Posts Tagged ‘GYM STUFF’
Happy birthday to blog!
Posted on: August 31, 2010
I just this week realised that this month marks the 2nd birthday of this blog – it was officially started in August 2008 when I first started instructing BODYCOMBAT. My how times flies! Quite a bit has changed in the last two years. Back then I actually didn’t have any classes of my own – in fact I wasn’t even certified I was only shadowing other instructors… nowadays I’m teaching classes every day of the week in three different programmes and absolutely loving every moment of it!
This blog has taken on a bit of a life of its own as well – when I started it, it literally had 1-2 dozen visits per day and was really more of a personal record of my passion for Les Mills. These days it averages 3000-5000 visits per day, in fact we’re about to reach 1.5 MILLION unique visitors! Thanks so much for your support – I’ll continue to keep it as updated as I can.
In celebration of the two year milestone I’ll pull one of my more popular posts out of the archives. I get asked about this topic all the time, both by members, readers and on facebook; “how many calories do we burn in a BODYCOMBAT class?” I originally wrote about this topic in 2008 and I still occasionally wear a heart rate monitor to class and yes the below still holds true now. If you’ve not read it before take a look as you’ll probably find it quite interesting. In the meantime thanks again for reading – you guys rock! 🙂
Calories burnt in a BODYCOMBAT class
I get a lot of questions regarding the number of calories one can burn during a BodyCombat class (or BodyPump class for that matter). Whilst this is almost impossible to determine with 100% accuracy some of the more advanced heart rate monitors (HRM) have the ability to estimate your caloric expenditure using calculations based on your weight, gender, resting heart rate and of course your heart rate whilst exercising. I wore my heart rate monitor (a Polar F11) to every class I did for three straight months, so I’ve now got a pretty good idea of the approx amount of calories I personally burn in a class.
With a few exceptions I almost always track between 800-900 calories per Body Combat class – now that may seem high but there’s a couple of factors to bear in mind. First I’m not a small guy, I’m a dash under 6’1″, and weigh about 82 kg (about 182 lbs), and I’m one of those freaks that puts 110% effort into every movement, and then some. I’ve also found you burn a lot more calories whilst instructing, not sure if it’s the extra adrenalin boost, nerves boosting your heart rate or the fact that you know you’re on display so always strive for perfect technique and maximum effort – but it’s definitely noticeable. In fact I’ve gotten as high as 1050 calories in a one hour class before!
In class this morning a member mentioned she only burns about 600 per class (she also wears an HRM), and that got me thinking. I weigh about 80 kg and burn say, 800 in an average class. She’s about 60 kg and burns 600 on average (and she does train very hard). Could there be a simple direct relationship here? It does make sense that if you’re 25% larger you’ll exert 25% more energy moving that mass. Maybe for those without a HRM a basic calculation of 100 calories per 10kg of bodyweight could work? Food for thought anyway…
The POWER of the body to adapt
Posted on: March 23, 2010
- In: BODYATTACK | BODYCOMBAT | BODYPUMP
- 30 Comments
Do you remember your first ever BODYPUMP class? Do you recall the pain you were in afterwards?
I do! And it hurt! I was reminded of this recently when I had a ‘bodybuilder’ jump in and do one of my pump classes. He was a big guy and obviously trained hard and trained well. I asked him before the class if he’d ever done pump before and he said no, but that he’d been weight training for years. First thing I did was warn him that because we use completely different rep ranges to those that he’d be used to in the gym to stay light for his first couple of classes (after all a set in the gym might be 6-12 reps – a set in BODYPUMP is up to 150 reps!). I looked him in the eye and said “trust me on this – try to stay light!”. Do you think he listened? Of course he didn’t! Especially since there were experienced female pumpers in the class squatting the likes of 30kg right in front of him, his ego wasn’t going to have them lift more – he matched my weight on every set in every track. A full week later he came back – and told me he literally couldn’t walk for 3 full days after that class. It’s okay I reassured him… it does get easier!!! He’s now pumping regularly as part of his training routine and loving it.
I wrote about this exact subject in one of my first ever posts on this blog called Doesn’t matter how fit you are… doing something new hurts! And it’s true -it doesn’t matter what your current level of exercise – when you try something new, whether it be an entirely new form of exercise or just upping your regular frequency you will feel it. But the power of your body to adapt, and adapt quickly is amazing.
When I first started instructing I’d team teach around three BODYCOMBATs per week, and that felt to me like a lot of exercise (at the time). More recently I’d teach four BODYCOMBATs, two BODYPUMPs and a BODYATTACK – and that felt like a lot of exercise. Nowadays, I’m on 5 combats, 4 pumps and an attack per week – and that feels like a lot of exercise! The increase in pumps from 2 to 4 per week especially has hurt – I wake up every morning with sore legs thinking wow I gotta take pump again today and I’m still sore from pump yesterday… But, then I read about other instructors happily teaching 4 or 5 pumps a day and realise what I’m doing is at the low end. Suck it up Glen – your body will adapt and soon 11 classes per week will feel like nothing!
Rest assured your body will adapt, it does adapt and you’ll be fine. Case in point, there was a guy on the news yesterday here in NZ who ran two marathons each and every day for a month. Two marathons a day!! So, participants, instructors alike, just know that yes, while the amount of training you’re doing right now might feel like a lot – your body has an amazing ability to adapt to more. Just like that first pump class hurt, and you wondered how you’d ever do another, your body rebuilt itself, repaired itself, and was ready for more… it always will; and that is a wonderful thing to know 🙂
Love to hear your thoughts… especially about the pain of your first ever class!
BODYCOMBAT 43 local release
Posted on: March 3, 2010
Just a quick post with some pics of the first BODYCOMBAT 43 release locally here. The gym themed the release week “Winter Olympics” which made our job interesting as what on earth were we meant to wear? (a ski suit maybe?? yikes!)
Instead we opted for a bit of a Pirate theme (to coincide with track 6) – so if you’re wondering why we’ve got pirate hats and swords with an Olympic logo above our heads… now you know! I immediately raced off after this class to do another release at a gym across town (first one was at 5:30pm – the second 6:30pm – bets on whether I was speeding on that trip!) But I now know BC43 very well so will post my review in the coming days.
In the meantime pics follow – and the BC Advanced Instructor Module is this weekend too so got a bit to write about!
Busy week!
Posted on: March 1, 2010
- In: BODYCOMBAT
- 9 Comments
Hey team, just a brief post as I’m a bit pressed for time this week! Really excited as this the first day of two weeks of releases for me at various gyms around town. Starts tonight with two BODYCOMBAT 43 releases back to back at two gyms about 10 minutes apart (yes, not quite sure how I’m going to work that logistically! Drive really fast I guess!) Thankfully I’m taking the second half at gym #2 so may miss the warm up…
Tomorrow it’s the BODYPUMP 73 release, then BODYATTACK 68 on Thursday! I’ll be honest and admit I haven’t even started learning BA68 yet! Figured I’ll take a day off work and just study hard for 24 straight hours 🙂 Probably not the best planning on my part as generally I can learn a combat track in 20-30 minutes usually (pump even quicker) – but it’ll take me a solid hour or two to get a BA track down. I guess that’s because I’m a BA newbie – I’m assuming it gets easier!!
Then straight after my Saturday morning classes I’m whipping up to Auckland for the BODYCOMBAT Advanced Instructor Module (AIM) on Sunday. I have no idea what to expect except I’ve be told to block out 13 hours for it? (13 hours seriously? That means if we start at 8am we’ll finish at 9pm?!! Surely that can’t be right?!) Has anyone done the combat AIM before and if so any tips??
So I’ll definitely have a lot to write about next week! I’ll be sure to post pics from the releases here and on facebook (the first release tonight is themed Winter Olympics… combat in a ski suit anyone?!) and I’ll give a full debrief on the AIM too… that is assuming I can still lift my arms to type after 13 hours!! 😉
Trip to Sydney
Posted on: February 25, 2010
- In: BODYCOMBAT
- 5 Comments
Been a bit of a jet-setter these last few weeks; this weekend just gone popped across to Sydney for UFC 110 (UFC is Ultimate Fighting for those that don’t know!) Now before you ask no I wasn’t fighting (those guys would remove my head 10 times over before I even got a single punch in!) but I was about as close as one could get – we had ringside tickets for the event. Literally sitting first row right behind the ringcard girls, was fantastic! (if you do wanna see pics from the event just take a look on facebook – add me if you haven’t already :))
However this post isn’t about the UFC (I could write an entire post on the event but that’s not really what this blog’s all about!) – I wanted to write a brief post on a BODYCOMBAT class I attended in Sydney, and had the pleasure of team teaching.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that as an instructor, possibly having me in one of your classes could be a little intimidating. No I’m not rating myself, I don’t consider myself to be anything overly special instructor wise; more so in the fact that yes I do write a blog and yes when I have attended a class that I feel for whatever reason is sub-par I do tend to write about it (I never name names – more write about any lessons I learnt personally from aspects I feel an instructor could improve on). Anyway, this was definitely NOT one of those classes…
If you ever get the chance to head over to one of Wendi & Ray’s 9:45am Saturday morning BODYCOMBAT classes at Fitness First St Leonards in Sydney – do it. I’ve trained at Fitness Firsts all over Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Surfers and Sydney) and yes, as a general rule they do have a very high standard of instructors – but Wendi & Ray’s class was in a category all its own. Electric is quite simply the only word for it! The class was jam packed with smiling faces, they were very vocal and by the end of the class every single person (us included!) had given nothing short of 100% and was a drenched sweaty mess (totally in a good way!) As a ‘foreign’ instructor you sometimes wonder how you’ll be received, but the class welcomed me with open arms, yelled, kiai’d all though every track and just went off! Pure “fitness magic”
A picture tells 1000 words so I’ll post a few below – and again if you wanna see more take a look on facebook. Wendi & Ray thanks so much for having me, was a pleasure and please tell your class how much I enjoyed it – you all rock!
Ray (left) and yours truly having a ball
Ray, myself and Wendi
Apologies for the lighting - needed a fast shutter speed to catch the kick!
The crew at Fitness First St Leonards - get along to this class if you can!
I have my BODYCOMBAT and BODYPUMP playlists set up on my iPod in such a way that I can very quickly make a playlist up for a class. I’ve got all the warmups for Combat in one playlist “Combat 1” – all the track 2s as “Combat 2” etc so that before a class I can just go into the Combat 1 folder and hold down the warmup I want, then go into combat 2 for the track 2 on so on. It means I don’t have to remember which release a specific track is from as when I go to choose a muay thai track I just go to “Combat 7” and every muay thai from BODYCOMBAT 14-43 is there. I have the same for pump – makes choosing tracks very very quick!
While making my playlist for this evenings class I took note of the “Play Count” – it would seem I have some tracks I absolutely thrash – some I play fairly often, and others that I’ve not used once since the initial release period was up! Take a look at the “Combat 8” screen shot below. You can definitely tell my favourites! (Bear in mind when you look at that list that I moduled on BC37 and have taught at four different gyms – I never do the same playlist twice – also this list isn’t quite complete as one of the gyms has an inbuilt system so I don’t use an iPod at all)
The "Combat 8" playlist on my iPod touch
Track 1 winner of most played was Amazed/Tick tick Boom. Track 2 United Vibe was on top. Track 3 Come With Me (BC39 version). Track 4 Zombie. Track 5 I’m ashamed to say was Hairspray (hey I get a lot of requests for it!). Track 6 was fairly even but Burn It To The Ground was just ahead. My muay thai list was even more telling. Hardcore Angel was streaks ahead, Ravers Paradise and So What! dominated that list, closely followed by Party Non Stop, We Rock, Excalibur 2000 and Let The Beat Control Your Body. And track 8 you can see above.
If you’re an instructor what would your iPod say about your most used tracks???
2010 starts with a bang!
Posted on: January 18, 2010
- In: BODYCOMBAT | BODYPUMP
- 6 Comments
Hey guys!
Welcome to twenty ten! I know being mid January I’m a bit late off the mark but in reality this week officially marks the “proper” start of 2010 for me… my new group fitness timetable kicks off this week which marks my first week of my own BODYATTACK classes on the schedule, along with the usual mix of daily BODYPUMP and (of course!) BODYCOMBAT classes… I now teach at least one class every single day of the week so I best not get sick or injured! (knock wood haha) There’s a lot going on this year which I’ll be sure to keep you fully informed of. First of all next week is the filmings of BODYPUMP 74 and BODYCOMBAT 44 which I can’t wait for! I’ll be sure to tell you as much as I can about without getting into too much trouble! 😉
2009 was a fairly busy year for me instructor module wise – I completed the modules for BODYPUMP in the first half of the year and BODYATTACK in the second. While I have no plans to add to my programme repertoire this year Les Mills New Zealand is kicking off Advanced Instructor Modules and I’ll definitely head along to the BODYCOMAT and BODYPUMP AIMs to sharpen my skills. I’ll also be attending the LM Group Fitness Managers module next month too… so a lot happening! Keep checking back and I’ll try to keep this as up to date as I can.
Finally, with the filming of BODYCOMBAT 44 only next week I thought I’d leave you with a wee track to listen to below. I’m not going to say any more about it (just yet!) but have a listen and let me know your thoughts! (maybe have a read of the BODYCOMBAT 43 sizzler and use your imagination…) Once again thanks again for your support through 2009 – and a big cheers to a massive twenty ten for us all! 😀 Glen
- In: BODYATTACK | BODYCOMBAT | BODYPUMP
- 9 Comments
Hi guys, happy new year!
Below you’ll find the filming days for the Q2 2010 releases (Q1 were filming in October last year). I don’t have the exact times for each filming yet (LM usually let us know that the week or so before) and I will update this post the moment they are available. Also bear in mind these could change so check back a little closer to the day to confirm.
Thursday 28th January 2010
- BODYSTEP 80
- BODYPUMP 74
- BODYCOMBAT 44
- BODYBALANCE 49
Tuesday 2nd February 2010
- RPM 47
- BODYVIVE 15
- BODYATTACK 69
- BODYJAM 53
Man BODYSTEP 80!! That’s 20 years of Step! That’ll be sure to be a paarty! For those planning ahead the next batch of filming dates after this one (Q3 2010) look to be on Thursday 22nd and Monday 26th of April 2010. I have the plans for those too if someone does want them. I’ll definitely be at the combat, balance and pump and will definitely try to make attack too – let me know if you’re coming and see you there!! 😀
2010-1 Les Mills Sizzlers
Posted on: December 24, 2009
- In: BODYATTACK | BODYCOMBAT | BODYPUMP
- 13 Comments
Sizzlers are out! Enjoy guys – see ya in 2010! 🙂
BODYCOMBAT 43 Sizzler
You are not going to believe what we’ve got in store for you this time! The music in BODYCOMBAT® 43 is a lot more upbeat and has more Top-40 to get you through the workout. The choreography is simple and flows easily from track to track. The release can be described as heaps of fun with exciting sequences and a brand new move.
However, don’t let this fool you. We can tell you from firsthand experience that this is one hardcore Mixed Martial Arts endurance workout!
And here’s some shocking news – BODYCOMBAT® 43 has no recovery tracks! Why? Because we want you to get even fitter. You will be seriously challenged, but stay with the fight – the benefit is that you’ll get into phenomenal shape.
This release opens the door for new and modern Martial Arts to be welcomed into the BODYCOMBAT® family. Try out your skills with the Shoot to take the fight from standing to the ground in Track 4. This move will help you to push over your opponent while giving you a burning leg workout at the same time.
Guess which blockbuster film inspired Track 6? Just watch out for that Back Kick section – it’s gonna hurt, but this ain’t no time for ‘parlay’.
Once we’ve Overloaded your shoulders in Track 8, your new conditioning move, the Tripod Push Up, will have you begging for mercy, making you totally appreciate the extended Cooldown.
BODYPUMP 73 Sizzler
BODYPUMP® 73 is challenging, bordering on punishing, but it will leave you with a great sense of achievement. We’ve got intense isolated work in store for you,especially in the Chest, Triceps, Biceps and ShouldersTracks. Get prepared right now for the huge cardio endurance work in Tracks 2, 4 and 7.
Musically, this release holds a real contrast of genres that will get you through the intensity of the workout. Feel strong and onfident as the chart-topping music pushes you to new limits.
Get ready for big blocks of Singles that will really drive your heart rate up in the Squats Track. The awesome anthem DOA will motivate you to keep going all the way to the end. You’ll not only feel this one in your legs – your heart will be pumping hard too.
It’s a party on the bench in Track 3! Watch out for the days of the week in I Gotta Feeling – a week has never felt so long for your chest. Next is the crescendo of athleticism that is Track 4. Four blocks of powerful back work will take you to a cardio adrenaline-pumping high.
For Triceps, we’ve got isolated work that just doesn’t back off but the massive song will help you make it through. There’s no hiding in this one, evacuate the PUMP floor! Then, get ready for pain in the Biceps – hello ¾ Range Singles!
Smells Like Teen Spirit brings more pain for the shoulders in Track 8, before a new exercise, the Alternate Leg Extension & Twist, spices up Jordin Sparks’ remake of the hit S.O.S.
BODYSTEP 79 Sizzler
BODYSTEP® 79 brings Latino and South Pacific vibes, cardio peaks that will push your heart rate through the roof and possibly the most intense leg burn yet.
We’ve got Boom Boom Pow in Track 1 to really get you warm. Track 2 will have you singing along like a diva to the Freemasons’ mix of Whitney Houston’s Million Dollar Bill. Check out the new arm combo – you’ll feel like a pop star on MTV. You’ll move around the step with some Spanish flava in Track 3. Move like a ‘Torero’ (bullfighter) or a Flamenco dancer. Let’s Get Excited in Track 4. Look out for the surprise Madonna moment!
Moonwalk through Track 5 to Blood On The Dance Floor. You’ll work your lower body, toning and shaping the legs. Add flava by striking a pose each time you hear him scream! Start working your way up to the tough cardio peak in Track 6. Squat Jumps, ouble Jumps, Nutcrackers – Nod Ya Head if you’re gasping for breath already! The low options are there if you need them. Watch out for the great new move in Track 7, the Step Jump. This is propulsion training at its highest! Get up even Higher in Track 8 with some Latino flava.
I Got A Girl in Track 9 is a super-quick Speed Step Track for the boys. Get your feet moving double time with the new Zigzag Combo. The King of Pop is still in the building with the cover of Smooth Criminal in the first part of Track 11. This is possibly the most intense leg burn to date!
BODYATTACK 68 Sizzler
Welcome to the exciting, sports-focused BODYATTACK® 68! This program is evolving and we’ve got a challenge for you – the athletic focus means that you’ll need to step out of aerobics mode and enter sport and Personal Training mode. So, DIAL IT UP! Challenge yourself, and your members will be inspired to follow.
We’ll kick off with the huge hit Evacuate The Dancefloor and then Don’t Upset The Rhythm as you’ll Pony your way through Track 2.
Are You Gonna Go My Way? Track 4 brings an inspiring Rock feel that will push you to your first cardio peak, blocking high balls on the volleyball court. Do you like Track 5? I know I Like It! This song will motivate you through all those Push Ups and the Superman stability training.
Game on in Track 7! Get ready for some true American football training with the Dodge Hops and the Heisman, to fend off your opponents. The sports-inspired training is all about improving your speed, agility and fitness. Are you in?
Next, feel the Freedom in the Interval Track. Keep your posture strong and give it all you’ve got in the Knee & Kick Combo. The options are there if you need them.
You are the champion in Track 9. Keep on fighting till the end! We’ve got some intense work targeting your legs, butt and core before we Cooldown to Hold My Hand.
BODYBALANCE 48 Sizzler
BODYBALANCE® 48 is a journey towards peace.This release will lead you from the epic battle of Ben-Hur, through protest and reflection, and finally into deep understanding and awareness of your body and the world around you.
We’ll begin with a sword-dance inspired by the Love Theme From Ben Hur, and then sink more deeply into our breath than we’ve ever gone before in the Sun Salutations Track.
The Balance Track feels like a massive hug – you’ll understand once you experience this track. You’ll then expand your hip horizons with the 3-Legged Down Dog with open hip in Track 5.
Find your beat in the Core – Abdominals Track. Here’s your chance to break out of the BODYBALANCE® mold and beat your protesting drums on the floor. We are One Tribe!
Begin to wind down into calm to the emotional Before The Worst. Then fall even further with Kelly Clarkson’s Already Gone, before experiencing the phenomenal beauty of our remake of Moby’s Study War.
The meditation to Wildflowers asks for true reflection on the joy already present in our lives – the perfect note on which to end the class.
BODYJAM 52 Sizzler
BODYJAM® 52 is a smorgasbord of style, an assortment of sensations and a cacophony of choreography. This release is so super-awesome that we’ve given you a whole extra bonus block to teach!
That’s right, teach the Dark Block or teach the Bonus Pop Block – it’s your choice! Dubstep or Whitney?
The Warmup is a euphoric journey of movement exploration, before Shakira makes you howl with the Backward Hip Roll in Track 2. Then it’s time to bring your butt to the party in our all-new Merengue track, Gualando by Fulanito.
The Dark Block is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before – it’s phat, huge and driving. The contrasting sounds of Gangsta rap and Dancehall crazy come together in a trailblazing fusion of Dubstep madness.
In the recovery, T-Pain will have you tugging and pulling at your clothes, but no matter what you do, DO NOT TAKE YOUR SHIRT OFF!
Then lose your mind (again) to the hottest music on the planet – Major Lazer is blowing up worldwide with New Age Jamaican Electro Dancehall craziness. Right Hand Hi from Kid Sister comes from the sickest House producers in the world. Then the sounds from Jump Smokers and Vandalism will blow your head off, BODYJAM® style.
Beyoncé brings the party to a close, but don’t forget about the Bonus Pop Block! JT, Britney, Whitney – what more needs to be said? IT’S BODYJAM® TIME!
RPM 46 Sizzler
Welcome to the party! The intense mix of new and old chart-toppers in RPM™ 46 will push you to a calorieburning endorphin high as you become one with the Tribe.
A flashback to the 1990s kicks off our out-of-this-world workout with Jamiroquai’s Cosmic Girl. You know that “tonight’s gonna be a good night” in Track 2 when we really get the party started in the Pace Track. Kelly Clarkson will carry you through your first climbing challenge before you’ll dive deep into Paul Van Dyke’s nurturing song, Home.
Rock your way through the epic Intervals Track with The Pretender using four big gears. Your leg muscles will be burning in the standing attacks! Then slide forwards in the saddle and really push yourself in the sprints in Track 6. Release your mind and your legs to the beautifully internal Sincere For You.
Let’s Evacuate The Dancefloor in Track 7 to truly finish off this party. We’ve got five big mountains to climb before Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown take us home.
BODYVIVE 14 Sizzler
Welcome to the 1980s – get out your leg warmers and leotards! BODYVIVE™ 14 will take you on an uplifting journey through some of the best tracks from this awesome decade. This release is simple, easy to learn and has lots of options.
You’ll get off to a great start, warming up to Wham!’s I’m Your Man, before getting Footloose in the Dance Cardio Track. The Heart Fitness block is a little longer than usual, so enjoy!
The second half of the class is full of challenging legwork that’s going to give you More Than A Feeling in your lower body. Be prepared for lots of Lunges and Warrior 1’s and 2’s. We’ll then stay down in Funky Town and get another six minutes of butt-kickin’ work to get us in fantastic shape!
Express Yourself in the Upper Body Strength Track while singing along to the cover of Madonna’s classic. This is a great chance to strengthen and tone your arms.
You’ll get hit by another old favorite – Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up – which will get you through the new move in the Ab Strength Track, the Knee Half Circle. You’ll squeeze the VIVE™ ball behind your knees with your toes on the floor and then lift and move your knees in a half circle to each side. Next, get ready for a challenge – we have Chest and Tricep Push Ups in store for you to get rid of the waddle.
Then we’ll finally allow you to Release & Restore to Cyndi Lauper, letting your True Colours shine through.
2009 in BODYCOMBAT
Posted on: December 21, 2009
Apologies for my lack of posting lately – been incredibly busy finishing up for the year, plus teaching over ten classes per week (on top of my day job) and trying to get my head around bloody BODYATTACK which we launched for the first time ever at my primary gym this week (more on that in another post). However, I’m officially on vacation now (yay!) which gives me time to write my traditional “year in BODYCOMBAT” post (I say traditional as I did write it this time last year – does doing something two years in a row actually make it a tradition?? – well it does now!)
I’d not read my 2008 in BODYCOMBAT post in some time but reading through it does make me realise what a difference a year makes. In my opinion 2009 was a vastly superior year in BC! Why do I say that? Well, for me personally the releases in 2009 (BC39-42) didn’t have one single track that I hated. I’ll be honest – there were some real stinkers in 2008 – “That’s Right” and “Jump” both from BC35 instantly spring to mind, however for me the only track from 2009 I haven’t really liked much was Speed from BC40.
So, following last year’s format, what can we say about BODYCOMBAT in 2009. Well there’s a few obvious points:
- The return of the evasive side kick! After over a year’s absence the ESK made its comeback in BC41
- A definite change in ginga technique (no lifting of the front foot, less rotation through the body)
- The new move “the sweep” in BC42
- The new “push kick” in BC41 and 42
- Both extremely long and extremely short tracks
- The continued use of the new move from 2008 (the esquiva) in BC40 and 42.
- The return of the jump knee (as an option!) in BC42
- And, as compared to 2008 a definite increase in the level of complexity
So, highlights/lowlights for me? Well, believe it or not the muay thai tracks definitely represent the absolute best and conversely possibly the least memorable parts of the last four releases. Hardcore Angel is DEFINITELY one of my favourite muay thai tracks ever, and Excalibur 2000 is up there too. On the flip side, since I started mixing (normally 2-3 weeks from release date) from BC40 and 41 I’ve not done Speed or Desolation Row once. It’s not that I hate them per se, it’s more that there’s so many more infinitely better tracks to use and I’ve not ever had a request for them since.
Definitely as far as leg conditioning tracks go Warrior’s Dance is right up there, and the peeps love it – I’m still using it every week since the release.
So overall I think 2009 has been a massively successful year for combat. It’s definitely going from strength to strength here and is as popular as ever (I’m personally running out of hours in the day and may have to look to instruct full time!) There’s been a huge amount of tracks that will definitely be used for years and years to come. In fact I was going to list them but there’s so many it’s probably just easier to list those that possibly won’t as there’s so few of them (in fact apart from the 2 muay thai tracks I’ve mentioned the only other tracks I’ve not mixed back in are So What and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now both from BC39 – that’s an amazing success rate really!)
How about you guys? Take a look at the track list for the last 4 releases to jog your memory… what were your high points on low points combat in 2009?
NZ Glen : BodyCombat fanatic 