Only two times a week? I like the sounds of that.

I checked the local classes. All the "hot" clubs offer it, but not the Y. I guess I have to wait for the Y to pick it up becasue I'm not joining another gym. I think I'll mention it to the guy at the desk.

Thanks for being our BODYPUMP resource. I hope you'll jump in other forums and let us get to know you better.

Dear Dotsie,

Not too many YMCAs offer the Les Mills programs, because they are rather expensive for the club to offer. Les Mills programs are a franchise, and each club that offers them has to pay a considerable monthly fee to the Les Mills company. On top of that, the club has to find enough people willing to become instructors. Becomming an instructor can involve traveling to another town, or even another state (that's what I had to do) to find a training seminar. And it also costs the instructor. I had to pay a pretty good chunk of dough to take the trainings, and every three months I have to purchase the new material, not to mention the 'official' Les Mills gear that make the instructors look extra good on stage. Within three months after taking the trainings, I had to submit a video of me teaching a class. The video was then assessed by a team from Les Mills to assure that I was using correct form and technique, and only then did I become an official instructor. The club I work for has to pay me for every class I teach. It costs quite a bit to offer these programs.

But...

Les Mills paid a substantial amount of money to develop these programs. They continue to pay top dollar to top trainers and choreographers to ensure quality control. The fact that they have such a strict policy regarding the certification of teachers helps guarantee that you, as a student, will not be injured because of bad instruction from a teacher using faulty technique. Les Mills wants their programs to be the best, and they do everything possible to keep it that way.

As a certified instructor, I can teach BODYPUMP or BODYFLOW in any club that offers them anywhere in the world! And the fact that everything is prechoreographed means I don't have to spend huge amounts of time trying to develop new routines. The biggest bonus for me has been the sustained loss of 8 clothing sizes!

Note: Some YMCAs do offer BODYPUMP. But there are many that offer knock-off programs. In fact, there are many private clubs offering knock-off programs. If you want to be sure you are taking the real deal, ask if the programs are from Les Mills. If they aren't, it doesn't mean they aren't good, but I can't comment on them without taking the class myself. The only classes I feel confident recommending are from Les Mills, because I'm aware of the intensity of the company's quality control mechanisms.

This is sooooo important: When you get involved in a weight training program, form and technique are critical to your success. If you take any class involving weights, and you're not sure your technique is correct, please please please talk to the instructor after class and make sure you get it right. Your instructor should be delighted to help. If you feel like your instructor couldn't care less, I strongly recommend finding a different class time slot with a different instructor, and by all means make sure the club owner or manager knows about your experience. I have two chiropractor friends who say their biggest boost in new clients comes within the first four months of the year, when New Year's resolution people limp through their doors, looking for relief from issues developed in their new exercise regimens. The problems almost always come from faulty technique.

Most clubs will allow you to pay for a single class of BODYPUMP, so you don't necessarily have to join the club. Also, many clubs that offer Les Mills programs will allow you to try the first class for free, with no obligation to join, so you can 'try before you buy.' Of course, I believe that if you try even one program, and the instructor is doing his or her job, you will be immediately hooked!

And, again, the bottom line is that the programs absolutely deliver on their promises. When I think of the thousands of dollars I have spent over the years on diet pills and potions, crazy exercise equipment from infommercials, Nutri-System, etc., to no avail, I find myself awash with gratitude for discovering BODYPUMP. Other benefits have included a much lifted bosom and improved abs, both of which have suffered from an extreme southern migration that started 20 years ago during pregnancy... actually I have had improvements I never thought I'd see without cosmetic surgery. And I promised myself years ago I would never put myself under the knife unless it was a life-saving procedure. If he doesn't think I'm hot 'as-is', it's simply his loss (I'm nobody's Halloween pumpkin to be carved to specification!)

So happy to say we have 6 locations here in Vegas. I can't believe I've never heard of this before but am glad I have now. Sent my info to them via email. If this works for me, it will work for anyone as I am NOT an exerciser...
Tourmaline I love your attitude and outlook, especially the Halloween pumpkin bit.

Well I live in the middle of nowhere (and like it!)so no BODYPUMP here. We do have a Curves, though. I may try it someday. Now I'm waiting for some snow so I can try cross country skiing and snowshoeing. That should be good for the thighs and (Boomer) butt!

Bluebird.........Please, go for the cross country skiing. It's a ball!
And.....it will have you wondering why you haven't done it before.
It's not only fun, and wonderful to be outside in the beautiful snow(ok I know, I'm nuts)you will feel it in every possible muscle you have in your body.
Go for it girl!
Lynne

Dotsie.......I can't believe that your Y doesn't have Body Pump. My little town of Olympia has it at their Y. Sorry to hear it because it's really the thing now. And it works!
Lynne

I'm so happy to see BodyPump mentioned here and find some others who are big fans of it like I am!! I've been doing BodyPump for 4 years and I absolutely LOVE it!! I had been doing step-aerobics and other forms of exercise for many years before BodyPump came to our area, but I saw more change & better results in my first 3 months doing BodyPump than I ever got doing anything else. I have absolutely no problem sticking with it. I do it 3 mornings a week (on alternate days I use the elliptical machine for 30 minutes and then take an hour long Pilates class which I think is a great balance with the BodyPump).
Our gym is introducing BodyJam sometime in the next few weeks and then will be bring in BodyFlow at a later date and I'm anxious to try them all! We have BodyStep, but I'm not much into step anymore........have developed arthritis in one knee and step seems to aggravate it.
When I started doing BodyPump, I was a size 14.......I went down to a size 10 and have maintained that for the last 3 years.
It WORKS!! and one of the great things is that you can adjust your weights to your own abilities........as you get stronger you can increase them. I'm 50 and probably one of the oldest in some of my classes.......and it gives me a kick to be able to lift as much, if not more, than many of the younger ones. (and to be happy with the shape of my body when I look in the mirror!)
I'm really looking forward to when my gym brings in BodyFlow, too. I'm hoping I like it more than traditional yoga classes that I've tried.
Ann

Definitely Belly Dancing and Yoga are top choices for my workout...as a former Ballet and Modern Dancer it is gentler and sweeter on the aging body. It is 7000 years old as an art and workout and I tell my students that anything that lasted that long has something going for it and belly's are welcome! Belly Dance works for every BODY (style) Aside from that I love to walk my dog,Elvis...exercise for us both but time is always the wicked cog in our exercise wheel....

Bluebird, supposedly, cross country skiing is the ultimate workout because it uses ALL the muscles in the body. However, it doesn't snow much here in Alabama.

I don't know what BodyPump is, never heard of it. Time for a google.

Nacheska, I have always thought that belly dancing would be fun. I love to dance, even if I do look like I'm dancing to a tune I heard last week.

Your dog's name is Elvis? I love it! Walking is my thing. I love getting outside and clearing the cobwebs out of my head.

JJ

Bodypump...sounds too much like work for me. Actually work is where I get my exercise. I walk around all day and lift hundreds of loaves of bread...I can feel muscle building up in my arms too.
A dog named Elvis...how cool.
chick