Its all in the Timing (Part III of the Body Pump Trilogy)

I am finally fully Les Mills Body Pump certified. It was a difficult process (see links below to posts) and I am so proud of this certification. Although I received a full ‘Pass’ on the initial training, I received a ‘Pass-Withheld’ on my video assessment. This meant that I did not need to re-submit my video, but I had to ‘clean-up’ any areas where I fell short and then have my Group Fitness Manager (GFM) review and sign-off before the certification can be issued.

The components of the video assessment for Body Pump are; Position, Execution, Timing, Fitness, and Feel. I received my assessment via email while on vacation in mid-July and it was very thorough. I was actually feeling wonderful as I started reading the complimentary tone of my assessor.  I had 100% on Position, Fitness, and Feel. and 90% on Execution but I did not get a full Pass. Well, ladies and gentlemen, my Timing really was that bad!

Well, I really couldn’t argue with the assessment. In fact, from the review and the suggestions to improve timing, it seemed to me as though the assessor really wanted to pass me but rightfully could not. In my defense, I did not have experience teaching to the beat. I primarily teach Pilates and Spinning. I used to teach a lot of Boot Camp and Total Body Conditioning, but those also do not use a beat. I also am not blessed with a natural talent for music. Yes, I had my work cut out for me.

I really have to give a lot of thanks to my GFM and the other Body Pump instructors who worked with me. They gave me lessons on counting the beats to many different tempos. I also thank my daughter for practicing with me. She has a natural feel for music and helped me practice the various tempos. I practiced by counting the beat and moving to the beat of all types of music.

Enough about me: What does this mean for you? Why is it so important for me to have my timing perfect in order to be certified? Well, it does make the class flow and it is more natural to move to the beat, but there is a much better benefit to the various tempos used in Body Pump.

Tempo Exercises are a great way to train your muscles to burn fat for energy. In Body Pump you perform tempo exercises at various slow steady tempos without pausing at the top or bottom. An example of this would be the 2/2 squats or even the 4/4 super-slow tempos. These put your muscles under a constant low level tension, which slightly restricts blood flow to the working muscles, depriving them of oxygen during the exercise. The muscles compensate for the low levels of oxygen by increasing the size of the slow-twitch fibers, which contain a high level of mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the muscle cell that produces energy from fat. So, the more mitochondria you have, the more body fat you can burn. Also, since you are producing more energy, you can work out longer and harder and therefore burn more total calories.

As well as the slow tempos of 2/2, 3/1, 1/3, and 4/4, Body Pump also uses singles to drive your heart rate up and burn calories and incorporates isometric holds (1/1/2 count tempo) to recruit even more muscle fibers. So, by making sure we instructors are proficient in Timing, Les Mills creates a workout that will build lean muscles, shape and tone your body, build bone density, burn calories, and will not bulk you up! Timing is everything….

Make fitness part of your ‘back to school’ routine this week

XOX

http://sharonsherryfitness.blogspot.com/2011/05/pump-it.html
http://sharonsherryfitness.blogspot.com/2011/06/body-pump-part-deux.html

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Body Pump Part Deux

Last month I wrote a post about my Les Mills Body Pump initial training http://sharonsherryfitness.blogspot.com/2011/05/pump-it.html . On Friday, I filmed my video to send to the assessment board for full certification. In theory, I really had until early August to do this, but with summer here, I wanted to get this done before vacation and my daughter’s fourth birthday. Also, now that school is out, I want my daughter to have a fun summer instead of watching me learn choreography.

As with the initial training, you can either receive a grade of pass, pass withheld (meaning you need your Group Fitness Manager (GFM) to help you where you fell short and then sign off), or a resubmit (meaning you need to record again and submit a new DVD).

To prepare, I team-taught some tracks during other instructors’ classes for a few weeks. That was great practice, and it also allowed me to receive honest feedback from the certified instructors. I learned one track at a time, and then practiced my track again and again. As the filming date moved closer, I spent most of my time (and any free minute I had) memorizing the choreography. I just watched the release DVD again and again, then played only the music and tested my knowledge of the choreography. My next focus was learning all of the required cues to say during the class. Practicing correct form was easier. I am a certified personal trainer, so I know correct form, but I needed to remind myself so that I did not get too caught up in the choreography.

I have to say that timing/tempo is the trickiest for teaching this class. That is why I spent so much time making sure I had the choreography nailed. I didn’t want to have to think about that plus the tempo. In Body Pump, the class must be fun and entertaining, so they do not want you to count beats and reps. You need to be able to ‘feel them’, relying on knowing the music inside and out. The music is really the key to the success of this class.

On top of all of this, I had to make sure I look like a ‘role model’ (i.e. using the heaviest weights I can manage), keep the transition between tracks smooth, introduce each track and demo moves, and ‘look the part’ (i.e. look fit, confident, and wear either red or black). Wow, this is a lot to think about!

So, to prepare for this I bought a brand new Flip camera to make sure everything was perfectly recorded. My wonderful husband took me to Lululemon and bought me a red top and black capri tights which I proudly wore in my video. Then of course I blow-dried my hair and used velcro rollers only to pull it back into a ponytail. I then added waterproof mascara and eyeliner. Come on, I was being filmed! (Yes, I am a bit vain…)

My husband took a vacation day to film the video for me, and my GFM put together a class of participants for me. I am very thankful to everyone who made this happen.

So, the big question is ‘how did I do???’ To be honest, I don’t know! I will send it in and see. Honestly critiquing myself, I saw quite a bit of mistakes.  I had mixed emotions that day. I was so relieved and happy to have it done and completed and proud that I remembered all of the choreography and cues. But then later, I was a bit down and even in tears when I started focusing on what I did not do right. I know that I was off on some of the timing, I added an extra rep at one point, I started the next set of exercises a measure too soon, and to top it all off, I lost form on the lunge track at the end. I taught a Spinning class in the morning before the filming, was practicing all week, and also running sprints all week to relieve my nerves. My legs literally just gave out.

Then after the tears, I had a change in my mindset. OK, I was not perfect, but who would be as a brand new Body Pump instructor? I was comparing myself to the Program Managers in the release DVD. They have been doing this for years, plus they are part of the development team. Of course I am not going to be anywhere near as great as they are. So I decided to think about what I did right. First of all, every single mistake I made I corrected immediately and went right back on tempo. I said every one of my compulsory cues, plus quite a bit of execution and motivational cues. My transitions were smooth as were my set ups for each track. I kept my energy high and motivating. With the exception of just one mistake, my choreography and form was right on.

So, I decided to burn my DVD and I am sending it out tomorrow hoping for the best. Trying to get the video from the Flip to the Mac to the DVD is a whole other story that would make a great post if I had an I/T blog. I added a small clip from my video below, the entire DVD is over an hour though. So, the worst-case scenario is that they will ask me to re-submit. I will gladly do that if necessary, but I was not about to toss this one since it was not 100% perfect. In accepting that I will never be 100% perfect, I am proudly stating that I am 100% human.

Have a balanced, embraced, and self-accepting week.

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Pump It!

I just completed my Body Pump Initial Training last weekend and, (pun intended) I am Pumped!!! And I mean that both mentally and physically. I am so proud to have completed such an intense training, and my muscles are still looking pretty ripped from 3 days of nearly 10-hour workouts!

Body Pump is one of the ten Les Mills International programs. Les Mills International is a New Zealand company that is the world’s largest provider of choreographed exercise-to-music based fitness classes. Body Step is actually their first release, but Body Pump was the first program to be released internationally. Body Pump is a strength class using barbells and plates to build lean muscle. It is designed to improve muscle strength and endurance and burn tons of calories! The class is choreographed to music so the instructor must have the choreography and the timing perfect for each of the 10 tracks. The initial training consists of three 10-hour days in which you receive a grade of pass, pass withheld (meaning you need your Group Fitness Manager to help you where you fell short and then sign off), or a resubmit (meaning you need to take Day 2 over to be re-tested). After you pass the initial training, you have 3 months to learn ALL of the tracks and videotape yourself teaching an entire class. That DVD is sent to an assessment board to approve certification.

Day 1 - Most of the participants in my training were instructors I work with. It wound up being a wonderful bonding experience that brought us all closer. The Les Mills instructor, Kris, was wonderful. He had amazing energy, connection, and teaching skills. We started the first day on Friday at 12 o’clock. The training started with Kris leading us in a Body Pump class, which was a lot of fun. I had to do 10 pushups for being late from a break (I couldn’t get my DVD out of my computer), and I joked that I am ‘small but mighty’ and cranked out the pushups. However, as the day progressed and we did the class again and again, I didn’t feel anywhere near ‘mighty’ and my muscles were screaming. I felt like a pile of jelly! This day was the toughest educationally. We were sent home at 9PM with ‘homework’ to completely learn a track to present the next morning. I had Track 4 (Back). I stayed up until 11PM and then got up at 4:30AM and practiced until time to leave for class.

Day 2 – Saturday at 9AM I couldn’t wait to present my track since I was afraid I would forget it.  I felt so unsure but I surprised myself by nailing it! Actually we ALL nailed it even though we were equally nervous. We were so proud of each other and the cheering for each person was wonderful. Kris recorded us and then went through each of our presentations, first stating what we did nicely, and then providing his constructive criticism. We also presented the same track later that day with a chance to correct the earlier mistakes. Saturday was the most physical of the training. We did the class again and again, plus had a Body Pump Challenge. The challenge consisted of working with a partner to perform supersets at a max weight. For my partner and I, our squat weight was too heavy for us to even help each other get the bar on our shoulders so Kris had to take it on and off for us. We were given a full hour for lunch after, but knowing how physical the rest of the day would be, I just went home and had a protein shake. After presenting our tracks and receiving feedback, we left at 5:15PM to go home and learn a new track. Mine was Track 5 (Triceps). I practiced as soon as I got home and woke up early to practice some more.

Day 3 – Sunday started at 8AM and, like the day before, we went right to our track presentations. Day 3 was a tiny bit less physical than the previous day, and we did a lot of ‘fine tuning’. We did exercises for timing, correct form, coaching, and adding ‘magic’ to our classes. It was still very physical and we were pretty sore. Towards the end of the day we all just wanted to present our final tracks and go home and rest! And that is what we did, and I am happy to say that I passed as well.  I left feeling stronger than ever, in many ways. Although, I was not strong enough to teach Spinning at 5:45AM the next day. I was lucky to find a sub on short notice.

Now is where the next phase begins. I need to learn every track and then practice to perfection before I am recorded. It is nice to have more than 12 hours to do this though. I am listening to all of the music first since that is where the choreography begins. Then every 3 months it starts all over with a new release. So, if you are riding in my car, it is most likely you will be listening to Body Pump music. My daughter is looking forward to learning the tracks with me so that will be fun. I will keep everyone posted as to when I start teaching this class.

Although I am still tired today, I had a wonderful time. I learned so much, deepened friendship with some amazing women, and surprised myself with how strong I am.

Wishing you a strong and ‘pumped up’ week!

XOX

This blog is for informational purposes only.  It’s not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem, nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician.  No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website.  Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health. It is advised see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.