RickInOz

The next release has landed; BodyPump 74, the 2nd quarter offering has made it to our gym. So, as before, I’ll present my opinions as a preview for those elsewhere who won’t get it for a while. So, without further ado:

Warm-up:
A reasonably uplifting track this time with Run (Almighty Anthem Radio Edit) by Jamie Knight getting us off the mark. Thereafter it’s all downhill, unfortunately. We only get 4 slow squats yet 12 biceps curls over 2 separate sets. This flaw existed in the previous release, and nothing has been learnt. I wonder why we need to spend so much time on the smallest muscle group that won’t be used again for another 20 minutes at the expense of the largest muscle group that will be used next. It’s supposed to be a warm-up track for the whole body, not to mention a means of getting one’s heart-rate up to working zone, and this one just doesn’t cut it.

Squats:
This one is billed as a hard track, but I didn’t really find it that tough. It comprises 5 almost duplicate sets with the usual range of slow ranges and singles. The new “innovation” in this track is a combo of down, hold for 2 and then up. It takes up the same amount of time as a bottom-half pulse, but obviously here the move is static at the bottom. The beat is fairly quick which might have helped as you can throw out the singles rather than do them with perfect control. Music is the Annie Lee cover of Vanessa Amorosi’s This Is Who I Am.

Chest:
Another track that was previewed as harder than usual, but didn’t feel it. There’s nothing new here with the predictable procession of slow then single reps. We get quite a few bottom-halves (40 in all) but only 4 at a time, so fatigue isn’t too much of an issue. The whole affair is spread over 4 round with a quick break before the last one. So, I’d suggest normal weights as there is always the option to drop a plate or two in the break. Quite a slow rocky track: OneZeroOne’s cover of We Weren’t Born to Follow by Bon Jovi.

Back:
This was supposed to be the easy track, and on paper seems like it. But for some reason I struggled a bit. Maybe that isn’t crucial as it’s a very anonymous track chore-wise. So, 3 rounds of predictability following the same format as it’s predecessors with dead lifts, clean’n'press’n'rows, and lots of rows. The only difference this time is that the single rows are also wide-grip, not just the triples. However, the program directors do get some credit for trying a different music style this time. Rather than just trot out the typical boring Euro-pop number, they have gone with a cover of No Doubt’s Don’t Speak by Alex Cortez. It’s a little unusual, but works due to the heavy, driving bass-beat for the clean’n'presses.

Triceps:
A return to a bar-less track (as with 70 and 68) again. Only this time we get every possible option starting with a few token push-ups, then lots of kickbacks, then onto dips with the option of a plate or two in your lap, before picking them up and going into overhead extensions. It’s quite a well paced track although the transitions are a little quick. Without the bar there’s always a danger of not challenging oneself enough, so I’d suggest push-ups on toes, easy on the kickbacks to ensure good technique and then loading up for the latter stages. Music: 3 – Britney Spears

Biceps:
Now for something a little different. For starters, the music is somewhat different to the usual rock number with the Black Eye Peas contributing Boom Boom Pow (covered by Beat Factory). The chore follows suit with some of the irregularity last seen when a Black Eye Peas track featured. So don’t expect 4 rounds of facsimile as seen with the earlier tracks. We also get a a “new” move – the mid-range pulse. The expected range is quite small with a little less than 3/4 to 1/4 of ROM. This is surprisingly effective as the first few sets don’t feel too bad, but the burn definitely sets in towards the end.

Lunges:
Those who remember 71 will find this all too familiar … in fact it’s almost identical. But for those who don’t recall, we get static then dynamic lunges off the bench. There are a lot of static lunges per leg with lots of singles and bottom-halves sandwiched between slower reps. Then it’s back-stepping lunges with the option to lift the knee on the faster reps. All-in-all it makes for a tough track with a guarantee of fatigue and pain towards the end. On the plus side, this is a return to what we’ve all been asking for: lunges in the lunge tracks. Music is the Rhythm Twins cover of Cascada’s Dangerous. A shamelessly cheesy track but it’s infectious beat will carry you through and distract from the agony.

Shoulders:
We get quite a smorgasbord of reps and disciplines this time, and pretty much every muscle gets a turn. We start with push-ups, then rear-deltoid raises, back down for more push-ups, back onto one knee for lateral raises before dropping for yet more push-ups, albeit just a quick set. Then jump up for some upright rows, including some singles, which are hard to do with control. A quick break follows before pushing overhead for the last round, which isn’t too long. So load up your bar and tough it out to the end. The main problem with this track are the very quick (nay even instantaneous) transitions that make for lots of missed reps. Music is Jet’s She’s A Genius, covered by Badlands Inc.

Abs:
This is an unusual one, and it won’t be easy to describe it here. Needless to say, instructors will wind up taking a long time cueing it up, thereby wasting time. To get to the point, we have alternating leg extensions, then crunches – 3 rounds worth – all done off the bench. The leg extensions are “innovative” as they are done from a slight reverse crunch position. The idea being to keep the deep abdominal muscles engaged the whole time. Then to finish, we get a long hover with the same alternate stepping on and off the bench as we did with 72. At the end of a hard workout, I feel this is a step too far, but perhaps with time it will become possible. Music: In My Head – Jason Derulo.

Warm-down:
A fairly standard mix of stretches, though I’m yet to be sold on sitting up to do the glute pull. It feels far more natural to lie down and pull the leg in than have to lean forward to lengthen the muscle. Otherwise it all flows fairly well albeit with two side stretch moves but no back or chest attention. Music is typically bland, yet inoffensive: Art Of Love (featuring Jordin Sparks) – Guy Sebastian.

Overall impression:
This is a pretty tough release all told, with the Biceps and Lunges ranking pretty highly on the difficulty scale. As far as new moves go, I’m fairly sold on the squat hold and mid-range pulses in Biceps. Neither is particularly radical but they are sufficiently different to pique interest. I’ve already mentioned some of the problems with this release in comments above, but the main one is the far-too-rapid transitions between moves. It forces us to chose between missing out reps or the risk of injury from moving too quickly under load.

Musically it’s not too bad, though I would have preferred not to have yet another insipid Britney song. I’ve noticed a distinct change in genre with far more rock songs appearing recently. This doesn’t really suit me as I’d far rather have wall-to-wall dance numbers as more common with the 50s. But each to their own.

On balance it’s a reasonable standard release and provides a good challenge. However, the flaws take the edge off what would otherwise be a polished effort. There are many good aspects to BodyPump as a program … pity it continues to lack in a number of conspicuous areas.