Perhaps you have been down to the gym but found all those exercise machines a little daunting? It doesn’t help your confidence when there is some super-toned muscle-bound hunk running on the treadmill at break neck speed.
And let’s face it, running on a treadmill is quite dull isnt it? Lonely too, even with a personal trainer encouraging you on.
This is why I love group fitness classes. They aren’t dull at all. You feel motivated not only by the instructor but also by the other participants. There’s a social element as well as healthy competition.
The first class I ever went too was Body Pump over ten years ago. I remember being a reluctant attendee. My legs were on fire the following day with the sheer agony of delayed onset muscle soreness. But after a few classes I began to notice results – a difference to my physique and my stamina.
Soon after I discovered Body Combat, the martial arts based fitness class from Les Mills. I was hooked and eventually went on to train as an instructor. And yoga followed on soon after.
I now teach Body Combat, Body Balance, Hatha Yoga and Power Yoga in clubs around Edinburgh.
I love it more now that I did when I started and do you know why?
It’s not just the social aspect of the classes although I have made some really good friends because of it. It’s not just the adrenaline rush of 30 or 40 people shouting “Kiai” whilst performing a roundhouse kick, or the beautiful sight 30 or 40 people looking strong and proud in Sun Warrior pose.
No it’s the sense of achievement you can see on the participants faces when they master a move, meet a goal, or make a lasting change that benefits them physically. It’s an achievement getting slightly more flexible after each yoga class. It’s an achievement pushing their aerobic capacity in Body Combat.
For me as a group fitness class instructor, there simply isn’t anything better than seeing that look of achievement on their faces.
Whatever your fitness goals there is a group fitness class out there that will be perfect for you.
Your turn: What is your favourite group fitness class? I would love to hear about your achievements, or your stories about your favourite classes. Please leave a comment below and share your experiences.
It’s time for the summer class releases from Les Mills – including the stunning Body Balance release 61.
If you live in Scotland you will know the joke that “summer is the best day of the year.” Well this year we have had a glorious summer with clear blue skies and hot sun. I find great weather combined with the usual holiday season reduces class numbers considerably.
Body Balance 61 Cover
But not in Body Balance. Not this year. Classes remain packed. This is a testament to the continued excellent quality of the releases.
And Body Balance release 61 is yet another excellent class. It’s challenging, flows beautifully and once again has a great soundtrack.
So let’s have a look at the tracks.
Tai Chi Warm Up
Tai Chi Warm Up (Paris): This is a lovely opener. Delerium’s music suits Body Balance so well and this track is angelic and heavenly. I like the way that we build up the Tai Chi moves layering more flowing arms lines and finishing with the archer and circling of the arms. Even though the words are in French I find that I want to sing along.
Sun Salutations (Where Have You Been):They’ve added Sun Warrior pose into the sun salutation this time and it’s an obvious fit. Whilst I like the music when I listen to it on its own I am not sure it works for sun salutations. It doesn’t work for me for some reason.
Extended Warrior Pose
Standing Strength (Try): I’ve always thought that “rockier” tracks suit the standing strength tracks and Pink’s Try works well here. Nice to see triangle pose back again and I like the transition straight to extended warrior. I would have preferred to stay in the poses for longer but the music requires quick changes. Some participants have found twisted warrior one pose quite hard.
Towards the end there is a simply dreadful musical edit with silence for a moment which causes people to stop and look around confused. I know there are often issues with editing original artists music but that is a real hack.
Balance (Forever): I love the flow and the grace in this balance track. Dove wing hands, lovers hands, switching from eagle, to tree, to star and finally to warrior three is beautiful and surprisingly challenging. I’ve seen many wobbles from people during this sequence. And it’s always good to see dancer’s pose appear in the class.
This music was the cool down in the last Body Pump release and I have listened to it for the last 3 months waiting outside for my Body Combat class. It feels as if I’ve done this one for longer than I have.
Hip openers (Diamonds): For a man, cow face pose is not the easiest yoga position to get into. You only need to listen to Doctor Dave going on about the need to “re-arrange yourself” or “make adjustments” to understand why. On the DVD for Body Balance release 61 they teach us a new way of getting into cow face pose. For the first time in nearly ten years of doing Body Balance I can do it perfectly. And without hurting my bits either!
Working those core muscles hard
Core abs (Can’t hold us): Is this the hardest abs track ever? I’m sure I’ve said that before but this one hurts. Don’t those hovers with the knee drops look easy but then start to hurt after you’ve only done about four? On my launch weekend I taught this twice on a Saturday morning. When I went to teach it again the following day my abs were so sore I had to cheat. This is a track that gets results. Great music and savage exercises.
Core back (Lights): After the storm we have some calm. Cobras, upward facing dogs and some slow leg raises (which are deceptive and again created a real ache in the glutes for me the first few times I did this) and one of my favourites, bridge pose. I’m glad on this occasion that they decided not to take bridge higher to a full back bend. This was challenging enough after that core abs track.
Twists (Clouds): Short and sweet I like the twisted downward facing dogs. People have such a pained look on their faces in this pose.
Twisted Wide Legged Forward Bend
Forward bends/hamstrings 1 (Summertime Sadness): What a great piece of music. And we spend a very long time in various versions of a wide legged forward bend with an added twist. What a great long stretch we get from these poses. Great to sing along to despite being upside down.
Forward bends/hamstrings 2 (Lost): A slower tempo and quiet contemplative music allows us to sit on the floor and take ourselves slowly through a gentle, last, sequence of forward bends. After this we are certainly ready for some relaxation.
Relaxation/Meditation (This is Our Tale): We finish with a lovely calming piece of music which sounds to me live waves lapping up on the shore.
Jackie and Diana Mills have given us another stunning Body Balance class. I am enjoying teaching this and the feedback from my participants has been a great big thumbs up.
Your turn: Do you agree with my review of Body Balance release 61? Do you think it is challenging enough. What are your views on the core abs track? Is it the hardest ever? Please leave a comment or post a link to your own reviews.
Ever since I first tried Body Combat release 56 at the Edinburgh Quarterly Workshop, when the air conditioning in the studio failed and the room turned into a swamp with a river of water pouring down the mirrors, I knew it was going to be one of the best.
Body Combat release 56 Choreography Notes.
It’s a great mixture of music styles, very tough cardio-moves and there is something that reminds me of the early days of Body Combat. Perhaps it’s the reliance on more techno-music, or that there is more shuffling left and right, forward and back. Perhaps it is the sturdy pounding beat of a track by German rave band, Scooter. Whatever it is this release is a corker.
Let’s have a look at the tracks.
Upper body warm up (I Cry): A short warm up with simple punches, upper cuts and hooks. Lively music with enough boxing shuffles to begin to ignite our muscles. For perhaps the first time there is no transitional kata or stretch before the lower body warm up and when the moment comes we just launch ourselves into cardio-orbit.
Lower body warm up (Don’t Wake Me Up): Goodness gracious this is the most intense lower body warm up track we have ever had. We begin with a leg block and seven knee strikes on each leg sequence which we repeat four times during the track. It’s immense and will have you breathless by the end. You’ll think you are half way through the class even though you’ve only just begun. And a sneak preview of the advancing side kick. Fun to teach as well. How many knees? SEVEN!
Combat One (Welcome to the Jungle): We’ve definitely got “fun and games” here. This is a very busy track with multiple transitions and moves culminating in another breathlessly intense ending with non-stop knees and kicks. It’s an okay cover of the Guns ‘n’ Roses original and keeps the heart rate at the level set by the warm up.
Power One (Hymn): We had this music back in Body Combat release 28. If you are as old as me you will recognise this as a hit single by Ultravox (famous for their electronic classic, Vienna). The song is an anthem and I find it hard not to sing along to it. In fact that is another big positive for this release. Many of the tracks have catchy or memorable choruses. “The Power and The Glory” and other great lyrics give us instructors so much material to build our cues around. The moves are simple but fast and relentless. Flat out boxing and a super workout.
Jump Knee in track 4.
Combat Two: (Hello (Good to be Back): To me the backbone of Body Combat musically over the last decade is the pounding base line and drum beat of German rave band, Scooter. It’s another sing along track with more high energy moves (jump knees and jump kicks) and, at the end a cheeky little kata before we do first a single, then a double advancing side kick.
As I expected of course I’ve had a few people object to Les Mills using a Gary Glitter song. Well let’s get it in perspective. This is one hundred percent a Scooter track, it just samples a few seconds from a Gary Glitter song so Mr Gadd isn’t getting any royalties (he didn’t write the original song anyway). Please everyone just think of it as another Scooter stadium crowd pleaser and a joy the work out. It’s fabulous.
Power Two (Stamp on the Ground): A third techno sing along track in a row. I challenge anyone, either participant or instructor not to join in with the words, “Jump Jump Jump Jump” in the chorus. It’s a great fun track with some interesting combinations. Triple jab, step over cross and then that last powerful hook. The jump jabs on the angle are messing with people’s heads, they often get the direction wrong but it’s getting better.
Matrix Kick in track 6.
Combat Three (Still Getting It): Finally the pace slows down slightly so that we can focus on some leg conditioning. A wild dub-step track, we weave esquivas, gingas and a new move called the “Matrix Kick”. Once you attempt it you’ll know why it is so named. Lift your lead knee quickly then slowly extend to a front kick whilst leaning back slightly. Then snap that leg right back behind you into a lunge. It stretches the hamstrings in the lead leg and it wears out the supporting leg.
At first I found the timing difficult but suddenly, with the music loud, I heard the snare drum when you plant your foot back into the lunge and I have been spot on ever since.
Oh and the exercises in this track hurt or should I say get results.
Muay Thai (Raise the Flag): Six rounds of simple muay thai moves set to an up tempo rock song. Again it’s catchy and the running man knees at the end of each half certainly raise the heart rate into orbit. But for me it’s too long and repetitive. And whilst it’s a good work out it does seem to overstay its welcome.
Power Three (Silence): This track is even longer than the previous one at 8 minutes. But this one has variety. It’s immense. A gigantic workout and an epic even by Body Combat standards. You can build two maybe three false endings into this masterpiece and trick your participants into thinking it’s over when in fact there is still so much more to come.
For us Body Balance instructors it is also another sing along song as we have had the quiet serene version at least twice over the years. What an astonishing ending to the cardio-phase of this class.
Scorpion Push Up in track 9
Conditioning (Shawty Got The Moves): Short and tough. You really need to try the scorpion push up (effectively one knee bent with the ankle up to the butt) on you toes. Yes you have the knees down option but it’s too easy to cheat on your knees. Prone back raises are a first in Body Combat I think but of course a regular in Body Balance and CXWorx.
Cooldown (Hall of Fame): This is a pleasant end to the class. Simple stretches culminating in a slower repeat of the Kata from track 4.
For me Body Combat release 56 is the best we have had for ages. The larger quota of techno music with sing along choruses combined with simple, yet challenging moves creates a class that will challenge the regulars and be accessible to newcomers.
Well done to choreographers Dan and Rach. This is one for your hall of fame.
Your turn: Do you agree with my review of Body Combat release 56? I would like to hear your own thoughts, reviews and comments. Please post a reply below or post a link to your own review.
I get angry when I hear people refuse to try yoga because they think (or someone told them) that yoga is a religion (or has religious overtones). I despair when I read about churches kicking yoga classes out of their halls and community centres because they think it offends their own religious focus.
It would be such a shame if people miss out on yoga’s physical benefits because they hold or have listened to these ill-informed views.
I have followed a legal case in the USA in the San Diego-area. A family had sued the Encinitas California school district for what it saw as government sponsorship of religion for its yoga classes. This is clearly complete nonsense I read with delight that a judge ruled on Monday that whilst yoga might have spiritual overtones – yoga is not a religion. And there is nothing religious about the way it’s taught in the Encinitas district. Common sense prevails in the USA.
It is important to note however that although yoga is definitely not a religion, it is a way of life for many people. For them it includes elements beyond the exercises and breathing techniques we focus on in yoga classes. These other elements are probably the ones that wrongly create the religious perceptions and concerns.
There are eight elements to yoga. In most western classes, or modern interpretations of yoga, we take part mainly in the third, fourth and fifth elements.
These are the eight elements of yoga:
Yama
This means restraint. Yoga is about restraint from unhealthy actions such as cheating, stealing, and violence.
Niyama
Niyama means observance, or being content, pure, tolerant, remembering and studious.
Asana
Asanas are the exercises that most people recognise yoga for. The poses have names such as warrior 2, downward facing dog, frog, tree and teachers will often use their Sanskrit names like Utanasana.
Pranayama
Pranayama are breathing techniques such the complete yoga breath.
Pratyahara
This is the moment before meditation begins, effectively preparation for meditation. It means the withdrawal of the mind from the senses.
Dharana
Dharana is concentrating on one object for a length of time.
Dhyana
This is meditation, the other yoga element that most people recognise. It involves the ability to create an image of an object, place or person and becoming immersed in that image. Or it could simply be clearing the mind of all thoughts.
Samadhi
Finally samadhi is realising your own nature, or becoming more self-aware.
I do not believe that any of these elements would be at odds with any religion a person may have. They are life choices in the same way as following a certain type of diet, or committing to an exercise routine agreed with a personal trainer.
It’s a different way of looking at yourself and the world. These elements can improve quality of life, regardless of your race, religion or profession. And of course you can find classes involving only the exercise element and nothing else – or classes that embrace all 8 elements. It’s up to you.
For me personally, yoga means stress reduction, better sleeping, better posture, greater flexibility and muscle tone, improved energy levels and other things I have written about in earlier yoga posts. Wouldn’t it be a shame to miss out on this simply for fear that yoga is a religion?
Perhaps those who pedal the myth, or those who close down community classes don’t really understand what yoga is about. If they put their prejudices aside and tried to understand it for what it really is then they might find that their main excuse for avoiding it is not an excuse at all.
Your turn: This is a tricky subject. Do you agree with the US judge? I know some will disagree with my view. Some might take a deeper spiritual view of some of the elements but I still don’t think that makes those that claim yoga is a religion right. What do you think? Leave a comment. Share your thoughts. Let me know.
