Two years ago, a friend of mine convinced me to try a group
fitness class at the Meadville Family YMCA. At the time, I wasn’t a huge fan of
group workouts, but I also understood that some people thrived on them.
Yet, what I attended was a bit more than just an hour of
exercise with a group of people. It was an experience. It was a Les Mills
BodyPumpTM class. Although you may have heard about this class, you
may not realize that it’s more than just weightlifting to music. It’s actually a
fitness movement…a public health initiative.
The whole Les Mills story is unique and has moved into the public
health realm to combat the obesity crisis around the globe. It all began with
the vision of one New Zealand Olympic athlete – Les Mills. He competed in four
Olympic games from the 1960s and into the 1970s. During that time, Les and his wife,
Colleen, opened up their first gym in Auckland, NZ – a place to help others
become fit and strong.
In 1990, Les created a group strength training regime he
called “Pump,” which rapidly soared in popularity across New Zealand and Australia.
The group class focused on proper weight lifting technique and was
choreographed to current popular music. As people were gaining strength and
fitness, the craze of Pump spread internationally. In 1997, the program was renamed
“BodyPump” and remains the same today.
Les Mills International has grown to include 15,000 licensed
facilities and 100,000 instructors across 80 different countries. It offers 12 group
fitness programs, all focused on one thing: getting people more active and fit
in order to reverse the worldwide obesity epidemic. According to the Les Mills
philosophy: “We aim to help others around the globe by increasing awareness…and
putting energy into important causes.”
Kudos to Les Mills for starting a movement to combat obesity!
There are many ways that public health professionals look at reversing this
chronic disease. While group exercise may not be for everyone, it certainly is
one method that can work. Today, after two years’ of group fitness
participation, I got addicted. I am now among those 100,000 instructors
certified to teach BodyPumpTM anywhere in the world.
Group fitness has turned out to be one of many worldwide
efforts to reduce obesity through physical activity. Whether you participate or
not, you might be interested in the many benefits of working out with others. Here
are five benefits noted by the American College of Sports Medicine:
1. It offers the opportunity to feel young again. Children and
youth spend time together, play together, chat with one another, and enjoy each
other’s company. As adults, we often do not take time to just be with friends.
Group exercise offers that benefit.
2. Exposure to an effective and safe workout. A personal
trainer is often pricey, but in a group setting, you can still have some
personal attention as your instructor will coach you to proper form and
technique while you get in a great workout.
3. Social engagement. Bored in the weight room? Some people
just can’t get motivated with just a set of dumbbells. Group workouts provide
you with the social atmosphere that promotes camaraderie, accountability, and
motivation – all because you are with your friends.
4. Workouts for all levels of fitness. Group fitness is not
for a certain exercise level. Beginner exercisers to advanced fitness gurus can
get a great workout because the work is already put into the routine of a group
program. Follow the instructions and beginners will get a workout without
feeling like quitting, and advanced persons will work up the sweat they want.
5. Less gym time…for YOU time. Most fitness classes run an
hour or less. When you’re on your own, sometimes you drag your feet from
station to station and end up skipping half your workout because of time
constraints. Group exercise is structured – you’re in and out in the allotted
time-frame, leaving far more time to do what you want for the rest of your day.
As we noted in certification training: We are working to
combat obesity “one pump at a time.”
References:
Dolan, S. (2012). Benefits of group exercise. Retrieved from
http://www.acsm.org/access-public-information/articles/2012/01/20/benefits-of-group-exercise.
LesMills (2013). Our history. Retrieved from http://www.lesmills.com/westcoast/about-les-mills/our-history.aspx
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