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A Review of Les Mills BODYPUMP 85

Greetings PFL!  As you know, I teach Les Mills BODYPUMP; the original barbell weight class that strengthens and tones the body.  It’s an hour long class that works all the major muscle groups!  I teach it twice a week and usually take it one other time from another instructor.

Every 3 months, the international company sends it’s instructors brand new choreography for every program that we teach. It is like CHRISTMAS year round.   BODYPUMP 85 is the second release for 2013 and oh it definitely didn’t disappoint, so let’s jump right into it.

bodypump 85

*At the time of writing this post, I’ve taken/taught this release 5 times.*

BODYPUMP 85 IN REVIEW

RATINGS (1 >>>10) WITH 1 BEING DISLIKED AND 10 BEING LOVED

WARM UP – HEARTBREAK ON HOLD – Alexandria Burke

This was a very fast pace warm-up to match the song! There were no tricks here, just setting the mood with the euphoric tune while warming up all the major muscle groups using the lightest weight of the class.

SONG – 10

CHOREOGRAPHY – 10

 

SQUATS – ANTIDOTE – Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party

The choreography was very easy to learn and coach.  There were only 2 rounds in this squat track.  The first round was with a mid stance and the focus of our work was in the quads.  Round 2 utilized a wide stance, which transitioned the focus to our gluteus.  I used my regular squat weight.   I cranked the music for this one.  The track is HARDCORE & really matched the tempo changes well!!!  I don’t know about you, but that really makes the squat track easier to survive for me.

SONG – 9

CHOREOGRAPHY – 10

 

CHEST – UPRISING – Muse

The difference in this chest press from usual was we had a different starting zone.  We started from the bottom and went up.  It forces you to work a bit harder because you are loading the muscle for a longer period of time.  A new release with a new challenge<<<this is why you keep coming to Les Mills’s classes.

SONG – 8

CHOREOGRAPHY – 8

 

BACK – THE RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT (Ryan T. & Rick M. Radio Edit) – Cascada

SECOND FAVORITE TRACK ON THIS RELEASE!!! 🙂 🙂

Instructors who might be reading this, there was nothing tricky about teaching this one or catching the start of each round.   For members, it’s the best as usual!  The difference here was a wider grip on the bar for deadlifts.  There are two combos one that included the POWERPRESS!  I used my normal back weight.

SONG – 10 🙂

CHOREOGRAPHY – 10 🙂

 

NOTE: NEW MEMBERS TAKING THIS CLASS, THIS IS THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN CHOOSE TO LEAVE.  YOU CAN COME BACK EACH WEEK AND ADD AN ADDITIONAL TRACK FOR BETTER SUCCESS IN GETTING ACCLIMATED TO THE LES MILLS PROGRAMS.

 

TRICEPS – LET IT ROLL – Flo Rida

You can use heavier weight on the bar because there are only 2 rounds with tricep presses!  We move right into triceps dips off the bench.  This is the part where I love instructing and showing an option 😉  I always glance around for someone who is really struggling and show an option.    If that wasn’t enough, we got blasted at the end with tricep overhead extensions.   The song really hyped this track.

SONG – 10

CHOREOGRAPHY – 9

 

BICEPS – BLOW ME (ONE LAST KISS) (Clean Radio Edit) – Pink

Now here is some honesty for that you know what!  My bicep weight happens to be my warm up weight.  I can’t see going any higher for this track.  There is a combo of a bottom half curl followed by a single curl.  The final round is pure misery!  Put your big girl panties (undies for the fellas) on for this one!

SONG – 8

CHOREOGRAPHY – 10

 

LUNGES – SPECTRUM – Loyal Crown

ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ON THE RELEASE!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

So this track had a brand new move called a plyometric straddle jump on top of the bench<<<<KILLER!  The plyo jumps really crank the heart rate like no other track that I can remember.  Before we even got to the jump we did a round of squats to warm the legs back up and static lunges on each side.  The good news is, most people sang along to distract themselves from the pre-fatiguing of the legs. The song is that real!

Recommendations – Regulars use the heavy plates for part one.  The front loaded squat challenges the body differently and you want to continue to change the stimuli.  Once you’ve taken it a few times, alternate between the plates and the bar.

Instructors – DEMO the straddle jump WITH THE CLASS like at least 2 times so they can get the swinging momentum of the arms on and off the bench.

SONG – 10 🙂 🙂 🙂

CHOREOGRAPHY – 10   🙂 🙂

Could you tell I liked that one???

 

SHOULDERS – THIS IS HOW WE ROCK! (Hardforze H.A.R.D. Remix Edit) – Brooklyn Bounce

Everyone in my Warner Robins Class wants to know how many pushups before we start the track.  You know there are 3 options low, mid, and high intensity.  There are more than usual but you can do them on your toes!  That is what they really want to know.  I don’t know why they ask, I could say 65 and they would still rock it out on their toes….Lil mama standing next to me in the red top is a beast 😉

SOME OF THE WARTOWN CREW THAT DECIDED TO POSE FOR THE CAMERA AFTER THE 2ND TIME DOING BODYPUMP 85
SOME OF THE WARTOWN CREW THAT DECIDED TO POSE FOR THE CAMERA AFTER THE 2ND TIME DOING BODYPUMP 85

Make sure to place heavier weight on the bar to finish the work with in the last round with the push presses that will challenge you.

Instructors – I would preview the side raise and mac raise EVERY time you teach it.

SONG – 5 🙁

CHOREOGRAPHY – 8

 

CORE – ONE MORE NGHT  – Eastern Clause

My only recommendation for this is to keep a medium size plate close to you and if the heavy weight is too much to complete the core work safely, then switch it out.

SONG – 8

CHOREOGRAPHY – 4 🙁

 

COOLDOWN – FOREVER – Six60

SONG – 10

CHOREOGRAPHY – 7ISHY – I didn’t appreciate the quirky little changes from an instructor standpoint but I loved the song so much that I gave it a 7 :)!

THAT’S IT!!!

FIRST BODYPUMP 85 TEAM TEACH WAS A HIT
FIRST BODYPUMP 85 TEAM TEACH WAS A HIT…LOVE HER TO PIECES

One day I will add a video to these reviews, but until that day…..

Here is the official sizzler.  I like it but it doesn’t do the release justice.  The lunge track was by far the most innovative and inspiring and it was left off the sizzler, go figure!!!  If you ever wonder where the Les Mills instructors get these workouts from and who are our role models…take a quick peek!

http://youtu.be/wiip04kDUBQ

I honestly think this is my favorite release since 78!  Please, Please, Please if you have Les Mills classes offered at your gym, go try out this BODYPUMP 85 release and let me know what your think!

Members please visit the Les Mills website and take the after the class survey on this release.

Yours in Healthy, Active, and Prosperous Lifestyles,

Rx Fitness Lady Wants to Know…

  • What do you think of the music that you are familiar with?  What’s your favorite song?
  • If you’ve done this release, what did you think/favorite track? If you haven’t, what sounds appealing to you about it?
  • I’m on a work week, please humor me with any fun weekend plans of yours so I can live vicariously through you 🙂 
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Rx Fitness Lady

Greetings, I'm Joi, a Pharmacist with a passion for fitness & a community leader. I am the Creator & Senior Fitness Trainer of "In The Paint" Online Group Training Program. I teach BODYCOMBAT, BODYPUMP, Tabata Boot Camp, & serve as a mentor to young girls. My goal is to inspire people to live healthy, active, & prosperous lifestyles through practical blog posts deliveries. You can find me on Facebook and Instagram. ARE YOU WASTING TIME DIETING... Check out my book "Diets Are Dead Win Small With M.E.D.S., DO YOU WANT TO WORKOUT FROM HOME WITH LIVE ACCOUNTABILITY? Join #InThePaint #OneCommunity! You can view more posts, subscribe to stay tuned to latest updates & Shop all things Rx Fitness Lady at The Shoppes at Rx Fitness Lady.

17 thoughts on “A Review of Les Mills BODYPUMP 85

    1. Girl you would be an inspiration to members. You don’t need a PT cert to attend a Les Mills training. They will reach you everything you need to teach the class safely and effectively plus a little more, lol. They one of the most, if not the most comprehensive program trainings available. It is really fun and the fastest way to burn calories and tone the body. I hope that you will consider one day!

  1. MAN this looks like my kind of class!! The tracks look great. I only wish I had the equipment at home to do this myself. I will settle for total body class at the gym 🙂 I just love that your ladies are doing all their pushups on their toes. AWE-some 🙂 The rhythm of the night song threw me back to the 90s lol I love deadlifts, I always feel so strong afterwards!

    No big weekend plans….except…I’m running a 5k…on an airport runway…LOL
    Nellie recently posted…Friday Fitness Check-In: Unconscious Food ChoicesMy Profile

    1. Say what now??? Werk that girl…I’ll be ready to hear about that on the blog next week!

      They offer a DVD called pump for the at home exerciser. Not all the ladies stay on toes, but I love it when they do. It helps mr stay motivated as in instructor.

  2. I , also , LOVE BODY PUMP 85!! It really delivers ALL the upbeat music AND innovative new moves that instructors crave!!! And that excitement definitely crosses over to class participants. My fav’s are probably the squat (no surprise here!), the triceps (I love dips!), and shoulder track.
    As far as my weekend – I have my Mom visiting!
    And thanks for the cute picture – love our poses !!!!

    1. Glad you approve of the picture. Hum, our favorites were all over the place, lol. Why haven’t I noticed the squat track is your favorite, but now that I’m thinking..you do stay super excited all the way through. I think I rated your other two favs low, sorry my friend. Thanks for supporting the blog as usual! I appreciate it.

  3. I have yet to try Body Pump. I really wanted to but I work out at the Y, and the 5:15 am classes are on Tue/Thurs; the two mornings I meet my running buddy. This weekend is my last race for the season, so I will be exploring all the classes that I’ve always wanted to try.

    I’ll be running the Iron Girl 5k this weekend. We’ve decided to make it a weekend by taking the whole family and staying on the beach. Forecast is cloudy, so I hope it doesn’t rain. I’ll take a dip in the water for you 🙂
    Hope recently posted…Gotta Start Somewhere.My Profile

    1. Good luck! Fun fun taking the entire family. I will be awaiting your report on the run and then the les mills classes after the running season. I think you’ll really like them. Enjoy the wkd!

    1. Great Veronica! Take it easy and really tune into the instructors cues. It’s a great workout! I hope you all are getting more les mills programs as well, they are awesome!

  4. Honestly, I’m not familiar with most of the songs. After watching the little clip though, I want to try the class more. I still haven’t found any close to me.

    How much time do you have to change out weights? Or does each person just switch out when the need to with no scheduled pauses for that?
    Carli recently posted…Real Into Reads No. 12My Profile

    1. We have pauses between each and every track. It is long enough for the instructor to advise you about weight changes and get you set up in the correct position to do the track. We try to keep it under a minute tops and that’s pushing it.

  5. Hi Joi!
    My name is Caroline and I am currently living in Japan where I teach English. I am studying Japanese, but it is very difficult, and I can only speak a little. I have recently joined a gym and they offer this class. I really liked your review and would love to try the class, but I am nervous enough (it looks intense!) without even thinking about the language barrier! Do you think this is a class that I could complete safely just by watching the instructor? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

    1. Hi Caroline. I would want you to be able to hear the safety cues. If you had taken the class before, yeah it would be fine. They do offer a Les Mills Pump at home version. If you want to order that to get familiar with the class on your own, that’d be a good preview before the transition to moving up to the class where it would be more interactive.

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