Thats what happens when you don't do Body Pump for 2 weeks!! We taught this past Friday after returning from our vacation, and Saturday, we were both so sore we could barely walk! I really thought with all the walking/hiking we did that we would not be so sore - but I was wrong! So - the moral of the story is...DONT MISS BODY PUMP! Mondays class was less painful so it is tapering off.

Craig always talls me to write but he does so a great job of filling everyone in on the latest stuff - I feel I have nothing to write about. So after much consideration, and for those of you with nothing to do at work, I thought I'd tell you a little about me!!

I have come a long way - If someone told me 10 years ago that I would be teaching a weight training class - in front of others, I would have never believed it. I was 40 lbs overweight and the thought of speaking in front of people was enough to bring the smelling salts. I had been overweight since childhood, so I have heard every fat name in the book. After years of yo-yo dieting, I finally took control and began a lifestyle change of healthy eating and exercise. In 2001, I studied to become a personal trainer through International Sports Science Association. I passed, quit my job as a secretary, (which I hated), and got a job at a fitness center where I lived in Newnan, GA - I loved working in that environment! I was only there a few months when Craig, only a boyfriend then, asked me to move to Blacksburg, VA that November. I knew he was the 'man of my dreams' so I moved right on up - got a job at New Town Fitness - and the rest is history! Oh yes, Craig and I were married June 13. 2003 and he stated teaching with me about a year ago. I think we make a pretty good team! We motivate each other to work outand eat healthy, especially since he too used to be overweight. (maybe he could post our 'fat' pictures...)

OK...now it's time to go back to work!

Tami

>>> Updated 8/8/05:
>>> We now have BodyPump 55 in our hot little hands!
>>> Click Here to read our full review...

Even as 54 is just hitting the streets, a bit of BodyPump 55 promo material was recently published. From the info posted, it looks like ShapeShifters returns with "Back To Basics" for the warm-up, joined by Nu Pagadi with "Sweetest Poison" for the chest track. We've seen a lot of E-Type on past back & hamstring tracks, so they'll be right at home with "Olympia" on this release. Tricep dips make a comeback with this workout, followed by The Chemical Brothers' "Galvanize" during biceps. From the sounds of it, a tough shoulder track is in store, not to mention another installment of plate work with the abs. Rock on! (source: www.fitpro.com/bts/workshops.cfm)

Tami has developed a system for learning new releases that really works well for us. Here's what we do:

Music - From the moment we receive the CD, every chance she gets we're playing that release. In the car, in the kitchen, on the computer at work. Wherever, whenever, it becomes the background music of our lives for a good solid month. You'd think it would grate on your nerves that way, but actually it doesn't. And here's the reason we do it - after hearing a release fifty or so times, every nuance of that music is burned into your memory. (By the way, if you have kids it'll drive them nuts - we see it as a sort of a sweet "parental revenge")

Choreography - After the first watch of the video, we generally don't look at it again for 2-3 weeks. But then, when we're ready, we watch each track together and write down the choreography. Tami transcribes hers primarily from the book onto an erasable board, while I do mine primarly from the video into a text document on my laptop. Either way, we're both writing the choreography down in some form or another, and that's the key to this step.

Practice - About a week or two before the launch (which for our club is typically 6-8 weeks after the release comes out) we individually practice our tracks using our handwritten notes and the iPod. And, finally, we run through the routine together several times using weighted bars and dumbells.

By the time the launch rolls around, we're ready to rock. One thing, though - it always sounds different over the club's sound system than at home - so if you have the opportunity to play it there first that's always a help!

When my darling husband wanted us to watch the new DVD and write a review - I said ok. However, we watched the DVD on a plane headed for Vegas - on his laptop. Not a good combo to try to assess the new release! However, in the car as we we're driving to Bryce Canyon, Utah, I played it - and it sounded great! Of course my favorites are still the warm-up and shoulders - but I thought they were all powerful, and fun! Can't wait to do them with weights!
I want to say too what a difference BP & BF have made in our life. We just finished a 4 day - 3 night backpacking adventure in Zion National Park. We covered about 36 miles in that time. Our second day was a 13 mile stretch! But we did it and feel great! Also - the benefits of BF have been tremendous. I was actually doing Flow in our room last night - don't want to get out of practice! Yes - even on vacation we find time to get our excercise in!
The new Body Flow 29 is a great release as well. I have been listening to the music every chance I get. Was able to do the first part of the routine before we left for vacation, and although I felt the moves were less complex, I felt it was tough. I also like the new way of having Jackie teach the entire class. Oh yes - and I love the fact that we can now use the printed notes for relaxation. I actually did that for this last release and found that after the third or fourth time - I did not need them anymore! Thanks Jackie for the change!
The reason why I have time to write all this while on vacation is because Craig is napping. Guess I'm wearing him out?! ; )

Thanks for reading! Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Tami

Coming fresh on the heels of an awesome BodyPump 53 release, number 54 has some big shoes to fill. So does it make the mark? Let's have a look:

Warm Up - Tami says this is the best one yet - "It's not one of those typical girly songs - this one really gets your heart rate up and sets the tone for the rest of the workout." No kidding - we predict smiles all around the room when class opens with this one.

Squats - While it's unlikely many will ditch Bryan Adams' version of "Run To You" in favor of this one from Novaspace, this 5:39 monster has enough singles to challenge even the strongest set of legs. The new super slow "down and hold" looks like a sure bet for future BodyPump squat tracks.

Chest - As a chest track, "Summer Rain" lacks the raw power of "Push It", "Enter Sandman", "Stuck In The UK", and other class favorites. That said, however, this top & bottom combo routine is rich with singles and pulses - check your weights before you scratch this tune!

Back & Hamstrings - If you like dead rows, you'll love this routine. Your underhand intro includes four sets of triples, followed by seven. And, if that's not enough, two sets of triples and a seven follow each clean & press set. So why are we doing this to a love song?

Triceps - The backbeat of Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For" takes the intensity of this tricep buster to a whole new level. It's only 4:13, but the end can't come soon enough when you hit the floor for the final round of tricep push-ups!

Biceps - Flashy half-singles and stagger moves energize this bicep routine that's more fun than a barrel full of monkeys. "Car Wash" is a sure bet for the class favorite list!

Lunges - You know you're in for some pain whenever the lunge routine features a singles-pulses-singles sequence. But if you're a child of the 70's you won't feel a thing, thanks to the funky disco feel of this Shapeshifters tune.

Shoulders - Without exception, every BodyPump release features a track we both lay claim to for the launch - and it's been awhile since a shoulder track took that honor. So it boils down to this: Whoever gets to the mailbox first gets first dibs. And for BodyPump 54, that would be Tami...

Abs - We saw the introduction of the plate for ab work in 53, and we're glad to see that trend continue with 54. But it took a strong dose of Steve Miller LPs to cleanse our minds after Fatboy Slim's rendition of "The Joker"...

Cool Down - Sting's silky smooth "A Thousand Years" would be right at home in BodyBalance/Flow - and it works brilliantly as a BodyPump cool down. We won't be surprised if it turns up again in another Les Mills class.

The BodyPump 54 promo promised to be "Different. Better. Yet still the same" with "a fresh new feel to the proven Les Mills formula for getting bodies into shape in record time". So, did it do this? Here's what we think:

Music - Re-makes of legendary songs like "Run To You" and "The Joker" have to do justice to the originals. We got that in prior releases with "Walk This Way" and "Lady Marmillade" (not to mention the Robbie Williams tracks), but the re-makes in this release (save "Word Up", of course) make us long for the originals. That said, this release features some exciting tracks, including Safri Duo's "Rise" for the warm up, a very cool tricep-bicep-lunges run, and topped off with a mesmerizing cool down. BodyPump 54 isn't as far out as the techno-heavy 52 release, but it's not quite in the same league musically as the legendary 44, 47, and 53 releases either. We give the BodyPump 54 playlist a B+.

Workout Routine - As we've mentioned in prior posts, the trend in BodyPump releases of late has been toward more intense workouts - and we're glad to report that BodyPump 54 keeps the heat on! We like the new super slow "down and hold" in squats, plus the biceps half-singles and stagger moves and the continued use of the plate in abs. And while we like the way the BodyPump routine continues to evolve into a more intense workout, we'd definitely welcome a return to some isometric ab work (releases 48 & 49, for example), or something wild like risers with push-ups in "Crack It" (release 50). We give the BodyPump 54 routine an A-.

Instructor Video - In a neat departure from prior releases, Program Director and Head Choreographer Mike McSweeney presents all ten Master Class tracks. The stage is kept fresh with continuous swaps through a team of Auckland presenters as shadows. We definitely noticed a higher degree of emphasis on form and technique beyond that of prior releases, with Mike calling attention to specific coaching cues that instructors need to focus on during their own presentations. The video for this release felt less like a show and more like a class for instructors, and that's why we give it an A.

So, there you have it. Agree or disagree? Let us know - click the Comments link below and tell us about it!

We're leaving next week for two weeks of backpacking out in Utah and Arizona. So check out this "Bon Voyage" playlist that Tami came up with for the next couple of classes:

One step away - Warm Up
Ready To Go - Squats
Push It - Chest
Never Surrender - Back/Hamstrings
Rise Up - Triceps
Walk this way - Biceps
On And On - Lunges
We Will Survive - Shoulders
Left Outside Alone - Abs
Out Of Reach - Cool Down

Pretty cool, huh! (think they'll figure it out?)