My latest guest is Stephen Breakwell. He’s a Black Belt Taekwondo Teacher, rock guitarist, cyclist and now a Les Mills Body Combat, Body Balance, CXWorx and RPM instructor as well as a freetstyle Kaiser Spinning instructor.
It’s not only about indoor cycling. We get to hear a motivational story about how Stephen overcame a critical illness to become the accomplished group fitness instructor that he is.
With tips, tricks and stories about all the programmes he teaches, you really cannot miss this interview with Stephen Breakwell.
Now it’s your turn: If you enjoyed this podcast about indoor cycling please share it with your friends, leave a comment or go to iTunes and leave a review.
Once again thanks to Simon Philp for pointing out the list. Check out his blog – you’ll find much more Les Mills stuff here!
With a month to go before the next round of Quarterly Workshops it might be early getting excited about a new release. But that’s a great track list. Can’t wait.
Now it’s your turn: What do you think of the Les Mills Body Balance release 65 track list? 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.
Have you tried Les Mills Body Balance release 64 yet? What do you think?
Be warned – for the first time in 14 releases I am not giving this one a big thumbs up.
I’ve reviewed every release of Les Mills Body Balance from number 32 onwards. Up until now the only “dud”, in my opinion, was release 39. Since then I’ve almost become a stuck record in my praise of successive classes. Each one has eclipsed the last with its quality mix of music and moves.
Body Balance release 64 doesn’t continue this trend. I’m not saying that it’s a “dud” but it’s certainly the least impressive class in a long time.
Before I go into the reasons why let me just say that as an instructor I always deliver a motivational experience and I wouldn’t share my anything other than positive thoughts with the class.
I say this because there is a worrying trend within the so-called Les Mills “Tribe” at the moment. They only welcome positive opinions that tow the party line. They meet criticism with the suggestion that “It’s your fault. You’re not delivering the magic to your customers.” That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Apart from being a little grumpy that I’ve had to buy this track for the third time, I like this Moby song. It’s up tempo and the exercises are immediately tough getting us warm fast. Using a “sword dance” theme is innovative and interesting. But like many tracks in release 64 it’s “bitty”. For such a short piece of music we change stance eight times. Multiple directions confuse participants however well cued by the instructor.
Tai Chi should flow. This doesn’t feel like it does.
Sun Salutations – BlackBird – Perception Free
After the tough shoulder workout in the last sun salutations with its multiple Crocodile poses, we experience a gentler sun salutation sequence this time. That’s fine after the warming effect of the Tai Chi.
Les Mills encourage Body Balance instructors to use few words and to let the music shine. Unfortunately this version of an old Beatles song is an insipid dirge that fails to enhance the exercise sequence or motivate us to complete it.
Another dodgy cover version of a classic Oasis song which I’m not convinced has the right feel for a standing strength track.
I like the first sequence of poses as we flow from Triangle to Extended Warrior 2, building up to an Extended Lunge and finally take flight into Warrior 3. And challenges to our strength and balance come in the creative Wide Squat on Tip Toes sequence.
Then it’s as if the choreographers ran out of ideas or time. Repeating Warrior 2 (that’s what it says in the notes but on the DVD it looks more like a Sun Warrior to me) side to side feels tagged on and again, “bitty”.
Finally a stand out track. An epic feel to the music, a gorgeous flowing sequence from Tree, through Aeroplane and Star Pose, makes for a tough yet beautiful workout. Four repetitions of the sequence mean that we can fully explore these poses and grow stronger with each one. Who else gets a shiver down their spine as we “burst” into Star pose as the chorus crashes in?
Again though the last Star Poses feel as tagged on as the Warrior 2s did in the standing strength.
Hip Openers
Hip Openers – Part 2 (On the Run) – Pistol of Zodiac
There are lots of rude words in this song because you can hear the spaces in the singing where Les Mills have “beeped” them out. They’ve even given us an instrumental version as an alternative to make sure we don’t offend those people offended by “beeped out rude words”.
The exercises certainly open the hips and I always love to teach and do Swan pose. But changing from Swan to Kneeling Lunge feels awkward. Perhaps it would be better to push back into Down Dog and then step through into a lunge.
We finish with Modified Half Lotus and Side Bends and if you have tight hips you will feel these moves. Ouch.
A tough abs track with a challenging Firefly Pose with Plank Pull Back gets the sweat pouring from my forehead on to the mat. I like this track but again people have said they find it too “bitty” and “busy”. There are multiple changes of position from lying prone, to plank, back to lying prone, to plank, lying on our sides and finally finishing in a hover.
Personally I don’t feel it’s the multiple changes that are a problem, but the speed with which we have to do them. Some participants are missing half the exercises because they can’t switch quick enough. I can cue the transitions early but that interrupts the flow as well.
A welcome return for the Side-Lying Scissor Legs move. The Pilates Swimmer Sequence burns our glutes. Amazing how such a slow move can have such an instant effect.
We finish with Bridge Posewith Leg Extensions which are among my favourite yoga poses. But I’m worried about the Full Back Bend with Leg Extension option. Advanced Yoga moves like this need careful coaching and there just isn’t time to do this safely. Very few people can do the move anyway – perhaps one or two in a class of thirty. Those that can do Full Back Bend look fantastic but they can “intimidate” the majority.
We finish the back track lying on our backs but this twist track starts in child’s pose necessitating another awkward transition. A very short and fiddly twist sequence set to a truly bizarre song.
It makes me laugh though because although the song’s called “Tennis Court” several of by participants don’t hear, “Let’s go down to the Tennis Court” they think its, “Let’s go down to Tesco’s.”
In my opinion this is the poorest twist track we have ever had.
I knew this great song would appear in Body Balance eventually. We revisit the Tai Chi moves and flow through some exquisite forward bends including the Wide Leg Forward Fold Twist providing a deep intense stretch.
The hard work in class comes to an end with this short second hamstrings track. All we have time for is a Forward Fold, a chest and shoulder stretch that feels weird in a seated position, happy baby pose and finally the beautiful Extended Butterfly Pose.
Relaxation / Meditation – Sacred Group/Breathing Space – Sacred Earth
Giving us a song to listen to in the relaxation phase is certainly different to the usual instrumental that we instructors can talk over. At first participants welcomed this change but after only a few classes they are asking me to miss it out. You can’t however skip to the second, more tradition instrumental section, because it’s all one track on the CD. So if the song has to go the beautiful haunting piece of music that follows has to go too unfortunately.
Body Balance release 64 is a mixed bag. Awkward transitions, or too many quick changes make it feel “bitty” and some of the songs this time are poorly chosen or bad cover versions. I guess that after 14 outstanding releases one that was less impressive was bound to come along eventually.
Here’s to hoping that number 65 starts another unbroken run of belters then.
Now it’s your turn: A less than positive review will always polarise opinion. Do you agree with my review of Les Mills Body Balance release 64? If you don’t let me know why? Please post a comment or leave a link to your own review.
How long have you been doing Body Combat? Either as an instructor or participant?
Nearly 10 years have flown by since I went on the training and years as a participant before that.
I sometimes worry that I don’t fit the “modern” Les Mills profile of a Body Combat Instructor. I still like some of the old cheesy sing along tracks from the early days. And I do miss those “Dush Dush” sound effects they used to sync to the kicks and punches.
But my classes stay full so people must like my references to pop culture, motivational style and dreadful singing.
Then suddenly along comes Body Combat release 59. Almost every track is a sing along song. Some are quite cheesy. There are “kick” sound effects and “sword clash” sound effects in track 2. I love it. Perhaps Les Mills are helping me celebrate by approaching tenth anniversary of teaching.
And release 59 is a phenomenal workout as well!
So let’s look at the tracks (and click on the links if you want to hear the tracks on Amazon).
An uplifting and motivational opener with ready to quote lyrics. “I knew you were trouble when you walked in,” could apply to anyone of my participants. Add on to the usual jabs, hooks and upper cuts an interesting karate kata and capoeira esquivas makes for a different feel to the usual formulaic upper body warm up.
“Boo Hoo!” Who remembers the original of this updated song? “And I hate everything about you,” go the lyrics. But I love more or less everything about this track, especially the focus on the roundhouse kicks with more repetitions than normal.
But one slight niggle. Why include four “push kicks” and the need to cue them and contrast them to the “snap kick” when they don’t appear later in the class? The esquivas and the karate kata make a return, why not the push kick?
Track 2 – Combat 1 – Danger Zone – International Outlaw
Quite a heavy rock cover version of this old classic features roundhouse and side kicks and the return of sword swings. And there are sound effects in the mix to coincide with the kicks and sword clashes. Some will find this too old school. I think it’s fun. Especially the magic moment at the end as you sheath your sword back into its scabbard.
I wonder whether the programme directors original intention was for a repeat of the roundhouse combo in the finale and not the sword combo because they’ve omited the sound effects the second time? The earlier combo certainly fits the music so perhaps they replaced it last-minute.
This one might be my favourite Power 1 track ever. The lyrics are catchy and the beat driven and pounding. Like all the power tracks in Body Combat release 59 the choreographers have included three rounds of work. Prepare for shoulder muscle meltdown as the first combination of infinitely repeated uppers and jabs blast your upper body.
Have a go at changing the lyrics. “All I want to do is hide away” becomes “All I want to do is smash your face”.
I struggled with the timing in this track as I was learning it. “Let’s get ready to RUMBLE!” and other fight related lyrics frame an onslaught of shoot lunges, knee strikes and the return of the jump front kick. We revisit the karate kata from the warm up for much-needed respite.
Another singable and quotable song with a well layered build up to the full combination in the first two rounds. We demo and practice each move of the combo separately before piling it all together for the last chorus.
The last round of jumping forward whilst jabbing and hooking suits a split room face to face encounter. In less busy classes I have tried creating two opposing teams of fighters during the second skipping phase and let battle begin when the heavy beat kicks in again.
Do the jump jab and the jump hook properly and this will burn your legs as well.
A very different feel to a combat track, with almost mystical kung-fu moves at the beginning before we transition into leg conditioning with capoeira esquivas, lunges and then, shockingly, switch lunges. As it says in the notes these are not plyometric lunges as we stay low and grounded. We only endure 8 repetitions of these on each leg but the cumulative conditioning effect is exhausting.
The music fits perfectly with a rock ballad feel to the kung fu section disintegrating into a wall of dub-step noise for the leg exercises.
A cheesy old movie theme tune with a surprisingly heavy guitar riff encourages us through 32 knee strikes. Perhaps this track is a little repetitive but it raises the heart rate. And the last knees, punches and ascending elbow combination followed by the finale of “running man” knees feels dramatic and cinematic.
A final three round boxing track continues to fatigue our shoulders. Interval training at its best that raises the heart rate three times and gives us the opportunity to rest briefly before each bout. Only if you need to though.
The first two sections feature a variety of punching combinations including the core working “slip” after the jab crosses.
And the finale provides an extended upper cut and hook combo deconstructed and then thrown back together in an intense melee.
After that shoulder blasting finale to the cardio part of the workout we rest our upper body for a moment and focus on a long series of crunches.
Then flipping into bear pose, the hip escape move from Brazilian Jui Jitsu is back. Last seen in release 54 the programme directors have modified this move to make it more achievable. I think its last appearance scared a few people but this time everyone is giving it a good go.
Another round of crunches and a last set of hip escapes and press ups and our beasted bodies are crying out for the cool-down.
And the cool down is dramatic, with a strong kata and uplifting yet calming music from Sarah Brightman.
I think Les Mills Body Combat release 59 is outstanding. A great combination of hummable singable tunes and hard work. Some will find it cheesier than the last few classes, but I’ve had universally positive feedback.
And I love it.
Now it’s your turn: Do you agree with my review of Les Mills Body Combat release 59? What do you think of the cheesier sing along songs? Is it a tough workout? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Or post a link to your own review.
