In most cases, you’re working with a barbell, adding and subtracting weight as you go along, depending on your strength. Each set is also choreographed to it’s own song, which means when the music speeds up, you’re doing fast, single repetitions, and when it slows, you’re doing excruciating longer counts.
So basically you’re squatting for the entire length of the song, which can sometimes be five to six minutes! No doing three sets of 10 repetitions and moving on to the next exercise.
Body Pump is distributed by an Australian-based company, and every 8 weeks or so, they release a new Body Pump routine. Even still, the format remains the same, although they may tweak the moves ever-so-slightly.
I have definitely seen results from Body Pump: more defined muscles, increased strength, etc. I leave each class drenched in sweat, and I still find lunges and back to be crazy hard. (My favorites? Squats and triceps.) But like anything you’ve done repeatedly for years and years, I’ve started to develop a bit of Body Pump fatigue.
I tried CrossFit earlier this year because I was curious about all the buzz, and I was looking for a change. But while it was definitely challenging, I never felt truly comfortable in that particular gym and I missed the comaraderie of my fellow Body Pumpers and the repertoire with my instructors.
So I came back “home.”
But there are some elements of CrossFit I think are definitely missing from Body Pump, which got me thinking about the things I love – and don’t love – about Body Pump:
LOVE
- I like how the class targets every muscle. If I’m doing weights on my own in the gym, I’m more likely to skip over the moves I find more challenging – or I may skimp on sets or repetitions. Body Pump class – and the watchful eyes of my instructors – helps keep me accountable.
- I like that it’s choreographed to fun, upbeat music because it allows me to get into the beat and focus on that, rather than the fact that my muscles are screaming.
- Because the class is pretty fast-paced, I do feel like I get a decent cardio workout.
- Body Pump focuses a lot on proper form, which is important in preventing injury.
- You control your weights — and the intensity — of the class.
- The hour goes by really fast.
DON’T LOVE
- It’s easy to be complacent and stick with your current weight rather than challenging yourself by periodically adding a pair of the smaller “donut” plates (2.5 lbs), which can make a big difference.
- I haven’t been impressed with the ab tracks lately.
- Each new release usually has the same moves over and over, which can get a little boring … although I have seen signs that they’re trying to mix it up a bit. One of the recent bicep and chest tracks had us using hand weights, rather than the barbell, and they’ve even started to incorporate more CrossFit-like moves, like the jumping lunges in one of the recent releases.
- But with that being said, I would still like to see more moves that incorporate your own body weight, like burpees, etc.
Have you ever taken Body Pump or a group fitness class? What do you love/hate about them?