Tag Archives: body balance

First Impressions of Body Combat release 54 after the Glasgow Quarterly Workshops November 2012

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It’s time to learn the next set of Les Mills releases – and it looks like they are challenging and exciting.

As I drove towards Broadwood Stadium through torrential rain I was looking forward to an afternoon of Body Balance. When I arrived and looked at the sign in sheet, I realised I’d misread the itinery. It was actually the Glasgow quarterly workshops for Body Combat release 54.

Oh no, I thought. I had yoga style clothes on, and had left my martial arts gloves and my bandana at home. Everyone else was looking great in their almost theatrical outfits. I felt naked. So it was on with the show.

Body Combat release 54 glasgow quarterly workshops
Tanya Walker leading the masterclass for Body Combat release 54.

Tanya Walker, who is head UK trainer for Body Combat delivered the masterclass for Body Combat release 54. This was her first presentation after recently having a baby and she was on top form. Motivational, funny, inspiring and she dealt with the failure of the microphone by just chucking it aside and using her own vocal skills instead.

Here are my first impressions of Body Combat release 54:

  • It felt much more cardio than the last couple of classes – there are no capoeira moves – though we get an amazing leg work out in track two
  • The BPM in the lower body warm up is higher than in track two
  • For a few releases I have felt that track two has been short and a little dull. This one is long, tough and exhausting. And you know you still have 45 minutes to go afterwards
  • Remember how in the last release there was one sequence with endless uppercuts? This time it’s hooks.
  • The Muay Thai track is another piece of thumping techno music and is a huge workout with millions of knee strikes and push front kicks
  • There is a new move in the conditioning track which will be hard to teach at first but it is going to create results
  • Tanya complained that as she had just given birth that this new move “hurt her fanny”. I suspect I’ll not use in my script

For the first time in my experience, Tanya invited instructors up to the front to shadow with her. She picked me, naked and gloveless and bandana-free, and a few others to help with the Muay Thai track. It was a blur of knees and sweat and tears. This was a great way to motivate the instructors.

Watch out Edinburgh, I mean really watch out. Body Combat release 54 is coming your way.

Over to you: Have you tried Body Combat release 54? What do you think of the level of intensity? Did you get to shadow with a master trainer? Go on! Leave a comment. Share your thoughts.

Click here to watch the teaser trailer video for Body Combat release 54.

How can Yoga be a cardio workout? Here’s how.

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Yoga isn’t a cardio workout is it? Holding a pose for ages, breathing deeply or lying on your back isn’t going to make you burn calories or break into a sweat is it? You need spinning, aerobics, Body Attack or Body Combat for that don’t you?

Well you might be surprised. There are so many different styles of yoga. Some are gentle and controlled and do focus more on breathing and relaxation. But if you want sweat, aching arms and legs, and a faster heart rate you can find a yoga class that will deliver that for you.

Getting a cardio work out is important for health and weight-loss goals. So look out for the following types of yoga:

Ashtanga
Bikram
Power

These are much more rigorous styles of yoga and bring much more cardio to the practice than a gentle Hatha yoga class.

How can Yoga be a cardio workout?
photo credit: lululemon athletica via photopin cc

The heated room in Bikram yoga will certainly raise your heart rate a bit.

But the real cardio work in a yoga class, especially an Ashtanga or Power yoga class is the Vinyasa.

It’s a little sequence that you perform between each pose. You jump back into a plank position with straight arms and a flat back and immediately lower yourself down into a tricep dip (the pose has a fabulous name – Chaturanga Dandasana – four limbed staff pose in English).

From there you move into upward facing dog pose and then push back into downward facing dog pose.

You are then ready to step into the next set of moves.

In a class you might perform that Vinyasa up to 50 times. That’s 50 planks, 50 tricep low push ups. It’s going to get the heart rate up and it’s going to help you burn calories.

Some people miss out the Vinyasa. But If you want cardio then do them all.

So yoga can be a cardio workout if you want it to be. And it will strengthen and tone your body too.

I’ve delighted in seeing people breathless and sweating in a good intense power yoga class. It works. And it makes you look forward to that relaxation bit at the end.

Over to you: What’s for favourite type of yoga for getting a good cardio workout? What extra steps do you take to increase the intensity? Please share your thoughts. Leave a comment.

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Great experiences covering yoga classes in Edinburgh

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I love being a fitness and yoga teacher. What motivates me most is meeting so many people and seeing them make a difference to their lives. They get fitter. Most lose weight. They get stronger and more flexible. And by teaching regular classes I notice the changes and that makes it worthwhile.

Covering yoga classes in edinburgh
photo credit: Amber Karnes via photopin cc

Sometimes I cover other instructors classes when they are on holiday or sick. Walking into a class full of strangers is more daunting but it is just as satisfying.

The only slight problem when covering a yoga class is pitching it at the right level. With other per-choreographed exercise classes such as Body Balance and Body Combat you don’t have to worry about this because everyone is teaching the same moves. With yoga you might make it harder or easier than the usual teacher. Getting the balance right is key.

So I’ve just been out on the road covering yoga classes in Edinburgh. It’s been a week of great experiences.

First up was a hatha yoga class. This is usually the gentlest form of practice. But the instructor had tipped me off that the participants like a little more intensity. So I upped the number of sun salutations and introduced more flowing sequences. One lady was new to class and was pregnant and slightly concerned about exercising. With options she did extremely well. She said she’d be back. I hope she continues once the baby arrives.

Next is was power yoga. Due to last-minute problems at the club I had to teach the class in the bar of the functions suite. The room was very hot and everyone was dripping with sweat at the end. I guess we all found out what hot yoga is like.

Covering yoga classes in edinburgh
photo credit: Edson Hong via photopin cc

 

As the sweat dried on my forehead, I drove quickly to the next venue for another hatha yoga class. For this one I knew I had to be more gentle. So I emphasised calmness, deep breath and long stretches. Yoga is so versatile. Tough and sweaty in one class and then calm and collected in another.

I saved the best class to cover for last. More hatha yoga . What was great about it? It was an hour and a half whereas the others were only for an hour. The extra 30 minutes makes a massive difference. You can spend more time at the beginning and at the end really exploring breath. You can hold the poses for longer and really feel the benefits.

One lady came up afterwards to say how much she enjoyed the pigeon and frog poses. These really open up the hips. We stayed in them for minutes and not seconds.

That long class was a great end to a wonderful week of covering yoga classes in Edinburgh.

Over to you: I’d love to hear your stories of covering yoga classes. Please leave a comment or share a link.

Have a look at the sizzler video preview for Les Mills Body Balance release 59

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I am still enjoying teaching Body Balance 58. And although I don’t go on the training on the for the next one until early December, which means we won’t see it in clubs until the New Year, they’ve already released a preview video number 59.

Have a look if you want but beware there are music and moves spoilers coming up.

Click here to Tweet this video.

Over to you: I hope you enjoyed this sizzler video preview for Les Mills Body Balance release 59. Let me know what you think. Leave a message below.