#Juneathon days 18 & 19 – What is BodyPump?

Relentlessly, Juneathon continues.bodypump

Yesterday I did a BodyCombat class (martial arts aerobics; lots of jumping) and today it was the sister class to Combat – BodyPump.

Put simply, BodyPump is weightlifting to music. A class contains 10 music tracks, each designed to target a specific muscle group.

So there’s a track for legs, one for the back, one for triceps etc; plus a warm up and cool down/stretching track.

BodyPump is one of those classes that looks a lot harder and scarier and more complicated from the outside than it actually is. I think it’s all the weightlifting equipment that puts people off.

But have a go at BodyPump if you can. It’s perfect for beginners because there’s no jumping up and down and you take it at your own pace.

In a class of 25 people, each may be using a different size of weights. You lift the weights that suit you. It’s completely non-competitive, with no pressure to lift higher weights. If anything, you’re better off starting the class lifting very light weights and building up from there if you can manage more.

Classes I’ve been to tend to attract a higher proportion of over 40s and men than other gym studio classes. Weight-bearing exercise like this is especially good for building bone density and helping to prevent osteoporosis, hence the class is particularly popular with older women. The age range in my BodyPump classes is from twenties to seventies.

The good thing about BodyPump is that you don’t have to do an awful lot of it to make a difference to your body. Even one or two classes a week will leave you noticeably more toned. You won’t pack on muscle like a body-builder, you’ll just get slightly better biceps. It’s very good for arms and legs, especially getting rid of cellulite. No cream will ever take away your cellulite, but lunges with a bar bell across your shoulders will.

Here’s one I did earlier:

A photo posted by Joanne Mallon (@joannemallon) on Mar 30, 2012 at 5:12am PDT

 

The one down side to BodyPump is that because the tracks are always in the same order (warm up > legs > chest > back etc) then it can get a bit monotonous. Also the music can be a little cheesy. And the next day you may feel like you’ve been kicked in the butt by a horse. I quite like that feeling but it’s not for everybody.

What do you think, are you tempted to pump it up?