After the excesses of Hogmanay, fitness classes will soon be packed with people trying to work off “holiday bloat”.
What better way to get started than to see the New Year in with the latest Les Mills releases.
Are you ready for Les Mills Body Balance release 67? I’ve been learning the moves and listening to the music for a few weeks now. Here are my first impressions.
Tai Chi Warm Up
Diana Mills, one of the programme choreographers, was pregnant during the shoot. You can be sure that this release is perfect for expectant mothers. Plenty of options. Though I did cringe slightly when I saw Diana deep in Swan Pose with her heel pressing deeply into her tummy.
“Back to basics” is the theme of this release. Perfect for a New Year with many first timers coming to class.
Our warm up consists of a lovely simple Tai Chi sequence and a traditional sun salutation flow. No complexity allows you to master the basic moves quickly.
We hear two completely different songs for the Standing Strength routine. A departure from the usual, “play the song twice, once on the right and once on the left”. You’ll see a new version of Warrior 2 pose here. The Joyous Warrior. And although they don’t mention it by name that looks like a Humble Warrior to me.
At 8 minutes, the hips track delivers intensity. Glorious stretches and we spend a long time in Swan Pose. The song is a lovely one but becomes weird during those swan poses. What do you think of that long Outro?
At only 2 minutes 30 odd seconds it’s the shortest Core Abs track ever. And it’s not a trick like last time. There’s no second, longer one to surprise you.
Looks like another solid class. Can’t say I’ve been blown away by it and I’m struggling to decide what’s the stand out moment. Probably the hips track.
Now it’s your turn:
Did you go to the Quarterly Workshops? What do you think of Les Mills Body Balance release 67? Are you a participant? Have you been to the new class? Please leave a comment below or a link to your review.
That’s how people described the LAST Body Balance release. Is release number 66 in the same league?
In truth the new class treads a different path.
In the last class, from the start of the Standing Strength track until the end of the Core Back track, were 29 minutes of relentless strength and stretch work. Even the Balance track felt like a Standing Strength.
Les Mills Body Balance release 66 combines a great choice of music with equally challenging moves. But there are lighter moments. The Balance track floats and doesn’t sting. You have to dig deeper to find the intensity and for that reason some people might find this class easier than the last one.
Let’s have a look at the tracks (and you can click on the links to find the songs on Amazon).
This beautiful Tai Chi sequence reminds me of some of the warm ups back in the 20s. That’s almost 10 years ago. Arm circles with gentle torso rotation and then adding in wide sweeping sun rise style arm patterns.
Large portions of the song have no beat in the music so you have to feel the moves much more. It can be quite tricky at first but once the moves sink in you can just go with the flow of the sounds.
A very different feel to this Sun Salutations track. Normally we progress through four, maybe six, rounds of the sequence. Here we spend time experiencing a few movements in the sequence on their own. Building up to the full routine after about two minutes.
I like the creative way the choreographers created a power sequence out of the plank, crocodile, upward dog and downward dog part of the salutation by cutting those moves from 8 beats to 4 beats of the music. Again tricky to master at first but variety and challenge once grasped.
Equally as tough as the Standing Strength from the last release, you really do have to “Hold On” to get to the end of this one. The moves flow together especially the quick switches from Extended Warrior pose to Sun Warrior pose.
By the time we shift into Floating Half Moon pose our supporting leg is crying out for respite. Having said that, whilst the notes say Floating Half Moon, the teachers on the instructor masterclass DVD look like they are closer to Warrior 3 pose towards the end.
Holding on for a few more seconds after the music fade on each side burns your glutes.
Quiet. Serene. Floaty. The song is gorgeous and the moves feel light. However find depth in each pose and you will challenge yourself. Don’t let this sequence feel like a rest after the fire of the standing strength track.
Eagle pose. Tree pose. And finally Flower pose (making its first appearance in Body Balance I think) create a smooth flow of moves.
Remember though that Flower pose is not Dancer’s pose despite the similarities. Flower pose moves on a horizontal plane and the more familiar Dancer’s pose works vertically.
Cow Face pose (and we see the half and full varieties here) isn’t the easiest of seated hip opening poses for blokes. Always intense, stretching and opening though which is what we want.
Short and sweet, by the time we move into full Cow Face pose I feel like I’ve tied myself into a knot and reinvented myself as a pretzel.
The first of two Core Abs tracks. For the first time teach here’s an opportunity to tease the class as it’s the shortest ever Core Abs track. Then surprise them with the second and much longer one.
I love the variation on the side plank here. Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward slightly in this move and lift high and you will feel your abdominals catch fire. We’re not here for long but I’d like to see this move back for longer next time. In fact I’ve stolen it for my Power Yoga classes. Very challenging.
Relentless. Fitting the upbeat music perfectly we cross crawl, crunch and finally rest on the edge of our hip bones for leg extensions and scissors all of which fry the muscles in the side of our abdominals. You’ll hear more moans and groans from this routine than any in Body Balance release 66.
Another short and simple track which can seem easy unless you look for intensity in the moves. Intensity is there though. Dancing Horse (is that really a pose name or did Jackie Mills make that up?) works all the right muscles and Bow pose always provides a challenge.
I don’t think we are in that last hover for long enough though.
Possibly the longest Twists track in Body Balance history. Feeling more like three separate sequences, they could almost have chosen a different piece of music for each and not this extended, almost seven minute long Justin Timberlake epic.
Firstly we experience a tough standing twist routine with Twisted Intense Pose, Twisted Lunge and Revolved Triangle. When you rise after the “right” side feel how strained your right leg is.
Secondly we flow through a seated sequence which lowers the intensity a touch.
Finally we finish with supine twists setting us up for the finale.
A beautiful but short Hamstrings track with Happy Baby pose culminating in Bridge pose. Perhaps it feels two short? I’m inclined to extend some of the stretches and overflow into the lengthy relaxation.
Les Mills Body Balance release 66 would always struggle in the wake of the stunning number 65. Participants have found it “easier” until they discover its hidden intensities. If you view the class without the context of the release it follows then I think this is another great class with many positives and very few, if any negatives.
Now it’s your turn:
Do you agree with my review of Les Mills Body Balance release 66? Let me know your thoughts. Please leave a comment or post a link to your own review.
Mediation A – Quiet Soul Ultimate Relaxation Spa Dreams – Hearty Young
Meditation B – Canon In D Ultimate Piano Relaxation Massage – Hearty Young
Once again thanks to Simon Philp for pointing out the list. Check out his blog – you’ll find much more Les Mills stuff here!
Now it’s your turn: What do you think of the Les Mills Body Balance release 67 tracklist? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
If you want more spoilers you can click on the links above to see the music on Amazon. They won’t be exactly the same mixes because Les Mills often edit the tracks, and some are Les Mills cover versions and not available commercially. But it will give you a good feel for what’s on its way.
Les Mills Body Balance release 66 is still a great release though.
In the last release we had five tracks, totalling 29 minutes, from the start of Standing Strength to the end of the Core Back track, of relentless intense work. The Balance and Hips tracks felt like extensions of Standing Strength.
The new one gives us more variety between intensity and flow. When the challenges come they are mean – the Core Abs track is relentlessly hard. As tough as anything you’ll see in CXWorx or Body Combat.
Our trainer for the Edinburgh Quarterly was Bram. He’s a lovely instructor with a beaming smile and a relaxed manner. He told us not to take things too seriously.
“It’s only an aerobics class after all,” he said.
Bram also encouraged us to search for some cheesy cues as well as serious ones. “Because people want to have fun in class as well,” he added.
Great work Bram. Just how I like it.
Bram’s education session was equally enlightening. I learned a good few nuggets to take away and use, not only in my Body Balance classes, but also my Yoga sessions.
So what sticks in my mind about Les Mills Body Balance release 66?
Lovely flowing arm circles in the Tai Chi remind me of some of my favourite tracks from the early days
A different take on the Sun Salutations with a long lead in phase where we experiment with the moves that eventually merge together into the main sequence
A Power Vinyasa flow feel to a tough Standing Strength track.
First time for Flower Pose in the Balance track. A variation of Dancer’s. This is a tricky one – remember to bend your supporting leg.
Two Core Abs tracks. Both of them, “OUCH!”
Perhaps the longest ever Twists track.
Now I’m in learning mode again it looks like we have another great release to challenge us for the next three months.
Coming soon to a club near you.
Now it’s your turn:
What do you think of Les Mills Body Balance release 66? Were you at the Quarterlies? What did you think of the presentation? Please leave a comment or post a lik to your own blog.
