Les Mills Body Pump is gaining in popularity among fitness buffs of late. Using light to moderate weights with lots of repetition, Body Pump gives you a total body workout. It is estimated that one can burn up to 540 calories in one session alone. Taking around 60 minutes for one session, Body Pump involves moderate to high intensity resistance training with a barbell. It helps increase muscular mass, physical resistance and prevents back pain besides aiding in getting in shape fast.
One of the innovations has to do with the use of SMARTBAR and SMARTSTEP equipment instead of the old barbell technology. Now, transition times are minimised while workouts are maximised. Users can leap confidently, lie comfortably and even increase resistance by using the step on an incline with the SMARTSTEP. In the last three months, Bodypump choreography and music has changed, which does not see a repetition of the previous session. But, a session involves 70-100 repetitions per body part totalling up to 800 repetitions in a single workout.
Lunges
For the lunge, step with one foot back and bend both the knees. Your knees should create a 90 degree angle. The back heel should remain lifted and the front knee should never go past the front toe. For the bottom halves, go halfway up and then all the way down, keeping a small range of motion. For the overhead press, make sure the bar stays in front of the body, not behind. For the side raise, you will need two plates.
Squats
Place the barbell on the meaty part of the back with the elbows pointed down. The heels are right outside the hip line, with the toes turned slightly outward. To squat, sit back and slide the hip back and down towards knee level. The squat movement ends when the hip hits the level right above knee level.
Squats
Chest Press
Lie down on a bench. Starting with a barbell at the top, press the weight down toward the midline of the chest. Stop the weight at about where the elbows are just about bench top level, not below. The bar/dumbbells should never ‘bounce’ off the chest. At the top of the move, keep the elbows slightly bent, do not lock the elbow.
Chest Press
Biceps
Keep the elbows close to side with palms facing out. For the row, keep the palms facing out and then tip at the hips like we did with the back.
Biceps
Triceps (Barbell over head extension or Plate over head)
The tricep dip starts over the shoulders and then you lower your weight in front. Take the weight from the dip position and pull it to the lower part of the press position and then return to the dip position and keep repeating.
Core
You’ll need one plate for this track but weight is optional and you can do the entire sequence without the weights too. Keep the spine neutral, with no arch in the back, and keep the shoulders down as you lift and lower your upper body and then add the leg movement.
Back (Deadlift, clean and press)
When performing the deadlift and deadrow, tip forward from the hips, keeping the back flat and abs pulled in. For the clean and press, keep your knees bent as you bring the weight up to your shoulders, extend overhead, and then bend the knees as the bar comes back to your shoulders, flip the palms and lower the weight down. Never swing the bar away from your body but keep it close.
(The writer is a Bengaluru-based trainer)
