Welcome to my review of the latest release – BodyPump 77. I’ve been out for the past couple of months with a back injury, but made sure to get into the studio for the launch. The tracklisting can be found two posts below so I won’t repeat them here.
Warmup:
In a deviation from normal, we start with a wide-grip. Thereafter it’s fairly standard stuff warming up the back first before moving onto the shoulders. Our legs yet again get pretty scant chance to build any heat with only a dozen squats and the usual 8 lunges per leg. The transition from the lunges feels a bit rushed so you have to be on the ball to get into set position for the underhand rows and lifts. As always we finish with too many biceps reps.
Squats:
This is billed as an easier track than normal, mainly as it’s shorter than we typically get. As such you’ll be advised to add extra weight. I didn’t think it was soft by any means mainly due to the 49 bottom-half reps. The track compromises 4 rounds with the latter two with wide stance. Quick reps are interspersed with slower ones to allow some recovery and the bottom-halves are all in sets of 4 so fatigue isn’t too bad a factor. The intensity does build throughout the track so save something for the last round.
Chest:
A basic but solid track with this release. Rather than try to be too clever it sticks with 4 rounds of near duplicate rep sets. As with Squats, bottom-halves are the order of the day. Each round uses the standard order of slow reps, singles and then the aforementioned bottom ranges. We get a break between rounds 3 and 4 just to shake out some lactic acid, but it’s not a long one and almost worth not bothering to sit up for.
Back:
Be prepared for something very different with this one. The new “innovation” is a clean, press and then rather than bringing the bar back to the knees, we are asked to overhead press it two more times. The track starts with a short warmer round of underhand rows. Then there are 3 main working rounds of lifts, the “innovation”, and then the seemingly obligatory wide-grip triple rows. Each round we are asked to do repeat the overhead work 4 times, so by the end of the track you will have overhead pressed your back weight 36 times. As a result, I’d strongly recommend dropping your weights significantly. The official line is to use Chest weight, but I think even this is too much otherwise loss of technique is almost an inevitability. The inclusion of this move seems rather illogical to me as it puts almost no work into the back muscles (save the trapezii). Instead it becomes a second shoulder track and this is a whopping big error in judgement by the program directors.
Triceps:
This is another good track with enough variety to keep interest, yet sensible structure to maintain the pace. We get 3 rounds on the bench with overhead extensions, presses and the now familiar pullover move. There is a short break after round 2 for a little light relief, but the mix of exercises is such that this break isn’t really necessary. Then we finish with some standing overhead extensions. Normally this type of round seems to be just put in to run out the clock, but this time there is some real bite. There are loads of singles, so to keep proper form and not flare the elbows requires real grit and muscle tone.
Biceps:
Now for the highlight of the release and the pick of the tracks. I’ve roundly criticised many recent releases for having too fast a beat to make the workout worthwhile and feasible. This time the tempo is just right and while the slower ranges almost seem prolonged, it provides sufficient time for the singles not to feel rushed. As with other tracks, bottom-halves are supplied by the truck-load. We also get some full range singles, but there are only 4 each set sandwiched between the bottom-halves so fatigue is more manageable. The last round seems to go on forever, but such is the chop-and-change in rep type that you can keep going.
Lunges:
A rather soft lunge track again, mostly because we only use free weights for the lunges and then only for the static ones. The sets are also pretty short but even with loads of singles both in the static and dynamic lunges, I still barely felt out of breath. There is an option to use the step and you might as well take it as this track needs all the added challenge it can get. We finish with squats which add some intensity into the track but depend on putting a decent amount of weight on. The two sets of 8 bottom-halves finish nicely, but it’s too little too late.
Shoulders:
This is one of the tougher tracks of the release, mainly due to the fast incessant pace. We start with a quick burst of push-ups as a warm-up so no excuses for not doing them all on your knees. Then the reverse fly from #76 gets another run, only this time there are way more reps. We get slow ranges, singles and more slower reps and your rear-delts will definitely feel the strain. Then there are lateral raises and rotator cuff singles. There’s nothing too fancy this time, just a robust challenge. If there is any gas left in your tank, then grab you bar and push out some overhead presses. There aren’t too many but you can be forgiven for feeling them after the punishment of the back track.
Abs:
To start with this track is a good one. We get some crunches with the option to hold a weight for added resistance. Then a sound addition, the oblique crunch. We’ve had this move in Pump before, but not for some time and it’s always good to work muscles outside the rectus sheath. So far so good, but then it all gets let down with the hovers. The plank is a valuable means of building core muscle endurance and working the deeper abdominal muscles. But the program directors have sacrificed function in their quest for “innovation”. We are asked to do the walking legs and walking hands as in previous releases. They are hard enough to do when clustered but now we have to alternate arms and legs. This move is extremely challenging even for those with fantastic core stability and way beyond the bounds of the average Pumper. I’ve been doing a lot of core work recently to get my back strong again and even I found this too much. The studio was full of rocking hips and backs as technique went out the window. Instructors should cue the basics and then offer the LM version as an advanced option to be tried if managing well.
Cool-down:
A relaxed track with all the usual moves. It seemed to be over rather quickly so I wonder if too many minutes are being devoted to the working tracks at the cost of the beginning and finishing tracks. Not much else to say.
Overall Impressions:
On the whole this is a pretty strong release. The music seems to work quite well with the moves and is sufficiently motivating even for dance-heads like me. However there are two major flaws in this release. No prizes for guessing which I’m going to mention – the dangerous inclusion of overhead presses in the back track and the over-complicated hovers.
I think this is becoming an increasing problem for Les Mills and their BodyPump program. It’s been around for quite a number of years now and they are faced with two options. They could stick with getting the basics right and delivering a sound and dependable workout each time. Unfortunately this will be seen as boring or predictable and participant attrition will inevitably accelerate.
The other option would be to keep trying new moves as they are. This works on the gym floor where the variety of machines, decks and weights allow for endless ways of challenging muscle groups. Indeed it is a proven regime keeping the muscles in shock and mandating development of fitness, strength and endurance. However in the studio, there is only so much they can do with a barbell and gravity. As a result, the available exercises are restricted by the limitations of what can be achieved with the available resources. The program directors are obviously keen to try as many variations as possible. But in doing this, they keep finding lemons. And far too many, far too often for my liking. It risks making the program seem confused and directionless. They also keep finding exercises that are frankly too risky and it’s only a matter of time before injuries occur amongst participants … maybe they already are.
The solution has always been to encourage participants to use such small weights that injury risk is negated even if technique is sloppy or exercises unsafe. But this is another problem as it discourages use of decent resistance and, as a result, too many people never add anything and, thus, never really exert any change on their bodies. Too many missed opportunities.
As a result, I’m starting to question the value of BodyPump for anyone other than the casual gymgoer. It’s simply too limited for anyone looking to build serious condition. The cardio components are neither long or frequent enough and the strength components are restricted by the limitations of what can be done with just a barbell.
My fitness levels and strength have increased just from getting back into the gym for the past two months. So maybe I’m going to have to view Pump as just a fun distraction or variety item rather than a core component of my exercise regime from now on.