Les Mills Body Attack: Does It Live Up To The Hype?
The Verdict on Body Attack (5 out of 5)
Les Mills Body Attack is billed as a high-energy cardiovascular workout that is sports-inspired and designed to build strength, stamina, and an athletic muscle tone. ‘Sports-inspired’ means that for some intervals you’re doing movements like soccer drills or speed skating. Also, along with many aerobic routines such as running, high knees, jumping jacks, and the like, you have strength and stabilization exercises interspersed.
The variety makes it more interesting. Squat-slide-jump sequences put some valuable plyometric exercises into the mix. There are some grapevines involved where you change directions quickly which allows you to realize you’d never make it as a backup dancer for a pop-star. One track has you working one leg from lunges to kick backs to repeaters for a really thorough leg burner that pushes you to the brink. Although the shuffle sounds innocent enough it gets rather trying after a few minutes. The push-up segment is very challenging indeed, you do wide ones and close grips for tris either from the traditional position or with your knees on the floor.
In one of the segments, participants do a good bit of kicking (from the hip and knee) integrated with arm work alternating opposite arms and legs. It’s a bit like kickboxing which is also a high energy full body workout. If you find that aspect of the class appealing perhaps you should try it. Read The Benefits of Kickboxing for some excellent insights. The Body Attack position (maintained throughout the hour long class) promotes good posture by keeping you upright, chest up and legs slightly bent.
I wasn’t crazy about the music but maybe I got burned out on loud, high energy, techno-like remixes in too many crazy European clubs. But the music does meld nicely with the tempo of exercises you do along with each track which gets you in the groove. The same song is always played at the end of my class for the relaxing, stretching wind down. Now, whenever I hear it on the radio, just like Pavlov’s dogs, I lose all tension and feel tranquil like I just accomplished a difficult task.
The instructors give participants low-impact options for most of the exercises done during class so no one has to feel put out or intimidated if they don’t want to. After each iteration (usually six or so), there is a brief chance to grab a swig of water or you can keep moving with the instructor with an easy breath-catching step-tap side to side. All in all, this is an excellent class and I noticed that my stamina, agility, and strength were all greatly improved after a few weeks. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get in good full-body shape with a challenging group routine. Check out this YouTube Video to see what the movements in a class are all about.
Try New Classes Often for Body and Mind
Never stop learning and that includes your muscles too because they get used to the same routines and ruts but new classes can give your fitness level a boost. Besides, there is a theory rolling around out there by some scientists that the reason times go by quicker as we get older is because we do less and less new things. So do something new. Yoga is a sublime form of exercise that has benefits to the body and mind far beyond the physical realm. If you haven’t discovered this first hand, than you should really try a class or sign up for one. Oftentimes Yoga studios offer a free trial or a drop in option for $10 - $15 depending upon where you live I strongly urge combat veterans to take a class as it is perfectly suited to helping us learn to relax and reintegrate into society. It’s perhaps a window to a higher plane or access to what Lincoln termed “the angels of our better nature.”
Positively charged Iyengar Yoga with its many props that help the less flexible like myself, is the class I attend on a weekly basis but this article series, Different Yoga Disciplines series highlights the details of some other great disciplines. One of those practices may end up being something that really appeals to you after you read about it.
We can all benefit greatly from yoga and that is why I’m plugging it in this article regarding another good fitness class that is vastly different then yoga. And for those obsessed with knowing the numbers, How Many Calories Does Bikram Yoga Burn might also inspire you to take that class practiced in a hot room. Alright so that wraps up a positive review for Les Mills Body Attack and a plug for taking new classes, especially yoga. Remember to thank your body for all that it does for you.
Sources:
Broadwater Athletic Clubs, Helena Montana
Les Mills https://www.lesmills.com/global/en/members/bodyattack/bodyattack-group-fitness-program.aspx
