I lovvvve Body Pump and I have been going for a good few years (apart from when I hurt my knee and I did have a 2 year break!). For anyone who doesn’t know (and a bit of a lift from the Les Mills website), Body Pump is a group class and for those looking to get lean, toned and fit fast. You use light to moderate weights with lots of repetition and work out the body as a whole. The music is great and if you are fortunate to have a teacher who really motivates you, it is a brilliant workout. You ache like billy-o after your first session and you can steadily increase your weights and get stronger.
However, there are a few things that generally drive me nuts in this class so I was inspired to write about them and provide a few tips. My top 5 Pump fails (and solutions!):
1) Ladies not even trying Pump because it’s “weights and I don’t want to do weights in case I get big”. I hear this a lot at work. No. This will not happen. You will not become Arnold Swartzenegger from doing Body Pump. You won’t even just doing free weights. Building muscle, in women especially, takes hard training, HEAVY lifting and eating LOADS! I mean loads. Body Pump will help you burn fat, get toned and get stronger. You will not look like a tank
2) Coming week after week and never increasing your weights. If you get to the end of a 5 minute track and haven’t even broken a sweat, you are not lifting heavy enough. Put an extra small plate on next time.
3) Conversely putting really heavy weights on for squat and lunges and not even going half way down throughout the track. This is so pointless. Put a lighter weight on and when the instructor says “go lower” you will be able to go lower. When this is mastered increase your weight.
4) Putting weights and equipment away half way through the class. I must admit I have been guilty of this before but one lady recently dropped her plate when doing this; almost onto someone else who was lying down!! Pump is about getting fitter not acquiring a broken face!
5) Running out before the warm down. Loads of people do this and I just don’t get it. Stretching may help to prevent injury and unnecessary soreness the next day. Don’t skip it and have a good stretch!
I haven’t been to Body Pump for ages now but it always makes me laugh at some of the antics!!
Can you think of anymore?
Ohhh what a fantastic post! You have certainly alleviated some of my fears about the Body Pump class. I think they do a class at my gym so will check out the time and give it a go – I'm still living in my own little bubble with my own routine, so a class will definitely shake that up a little! Sim #WeightLossWednesday xx
I have never considered a body pump class before, but this certainly inspires me to try one! #bloggingtojogging MummysCrochetWorld
Ive been to body pump a couple of times i hurt so much the next day but it was good i must get back into it!