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Praise You – Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 69

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Another Body Balance release and soon I’ll have been teaching this programme for 10 years.

I’ve experienced some exceptional releases. Some average and the occasional clunker.

Release 69 isn’t exceptional nor is it a clunker. It bursts in on us with a Tai Chi warm up trying to be a full on work out. After, it settles into a mellow pace with decent challenges before drifting off and leaving us to chill to the ever popular piano notes of Stanton Lanier.

I’m enjoying teaching number 69 and people like the music and the moves. It’s a safe release. Pleasant but average. Mildly quirky but underwhelming.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 69
Let’s have a look at the tracks.

Tai Chi Warm Up – Praise You – Fatboy Slim

Les Mills used this song as a back track (I think) back in the 30s or 40s. Uptempo. Catchy with a solid beat. Doesn’t feel like Tai Chi at all until we slow down into arm circles near the end. Almost an aerobics warm up it grabs you by the shoulders, shakes and pushes you.

Praise you gets my vote for the most energetic Tai Chi warm up ever. Full on and in your face. A great start.

Sun Salutations – Warm Water – Banks

In contrast Warm Water is mellow, slow and flows. Acknowledging we might be sweating and breathless from the surprise warm up, the Sun Salutation sequence is basic and slow. A chance to regain control of our breath.

Standing Strength – In Colour – Shapeshifter

I like the way the Warrior poses in this track build from the ground up. Particularly when we start in Extended Warrior and rise to Warrior 2. A good change from the usual progression from Warrior 2 down to Extended Warrior. We hear the music twice and do a slightly different sequence each time culminating with a round of challenging three-legged Downward Facing Dogs at the end of each set.

Balance – Only Love Can Hurt Like This – Paloma Faith

A quirky piece of music and a deceptively difficult balancing sequence. I like the flow from Half Moon Pose to Aeroplane finishing in a wobbly Reverse Half Moon Pose. Only taking seconds to do it feels longer as our supporting legs and ankles burn. Good to see Dancers Pose returning the outro section.

Hip Openers – Gust Of Wind – Pharrell Williams

More quirky funky music (inspiring much finger clicking) and an extended stay in modified half lotus. It’s fun and doesn’t feel that challenging but you can sink deep into the stretches. And they feel exquisite. Adding a twist to the Swan Pose by threading our arm though to the lead knee takes the hip stretch to the brink between pleasure and pain.

Core Abs – Blame It On Me – George Ezra

Deceptive. Watch the masterclass video and you might end this short Core Abs track is easy. Far from it is the reality. Creating a fire in the abdominal a this Pilates workout gets results. Yes it’s short. But the moans of gain pain more than show its true nature.

Core Back – In Your Arms – Nico & Vinz

Dolphin Pose makes a welcome return to Body Balance. The last appearance I remember happened way back in release 34. I’m sure it’s been back since but I can’t recall when. A good challenge remember to bring your feet slightly further in otherwise it’s just a Down Dog on your elbows.

I like the twisting pointer moves but feel the end section where we lie down and raise our legs is too short. A shame the music couldn’t have carried on for another 39 seconds.

Twists 1 – Stand By You – Marlisa

Gentle seated twists, including both an open and closed twist, before we rise to our feet. Feels quite gentle but embrace the last challenge of the standing twist with leg extension.

Twists 2 – Let Your Hair Down – MAGIC!

I feel I’m in the Caribbean when I hear this music. An awesome contrast between normal Triangle Pose and Revolved Triangle which is such an intense stretch. The pace lowers as we return to the floor for some almost relaxing supine twists.

Forward Bends/Hamstrings – Heal – Tom Odell

A mellow and lengthy hamstrings tracks gives us time to deeply explore forward bends and table top counter poses.

For some reason this music seems louder than the surrounding tracks. I have to get up and turn it down a little. I feel this track needs to be quiet to allow people to let go into the stretches.

Relaxation/Meditation – Quiet Place – Stanton Lanier

This artist epitomises the Body Balance relaxation and meditation feel. A lovely end to the class.

Bonus Balance – Dangerous – David Guetta feat. Sam Martin

Bird Pose and Bird in a Basket are challenging balance poses that can elude even the most flexible and accomplished yoga practitioners. I can do the former but not the latter.

Having them as part of an optional track was good thinking by Jackie and Diana. We can include it or not depending upon the ability of the class.

Good to see the track appear in the masterclass video. Previously bonus tracks were represented by notes only.

Summary

I said earlier that this release was safe and unremarkable. Having written about each track I feel a little guilty for labelling it as such.

Body Balance 69 is a good workout. But in a  consistently excellent programme with many standout releases there are bound to be some that feel a little more routine. I’m still enjoying teaching it though.

One last thought. The last few releases contain many recent pop hits. No problem with that. But Body Balance used to showcase more experimental chill out music from breakthrough artists like Conjure One, Sleepthief and Delerium. I’d like to see more of that genre of music back in Body Balance.

Now it’s your turn:

Do you agree with my review of Les Mills Body Balance release 69? Please leave a comment or a link to your own review. Do please share with your friends using the social media buttons.

Until You Hate Me – Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 64

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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.

Review of les mills body combat release 64

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.

 

Seriously! The Tracklist for Les Mills Body Combat release 65 out already.

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It’s out already.

The Track List for Les Mills Body Combat release 65. And I’ve only taught release 64 and not reviewed that yet.

Do you want to know? Fancy spoilers? You can find the track list for Les Mills Body Combat release 63 below.

Look away now if you don’t want spoilers.

Les Mills Body Combat release 65

Coming to a fitness club near you in September 2015.

As always thanks to Simon Philp for finding this list first. 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 Combat release 65 tracklist? Please 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.

Spoiler Time! Here’s the Track List for Les Mills Body Balance release 70.

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I’m not joking. It’s out already.

I haven’t posted my review of the current Body Balance release yet. And here is the track list for Les Mills Body Balance release 70. We’ll get to see this in September.

If you don’t want spoiling DON’T READ any further. Otherwise have a look.

Les Mills Body Balance release 70

Now it’s your turn:

What do you think of the Les Mills Body Balance release 70 track list? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Listen on Amazon:

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.