r/lesmills

These classes have stopped me getting lower back pain. Can anyone tell me which are the best moves to repeat at home? Deadlift rows? Core work?

Hey fellow Les Mills instructors!

I have a question regarding pay rates and negotiation. For those of you who have completed Advanced Training, did you notice an actual increase in your hourly / per class rate compared to when you only had your IMT?
Im trying to understand how gym managers typically evaluate pay scales:
- Is Advanced Training recognized as a direct qualification for a higher pay tier or base rate?
- Or is compensation primarily determined by years of teaching experience and class attendance / retention?
Is it strictly a combination of both in your area?
Id love to hear your personal experiences, whether you teach at big box chain gyms, private studios, or independent facilities. Did investing in Advanced Training give you actual leverage to negotiate a raise?

Thanks in advance for the insights!

A while ago I found a couple of old Body Pump videos on YouTube that don't seem to be listed at places like lmtracks.com. I'm wondering if anyone knows more about them.

One is dated 1999 but doesn’t match any of the BP videos from 1998-2000 on lmtracks.com or lmtracklister.app. It’s hosted by Jackie Mills. It includes a full track list at the end and all of the instructor names. None of the other instructors show up in a search on lmtracks.com.

The other is not dated. The video calls it “Les Mills Pump”— no “body” in the name but it’s exactly like Body Pump workouts. For most instructors only first name is given, except for someone named as “Les Mills Jr" who leads the first track. In the team I recognize Susan Renata and Rachel Newsham (surprising).

https://preview.redd.it/ottrumhhf0kh1.png?width=752&format=png&auto=webp&s=4acc3307ccd9a8565feca9e7e73eaba5bfb4ea89

https://preview.redd.it/x1xcdhdif0kh1.png?width=752&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee80f773a405ec6acad3df44cd44f8f9137102ae

https://preview.redd.it/s7u61n7jf0kh1.png?width=752&format=png&auto=webp&s=6969bba906d099203598a804bdc05ce226eb46a6

https://preview.redd.it/d9v2gc8kf0kh1.png?width=752&format=png&auto=webp&s=f597fe41b362011d549ae7b5d73aa20b11b34245

Update: Adding some screenshots since the videos have been taken down. The first two are the 1999 video with Jackie Mills. The next two are the undated video-- Susan Renata in red, Rachel Newsham in yellow.

I’ve been doing BodyAttack for 12 years, usually 2–3 times a week. I also do BodyCombat, so between the two I’m in classes about 5 days a week. Yes, I’m addicted. 😂
We’ve been doing mix classes for a while, which I’ve really enjoyed. Today, though, the instructor decided to go back to BA132 and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I did two tracks for the sake of it and then left. There are better things I can do with an hour than force myself through a workout I’m not enjoying.
And this is really strange for me. BA132 is the first release in 12 years where I genuinely have zero motivation to come back.
It’s not because it’s too hard. Quite the opposite. Some of the hardest releases have been the ones I’ve enjoyed the most.
For me, the magic of BodyAttack was always the music. The music was so engaging that you just had to give everything you had. You didn’t think about how hard the workout was because you were having too much fun. Then afterwards you could go home and lick your wounds. 😂
With 132, I just don’t get that feeling. The music doesn’t grab me and the endless repetitions make it feel tedious. I don’t need BodyAttack to be easier. I need it to be fun.
I’m usually the guy in the back row who runs all the way to the mirror and needs his own lane. 😂 I’ve never had a problem going all-out. Give me a great track and I’ll happily destroy myself.
So… has BodyAttack actually changed direction, or am I just having a midlife crisis?
Long-time BodyAttackers, anyone else feeling the same way?

Yo, I'm already a LM instructor but am picking up body pump in September

My question, how much do you take the weights down when instructing pump?

I find so many people try to lift way too heavy in pump at the cost of their form.

I’ve lost motivation doing the following:
The Trip 45 minutes 3x weekly
BodyPump 60 minutes 2x weekly

My updated plan is the following:
RPM 30 minutes 3x weekly
BodyPump 30 minutes 2x weekly
Right now I just can’t bring myself to workout more than 30 minutes a day

HOWEVER
Any suggestions on how to condense BodyPump into 30 minutes while still making sure all my muscle groups have enough weight bearing exercise to stay balanced and preserve bone density?

Thanks!

Yesterday our class did the new Body Pump Release. Probably 134. In the warm up it had 3 sets of 8 squats, varying width. The back routine was intense with 4 sets of power presses immediately after 8 clean and presses. We did that twice in the segment. Completely different than the prior week. During triceps I think we did 24 tricep press pulses.

At first I was really frustrated at how much more intense the routines were. I could not do the
segments with the same weight configurations that I used last week.

And to her credit, the coach did say for back and biceps that you may want to go lighter.

But thinking back, it would have been helpful if at the beginning the coach said something like:

>This new program is focused on endurance. Several segments have long runs of 16 to 24 reps before breaks.

>Of course it's totally up to you, but if this is the first time you're doing this program consider reducing your weights for the whole class so you can focus on your form and try to complete as many reps as possible.

If I knew how significantly different the program was at the beginning, I would have made better choices and enjoyed the class a lot more. Of course I know better for next time.

But the people who designed the class clearly knew how it differed from last week's program, how much more intense it was, etc.

So maybe LM can start its classes with the coach briefly describing that day's program, especially when it's much more intense then the program we've done for the last 4 weeks.

Dear all, I love the LesMills Body Combat in the gym, but since we moved there is no gym around anymore offering it. So I am considering the VR workout, but I suffer from motion sickness in most 1st. person and VR tools. Has anyone experience with it, is it affecting you a lot? I also tried the app, but the experience is not the same and I am not sticking with it...

I have no friends with a VR set, so trying it out is not an option, I would need to purchase all the equipment, but if it works, it would totally be worth it, a subscription to a gym also costs money... thank you for your answers.

Hello,

I'm thinking about signing up for a LesMills+ subscription, but I have some questions about the workout catalog. Could you tell me approximately how many BodyCombat, Sh'bam, and BodyJam videos are available?

(I know there's a 14-day trial, but I'd like to have this information before signing up)

Thank you for your help!

Tell me i am not the only one. I was teaching pump this morning into failure and couldn't lift my bar on the last set of shoulder track. It was pretty embarrassing 😳 🫣 🥹 as it wasn't too heavy but my playlist definitely harder than usual. Tell me it happened to anyone before! I know i have to move on but I be thinking about this for a long time 😅😅🤣🤣 other than that I didnt make choreo error and still finished the class with grace, lol but of course we only think about our mistake not our success 🫠🫠🫠

does anyone know if/when they'd add bodypump heavy virtual classes on the app?

If anyone is selling dvds etc - Any leads appreciated!

I’m interested in the gap between what looks useful in Les Mills classes and what people actually reach for week after week. A piece can be perfectly good and still end up getting far less use than expected. What piece of equipment did you expect to use more once Les Mills became part of your routine?

I'm curious as to whether anyone has the Adidas Dropset Pro shoes, and if it's a good use for BodyCombat and GRIT Cardio? I also do my own routine of strength training with dumbbells (no higher than 25-lb [11.3 kg] dumbbells) and LM Core.

Any thoughts are appreciated!