BodyPump is a weight-based group-fitness program, created and distributed globally by Les Mills International. Created in 1991 by Phillip Mills, it is now found in over 70 countries and 10,000 health-clubs and gyms worldwide.
The first BodyPump classes started in December 1991 in Auckland, New Zealand (According to the information published in the United Kingdom via a report by Alan Felstead). The concept according to Phillip Mills was to get men into the aerobics room.[citation needed]
BodyPump classes are 60 minutes long and contain eight separate muscle-group specific songs or "tracks" along with an opening warm up track and closing cool-down track. There is also a 45 minute class format, which omits two muscle groups /tracks (biceps and triceps) and is used in time slots where participants generally don't have a full hour to spare.[1] Lately BodyPump Express classes, which last 30 minutes, have been introduced in Canada, the UK and Japan, which removes the biceps and triceps exercises, the cool down and either the shoulders or lunges track from the full format. Like all of the Les Mills Group Fitness programs, BodyPump is pre-choreographed by Les Mills International, giving it global homogeneity.
The classes are performed to music using free weights-plates, barbells and an aerobic step. Participants choose their weights based on the exercise and their personal goals. Major muscle groups are worked via series of compound and isolation-based exercises including squats, presses, dead lifts. The focus is towards muscle endurance using several repetitions.[2]
A normal class consists of 10 tracks each lasting between 4 and 6 minutes. Due to the nature of the program maximum heart rate (MHR) increases in different phases.[3] In addition, the aerobic capacity changes are based on music selection beats per minute (BPM).
