New BODYSTEP® participants often wonder why they are being asked to do certain things in this class they have never been required to do in others. Why only two risers? Why does riser height change? Why do we move the step around? Why no bouncing? Why are there propulsions? What’s up with the arm movements? Why do I have to stay close to my step? These questions are all addressed here for you. What you may find is that you have habits from a previous step class that may be working against you. If you want to know the why behind the how read on.

Why only two risers? Actually, this recommendation isn’t unique to BODYSTEP®. The manufacturers of the product below your feet encourage users to limit riser height to two for class usage. This, according to much research, is the maximum height to which one can ascend without damaging ligaments, tendons, cartilage, etc. in the knees. For slow movements, plyometrics and/or specific training goals, more risers may be added. Your safety is at risk if you elevate higher in a class setting, however.

Why does riser height change? While you are welcome to begin class on 2 risers, it is certainly not required. Making use of only one or no risers can be helpful to novice steppers on their first few days in BODYSTEP®. Optimally, one begins class on 2 risers, lowers to one, then to bench top only, and for the final track, back up to 1 riser. This allows for the complete utilization of the pace of the music. As the music in class speeds up, the height must go down. For your own safety, you should NEVER attempt to do a higher riser height than that recommended by your instructor. He/she has been trained to insist upon appropriate step usage for your safety. Using a bench that is too high puts your knees, ankles, and feet at risk and prohibits your ability to maintain the pace of the song. The latter of which can be distracting to other class participants which puts them at risk.

Why do we move the step around? Moving from a “long” step to a “wide” one, or vice versa, does a few things. Psychologically, it provides variety and interest to the workout. Physically, it allows the focus of the exercise to change from covering ground to increasing propulsive height. Also, in some cases, it is to accommodate musical pace or movement sequencing. Regardless, it is imperative that you follow your instructor’s lead on this critical element of BODYSTEP®.

Why no bouncing? This one is especially important. The ballistic “bounce” commonly seen in step classes is frowned upon in BODYSTEP®. Injuries like Achilles tendon tears, plantar fasciitis, and compartment’s syndrome have been directly related to this action. In order to provide for your safety, BODYSTEP® instructors have been trained to remind you to plant your heel, land softly, and avoid extra impact on the floor. To ensure your ability to participate in step long term, control that bounce!

Why are there propulsions? Participants who are new to exercising, recovering from injury, or have joint difficulty should avoid the added propulsions. In order to fully develop the gastrocnemius, or calf muscle, a slight “jump” off one foot is strategically employed during BODYSTEP®. These propulsions are the final layer of intensity and should not be added until: you can complete all the choreography without unscheduled breaks, you can utilize the full recommended riser height, you can add in the arm movements and you can control your landings to avoid floor impact. Once you are capable of implementing the propulsions, however, you will appreciate the added challenge they bring to BODYSTEP®. Carefully listen to your instructor and only utilize propulsions over the step and when directed.

What’s up with the arm movements? Just as propulsions are the final layer of intensity in BODYSTEP®, the arm movements are the final layer of choreography. Beginners should keep their arms neutral and master the steps before adding anything else. Once you are comfortable with your feet, adding the arm choreography challenges both your heart and your core. In order to move your arms overhead as directed, your heart must force blood both downward to your legs and upward to your arms. This demand increase allows you to burn more calories and improves your cardiovascular conditioning. Your core must be engaged in order for the arm lines to be safely added, thereby creating a challenge for your abdominal wall as well. If you have the feet, it’s time to add the arms!

Why do I have to stay close to my step? This final question is perhaps the hardest to answer. Participants who have been in traditional step classes for years may have developed the habit of “long striding”. This means that some steppers instinctively add intensity by creating more distance between their starting point and the object of their focus, the step. Unfortunately, doing so can place undue hardship on ankles, knees, hips, and low back. In order to maintain proper stepping posture, one should stay only one short stride from the bench. BODYSTEP® is uniquely choreographed to provide sufficient challenge with other elements, i.e. riser height, arm lines, and/or propulsion. Protect your joints and back by keeping your abs engaged and being aware of your stepping distance.

These answers to commonly asked questions are simply for your information. There are a multitude of instructions to digest in each BODYSTEP® class you will ever take. Your instructor is your best source of information both in class and beyond. Do your best to follow your instructor closely and listen for those little reminders that will make your next BODYSTEP® class your best experience yet. KEEP ON STEPPING! Now you know!

Sadly, this statement is true far too often. When it is, group fitness managers and instructors fear they are in for a standoff with the man or woman who signs the paychecks. This is not a good feeling. Managing through fear is typically self defeating and leads to a lower product quality overall. So what’s a group fitness professional to do? There are many solutions available through Les Mills®, to help you speak the owner’s language and prove the value of group fitness through real numbers.

First, it is important to address who’s who in this equation. You, the group fitness manager, become at once sales person, tribal elder, and defender of the faith. Your job is to sell the benefits of your department to the owner, maintain the morale of the instructors, and continue to deliver quality programming in the wake of departmental struggles. The facility owner is saying a few things no matter what he/she is “saying”. 1-I am paying this much to instructors, how much are they making me? 2-I see income from Personal Training, why should I keep something that makes no profit? 3-How do I know if group fitness is even doing a good job? Responding with words of praise from members and being likable is just not enough.

The GFM seminar, free to licensees, helps group fitness mangers track, interpret, and improve the numbers that will help you make the sale to your owner. If you have not yet attended, you should. The information available to you is invaluable. Persuading your general manager and/or owner to also attend is even better. Before you can competently communicate the value of your program to the owner, you must know how to put that value in terms he/she will understand. You must know who uses it, who joined because of it, how many people you serve, and which classes are performing best. With this information, you are prepared to discuss the program with the owner.

Unless you charge separately for group fitness, there may be no direct revenue stream attributable to group fitness. You may need to seek alternate means of validation by performing a survey, reviewing the daily attendance numbers, and/or specifically tracking group attendance. How do you know what is best in your circumstances? The GFM Seminar can teach you that. If you have been, but still need more assistance, contact your club coach. They are trained to help you interpret your data and craft intelligent arguments defending your department.

Trying to define a “good” job in a group fitness class is like trying to measure “pretty”…it is in the eye or experience of the beholder. Your owner is seeking in this question verification of qualifications, cultural relevance, and consumer awareness. All of these elements are necessary to group fitness success. The 3-day training, quarterly releases, and extensive market research performed by Les Mills® effectively address these critical issues. Your owner, however, may not be aware of that. Make sure that you are able to defend your instructors on these issues. If you cannot confidently convey that about a team member, perhaps you should evaluate him or her. Free style and specialty instructors can be valuable to a program, but their credentials can be more difficult to verify. By all means, verify.

The Group Fitness Management Seminar is a valuable tool for group managers, general managers, and owners. It addresses the profit center issues and allows the parties to speak in the same terms without emotion or personal opinion. Numbers are typically free from bias and communicate clearly the value of group fitness. Les Mills® is more than eight spectacular programs. Les Mills® is more than one exceptional group fitness management system. When you fully embrace all that is Les Mills®, you discover that we are a complete group fitness solution. This is what the owner needs to know….he/she wants to be sold on the solution. Stand strong.

“We started in December with a few preview BODYPUMP® classes. In January, we opened up the classes and had room for 40 participants, and filled every session and had a wait list!  We had to add classes and even these classes were full!  Now we are up 38% from last year, and our only change has been BODYPUMP®.  We added noon classes that originally attracted between 10-15 participants. Once we added in BODYPUMP® the classes are never below 23 and average around 35-40. Our evening classes are packed and we are finally attracting men into our program. Before we were lucky to get one man in a class and now we average 5-10 men and its still growing! The members are happy that we are investing money into our programming.  They notice that we are supporting our Group Exercise program.  I love the banners and the posters and the Les Mills Midwest support! The Les Mills Midwest staff has been incredible and has worked with me extensively to guarantee the success of BODYPUMP®. We are looking forward to adding more Les Mills programs in the future.”

Barb Larocco, Group Fitness Manager
Elmhurst Park District (Elmhurst, Illinois)

WELCOME  to the tribe! (January 2009)

New Richmond Area Centre in New Richmond, WI now offering BODYPUMP®, BODYSTEP®, BODYVIVE®, and BODYFLOW®.

The Lafayette Family YMCA in Lafayette, IN has introduced BODYCOMBAT®, BODYPUMP®, BODYSTEP®, BODYVIVE® AND RPM®!

Powerhouse Gym in Twinsburg, OH is rolling out BODYFLOW®, BODYPUMP®, BODYSTEP®, and RPM®!

Two program new clubs include: Peak Sports Club in Loves Park, IL with BODYATTACK® and BODYVIVE®; Bettendorf Family YMCA in Iowa now presenting  BODYATTACK® and BODYPUMP®; Wild River Fitness Center in Osceola, WI offering BODYPUMP® and BODYVIVE®; Launching BODYPUMP® and BODYATTACK® is Ozark Fitness in Poplar Bluff, MO; and the Lockport Park District-Challenge Fitness in Lockport, IL now has BODYPUMP® and BODYSTEP®!

Who launched their very first Les Mills program with BODYATTACK®?

Answer:

Rockwell Collins Recreation Center in Cedar Rapids, IA
Healthpoint of Wooster, OH

….and with BODYPUMP®?

Answer:

Snyder Athletics in Marion, OH
Gurnee Illinois Park District in IL
Powerhouse Gym of Portage, MI
Bodywrx in Washington, IA
Elmhurst Park District in IL
Key Largo Fitness and Tanning-East in Columbia, MO
Roselle Park District in IL
North Family YMCA of Davenport, IA

Tribe members expanding their offerings with BODYATTACK® include:

Aspen Athletic in Cedar Rapids, IA; EMH Healthcare of Avon, OH;  and Time Out for Fitness in Minneapolis, MN.

Lady of America Fitness for Women in Canton, WI is now offering BODYFLOW®!

BODYCOMBAT® has been unleashed in Gold’s Gym Michigan in Indianapolis, IN; Lake Forest Health and Fitness in Lake Forest, IL; and Motion of Marquette, MI.

Performance Health & Fitness of Coralville, IA; Gold’s Gym-West Des Moines #1250 in Iowa; North Dodge Athletic Club in Iowa City, IA, and the West Family YMCA in Davenport Iowa are all fizzing with the energy of BODYVIVE®!

WELCOME ALL…TURN IT UP!


CONGRATULATIONS to our NEW TRIBE MEMBERS (February 2009):

Lifestyle Gyms in: Pickerington, OH; New Albany, OH; Fishers, IN; Greenwood, IN; Keystone,IN; and North Meridian, IN. All of these clubs now offer BODYATTACK®, BODYCOMBAT®, BODYFLOW®, BODYJAM®, BODYPUMP®, BODYSTEP®, AND RPM®!

New tribe members offering BODYPUMP® for the first time include: Maple City Racquet and Fitness in Goshen, IN; Anytime Fitness of Grinnell, IA; Mid American Studio in Farmington Hills, MI; Work Systems Rehabilitation and Fitness of Pella, IA; Aurora Wellness Center in Burlington, WI; and the Schaumburg Illinois Park District. Powerhouse Gym of Farmington Hills, MI brought on BODYPUMP® and unleashed BODYCOMBAT®!

Offering BODYSTEP® for the first time and joining the tribe are: YMCA of Cass & Clay Counties—Downtown, Fargo, ND and Club Fitness 24 by Powerhouse in Kokomo, IN….WELCOME!

For the existing Les Mills Midwest licensees now offering NEW PROGRAMS listed below, we are glad you are standing strong!

BODYCOMBAT® has been unleashed at Gold’s Gym of Gurnee, IL.

Plattsmouth Community Center in Plattsmouth, NE is now rockin’ out with BODYJAM®!

Steppin’ it up with BODYSTEP® are both YMCA Cass & Clay Counties—Schlossman Family in Fargo, ND and Wild River Fitness Center of Osceola, WI.

And Gold’s Gym in West Des Moines, IA as well as Innovative Health and Fitness of Franklin, WI are ridin’ like they stole it with RPM®!

Welcome all and TURN IT UP!

“Of course, since it’s done by Les Mills®, it’s done right”…These words from Sean Levesque are an amazing vote of confidence. Is he talking about BODYPUMP®? RPM®, maybe? Which program could possibly be the “PERFECT program that provides it all in one hour!” For Sean and his YMCA team in Minneapolis, the answer is BODYVIVE®.

As we all know, Y’s maintain a not for profit status. This, however, does not mean that many associations are not diligent about member acquisition and retention. After much success with other programs, this association realized there was a need for a low impact class. Upon seeing BODYVIVE®, the team decided, “this was designed for our Y. Baby boomers are our focus, we want our members to be healthy and fit. They loved the music and moves. BODYVIVE® is a multigenerational, easy on the joints workout.” YMCA has a tag line “strong kids & strong families”. Sean says, simply “BODYVIVE® allows us to fulfill that mission.”

In Minneapolis, 17 locations in the association have brought on BODYVIVE®. The result? “Families are participating together, developing an emotional connection, singing along, bringing friends --it just completely fits the mission of YMCA” according to Sean. He continues that BODYVIVE® set’s them apart from other facilities and health centers. BODYVIVE® even wins bragging rights to club launches ranging from 40-80 people!

One final word from Sean on this amazing new class, “We are seeing all ages come into almost every BODYVIVE® class we offer on the weekend schedules.  We get kids from the age of 10 and adults all the way up to 80 with knee and hip replacements trying this class and feeling successful.  It is such a friendly format that gives people everything they need in one fabulous workout.  The most popular excuse out there is not enough time and now we have the PERFECT program that provides it all in one hour!!  Our members just LOVE this aspect of it as well as the music, but I would expect nothing less from Les Mills®.”
Thanks for the props Jay! CONGRATULATIONS on your amazing success. We would expect nothing less from you!

For more information on BODYVIVE®, contact your Business Development Manager, Club Coach or info@mw.lesmillsusa.com.
KIA KAHA!