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First Impressions of Les Mills Body Balance release 69 after Edinburgh Quarterly Workshop

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What do you think of the new release of Les Mills Body Balance?

Les Mills Body Balance release 69

If you’re an instructor you’re probably already teaching it. If you are a participant you’ve probably already done it.

Which means I’m late with my first impressions post. Although my full review will follow shortly, here for completeness were my impressions of the new class I experienced at the Quarterly Workshop.

  • An energetic Tai Chi set to Fat Boy Slim’s Praise You feels like a full aerobic workout. A shock to the system. Only settling into a true Tai Chi flow in the last section the track is a tough one.
  • By contrast the Sun Salutations is mellow to the point of slumber. Were the first two tracks meant to be such polar opposites?
  • Standing Strength presents two warrior pose sequences bookended by three-legged dogs set to a piece of music repeated twice.
  • Balances are tough. Moving from half-moon pose to aeroplane to twisted half-moon pose brings on serious wobbles. A short but interesting sequence.
  • After some tough Core Abs tracks in recent releases, at the Quarterly Workshop I felt this was an easier set of exercises. Having since practiced and then taught the sequence it’s deceptive. Short and tough. Without proper form though participants might feel this one in their legs. We need to focus coaching on the lower back and core.
  • A double Twist Track with revolved triangle pose which is always a challenge.
  • Forward Bends is a long mellow track with plenty of time to explore deep stretches.
  • Good to hear Stanton Lanier back in the relaxation. Though the “plink plink” of his piano is perhaps to similar to the forward bends music and doesn’t offer enough of a contrast.

Les Mills gave us a bonus Balance track this time around with the infamous bird in a basket pose. It’s optional. Those instructors teaching less advanced participants may never even use the bonus track. It’s a good idea to keep it separate in my opinion.

But in a release I would describe as plain and unremarkable it’s ironic that the attention grabbing track is the one that most people won’t see.

Now it’s your turn:

What do you think of Les Mills Body Balance release 69? Please share your thoughts. Why not click one of the social media share buttons below?

Les Mills Instructors Up in Arms about On Demand Streaming Fitness Classes

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“Exciting News” the email headline screamed!

“From today, we are launching Les Mills On Demand – our online subscription service that will give users access to Les Mills workouts anytime, anywhere. It’s something we believe is going to help more people than ever fall in love with fitness.”

Les Mills Instructors

There’s more. A year ago Les Mills launched “Virtual Classes” in fitness clubs.  Clients work out to a huge screen showing a Masterclass Video rather than being motivated and coached by a live instructor.

Les Mills have good business reasons for doing this. On Demand let’s them target the demographic of people looking for a fitness experience without the daunting prospect of visiting a gym. Virtual lets club put on classes during quiet periods when it’s not economical to pay an instructor.

The news of One Demand and Virtual has polarised opinion among instructors.

At one end we see comments like:

“Virtual classes .. taking away all the hard work, endless hours learning choreography and dedication us instructors put into our classes. I’m so sorry LMUK but I can’t help but feel we’re being belittled by this latest endeavour.”

And at the other:

“I don’t think some of you are fully looking at this with open eyes. Virtual Classes are a great way for some members of clubs to get access to our awesome programs at times they would never see them. Our brand moto is One Tribe Fitter Planet be Brave. Our aim has also always been to get the planet healthier. We can’t do that if we are only targeting people who go to the gym already.”

It’s an interesting debate and I can see why it’s caused controversy. Les Mills need to learn from this and scenario plan for their announcements and take care of any concerns in advance. Otherwise they’ll experience the fall out they have seen here next time.

In reality, Virtual and On Demand will have little or no effect on the Live Class Instructor. They target a different demographic and will create through traffic back into clubs.

But I think we are also in danger of swallowing too much Les Mills Koolaid here and believing the PR.

“One Tribe Fitter Planet Be Brave” are marketing slogans. The Les Mills equivalent of “For Mash Get Smash”. It’s a laudable mission but be under no illusion, Les Mills designed Virtual and On Demand  to generate more profit.

They are a commercial organisation and profit is their primary reason for existence – if they were a non-profit, a charity or instructors owned the company  in some sort of mutual arrangement, I’d have more sympathy for the hype.

On Demand is all about making more money out of Les Mills’s investment in cover music and using their back catalogue of videos. Virtual is all about squeezing money out of clubs by playing the “off-peak card”. Instructors just need to hope that some bean counter somewhere doesn’t decide to switch to Virtual classes all the time.

I’m not criticising Les Mills for doing this – it’s an amazing business model. But Les Mills has form for launching new initiatives with ablaze of hype without scenario planning potential fallout. They should have anticipated the reaction to On Demand by some instructors who don’t think it is “exciting news”. Taking care of the unhappy segment is a key marketing principle. Les Mills needs to learn from this.

Virtual and On Demand let keep Les Mills in control of the cash flow.

What we haven’t seen from Les Mills is individual instructor licences (instead of venue licences) which would let instructors take the programs out into community venues like church halls or community centres. Under the current venue licence structure individual instructors can’t make it work because the venue licenses are too expensive and the instructor needs to be able to teach in several venues.

Those instructors getting upset about Virtual and On Demand should be more vocal about the individual licences issue. The one route which would allow the instructor to make more money and not continue to be paid peanuts by clubs.

They won’t do that because they would not have access to the full revenue stream. And in fairness they haven’t built direct to consumer brands in the same way as Beach Body have with Insanity and PiYo.

If Les Mills was truly dedicated to Fitter Planet then the community route to the mass market is the obvious one to go for. But that would mean lining the pockets of the best entrepreneurial instructors out there – and we all know that lining instructors pockets is not something the Les Mills model is about.

Now it’s your turn:

What do you think of Les Mill Virtual and On Demand? Please leave a comment below or share a link to your own blog.

Glow – Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68

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Now that’s what I call music.

Like an edition of the long running hit single compilation albums, NOW, Les Mills has packed Body Balance release 68 with current chart smashes.

Top artists like Maroon 5, Sia, Ella Henderson and Beyoncé go with our Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi moves. In the past Body Balance has showcased lesser known bands like Conjure One, Delerium and Sleepthief. Perhaps this is the most “hit” oriented playlist we’ve ever had.

So what about the work out and the moves that go with the music. Let’s have a look at the tracks (and you can click on the songs to see them on Amazon)

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68
Tai Chi Warm Up

Tai Chi Warm Up – Tessellate – Borderline Snake

Tai Chi Warm Up – It Was Always You – Maroon 5

First time we’ve seen a double dose of Tai Chi and it’s glorious. Tessellate is a calm reflective song with gorgeous slow movements, swing and wrap arms and weight shifting to warm our legs. The more upbeat song by Maroon 5 introduces the Starburst move, a beautiful expressive sequence that makes people smile. We move quicker to the beat here complete our warm up.

Sun Salutations – Of The Night – Bastille

Doctor Dave says on the instructors masterclass video that this Sun salutations is “deconstructed”. You’ll have heard this term on cookery shows like Masterchef. A deconstructed cheesecake for example doesn’t appear on a plate as a traditional slice. The biscuit base, cheese and topping appear in separate heaps.

It’s the same here. Rather than the usual flow of poses linked together that make up the traditional yoga Sun Salutations, they’ve presented the moves separately. We do each move on its own several times. For yoga purists this will appear clunky. It’s an interesting change though and allows us to explore the moves differently.

An interesting experiment but I do prefer the “proper” Sun Salutation. I guess that makes me a yoga purist then.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68
Standing Strength

Standing Strength – Elastic Heart – Sia

Standing Strength – Glow – Ella Henderson

A couple of strong strength tracks with interesting flows between the warrior poses. I like the way we revisit some of the Tai Chi moves from the warm up at the end of Glow. It makes a release feel complete when themes and moves recur. We also see the Tiger Pose from the Sun Salutations later in the Core Back too. Excellent class design from Jackie and Diana here.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68
Balance

Balance – Life Of The Party – Shawn Mendes

A catchy tune combined with deceptively tough balances. Staying on tip toes throughout Angel Pose and Diver’s pose presents a challenge of strength as well as balance. And Diver’s provides an intense stretch to your hamstrings.

Hip Openers – Budapest – George Ezra

Down on the floor for Hip Openers, we begin with Frog Pose. Always an intense stretch. From can take you right to the boundary between pleasure and pain. I like to take people right to the edge but hold short of crossing over.

Core Abs – Come Get It Bae – Pharell Williams

After the super short Core Abs track in the last release I was expecting a longer abdominal workout this time round. Turns out it’s another short one however but tough especially the second round of endless Oblique Curls. Finger clicking adds  fun but I have to admit to forgetting to offer this option. And I’m a fan of cheesy moves.

Keep your lower back pressing into the floor during all the moves with particular focus during the Pilates Seal Claps. Feel it in your abs not your legs.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68
Core Back

Core Back – Maps – Maroon 5

Core Back – Don’t be Gone Too Long – Chris Brown

Two Core Back tracks and the first offers a better workout. We combine Bridge Pose with Kneeling Side Hover crunches and Thread The Needle for an energetic sequence. When we finally get to the Bridge with Leg Raise Pose fatigue threatens to set in. I find few people take the option for the full back bend at this point.

In the second song we explore Single Leg Plank to Crocodile Pose. You expect to feel the effects in your arms but actually experience a burn in the glutes.

Twists – Pretty Hurts – Beyoncé

Once again Twists seem to turn people’s brains into much. All concept of right and left, front and back disappear. Instruct the, to twist to the front and they’ll twist to the back. Coach them to reach with the right arm and they’ll reach with the left. Perhaps it’s because we do the moves side on to the front of the room?

Another catchy song and a delicious combination of Twisted Down Dogs, Twisted Lunges and the last exquisite Twisted Pyramid Pose.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68
Forward Bends and Hamstrings

Forward Bends Hamstrings – Let It Be Me – Ray Montagne

A mellow Forward Bends song with a jazz blues feel and the physical pace calms down in trying to lull and stretch us into the relaxation phase. We have plenty of time to explore deep stretches and experience the new Turtle Pose. A beautiful end to the physical work in this class.

Relaxation/Meditation – Angels of Victory – Aeoliah

After all that pop music Angels of Victory, a gentle instrumental with soothing piano and flute sounds, invites us to focus our attention on the breath and to relax and take stock after working so hard for the last 50 minutes.

One of the best Body Balance releases for a while, 68’s overdose on chart hits and challenging but achievable moves is a winner. Whilst the focus on hit songs is welcome I hope Jackie and Diana treat us to some more lesser known artists in future classes. Where, for example, is the next Conjure One?

Now it’s your turn:

Do you agree with my Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 68? Do you like the music list? Please leave a comment or post a link to your own review. If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends.

Fight The Resistance – Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

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Let’s start with a huge positive.

Les Mills Body Combat release 63 kicks the proverbial in delivering a tough workout and physical results.

Programme directors Dan and Rachael delivered something different with number 63. Still the same Body Combat we know and love but with subtle changes. Like Marmite some people love the changes and others hate them.

Change is good. Of course it is. But after teaching Body Combat for over 11 years I’ve found it’s taken longer to “get” this release. Longer to sell it to my participants. Longer to fully appreciate it.

In fact it wasn’t until just last night, in a packed “Monday Night Fight Club” that I finally thought, “This is a great release”. It’s taken over three weeks of teaching.

Up to that point people have walked out, demanded the immediate execution of T2 and T4, insisted upon standing options instead of  the floor work in T4, and bemoaned the lack of singalong “fun” songs.

Here’s what I think is different about Body Combat 63 perhaps contributing to the long flirtation before consummation I’ve experienced here. I’ve based these thoughts on genuine comments from participants.

Speed and Intensity

Faster than earlier classes, Body Combat 63 works you hard from the start. It feels as if there is no warm up. Straight into intense hard work our shoulders particularly feel the effects after only a few minutes. I don’t have a problem with raising the bar. We can give lower options of course.

Samey music

Tracks 1b, 3, 5, and 6 all sound the same. A heavy pounding bass and drum combined with epic synth and limited lyrics. Whilst the choreography that goes with the music is fine, it took me so much longer to find hooks in the music to translate into fun for the participants.

For example T3. “Do it do it baby”, repeated about 50 times is not as catchy and memorable as we’ve had in the past. Compare that to “And I never thought that you would be the one. Come along and snatch my heart and run.”

T5: “Hold on” repeated about 200 times.

The Muay Thai is the first track with a genuine singalong opportunity the “La La La La LAH!” in the circle phase.

Too Serious and where’s the fun?

Up until the Muay Thai it’s all so serious. I know that Dan and Rachael want to create an authentic martial arts experience. But the reality is that a large proportion of the participants don’t want immersing and definitely want drowning in the “essence of martial arts”. They want a fun escape from daily life.

This release feels as far from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” track as it’s possible to get. And yet there’s a reason “Pirates” remains the most often requested old routines.

Floor work in Track 4

Great to see some conditioning earlier in the class. And it toughens the work out. But having the floor work in the middle of a routine devoted to advancing side kicks doesn’t work in most UK studios.

Some people want mats. But there isn’t time to set them up and put them aside.

People sweat buckets on to wooden floors during the floor work and then have to skate through the liquid for advancing side kicks on the left.

A better way to handle this would have been a T4a and T4b with a musical bridge to allow time to place mats and towels where necessary.

So let’s have a look at the tracks (and you can click on the links to listen to the music on Amazon).

Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

Upper body warmup – Get Ready (Steve Aoki Vocal Radio Edit) – 2 Unlimited

Different to any warm up we’ve ever had. We think we recognise the song (first appeared in Body Combat release 10) but it shifts direction. After the bluff we have fast hooks, fast uppers and then those powerful jabs synchronised with the “Hey!” samples in the music.

Perhaps the first warm up never to feature any shuffling forwards or to the side. In fact there is no shuffling at all in this class. A definite first for Combat.

Lower body warmup – Survival Of The Fittest (Radio Edit) – Coone

Initially reminiscent of past lower body warm ups, this has an unexpected and tough capoeira section burning the legs and raising our heart rates.

Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

Combat 1 – Badboi – Pegboard Nerds

Yes the low switch lunges are hard and continue the onslaught started by capoeira in the warm up.

Yes the forty odd roundhouse kicks challenge balance, work the supporting leg and test even the most crafted techniques.

But after one or two tries T2 is just boring.

And it’s not helped that the music is an abomination. I will be acting on my participants requests to execute this track soon.

Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

Power training 1 – Get A Way – Sporty Breed

An epic power track with great moves and uplifting music. I love the last two reps on the main combos where the main musical theme repeats. Turn it up loud and sweat.

The “Dynamic Pull” or as people call it “The Body Attack Bit” is an interesting innovation working a set of muscles in a different way than I think we’ve ever seen in Combat.

Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

Combat 2 – Edge Of A Revolution – Nickelback

Powerful front kicks and squats. Advancing side kicks building from the slow introductory examples to the faster section and topped off by the little Bruce Lee hop before the kick. It’s challenging and the timing is tricky but the side kicks continue to sculpt our legs.

Floor work is a welcome change but as I’ve said before it doesn’t work in the middle of the kicking. Make it a separate track.

Power training 2 – Holdin’ On Right Now – The Solar Rival

Another solid hardcore power track culminating in a huge combination of punches, hooks and weaves. Just as a power track should be. Building a combination layer by layer and then fitting it all together into melee of blurred breathlessness.

Combat 3 – Fight The Resistance – Brennan Heart & Zatox

First time we’ve ever seen the Jump Front Kick in T6. A couple of good combinations set to a pounding bass line. A pretty unremarkable track.

Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

Muay Thai – Dead! – My Chemical Romance

Insanely fast.

Takes time to master the speed of the knee strikes to the beat of this thrash rock song (with its bizarre lyrics about death and hospitals). A grower it now stands out as one of the best in the class. The social ending with double knees in a circle and everyone singing along to “La La La La LAH!” redeems the lack of singalong moments earlier.

Power training 3 – Shine (JBC Remix) – Geos Crew feat. Zara

A typical all round cardio blaster finale. The main combo builds again and the uppercut repeaters give us the opportunity to finish off our shoulders and work the core abdominals in a very visible way.

And you CAN sing along to this one! “You are my Guide. You are My Light. You take me to the place. Where I can FIGHT!”

Review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63

Conditioning – Three Strikes – Afrojack feat. Jack McManus

Since we’ve already performed our fair share of press ups in T4 this conditioning routine focuses on the abdominals. Influenced by CXWorx a series of hovers, side plank raises and last crunches ignite fires in the core. Not one part of the body isn’t fatigued by this point.

Cool down – A New Way To Bleed (Photek Remix) – Evanescence

Stretches and Katas to a powerful heavy metal ballad by Evanescence.

It’s taken time but like a fine wine Body Combat release 63 has matured and is another solid release.

Now It’s Your Turn:

What do you think of my review of Les Mills Body Combat release 63? Do you agree? What do you think of the floor work in T4? It looks like it’s in the next class as well. Is that a good thing? Please leave a comment below or post a link to your own thoughts.

For another perspective on Body Combat 63 – read Simon’s Blog here.