This blog is updated each month to add a new piece of advice from our instructors to improve in your BODYATTACK classes.
Les Mills BODYATTACK – What can you expect? by Sarah Mayers
BODYATTACK is a high-energy fitness class with moves that cater for total beginners to total addicts. We combine athletic movements like running, lunging, and jumping with strength exercises such as push-ups and squats.
We start with a warm-up. This is a combination of step touch, bouncing, squatting, and running to get that lower body warm (quads, hamstrings, and glutes) and then we move onto push-ups for upper body (shoulders and chest) and core. Remember at any point you can walk or march if you don’t want to run and there are options to lessen the impact of the push ups. We simply slow them down or push our butt back to our heels and bring our lower arm to the floor. Remember – with knee push-ups – the further away your knees are from your hands the harder it is and the closer the easier. Do what works for you. Want more? Go onto your toes!
Then, without missing a beat, we go straight into the mixed impact track. Here we want you to warm up further and really start to hear the music. We will include step curl and usually some changes in direction with our running. We need to go deeper into our legs for this track to really get some heat into the quads, hamstrings, and glutes as we know we have a high energy workout to come.
The aerobic track is all about fun and getting that heart rate high. Here we really do go into lots of old school aerobics moves with step curl, knees and bringing those arms in to build up those biceps and triceps. Have fun with this one but those arm movements strong.
Now the hard work begins as we move to plyometrics. This is our jumping track. Hopping, skaters, jump lunges and lots of lateral movements to build those glutes. Don’t want to jump? No problem. We will give you the low impact options and they involve staying grounded but low in the legs, so you still get the feel without the impact.
Athletic Strength is where we “calm” it down for a track. But don’t be fooled. It lulls you into thinking it’s nice, but you will feel it by the end. Here we focus on really pulling in our core and squeezing our glutes on the lower body section. We focus on balance in this track, so core is very important, pull it tight. For the upper body we have lots of push-ups. Remember your options here if you need them and if you just want to rest and chill then feel free. Just join back in when you are ready.
The BODYATTACK running track is a great place to be. An awesome tune that we can all sing along to. We get to free run in this track, so you do you. Run, jog, walk, march. If you are moving and enjoying the music, it’s all good. If you just want to stay on the spot that is fine too. Want more? Get those knees up and pump those arms!
Agility is where we get all sporty! Ladder runs, changes in direction, bounces, and strong arms to really spike that heart rate. Again, lots of options to keep it lower if you need to. This doesn’t mean less energy, just less impact.
Still keeping our heart rate high we move to interval. This track is all about the highs and the lows. We move with the music. When it’s quieter we can chill (well as much as you can in BODYATTACK!) and when it’s loud, we bring the energy. Kicking, punching, running, moving forwards and backwards. You kick as high or low as you want to and there is always the option to walk or march and tap instead of kicking.
We are on the homeward straight now and we save the best working track to last. Power! This is our “we all in this together” track as we raise the roof with big sets of power and celebrate that we are nearly there! This is a “give it everything you have” track with a pumping tune to keep us all going. Power knees and power jacks are the aim of the game here to push that heart rate to the max. But, as always, there are lower impact options too.
We finish with core or cooldown where we focus on bracing that core tight and bringing some stretching love back into those muscles that we have all worked so hard.
We did it team – together. Your workout, your way!
If you haven’t tried BODYATTACK yet (or haven’t tried it in a while) then give it a go.
Oh – I forgot one thing – burpees! If we have them in a track there are not many and if you don’t want to do them there are always other options 😊
Intro to BODYATTACK by Sarah Mayers
First of all I would like to thank everyone for joining me on my BODYATTACK journey so far and for being so supportive while we have been learning it together. This is my first Les Mills programme and I am enjoying every second. I hope that you are loving what you see so far and I look forward to bringing more fun workouts and great music to you in the future. Sorry but the music will get stuck in your head!
So what is BODYATTACK?
BODYATTACK is a great all round workout (with great music!). It is a Sports Conditioning and Athletic Strength programme which is suitable for all abilities and fitness levels. We have tracks for aerobics, plyometrics, running, athletic strength, power and core. The main focus is on teamwork. We are all in the workout together.
So how do we make it suitable for all? Below are some of the most common exercises that we do in BODYATTACK and how you can modify them for a lower impact workout/or higher impact workout:
Power knees (walk them/or bring those knees up higher)
Running/high knees (walk or march it out/or get those knees up or heels to your butt)
Squat jumps (lift your heels into a calf raise instead of jumping/or jump higher and use your arms)
Jump lunges (slow it down and do a rear lunge/or give me more vertical lift)
The dreaded burpee! (2 x squats but make them good ones/or if you want more add that tuck jump)
Jumping jacks (do half jacks/or make them bigger by wider feet and pumping those arms)
Push ups (sit back and bend your elbows back or just slow them down/or come up onto your toes - just for a few reps) - if push ups really aren't for you then use them as an opportunity for a rest break. Sit up and take a breath. We will be moving onto the next exercise before you know it.