NZ Glen : BodyCombat fanatic

Posts Tagged ‘BODYCOMBAT 41

Thought I’d post some pics from the latest BODYCOMBAT 41 local release; this one was quite possibly the craziest! This time we stayed faithful to the theme of BC41 “Backyard Brawl“; Denim shorts, ripped tops, black paint all over our bodies and spray painted hair! Was insane! Certainly doing a release in denim is an “experience” haha. Anyway, pictures say 1000 words so I’ll let them do the talking – I’m sure you can tell how entertaining the release was! šŸ˜€

The calm before the storm... Mel & Me

The calm before the storm... Mel & Me


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Evasive side kick

Evasive side kick

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Front kick

Front kick

vs the push kick

vs the push kick

The team!

The team!

BC41Been a bit slack getting this uploaded – especially since most of you have probably seen or done BC41 by now! So this is long overdue… But nevertheless, for blog completion’s sake I’ll post my thoughts below.

As always be really interested in your feedback on the release šŸ™‚

1a: Dragostea Din Tei (DJ Ross Radio Mix) – O-Zone

The upper body warm up is quite possibly the most controversial track of the release! If you read any of the group fitness forums you may have seen some of the initial reactions to this song being in BODYCOMBAT (here’s a hint – some instructors haven’t been all that impressed…) however, personally I’ve found this track has gone down really well! You can have a lot of fun with it and the members are always smiling and quite often singing along which is always good! One of the first times I did this release after the filming was in Hernan’s class in Auckland. If you know Hernan and what a fun character he is you can imagine how hysterical he was presenting this track… the entire room was having a ball. And although I’m not one tenth the funny man Hernan is I try to do the same. “Numa numa” is a light, fun start to the release so even though I know some people aren’t too happy with its presence in combat you won’t hear any complaints from me.

1b: My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson

Okay, here’s the strange thing about the lower body warmup. We’ve got no sidekicks at all, and a whole heap of back kicks (a whole heap!) This struck me as being really weird at the filming and to be honest I’m still not sure why Dan and Rach didn’t swap out one of the sets of back kicks for some sidekicks. But never mind for what ever reason they chose not to and they’re the boss(es)! That aside again this is another fun track and I’ve seen loads of members singing along to it. If you’re not a Kelly Clarkson fan, well, without saying too much my advice is that you should probably just accept the fact she’s in combat as I think we may be seeing a bit of her in the future šŸ˜‰

I’ve not formally checked but I’m almost certain that this is the single longest warmup in the history of combat, close to ten minutes long! Having taught this release well over a dozen times now probably my only other comment is it does possibly go on a bit too long.

02: Music Is Pumpin – Radical Rhythm

Officially my new favourite track 2! The last few releases have seen reasonably rocky type track 2s (Cum on feel the noise, Try it again, Born to be wild etc) and Music Is Pumping is a refreshing change. I love the music, and love the chorey. There’s enough time to introduce the “new” kick to BODYCOMBAT here in the first combination (the Push Kick – a modified front kick) which means you don’t have to do too much cueing before track 4 (where it features prominently). I absolutely love the hook roundhouse combination, and the treble elbow knee sequence at the end just goes off! 10 out of 10 from me. Love love love it.

03: Slow & Steady Rush – Random Attack

A dance remix of Faith Hillā€™s Breathe, Slow & Steady Rush really has no surprises in terms of chorey – the track builds really well into the final combo (double jab, upper) x 2 – 4 hooks where you can really blow the roof off the gym in terms of intensity. Probably not my favourite track 3 but a solid one that will stand the test of time.

4a: Enter Sandman – Spock

Okay, track 4. Here’s where the release gets kinda interesting. We begin with a rather dark track, a cover of Metallica’s hit Enter Sandman. Really powerful Hook/knee combo to start which changes into a jab/cross/upper/roundhouse sequence before going back into the hook/knee combo. We then have the new move to combat – the plyo push. Pretty straight forward, we push our opponent away with a sharp snapping movement, then push kick them to finish the job. Instructors really have to change the delivery of this track, it’s a dark rock/metal track that requires it to be presented in a similar fashion. Certainly a massive change from the light cheerful tone of track 3 that’s for sure!

Me executing the option for the evasive sidekick in BC41

Me executing the option for the evasive sidekick in BC41

4b: Boom – P.O.D.

Okay, well unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ll know that yes the evasive side kick is back. It hasn’t been in combat for some time and it without question it is the most controversial move in combat. In my post after the BC41 filming I wrote the following:

“While on the subject of the evasive sidekick I got talking to Dan in the changing room after a BC41 trial run and I mentioned to him it was great to see the e-kick back. He said they were introducing it slowly, and toned it down as in the past some instructors were jumping so high it was unobtainable for an average participant to achieve. As much as I hate to admit it he is right ā€“ the jumping evasive side kick as demoā€™d by Dan himself inĀ Rock Me Amadeus (although it looked AMAZINGLY impressive) wasĀ kinda crazy in that he leaped a good 5 feet in the air!Ā In BC41Ā the e-kick is done with a ā€œhopā€ asĀ opposed to a jump (if that makes sense) so although Iā€™m sure some instructors will go back into old habits and fly into the air I think the idea is to try to keep the level a little lower. Will be interesting to see how it pans outā€¦”

Well I can tell you how it’s panned out in the gyms I teach at; perfectly fine! I think the key is that if you’re going to introduce the jumping option, introduce it as an option only when appropriate. What do I mean by this? Well for me personally I teach at 3 different gyms; all three have a different membership base. One of the gyms literally had Les Mills group fitness classes brought in a week ago. So, there’s no way in hell I’m going to expect them to even dream of doing a full e-kick for a long time! It’s just not going to happen. However, another gym has a loyal membership base of diehard combaters who love the jump knees and advanced options (and have seen and done the e-kick in previous releases) – so when we launch there on Wednesday quite possibly it would be appropriate to demo it in the later part of the track. I guess my point is some people dislike the e-kick as they feel it was unachievable for members; and if that’s the case stick with the low option. My 2 cents anyway šŸ™‚

My final comment about track 4 is that it’s quite long… 7 minutes! When you combine that with the 10 minute warm up when instructors start mixing we’ll have to be really mindful of track lengths. In BC41 this is offset by a very short track 5 (3 minutes) – however you’d only have to switch out a couple tracks with longer ones before you’d start running into class length issues. Worth bearing in mind anyway.

05: Ballroom Blitz – Dave & The Extras

Well of course the likely hood of anyway loving every track in a given release is incredibly slim (you can’t please all of the people all of the time) and yes, this is one of the ‘don’t likes’ for me personally. I’ll admit it is growing on me but definitely looking forward to mixing it out. As noted above it is only 3 minutes long so it’s over pretty quickly anyway! As I mentioned in my filming post Ballroom Blitz was also in BODYCOMBATĀ 6 ā€“ which means this is the second release in a row in which a track from BC6 has been reused (the last one was Tubthumping in BC40)

06: Let Me Entertain You – Bodytronixx

Not too much to say about this track – very similar in structure to Shut Up and Drive from BC34 but instead of side kick, knee, back kick this time thereā€™s another knee. A Tae Kwon Do based track without a single punch/hook/or upper in the entire thing (I did 7 years of TKD and yes we didn’t use our hands much so it is true to the discipline!) Hasn’t gone down as well as Burn It To The Ground from BC40 but it’s not a bad track and the kick kata is slow enough that it is a recovery.

07: Desolation Row – Krakaw Kreativ Kollektiv

Muay Thai is traditionally my favourite track in the class but unfortunately I did find this track a little lacking. Unlike most muay thais of late this isn’t a techno track but rather a Les Mills cover of the My Chemical Romance track. Loads of jab/crosses and loads of knees and really not much else. Not a bad track, but just lacks the intensity and climax of say Hardcore Angel from BC39 (quite possibly my favourite Muay Thai along with So What! from BC27).

08: What Do You Want From Me (squad-e remix) – Cascada

Awesome finish to the cardio portion of the release. Great song that builds into a powerful hook/jab/cross sequence at the end. Not too much else to say other than YES!

09: Right Round – Flo Rida Feat. Ke$ha /Ā 10: Halo – Beyonce

Conditioning/cool down. Won’t spend too much time on these – circular crunches and circular pressups feature in the conditioning, and the cooldown has nice chorey which finishes with the same kata sequence introduced in track 6. Halo whilst not really my cup of tea musically at least is a nice calming track to bring the heart rate down to and seems to be liked by the members.

So, overall a solid release! Any release that has a track that tops my favourite list must be a goody and yes, whilst BC41 has a couple of tracks that I’m not a massive fan of it has more than enough tracks that I really like and one that I absolutely love! At the end of the day the members seem to be loving it and that’s all that counts! Enjoy!

Hey team, if you’ve added me on facebook you’ve possibly seen these already (along with a vid I’ve uploaded – more to come). This release was pretty special as it was not only the first Les Mills group fitness class to be ever held at this gym (FitCo), but we had Olly Fata come down and team teach with me. It was also the first time I’d ever taught BC41 – so a lot of firsts!

Considering Olly and I didn’t get a chance to go over any of the tracks beforehand, and also given we’d never taught together the entire release went off without a hitch. I’m sure we both were a little apprehensive as to whether we’d “mesh” as a team, and also how the members would respond as they’d never even seen a BODYCOMBAT class before! We needn’t have worried however, everyone loved the class and had a complete ball.

Got another release tomorrow night and another next week so definitely know 41 well enough to review it – will post that soon. In the meantime pics are below – check out the lights!!! šŸ™‚

Olly & I demonstrating the plyo push/push kick from track 4 (I'm about to get knocked completely on my butt!)

Olly & I demonstrating the plyo push/push kick from track 4 (I'm about to get knocked completely on my butt!)

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Let us entertain you...

Let us entertain you...

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Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Sorry for the delay guys been meaning to post these for awhile – been one of those weeks! Enjoy! šŸ™‚

Gotta love it šŸ™‚

Here they are team – enjoy! šŸ™‚

BODYCOMBAT 41

1a: Dragostea Din Tei (DJ Ross Radio Mix) ā€“ O-Zone
1b: My Life Would Suck Without You ā€“ Kelly Clarkson
02: Music Is Pumpin ā€“ Radical Rhythm
03: Slow & Steady Rush ā€“ Random Attack
4a: Enter Sandman ā€“ Spock
4b: Boom ā€“ P.O.D.
05: Ballroom Blitz ā€“ Dave & The Extras
06: Let Me Entertain You ā€“ Bodytronixx
07: Desolation Row ā€“ Krakaw Kreativ Kollektiv
08: What Do You Want From Me (squad-e remix) ā€“ Cascada
09:
Right Round ā€“ Flo Rida Feat. Ke$ha
10: Halo ā€“ Beyonce

BODYPUMP 71

Warm up: Magnetized (Original Mix) ā€“ James Sampson
Squats: Summer of 69 (Picco, Jens O & Maddin Original Mix)ā€“ Mega-mania
Chest: Right Round ā€“ Flo Rida
Back: When love becomes a lie (Cascada Remix) ā€“ Liz Kay
Triceps: Black Fingernails, Red Wine ā€“ Eskimo Joe
Biceps: What Iā€™ve Done ā€“ Hiroshi Free
Lunges: Doesnā€™t Matter ā€“ Mamad Voltek
Shoulders: Operation Blade 09 ā€“ Public Domain
Abs: Circus ā€“ Britney Spears
Cooldown: Sober ā€“ Pink

BODYATTACK 66

01. Just Dance – De-Grees
02. Womanizer – Skipping Crew
03. Fly On The Wall – Dana deWit
04. Fiesta – Beat Bandits From Outer Space
05. Get Shaky (Ian Carey Vocal Mix) – The Ian Carey Project
06. When You Leave – CJ Murry
07. Wild Wild West 08 – Party Playaz
08. I Kissed A Girl – Space Jammers
09. Take It To The Limit – Badlands
10a. Can’t Get Over (Short Disco Mix) – September
10b. Right Round – Flo Rida feat. Ke$ha
11. I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

BODYJAM 50

01: Saturday (Fedde Le Grand Vocal Mix Main) – Cunnie Williams feat. Monie Love
02: Love, Sex, Magic – Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake
03: 75, Brazil Street (Original Club Vocal Mix) – Nicola Fasano vs Pat-Rich
04: I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) – Pitbull
05: 75, Brazil Street (Steve Forest & Paul Simon Mix) – Nicola Fasano vs Pat-Rich
06: I Wanna Rock – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
07: Voice of Freedom – Freedom Williams
08: Set it Off – J. Williams
09: Blame It – Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain
10: Pictures (Tonite Only Remix) – Sneaky Sound System
11: Suburban Knights (Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso Mix) – Hard-Fi
12: Finally 2008 (Kam Denny & Paul Zala Remix) – Denzal Park
13: Spotlight – Jennifer Hudson

BODYBALANCE 46

01. Lost & Found – Delerium
02. Serenity – Delerium
03. Magnificent – Yellow Hue
04. Shine – Amanda Myers
05. Why – Annie Lennox
06. Spotlight – Jennifer Hudson
07. Broken Strings – Mike Stone
08. Changes – Will Young
09. Run – Leona Lewis
10. Kindred Spirit – Deuter
11. Under The Wings of Blessing – Nawang Khechog

RPM 44

01. The Right Life – Seal
02. Sober (Bimbo Jones Radio Edit) – Pink
03. Show Me Heaven – Arms Of Dub
04. Real – The Cranials
05. How Far We’ve Come – Matchbox Twenty
06. Alone In The Dark (Tiesto Radio Edit) – Tiesto Presents Edward Carnby
07. Jump That Rock (Whatever You Want) (Jorg Schmid Mix) – Scooter vs Status Quo
08. Spotlight – Jennifer Hudson
09. You Found Me – The Fray

BODYSTEP 77

01. Live Your Life – Global Nation feat. Simone F
02. The Boy Does Nothing (Bimbo Jones Remix Radio Edit) – Alesha Dixon
03. Hot n Cold – Martina Lorene
04. Hot Shot – DJ Microman
05. Survivor – Pearl Star
06. C’Mon C’Mon – BuzzBoxxx
07. Burn (Pop Embassy Mix) – Jessica Mauboy
08. Just Dance – Dutch Swing
09. In Person – ToneTonic
10. Fire – DJ Reflex
11. It’s Not Right (But It’s OK) – Party Playaz
12. Feel It 2008 – dB Bomb
13. Stand By Me – Seal

BODYVIVE 12

01. Strike It Up – Black Box
02. Freeway Of Love – Aretha Franklin
03. Gentleman – Lou Bega
04. Never Can Say Goodbye – The Communards
05. You Really Got Me – Ricochet TV
06. Fly Like An Eagle – Seal
07. Love Is A Stranger – Eurythmics
08. When Love Comes To Town – Freedom Seekers
09. Lose My Breath – Destiny’s Child
10. Make It Happen – Mariah Carey
11. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely – Ricky Martin with Christina Aguilera
12. I Want To Know What Love Is – Foreigner

BODYCOMBAT 41

BC41-lowresAre you ready for a total-body Martial Arts experience? Because thatā€™s what BODYCOMBATĀ® 41 is all about ā€“ the theme is Backyard Brawl and youā€™ll be chiselled into the ultimate fighting machine! The extended Warm Up prepares you for the workout ahead and includes the Jab, Cross, Bob Combo. Sing along to Kelly Clarksonā€™s My Life Would Suck Without You during the lower body workout before the first fight is ignited in Track 2 with the Treble Elbow/Double Knee Combo. Track 3 is all about the contrast between speed and power. Watch out for the onslaught that is Track 4 which features new move the Double-Handed Plyo Push. This track combines two songs ā€“ Enter Sandman and P.O.Dā€™s Boom and gives you the feeling of two totally different workouts. Itā€™s an opportunity to show what youā€™ve got, ready or not! Flush your legs and spike your heart rate in Track 5 with three rounds of boxing ā€“ Running is the feature here. Tae Kwon Do is in the house in Track 6 ā€“ youā€™ve got four opponents with the secret being to strike like a cobra. The rawness of the most lethal Martial Art ā€“ Muay Thai ā€“ is explored in Track 7 before you hit the fatigue wall in Track 8. You canā€™t go over it, you canā€™t go under it ā€“ you just have to punch through it! Flo Rida feat. Kesha will spin you Right Round in Track 9 while your abs are blasted with the Circle Situp. New stretch, the Downward Dog, is introduced in Track 10 and really gets into the hamstrings and the backs of the legs. BeyoncĆ©ā€™s Halo is the perfect Cooldown Track after the Backyard Brawl that is BODYCOMBATĀ® 41.

BODYPUMP 71

BP71-lowresBODYPUMPĀ® 71 is all about teaching from the heart, not from the head. The exercises are easy to coach, giving you the freedom to focus on connecting your participants to the magic of the workout and the music. The release focuses on two kinds of training ā€” strength work in tracks 3, 5, 6 and 8, and cardio dynamite in tracks 2, 4 and 7. Warm-up to the captivating, warm voice of James Sampson, a singer and BODYPUMPā„¢ instructor living in Denmark. Magnetized is his original song. The Squat Track is a killer! Sing along to the Summer of 69 cover but be prepared for huge blocks of Singles and Bottom Halves. Most of the work is done in a wide stance, which allows you to go lower. Oh yeah! Pace yourself in the Chest Track. In Right Round, Flo Rida and Kesha will inspire you to go all the way down in four identical sets of work without recovery. A set of Push-ups at the end will finish you off. Push yourself in the hugely energetic and athletic Back Track! Four Clean and Presses in a row are followed by Triple Rows. Eskimo Joe will take you through the Triceps Track with Black Fingernails, Red Wine. Be prepared for a Bottom Halves challenge! The Biceps Track is straight-forward, allowing you to just relax and really feel the music. Then find out how low you can go in the Lunge Track, where cardio meets butt. Unleash your strength in the Shoulders Track. Go harder and heavier as we attack the shoulders from three different directions ā€“ back, side and front.

BODYATTACK 66

BA66-lowresYouā€™ll be charged from start to finish with BODYATTACKĀ® 66 ā€“ itā€™s a fusion of magic, movements and music to take you toward two high-energy peaks. Just Dance is a great Warm Up track with a huge amount of energy and lift off! Youā€™ll have loads of fun with the Fly on the Wall theme of Track 3 where intensity is lifted in the Supermanā€™s and maintained with the Shuffle Combinations. The new Side Step and Squat Combo in Track 4 will help peak your heart rate before youā€™re challenged with 100 push-ups in Track 5. Donā€™t worry though ā€“ there are plenty of options to help you through! The Running Track, Track 6, is all about technique, energy and as the song When You Leave suggests, some ā€œHa ha!ā€ In Track 7 you have a chance to relax and have some fun in the rhythm combo. Look forward to the sports training which builds power and strength, especially in the Step Runs and Ice Skaters. Track 8 is five minutes of energy, adrenalin and passion to really build your fitness. I Kissed A Girl motivates you to reach your maximum peak before the rocking and appropriately named Take It To The Limit really pushes you to your second peak. Reset, breathe and condition your legs in Track 10 with the Repeaters and Lunges before spinning your legs right round with the Scoop in the core conditioning track.

RPM 44

rpm44-lowresRPMā„¢ 44 is hot, fast and is guaranteed to leave you gasping for air! There are two important things to note in RPMā„¢ 44 ā€“ when you find the beat of the music in the racing and aero-racing positions, slide hips slightly forward in the scale as this will allow you to go faster. When the resistance gets heavier, do the opposite and sit back in the saddle. RPMā„¢ 44 is balanced slightly differently to previous releases ā€“ Tracks 4 and 6 are a little more intense so to balance it out, Tracks 5 and 7 are a little more fun. Sealā€™s The Right Life eases you into the workout as you gradually build up speed before picking up the heart rate with three pace speed phases and two climbs in Track 2! Youā€™ll be sliding back into the seat to tackle the Seated Climbs in Track 3 and you wonā€™t be able to resist singing along to Show Me Heaven during the Standing Climb. There are four hills to climb so youā€™ll peak your heart-rate four times! Watch for the three sprints in Track 4 and remember to slide forward on the saddle when you race on the beat. Matchbox Twentyā€™s How Far Weā€™ve Come will help you through the five blocks of work in Track 5. In Track 6 there are three accelerations to find the beat of the music ā€“ this track is tough so beware! Scooter vs. Status Quo in Track 7 ā€“ this track is awesome and the music will motivate you through the steepest of the mountains.

BODYJAM 50

BJ50-lowresBODYJAMĀ® 50 takes the authentic feeling of dance, adds the cardio intensity of Les Mills, then throws it in a blender, adds a generous serving of style, and serves it up on a pizza layered in funk ready for you and your class to devour. Before you start teaching this release, think about which Advanced options to add in early, and which ones you can hold back for later. Then drop them like a ā€˜magic bombā€™ and watch your class go off! Fedde le Grand remixes Saturday to make the funkiest warm-up track ever. Itā€™ll get the house feel into the room with the first beat. Then keep the same footwork but make it swift and sasstastic with JT and Ciaraā€™s monster hit Love, Sex, Magic. Your class will Side Mambo, Fast Mambo and Mambo everywhere to three remixes of the same beatā€¦ The mambo Extravaganza is HOT like Fiyah! This routine creates an awesome group energy in the room. Then come with us on a Cardio Funk journey back to the early 1990ā€™s for some Hammer-time! There are Kick Ball changes and Kris Crosses galore, and the Shabam Shabam is even cooler than its name. New Zealandā€™s very own J Williams takes the routine home with his banger of a track, Set It Off. Get into the style, break out to the sound! Cardio Funk Shabam Shabam taking over NOW! T-Pain and Jamie Foxx drop the heart rate for just a second, and then you are back on the dance floor combining Tribal and House to the sickest sounds ever! Sneaky Sound Systemā€™s club hit Pictures sets up the first half, then keep that bounce in your body to the hugest remix from Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. Finish this all off to the intense Tribal diva sound of Finally.

BODYSTEP 77

BS77-lowresJoin the BODYSTEPĀ® team to raise breast cancer awareness in your club with BODYSTEPĀ® 77. Itā€™s an opportunity to celebrate our cancer survivors and those who fought hard and lost the battle. This release is a mix of explosive cardio, endurance work and dance flava ā€“ youā€™ll get a taste of the flava in Track 2 with Swinger Arms and Cha Cha Chas to Alesha Dixonā€™s Boy Does Nothing. Lift the energy in the Turn Steps in Track 3! There is a new move ā€“ Walk the Plank.Youā€™ll get a taste of hardcore bootcamp-style training in Track 4 with new move the Half Burpee. It will leave you gasping for breath! But donā€™t worry ā€“ itā€™s not as scary as it looks. Go low with The Skater in Track 5 to engage the gluteals. Youā€™ll travel in three directions in the Drop Squat Combo, before releasing the energy in the Single Across the Tops in Track 6. Jessica Mauboyā€™s Burn sums up Track 7 well because the Lunge and Squat Combo is going to make your legs and butt ā€“ you guessed it ā€“ burn! Have some fun with the Funky Twister Dance and the Cha Cha Cha Combo in Track 8 before getting your dance moves on to De-Greesā€™ version of Lady Gagaā€™s Just Dance. Youā€™ll love the swinging jive flavour in Track 9. Watch out for the new move ā€“ the Hop Kick Combo. Go hard in Track 10 ā€“ this is five minutes of pure energy, power and endurance. Itā€™s all about contrast ā€“ work up high with the Taps and get down low with the Squats.

BODYBALANCE 46

BB46-lowresBODYBALANCEĀ® is dramatic and challenging. Push your limits, because you never know exactly what you are capable of until you try. The options are there if you need them! Focus on your breathing in the warm-up track, then challenge yourself to lift off in the Knee to High Block Combination. You will feel like you are surfing in Track 2, feeling the flow of Yoga poses. Also featuring a one minute Down Dog, feel this quintessential yoga pose! Magnificent takes you through Track 3. Thereā€™s a new move ā€“ the Extended Warrior 2 with Prayer hands and lots of powerful drama. Find your balance to Shine in Track 4. This is a very challenging track, but there are lots of options available. Why? Because it feels amazing to sink into each hip opening pose accompanied by this gorgeous Annie Lennox classic. Take your abdominal strength to a whole new level in Track 6, before working on your strength, support and stability to Broken Strings in Track 7. You will really build strength in the Plank Pose Pullbacks. For something new try pushing off your back foot and bringing your weight forward in the Lunge Twist in Track 8. It feels great! Leona Lewis draws you into a beautiful, very deep hamstring stretch with Run. Then relax into Deuters Kindred Spirit, as you become aware of steadying the outside edge of your body and focusing specifically on your breathing.

BODYVIVE 12

BV12-lowresUnleash your inner rock star in BODYVIVEā„¢ 12! With music from Lou Bega, Aretha Franklin and Foreigner youā€™ll definitely have lots of fun while youā€™re working out! Strike It Up takes you off the gym floor and into the nightclub ā€“ ā€˜90s styles! This nice long warm up will get you into the swing of things and raise the heart rate, ready for the strong leg workout that is Track 2. Your legs are loaded by getting low through the entire track, which will ensure you work your butt and thighs. Feel stylish and sassy in Lou Begaā€™s Gentlemen before the intensity lifts with Hamstring Curls and Cross Crawls in Track 4. Reach your cardio peak in Track 5 with You Really Got Me ā€“ this is your chance to really rock out and show what youā€™ve got. Sealā€™s Fly Like An Eagle is perfect for Track 6 where you perform the moves with fluidity and grace ā€“ much like youā€™re flying like an eagle. Track 7 sees the introduction of new move the Arabesque which will really challenge your balance and helps to strengthen the legs. Get ready to use the most challenging move first in Track 8 ā€“ itā€™s a hard track and thereā€™s a new position for the Bicep Curls that works both the front and the back of the bicep. Thereā€™s a super simple setup for the Hamstring Curls and Side Leg Lifts in Track 9 before a deceptively intense abdominal track ā€“ watch out! New move the Single Leg Scoop really bites. Britneyā€™s back in the Abdominals Track. Circus will motivate you to ā€œshow what you can doā€ with the new Reverse Curl. But wait, thereā€™s more! Finish it all off with a hover with your feet on the bench ā€“ itā€™s harder but brings more benefits… New move the Side Line Arabesque and Scissor in Track 11 is great for back flexibility, strength and total core conditioning and what better song to end the rock-release than rock anthem I Want To Know What Love Is? Rock out with BODYVIVEā„¢ 12!

BC41-lowresWell thanks to my great friend Andreas here’s the tracklisting for BC41. Now, couple of points – HEAPS of these songs are really strange covers and I’ve not been able to locate them on youtube so I’ve just linked to the original the best I can.

For more info on the release itself here. Interested in your thoughts!

1a: Dragostea Din Tei (DJ Ross Radio Mix) – O-Zone
1b: My Life Would Suck Without You – Kelly Clarkson
02: Music Is Pumpin – Radical Rhythm
03: Slow & Steady Rush – Random Attack
4a: Enter Sandman – Spock
4b: Boom – P.O.D.
05: Ballroom Blitz – Dave & The Extras
06: Let Me Entertain You – Bodytronixx
07: Desolation Row – Krakaw Kreativ Kollektiv
08: What Do You Want From Me (squad-e remix) – Cascada
09:
Right Round – Flo Rider Feat. Ke$ha
10: Halo – Beyonce

I’ve held off publishing this post for the better part of two months now at the request of Les Mills. However, a lot of this info is starting to appear elsewhere on the net so I don’t think they’ll mind too much now, especially given that the filming of BC42 is just around the corner (next month even!). Bear in mind while reading it that this is all from memory and whilst I’m fairly sure what I’ve written is on then mark it was so long ago reading through it now I just have to take my own word for it (if that makes sense!). Anyway, enjoy šŸ™‚

Well what a weekend! The BODYCOMBAT 41 filming formed part of the Les Mills’ GFX – a full weekend of workshops, releases and filmings! I did 9 classes over two days including BODYPUMP 70 and 71 and BODYCOMBAT 40 and 41 – so my head is a little overflowing with tracklists and choreography… so you’ll have to excuse me if this post isn’t quite as thorough as some of my previous filming posts… just too much running through my mind to list!

Couple of points. You’ll notice there’s no pics this time. There was a complete ban on all cameras at Les Mills during any class. They made this VERY clear and quite frankly I wasn’t about to test how serious they were. Plus IĀ know they read this blog (hi guys!) hehe. Also the links below are obviously not the exact mixes used in the class, they’re just to give you an idea of what to expect.

Finally, before I start if you don’t wanna know this stuff please don’t read on – and please don’t moan to me about my providing the info. There’s a lot of people from all around the world who do appreciate this – I know before I could make the filmings I used to eagerly search the net for any info on upcoming releases and loved every piece of info I could get. Heck that’s why I started this blog in the first place – as one place people could come to find out more. We’re all one tribe and one team and I hope those that do read this get as excited as I do writing about it. As youĀ may know there’s a tonne of blogs and even some official Les Mills sites that list this info as well so I’m not really giving the game away – if anything I’d like to think I’m wetting the enthusiasm of all the other BC fanatics out there by giving you a taste of what to expect… am IĀ right? Anyway, I had to say that – now, on with the show…

BC41 filming - Image courtesy of PJ's blog

BC41 filming - Image courtesy of PJ's blog

The theme for this release is “Backyard Brawl” – as I mentioned we weren’t allowed to take photos because of the GFX, however PJ managed to get some so check out his blog for those. Presenters were just Dan and Rach for this release, both as per usual looked tanned, toned and ready to go! Due to the fact this was the GFX there was an INSANE amount of peeps at this filming. I mean it was just cwazy! A friend of mine dragged me (okay – maybe dragged isn’t the right word!) right up to the front and I’m kinda glad he did as there were fewer people in front that I could accidentally kick! (that was the plus side – the downside is that there were more people behind who could kick me! And I did feel a couple kicks fly very close to me many times… ah, all part of the fun!). The atmosphere was absolutely electric and I’m sure this will come across on the DVD.

BODYCOMBAT 41 is a bit of a landmark release in my mind for a few reasons. Firstly, as you’ll read the e-kick is back – if you’re not sure what an esk or e-kick is it’s an evasive side kick which made its appearance in combat for several releases and then just disappeared almost two years ago (last release that featured it was 34). It stems out of the ginga where you effectively step to one side while side kicking to the other (hence evading your opponent). Its presence in combat has always been controversial as there seems to be little middle ground; instructors and participants alike seem to either love it or hate it (there is even a facebook group calling for its return to combat!) Well, all that is moot now as like it or not IT’S BACK! You can read a lot more about that below. BC41 is also a fairly revolutionary release in my opinion as it features a new kick (well, more accurately it’s a modified front kick – keep reading for more on that) as well as some pretty interesting choices in music. And lets face it – you’re probably reading this to find out more about the music so let me cut to the chase!

Track 1a is a Nick Skitz remix of Numa Numa, I didn’t think I’d like this but it’s so cheesy it’s fun! 1b is Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You, this has the back kick in it which I can’t recall us having in a warmup for a little while. I really enjoyed this warmup – it’s very easy to learn and the music is so uplifting and fun you can’t help but smile. The chorey also perfectly fits the music, even now 2 months after the filming I can remember it whenever I hear the Kelly Clarkson song as it fits it so perfectly.

Dan demonstrating the evasive side kick

Dan demonstrating the evasive side kick

Track 2 to the best of my recollection was a remix of Operation Blade though there was so much going on I’m not 100% certain on this (whatever the track it was very similar – in terms of feel – think about We Will Survive from BC37).

Thanks to my great friends Andreas and Raina we now know track 3 is Slow & Steady Rush by Hixxy & Unknown, a remix of Faith Hill’s Breathe. Great track!!

A remix of Enter Sandman by Metallica was track 4a. Track 4b has a kinda watered down evasive sideĀ kick and although I didn’t recognise the track it had a very similar rift as Light’s Out from BC34 – update! Well I was close! Thanks to JW we now know 4b is Boom by P.O.D. (same group that did Light’s Out) – thanks heaps for this info guys, you rock!

While on the subject of the evasive sidekick I got talking to Dan in the changing room after a BC41 trial run and I mentioned to him it was great to see the e-kick back. He said they were introducing it slowly, and toned it down as in the past some instructors were jumping so high it was unobtainable for an average participant to achieve. As much as I hate to admit it he is right – the jumping evasive side kick as demo’d by Dan himself in Rock Me Amadeus (although it looked AMAZINGLY impressive) wasĀ kinda crazy in that he leaped a good 5 feet in the air!Ā In BC41Ā the e-kick is done with a “hop” asĀ opposed to a jump (if that makes sense) so although I’m sure some instructors will go back into old habits and fly into the air I think the idea is to try to keep the level a little lower. Will be interesting to see how it pans out…

Track Ā 5 is Ballroom Blitz (or a remix of the same) which was one of my least favourite tracks of the release. If you listen to the song you can almost picture the chorey – while we were waiting for class to start this track was playing and I said to my friend ‘I can pretty much guess how this track will go’ – and my guess was bang on. I’m sure you’ll be able to do the same (hint there’s a tonne of running forward and back across the room!!). Bit of useless trivia for ya: Funnily enough Ballroom Blitz was also in BODYCOMBAT 6 – which means this is the second release in a row in which a track from BC6 has been reused (the last one was Tubthumping in BC40)

A remix of Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams is track 6, think a kick kata very similar to Shut Up and Drive from BC34 but instead of side kick, knee, back kick this time there’s another knee.

Muay Thai which is normally my fav track I didn’t enjoy too much and the track itself has escaped my memory – however I recall being surprised as it seemed more of a rock track than the usual techno tracks we’ve come to expect as track 7.

Track 8 was Cascadaā€™s What Do You Want From Me… A hugely climatic track 8 that just WENT OFF and was one of the highlights of the release!

Right Round by Flo Rider was the conditioning (aptly featuring a lot of circular crunches) and Halo by Beyonce was the cooldown.

In terms do chorey there’s no esquivas but they do seemed to have taken the complexity up. There’s an emphasis on the ‘push kick’ which is a modified front kick and of course the evasive side kick returns.

Traditional ginga tech

Traditional ginga tech

You may recall months and months ago I wrote about some theories I had about changes we could expect in BC40 or 41. Now I was off the mark in a couple of aspects (okay – more than off the mark!) but I did write about some changes I thought we’d see to the ginga technique: “Thereā€™s no gingas in BC39 so Iā€™m picking from BC40 we see it back, and with some changes. Dan did hint that this could be the case. As far as I can guess theyā€™ll be no lifting of the toe, less wrapping of the arm around the back of the body and it will be much truer to authentic capoeira form.” Okay so it didn’t come back in 40 after all but it is in 41 and from watching the way Dan and Rach are performing the ginga in this release my guess wasn’t too far off.

So, how did I feel about BC41? Well, critiquing a release after only having done it twice is difficult as I almost always find the releases grow on me the more I do them. I will say this, it has a lot more innovation than any release of late and I think it may be one of those releases that people either love or hate. For me personally the music isn’t totally my thing, I’m not a fan of Metallica or Robbie Williams (though music is such a personal thing there’s no way D&R can be expected to please all of the people all of the time); regardless there’s so much happening in the choreography that I don’t think that will matter at all. In closing definitely BODYCOMBAT 41 is something you look forward to learning and teaching, and I can guarantee you this much; they’ll be no complaints of this release being boring that’s for sure!

Well the big weekend is over, and what a weekend it was! For those that aren’t aware (how could that be?!) the GFX is the biggest Les Mills group fitness event of the year – 2 FULL days of programme releases, DVD filmings and fitness seminars attended by, well, seemingly everyone! Every single class from BODYVIVE to BODYCOMBAT was packed to capacity – if anything the classes were almost too full! There were deep deep queues of peeps waiting desperately to get a space, and although I managed to get there early enough to make every class I planned to I know of many that didn’t. In 48 hours I hit 9 classes, including BODYPUMP 70 and 71, and BODYCOMBAT 40 and 41. I also went to the latest BODYBALANCE and BODYVIVE (I’ve only ever done those classes once before!) – it was an absolutely awesome weekend and I had a fricken blast!

Tell you what it’s Monday morning here now and I’m bloody sore though! (Darn you BODYPUMP!!) šŸ˜€

Now I know that you’re all waiting for info on BODYCOMBAT 41 and BODYPUMP 71. Well, as this was the GFX we all got notified that there were no cameras allowed in the filmings (in fact the email sent out said the camera would be confiscated and images deleted). So, I’ve got no pics! (I know – but I have to play by the rules!) However, PJ (God bless him) managed to take a few from the BC41 filming which you can view here.

As for a full update on BC41? Well it’s coming but you will have a to wait a little bit! I will be keeping this blog as updated as I can but details of BC41 will have to remain under wraps (just for now) for reasons that I’m sure you’ll discover in due course. I know I’m a tease!!

As well as that I’ve got loads of other updates to write about including a full review of BC40 as well as BP70 and local releases… but before that maybe I should concentrate on trying to walk properly again! šŸ˜‰


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