NZ Glen : BodyCombat fanatic

Archive for October 2011

Hi guys – thanks to the lovely Rach Wilkins we now know the times for the next batch of filmings. OMFG check out the time of the combat filming – what the?! If you’re coming on Monday see ya there!

Monday 31st October 2011

  • 3:00pm BODYBALANCE 56
  • 4:30pm BODYVIVE 22
  • 6:00pm BODYATTACK 76
  • 8:30pm BODYPUMP 81
  • 10:00pm BODYCOMBAT 51

Thursday 3rd November 2011

  • 12:30pm RPM 54
  • 4:30pm BODYSTEP 87
  • 6:00pm SH’BAM 7
  • 7:15pm BODYJAM 60

Friday 4th November 2011

  • 8:30pm CXWORX 6

These have just been posted to lesmills.com (thanks Belinda for the heads up!). So happy to see Tauvaga (aka “T”) presenting combat he took my BODYCOMBAT AIM he’s awesome! Filming is in less than 2 weeks and kicks off on the 31st… If you’re coming see ya there!

BODYATTACK 76
Lisa Osborne (New Zealand)
Ivens Kucharski (Portugal)
KC Van-Roose (UK)

BODYBALANCE 56
Dr Jackie Mills (New Zealand)
Dr Dave McKenzie (New Zealand)
Corey Baird (New Zealand)

BODYCOMBAT 51
Dan Cohen (New Zealand)
Rachael Newsham (New Zealand)
Tauvaga Siolo (New Zealand)

BODYJAM 60
Gandalf “G” Archer (New Zealand)
Andreia Rodrigues (Portugal)

BODYPUMP 81
Glen Ostergaard (New Zealand)
Susan Renata (New Zealand)
Héctor Ponce Cortegana (Netherlands)
Shaun Egan (UK)

BODYSTEP 87
Mark Nu’u (New Zealand)
Lisa Osborne (New Zealand)
Christophe Besse (France)
Sarah Robinson (New Zealand)
Edina Schaal (Germany)

BODYVIVE 22
Susan Trainor (New Zealand)
Maureen Baker (New Zealand)
Mark Nu’u (New Zealand)

CXWORX 6
Dan Cohen (New Zealand)
Susan Trainor (New Zealand)
Corey Baird (New Zealand)
Susan Renata (New Zealand)

RPM 54
Glen Ostergaard (New Zealand)
Sarah Ostergaard (New Zealand)
Jerome Denis (France)

SH’BAM 7
Rachael Newsham (New Zealand)
Tracy Minnoch (New Zealand)
Michelle Dean (Asia Pacific)

So if you’ve been keeping an eye on lesmills.com or the Les Mills facebook pages over the last few days you’ll have heard about the “new” program “Les Mills Pump”. You mean BODYPUMP right Glen? Well, no, I mean Les Mills Pump; a new, straight to consumer package of home use DVDs and pump equipment sold via infomercials and the Beachbody network. Home Pump DVDs being sold straight to participants? Wait what?!

Yes it’s true. I’ve known about this for some time but I’ve been unable to discuss it – but as Les Mills released an official statement about it yesterday (not to mention the fact that Beachbody ‘coaches’ have been blasting the Les Mills facebook pages and forum with “offers” and “discounts” in recent days) I can finally let the cat out of the bag.

So what’s the deal? Let’s start with the facts as listed on the Les Mills statement: Les Mills Pump is a set of 12 workouts based on BODYPUMP sold straight to home users launching December 2011 in the US only. I say it again; US only. That’s important to know. Basically, as far as I understand it penetration of the Les Mills brand in the USA is nothing like it is here in NZ, Australia, the UK, Middle East or in many other parts of the world. In any of those countries you can basically throw a stick and hit a Les Mills franchised gym. As I sit and type right now I have 5 within a 5 mile radius. In the UK whilst I was there last month I managed to find LM classes everywhere I went, even in tiny little villages of a few thousand people! However from what I’ve seen that’s not the case in the United States. I had an American attend my classes at my local gym here who was on holiday from the US, she fell in love with BODYCOMBAT and has since told me upon returning to the States she has to drive over 40 miles to find a single gym that offers it – and she lives in a fairly well populated city! So for whatever reason LM haven’t quite made the inroads they’d like into the ol’ US of A just yet.

So, to build the brand, they’ve partnered with Beachbody, a “Multichannel Marketer” to sell Les Mills Pump via a network of tens of thousands of BB sales agents (network marketing) and informercials. Okay, so those are the facts as I understand them.

Here’s the problem. You only need to read the Les Mills forums to see for the most part instructors are pissed. Actually some are outright furious. The words cropping up are “angers me to my core” “TOTALLY DISGUSTED” “disgrace” “selling out” – and that’s on this one page alone – and there’s at least 7 pages of feedback! (so far!)

There’s a couple of issues here. Now of course if you’re an instructor living in the USA you might feel a little threatened that your members might toss in the towel and grab a DVD and equipment kit and start training at home. However, realistically I don’t think that’s going to happen – nothing replaces the amazing group fitness atmosphere with a pumping sound system and a kick ass instructor. I don’t think this is what people are upset about.

What they are concerned about is the degradation of the “Pump” brand, the crazy claims being made in the infomercials; The clip below claims 1000 calories being burnt in a session at home using a single set of two 5kg and two 2.5kg plates? C’mon… even our BODYPUMP posters only claim up to 600 and that’s with a full set of equipment! Plus there’s quite a bit of animosity about the way most found out – that is, second hand and not from LMI themselves.

Possibly here’s where you went wrong LMI. What you perhaps should’ve done is thrown a small leaflet in the BODYPUMP 79 DVD kit effectively saying “Look guys, we’re about to launch a home DVD product for the US market only; this shouldn’t affect your class numbers at all it’s aimed at a completely different non-trained segment of the population. In fact, we aim to actually drive MORE people into your gyms as non-gymgoers become familiar with the Les Mills brand, and become less intimidated by our programs. We’re actually even going to stick some free class passes in with the DVDs so once they become sick of the limited number of workouts they have at home they can try out your classes for free…” yada yada yada. It’s called preemptive damage control. Addition: I’ve since been told instructors who attended the massive Lonestar event in the US were told – but it still seems many were left out of the loop.

That way, the instructors who are at the forefront of representing the Les Mills brand every single day would have felt a little more respected, and less of a case of “oh s@#t there’s pages and pages of instructors furious on our forums – we better tell them something!” – which is kinda how it looks. The upsetting thing for many was that the first they heard of this was second hand from some Beachbody coach offering them 25% off on a program that quite frankly they’ve already paid through the nose for.

I do know a wee bit about this very subject as I used to own the New Zealand agency for a very well known US sports supplement brand (EAS). We sold exclusively through specialty channels such as gyms, health food stores and nutrition centres. Once we’d hit saturation we looked at bringing in a lower tier “mass market” line to sell through supermarkets. What I did was consult all my specialty line customers and tell them “hey, this is what we’re doing, we aim to bring new people into the supplement market – once they try our basic supermarket line we aim to educate them on the benefits and upsell them into our specialty line – which means more customers for you”. The method worked and for the most part everyone was happy. However, if I’d just released the same products into supermarkets without consulting all my specialty customers guess what would of happened. The proverbial would’ve hit the fan. And that’s kinda what’s happening here with Les Mills… your “specialty customers” (instructors) had no idea you were going mass market and they’re not entirely impressed. You have 70,000 very passionate soldiers on the front line for your company – a little heads up would’ve been nice.

What’s my personal opinion on the move? Well, I actually think this is a good thing for LMI (however – I don’t live in the USA and if this was on my doorstep I might feel a little differently). I do think it’s going to build the brand and I do think it will drive more people into classes (much like it did with Zumba). But, do I feel they could’ve handled it better? Absolutely.

That’s not to say I don’t have some concerns. I am a little worried about the gimmick factor. Remember Taebo? Remember the Abdominizer? Ab King Pro? Those products exploded… then imploded on themselves. There was no longevity because they were gimmicks. What goes up must come down and I don’t know about where you live but where I am the same thing is happening with Zumba. It was literally everywhere, gyms, church halls, community centres – but now, well all those classes have just vanished. I don’t want to see “pump” thrown into this category.

Then there’s the cheese factor; Take a look at the video below; The “rep effect”? “1000 calories” – “ohh can you feel the burn!” “you so deserve this!” – it is so cheesy it’s almost painful to watch. I really don’t want the program I love so much to become a cheesy gimmick – especially as it works so well! My $0.02 – interested in your thoughts.

Well, unbelievably this list has hit the net already! So here it is! I haven’t got this release from any official sources – the tracks are correct but I was certain the version of Smells Like Teen Spirit was the original Nirvana track at the filming? Maybe it was an incredible cover??? Regardless this release is TRULY EPIC like no other (lunges and shoulders GO OFF!).

As always I’ve linked to the tracks as best I can – where covers are used I’ve linked to the original. For more info see my filming post – and enjoy!

BODYPUMP 80 tracklist

Warmup: Resuscitate Me – September
Squats: The Edge Of Glory (Glory Mix) – Red Beans & Rice
Chest: Smells Like Teen Spirit – Ninth Immortal
Back: The Tide – Twilight
Triceps: Till The World Ends – Britney Spears
Biceps: Eye Of The Tiger – Altiyan Childs
Lunges: Fading Like A Flower (Club Radio Mix) – Dan Winter
Shoulders: Hands Up! (Sample Ripperz Remix) – Jens O
Abs: Rolling In The Deep – Colourbox
Cooldown: Fade Into Me – David Cook

BODYCOMBAT 50

Join us to celebrate a half-century of BODYCOMBAT with Release 50 – only this isn’t a party… it’s an insane workout that will see you punch and kick calories out the door! As usual, this release delivers hardcore results that leave you wanting More – so gear up and get going!

After warming up your upper and lower body, you’ll move into your first Combat track which features a dynamic Sword KATA sequence that will work your core with every single strike you make.

Watch out for Track 4 and a new side kick inspired by Tae Kwon Do. It’s designed to generate the most power possible from a side kick and to cover more ground; so unleash yourself and go the distance!

Inspired by Capoeira, Track 6 will work your legs to the max, testing your muscular endurance. Your legs are going to love you for all the conditioning work they get in this track. If you go hard, the results will come your way.

Track 7 sees the return of the most memorable BODYCOMBAT song of all time, Eye Of The Tiger. It’s been remastered for Release 50 and is combined with Top 40 songs to make an awesome musical line-up that will motivate you to push through the pain.

Prepare yourself for an 8-minute shoulder-endurance nightmare in Track 8; it’s a full-on punch fest which will see you reach your cardio limit, and then redefine it.

The theme of this release is ‘Reignite the Fire’ and you sure will have burned an insane amount of calories by the time it’s over, with moves that are carefully crafted to shred body fat and deliver hardcore results.

BODYPUMP 80

This round we mark 20 years of BODYPUMP with Release 80 – what a milestone! So to celebrate, we brought the programme back to where it all began: Aotearoa, with an all-New Zealand presenting team and a whole lot of innovation to celebrate the past two decades and welcome in the next!

This release is a great mix of high-intensity aerobic training to get you fit and burn calories; isolated strength training to tone and shape your muscles; and circuit training to push your body to the limit. Time to load up your bar and get working!

You’ll enjoy short bursts of high-intensity training in Tracks 2, 4 and 7 which will lift your heart rate, increase your fitness and burn calories. You’ll be on The Edge Of Glory in no time.

To complement the high-intensity work, there’s pure strength training tracks spread throughout the release to ensure you get a balanced workout. In Tracks 3, 6 and 9 we isolate a particular muscle group – chest (Track 3), biceps (Track 6) and core (Track 9) – to build pressure in the muscle, work it to fatigue and create change.

We’ve got a BODYPUMP first in Track 7: the Propulsion Lunge. It’s a hugely effective power training move where you leap into the air. You may not love these at the time, but you’ll love the results they help you achieve!

Tracks 5 and 8 are circuit-style tracks where you let rip for short bursts of intensity before enjoying a quick recovery. This is where change happens when you push yourself to the limit. Track 8 also sees the debut the Rotator Overhead Press; it’s a total shoulder-conditioning move that will really get your Hands Up! and your shoulders toned.

BODYPUMP 80 is a great release – trust us on this one; you don’t make it through 20 years without learning a thing or two!

BODYBALANCE 55

Welcome to BODYBALANCE 55; we’re delighted you could join us for this release.

Smooth is the name of the game in Track 1, as you focus on warming through the upper body with graceful, encompassing movements.

Track 2 sees you complete Sun Salutations to a funky, beat-driven song which helps wake up and energize your whole body.

There’s a dramatic turn ahead in Track 4, where the drama of the song I’m No Angel is matched by the choreography of the poses.

Let your body fill with Love, Love, Love in Track 5 as you enjoy the sheer beauty of the song you are exercising to. Allow your body and mind to be overwhelmed with the feeling of happiness that this special song generates.

Tracks 6 and 7 offer a complete core workout which really pack a punch. The combinations of moves in these two tracks are so effective, they have the power to change your functional strength in a positive way.

Track 8 is your final opportunity for one last challenging pose, the Standing Balance Twist. There are modification options available to modify this move if you wish to gradually build into this demanding pose.

Surrender to the beautiful song Scarlet, written by Kiwi singer-songwriter Brooke Fraser, in Track 9a, allowing it to take you to a place of absolute stillness.

Before you know it, it’s time for the class to dissolve away into the relaxation and meditation phase, guguiding you to a place of calm before re-entering the world again, filled with Pure Light.

BODYSTEP 86

Get Ready 2 Go with BODYSTEP 86, starting with a solid Warm-up that will get your body prepared for the roller coaster it will be on during this release. It’s an intensely athletic release that will give great results but, in true BODYSTEP™ style, we’ve kept the moves and the music fun, so you keep on smiling from start to finish.

Just when you think Step Athletic Track 4 has reached its Determinate end, we’ve thrown in a surprise Half Burpee! The return of this high-intensity move will spike your heart rate and get everyone ready for the massive Shuffle combos of Track 5. It’s full-on Party Rock Anthem time in this Mixed Strength track as we let your legs breathe and send your heart rate into space. This is a deceptively fun track that will trick you into forgetting how much you’re actually moving!

The surprises keep coming in Track 6 with the introduction of the Propulsive Lunge that sees you and your heart rate Rise Up just when you think you’re slowing down. This move will really push you in the last 30 seconds and your heart rate will peak, but recovery follows – so go hard and get results!

Party Step Track 8 will make you feel as though you Run The World with the debut of the Running Girl move; it’s similar to the Running Man but it’s more Skater-like, a touch classy and equally as cool.

We’ve brought back the weight option in Track 10, with moves to work the legs and again get your heart pumping. Use a 5 (11 lbs) or 10kg (22 lbs) plate for this track; they’re not Poison – they help you reach a training spike!

Because you loved the new Athletic track debuted in Release 85, we’ve included the option again; you can use it in place of Tracks 8 and 9 to give the class another dose of high-intensity interval training. The concept’s the same with this Athletic track: 45 seconds of intense work, then 30 seconds of rest. Rinse and repeat six times. Good luck!

BODYATTACK 75

It’s time to Give Me Everything with BODYATTACK 75! This release is driven by music that’s high-energy, fun and inspiring – just like BODYATTACK!

Track 2 sees the debut of a new move, the Running Man. This is a first for BODYATTACK and it will leave you with a big smile on your face while your body finishes warming up, getting you ready for the high-intensity moves that are about to hit!

You’ll be Freakin’ Perfect in Track 3 as you let your heart rate peak with a BODYATTACK favourite, the Superman! Couple this move with some Jumping Jacks and your body won’t know where to send the blood – to your arms or your legs!

It’s time for intense Lunges now, and your opportunity to change the shape of your legs. There are options if you need to take things down a notch – we want everyone to do whatever it takes to make it to the end of the class, that’s all! Fitness is something you earn.

The Walking Burpee makes a return this release, this time joined by Bottom Half Push-ups to make one killer combo to condition your whole body as you complete this strength training sequence. We can promise that you will Sweat through this whole track, just like the song says!

If you love baseball, you’ll love Track 7. This track is sports agility training at its most intense and whether you’re a baseball novice or not, you’ll be running to bases, picking up balls and throwing them like you’re a professional in no time.

There will be no Fading Like A Flower in Track 8 as you experience a final boost of high-intensity interval training that will help you increase your fitness dramatically. Sprint as fast as you can at the end of the track – the energy of the group will help motivate you, as will the fact that you’re on the stretch to home base and the awesome conditioning tracks that await you. You’ll be on The Edge Of Glory before you know it!

RPM 53

Think of RPM 53 like this: 45 minutes of riding time where we have 10 minutes to get warm in Tracks 1 and 2; 5 minutes at the end to cool down; this leaves us with about 30 minutes to work hard and push ourselves to the limit.

Make the most of your 30 minutes of work by keeping the riding and workout intensity high through focusing not only on the work phases but also on the recoveries. Effective recovery is key if you want to build fitness and increase your endurance.

Track 4 is Mixed Terrain with a difference. In this track we are riding the flats at the same paces as the climbs until we hit the sprints. You ride in the saddle at 80rpm to flush your legs, before adding enough resistance to counterbalance your body weight so you can stand and climb, maintaining the same pace throughout. Then reduce to Working Resistance, ride hard and sprint. Don’t worry, all the work will pay off: you’ll feel like Kings And Queens by the end of it!

Treat each interval in Track 5 like it’s your last! During each of the five intervals, flick the switch, and power ahead knowing there’s a recovery phase right around the corner. If you use your recoveries, you’ll work much harder than you think you can in the attack phases, and get the results to match.

There’s a real contrast in this release between emotive and fun tracks. The mix of the two enhances the ride, creating a real journey. Don’t think about it too much, just ride it and feel it.

BODYJAM 59

Wanna Battle In The Bronx? Put on your baddest gears for this Hip Hop-inspired release that features a classic gangsta feel AND the latest chart-toppers. Old school is the new new school, right?

Drop It Low into Track 2 with some silky-smooth Salsa. Focus first on the hips, then get your chest poppin’. Then get ready for straight Hip Hop with Get It flowing effortlessly into Countdown, the hottest sasstastic diva banga of the year. But don’t let it fool you; it’s about to get mental. The club anthem Happiness will have you sweatin’, then how loud can you yell “WHO RUN THIS MUTHA!”?

Drop your Bass Down Low to lower the heart rate – then it’s the genre-defying “Till Death Do We Party” House block. The most colossal remix of Judas, followed by Metrum, a melting pot of House, Afro, percussion, Electro, progressive – basically you cannot categorize this track into a box. It’s here that we challenge expectations of just what can be achieved in a fitness studio.

And just when you think things couldn’t get any more awesome, BAM! Champagne Showers will throw your class into a breakout energy like never before. The most intense cardio, the most amazing music, the most euphoric BODYJAM yet.

Key to this release is making sure you Set Up, Follow Up, then Shut Up! This is a new coaching style that lets your class feel the music and move with it – minimal interruptions required! Because you’re not talking, you can give the movement everything – 110%. It’s so much more inspirational to watch a great dancer than to talk about great dancing… Give it a go and watch G explain everything in the Ed session.

BODYJAM 59 is defying genres with a Hip Hop flava so you get the best dance workout on the planet – prepare yourself to tear the room up and Battle In The Bronx.

BODYVIVE 21

BODYVIVE 21 is a fun, fresh release with loads of variety!

Let Me Take You Away with a great warmup that will get you ready for the intense cardio blocks that are just around the corner. Track 2 uses the VIVE™ ball as a resistance tool for your upper body, helping you tone and tighten as you build stamina and endurance.

The cardio moves in Track 4 will improve your agility before we up the intensity with interval training in Track 5. You’ll want to Ring The Alarm as this track will push you to your cardio limit, but have the confidence to go hard because active recovery follows! Pay special attention to this track as the song was personally approved for use by the artists who wrote it!

All you Boys And Girls will need to get your VIVE™ tubes out for integrated strength in Track 8, and we’ll also put the VIVE™ tube to work to improve functional strength during the hip moves in Track 9.

Next, we put your core to the test. First up is back strength: you’ll use the VIVE™ ball to train your postural muscles, along with everyone’s favorite – Push-ups. Then it’s your abs’ turn: you’ll feel Like Water during this track but push through; it’s almost time to stretch it all out in Track 12 when you can relax, knowing you’ve just completed a low-impact, high-intensity workout that will get you in great shape all over!

Hi guys – just a wee heads up that the programs have shifted a bit in the upcoming filmings (and CXWORX is on its own day again). These are the latest dates and should be correct but may shift at the discretion of LMI. I’m happy as all my favourite programs are on the same day yay! See ya there!

Monday 31st October 2011

  • BODYBALANCE 56
  • BODYCOMBAT 51
  • BODYPUMP 81
  • BODYATTACK 76
  • BODYVIVE 22

Thursday 3rd November 2011

  • SH’BAM 7
  • BODYSTEP 87
  • RPM 54
  • BODYJAM 60

Friday 4th November 2011

  • CXWORX 6

Well these have hit the net already! Apologies for the low res I’ll update them as soon as I can find better quality ones. I might be biased (yes that is yours truly in the BODYCOMBAT poster – and my arm in the Attack haha) but I really like them! Look forward to your thoughts!











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