Dan and Rachael have changed Body Combat recently.
Massively.
They snuck the changes up on us. The format is the same at a high level but completely different if you dig deeper.
Warm ups so intense you feel you should warm up before the warm up. A “press ups” section in track 4 that’s here to stay (but we still need time to collect our mats please!). High Intensity Interval Training masquerading as Body Combat. A cutting back on “sing along songs” replaced with driving lyric free music, or at least repetitive lyrics.
Body Combat is a tougher work out. More focus on drilling specific moves. Higher intensity. Sweatier.
It gets results.
But has it gone too far? I’ll come back to that.
First, let’s have a look at the tracks.
We begin the upper body warm up with a lower body move – the shoot lunge. Adding to the feeling this is beyond a warm up our legs begin training from the first beat. We segue into two combos which become repetitive but the music drives us through. “The Bass and the Tweeters make the speakers go to war”. Here’s a lyric we can hook on to. Are you ready to go to war?
Note the lack of any shuffling forward, back or sideways in this warmup or the whole release. Is that a feature of the new Combat format? Everything takes place on the spot.
A great lower body warm up. Drilling front kicks and side kicks in four explosive intervals. The slow side kicks are tricky to time but once the beat pounds in we’re away.
Is the first release ever not to feature the roundhouse kick? Come to think of it there aren’t any back kicks either.
- Combat 1 – I’m Shipping Up To Boston – Sway Spice
At two minutes and 13 seconds this track is over before it’s begun. I feel the upper cuts do not flow into the jump kick and the reset is awkward. The first time I taught this I pulled a muscle in my back and needed a week off and physiotherapy. My fault. The weakest track in the release. Pointless.
I love power tracks like this. Practice the components of a combo separately them combine them for a relentless workout. It’s patented Dan and Rachael power training. I struggled with the music whilst learning this one. The vocals are so far back in the mix (strangely not in the PPL Free version) as to be inaudible. And the pauses in the synth riffs disorientates you and make you feel you’ve missed a beat. Great moves and one of the longest track 3s ever.
- Combat 2 – Blast Off – The Basic Proton
Great guitar riff though I’ve failed to discover where they sampled it from. A repeat of the side kick drill from the warm up. We are hot now so we can kick harder and tone our glutes.
Down on the floor for press ups. Lack of time to fetch mats still means some participants prefer to perform squats instead. Those endless top half press ups hurt.
A completely new approach to a power track modelled on High Intensity Interval Training. Drilling upper cuts and sprints in incremental bursts builds up to a breathless crescendo.
I expected a lukewarm reaction from established participants, but some hard selling and motivational cueing means it is the highlight of the release. As good as it is thoug, that sprinting section isn’t Body Combat.
Smart Start seemed a little weird to me at first. The suggestion new participants should pack up and leave after track 5 rather than over do things and be put off for life. After this track I can see the logic behind the suggestion.
After the calorie annihilating interval track we’re offered no respite. Deep capoeira moves reduce our legs to jelly. “Until you hate me,” sings Rita Ora. I know the class hate me after this one. Those fast switch lunges at the end are manic.
- Muay Thai – La Nina Mechanica – Engine Florida
Hard pumping techno beats. A simple set of Muay Thai moves. Another calorie blaster. The last set of running man knees underline the new tough direction Body Combat is headed in. A few tricky timing issues try to trip us up but it’s a mammoth workout. I’m a massive fan of rock music but I prefer techno Muay Thai tracks.
- Power Training 3 – If You Surrender – The Truly
A good old-fashioned sing along power track song to finish with. We don’t surrender. Perhaps not as challenging as some finales (though we have worked hard in this release) but still sweaty. A euphoric way to finish.
- Conditioning – Shell Shocked – The Proven Lab
A good combination of crunches and cycles ending with the lower back raises which help strengthen the core. What is the guy singing about? Butter Kist? “Knock Knock to the Butter Kist Shell Shock.” Maybe not.
Typical cool down stretches and a powerful Kata set to a great rock ballad. An uplifting ending to a tough, relentless and sweat drenched release.
To return to my earlier question though. Have Dan and Rachael taken things too far?
The answer is probably not. Because Body Combat 64 is popular. People have taken on the challenge. They’ve seen results. They like the sweat and the calorie burn.
But I think they might appreciate the odd nod to the past. So Dan and Racheal, let’s not forget that fun tracks also motivate and burn. There’s no sign anymore of the odd cheesy fun track. Will Dan and Rachael ever lower themselves to another “Pirates of the Caribbean” style track. Rejected by those that take all this “One Tribe” marketing hype too seriously, as slow and cheesy, let’s not forget that Pirates is still the most requested old track.
Yes focus on technique is good. Yes the essence of martial arts is the core of the programme. But don’t adhere too strictly to your new format that you lose an army of fans who want to have a laugh as well as a workout.
It’s only bloody aerobics after all.
Now it’s your turn:
Do you agree with my review of Les Mills Body Combat release 64? Why not comment below. And do please share using the social media buttons.
