to keep the hover strong and centred. It only takes a few minutes for this to start burning.
  3. Standing strength 1: A series of lunges, squats and stretches using the resistance tubes and weight plate to heavily work the glutes and top half of the legs. I had started to shake by now.
  4. Standing strength 2: The resistance tube becomes more of a focus in this one. Range of movement is small but the tubes make it hurt. By now, only 20 minutes in, I am starting to struggle.
  5. Core strength 2: More hovers, side planks, and leg raises test you almost to the limit.
  6. Core strength 3: Lying on the belly or up on hands and knees, we finish with diagonal pointers, leg extensions, shoulder and leg raises with moves that tighten the butt. A few quick stretches and your half hour is over. And you feel elated but broken.

The people in the class were of all ages and all shapes. Judging by the moans and groans and pools of sweat, everyone was happy with their performance and would be feeling the results the following day.

“CXWorx – A great work out for your core.”

I loved the class. Will it take off all over the UK? I imagine there might be resistance initially from clubs. They won’t want to pay another licence fee when they can convince themselves that their PTs can produce a similar experience for free. I think ultimately their attitude might change as people hear about CXWorx through word of mouth.

So CXWorx is a great express workout, not at all sure about the name though.

Over to you: Have you tried CXWorx yet? How did you feel afterwards? Have you seen results in your core? Please leave a comment and let me know.