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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.

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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.

What already? The Track List for Les Mills Body Balance release 69.

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Yes seriously! 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 69. We’ll get to see this in June.

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

The Track List for Les Mills Body Balance release 69.

Great to see Stanton Lanier again. His piano music makes for a beautiful relaxation.

Now it’s your turn:

What do you think of the Les Mills Body Balance release 69 tracklist? 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.

Like I Can – Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67

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Aching since the start of the year, my legs and hips haven’t become used to Les Mills Body Balance release 67.

I always expect “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)” with a new exercise regime.

But I also expect it to ease off as the weeks progress. Not so here.

At first glance Body Balance 67 seems “easier” than recent workouts. Indeed some of the tracks are short – over in minutes. But I think choreographers Jackie and Diana Mills have lulled us in to a false sense of security because the DOMS speak for themselves. Participants appreciate this hidden challenge and the results it brings.

But for me the music misses the mark on a few occasions and this prevents Body Balance 67 from out-ranking its predecessors.

Let’s have a look at the tracks (Click on the links to see the Music Tracks on Amazon).

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67
Tai Chi Warm Up

Tai Chi Warm up – Stay High (Habits Remix) – Tove Lo feat. Hippie Sabotage

Stay High feels less flowing than previous Tai Chi warm ups. We rise and fall into squats matching breath and this certainly warms our leg muscles quickly. However, the main sequence accompanying the chorus seems to cause confusion however well cued.

We circle our arms from bottom to top then drop them to the right (whilst weight shifting to the left) and then drop them to the left (whilst weight shifting to the right). Instinctively our brains want to weight shift to the same side as the arms drop. Only a minor issue but it creates frustration among participants and we don’t want that so early in a class.

Whilst I like the music, I’ve mixed Stay High out already.

Sun Salutations – Help Me Lose My Mind – Disclosure feat. London Grammar

Back to basics. After more complex Sun Salutations last time round we flow through a basic set of poses four times and then we’re done.

At the start of a new year, with clubs packed with newcomers, it’s a good idea to go simple. I’d teach this routine to a beginners Hatha Yoga class. A great introduction to a yoga sequence and I imagine we’ll see more complexity back as we progress through 2015’s classes.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67
Warrior One Pose

Standing Strength A – Free – Rudimental feat. Emeli Sandè

The first of two Standing Strength tracks, this is where the leg burn begins. A deceptively difficult flow of Warrior poses (including the smile inducing “Joyous Warrior Pose” which I’m sure Jackie and Diana made up), work our legs giving us many opportunities to go deep.

I like the music and would happily listen to Free on my iPod but in my opinion it does not work as a Standing Strength track. Lacking power and edge, it feels weak. Standing Strength music needs to feels strong and bold. A more confident song might have created even deeper focus on the tough poses.

Standing Strength b – XO – Beyoncè

Musically more suited to a standing strength track, XO continues the work out including a return of the Joyous Warrior. We finish the sequence with a move Jackie calls “Extended Warrior 1”. In Yoga we call this one “Humble Warrior”. I don’t think we’ve seen this (well with the clasped hands raised up behind the back) before in Body Balance.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67
Balance Track

Balance – Stay With Me – Sam Smith

Short and sweet with a couple of balance poses to give us the wobbles after those tough leg tracks. Warrior 3 pose adds to an almost complete set of Warrior poses used in this class.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67
Swan Pose – Hip Openers

Hip Openers – Mirrors – Justin Timberlake

Perhaps the longest Hip Openers track in Body Balance history. And another culprit for aching legs the day after. Deep lunges, modified half lotus, and the last long, exquisite exploration of Swan Pose deeper and deeper make this the stand out track of the release for me.

Swan Pose might be my favourite ever yoga pose. Rarely in Body Balance however do we have the time to explore a pose as fully as we do here. A perfect pace and a deep experience.

Justin Timberlake’s son compliments the moves well. However the strange electronic voice effects in the lengthy Swan Pose sequence have led participants to call this the “Quack-Quack” song. Perhaps it’s more Justin TimberDrake and a Duck Pose and not a Swan.

A huge thumbs up for this segment.

Core Abs – Like I Can – Sam Smith

At only 2 minutes 47 seconds you wouldn’t expect an abs burner of this intensity. But in the short time we have here we work hard. Two slow cross crawls and then that abdominal biting three create fire and a flood of moans and groans from the floor.

And of course everyone can declare that today “I CAN CAN CAN!”

Has anyone tried doing this one twice?

Core Back – Mine – Beyoncè feat. Drake

Musically a song of many sections with different feels. Again a lengthy exploration of Table Top pose and not the quick in and out we’ve seen before. Camel pose and then those tough one-legged planks (thanks for the knee down option) with push ups.

The musical beat during the push ups is strange. A participant explained to me that the phrasing was off-beat and irregular beats to the bar.

A tough core back track finishing with Bridge Pose and the option of full back bend. As always I do worry about adding the full back bend in with such a short time to coach it effectively.

Twists – Not Over You – Gavin DeGraw

With the hardest parts of the work out over, we flow into a pleasant sequence of twists accompanied by a catchy pop song. A twist track to smile to.

Hamstrings A – Into The Past – Nero

A long sequence with epic sounding music that meanders through many poses. Supine twists, three-legged downward dogs, Hindi/Yoga Squats and many forward folds. Suitably climactic this brings the work out to an end with power and precision.

But then we have to listen to “Map of Canada Man”.

Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67
Hamstring Stretches

Hamstrings B – A Case Of You – James Blake

Including a short piano driven ballad to take the edge of a powerful hamstrings stretch track has worked nicely in the past. They give a pleasant bridge into the relaxation and meditation tracks.

But this version of A Case of You is an abomination. The original song by Joni Mitchell on her excellent “Blue” album is a song of exquisite beauty. James Blake’s cover is dire. I’ve actually had participants ask me to skip this song and end on the power of the previous track.

Ironically I have to use the PPL Free version of Body Balance (all Les Mills produced cover versions) at one club I teach at. The Les Mills cover of James Blake’s cover is more true to the original Joni Mitchell song and goes down better with participants.

Relaxation – Relax and Sleep Better Healing Massage Spa – Chunky Happy

Mediation A – Quiet Soul Ultimate Relaxation Spa Dreams – Hearty Young

Meditation B – Canon In D Ultimate Piano Relaxation Massage – Hearty Young

A beautiful relaxing trio culminating in the delightful piano sound of Canon in D. We drift off into meditation and begin to use deep breathing to offset the aches we feel in our bodies.

Les Mills Body Balance release 67 is a strong work out which creates muscle aching results, let down by a few poor music choices. Whilst they are great songs in themselves they do not fit in the context of the release. So overall not the best release of Body Balance but by no means the worst.

Now it’s your turn:

Do you agree with my Review of Les Mills Body Balance release 67? Do you agree with my comments on the music? If not let me know why. Please leave a comment below or post a link to your own articles.