Workout Review: BODYPUMP™

Have you ever wanted to start "lifting"? Have you ever been interested in weights and thought: "weightlifting is so cool, but I have no idea how to do it..."? Well, look no further, my friends!

Just one week ago, I felt the same way you did. And then I discovered BODYPUMP™. If you don't know what it is, here's a quick clip to give you a general idea of its intense awesome-ness:

Essentially, BODYPUMP™ is a barbell class with a few free weight/body weight exercises. Classes typically run an hour in length with popular, upbeat music throughout. They start with a fairly short warm-up and then transition into leg, arm, back, shoulder, chest, and ab-focused sets to give you a full-body workout in 60 minutes. What I like best is that the entire time, the instructor(s)--classes typically have 1-2 instructors--are talking about proper form, how much weight you should be lifting relative to your "warm-up weight," modifications, etc. Also, the class is very user-friendly! I had no idea how much weight to start with as the class was my first time ever using a barbell, but the instructors were very friendly and helpful in getting me set up correctly.

As for difficulty, this class is really what you make it. It's always good to start with a light weight the first time you take it, but if you don't feel sore after the class, then you NEED to add weight. The class incorporates a lot of reps, so you will definitely feel the burn!

My one criticism of the class is that, while it does work your arms and legs like crazy, I feel like abs kind of fall through the cracks. At least in the classes I've taken, we'll do abs last and just do various types of sit-ups/crunches with and without weights for about 8 minutes. Maybe it's just me, but generally I prefer something a bit more challenging and diverse.

Regardless, I really like this class and since my first time taking it, have taken it three (soon to be four!) times. I've already noticed a difference in my arms, legs, and butt and am very happy with how good I feel afterwards!

Ratings:
Intensity           ****
User-friendly     *****
Good workout   ****

If you want more information on BODYPUMP™, you can check out their website here or check if your local gym offers classes! BODYPUMP™ is now found in over 70 countries and 10,000 health-clubs and gyms world-wide, so I'm sure that there's a class near you!

Stay tuned for our next post and don't forget to comment below if there's anything in particular you'd want us to post about!

CSUFitness Team