Everything you need to know about Les Mills
Greetings, friends! I’m vacationing in Cabo this week, but I prepared a few posts ahead of time for your reading pleasure. The first one is a chance to round up all things Les Mills, which is a topic I cover quite regularly.
In case you don’t know, Les Mills is an international group fitness brand, and I’m a huge fan, as well as an instructor of a few of the company’s programs.
It all started with a barbell
My official start in the fitness world happened almost five years ago when I became a certified Les Mills BODYPUMP instructor. I was a regular attendee of BODYPUMP, and my favorite instructor encouraged me to become a leader, as I made more and more improvement in the class. It was one of the most significant decisions I’ve ever made, because today I’m a full-time fitness professional and trainer.
I was drawn to the high-quality and balanced workouts of Les Mills classes, which although were all challenging, seemed attainable and always entertaining. I soon learned that in addition to creating great classes, Les Mills has also inspired a strong international community of 100,000 instructors in 80 countries, who live to help other people get moving.
As of today, I’m certified to instruct three Les Mills programs, including BODYPUMP, BODYATTACK and CXWORX. I’ve also become an Advanced Instructor in BODYPUMP, by attending two continuing education workshops. Oh, and I got the very exciting opportunity to work at the West Coast office of Les Mills for a few months after I moved to San Francisco.
That being said, clearly I’m a believer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a blog back in the days of my initial BODYPUMP training, so that one isn’t covered in-depth. But I have written about most of my other experiences, as well as my thoughts on other Les Mills-related topics.
Here’s a look back at those posts, as well as a collage from my AIM 2, when I still had blonde hair.
Les Mills program overviews
- BODYPUMP 101 overview and tips for first-timers
- BODYATTACK 101 overview and tips for first-timers
- CXWORX 101 overview and tips for first-timers
Les Mills events
- CXWORX Initial Training
- BODYATTACK Initial Training
- BODYPUMP Advanced Instructor Module (AIM) 1
- BODYPUMP Advanced Instructor Module (AIM) 2
- Les Mills Groundworks
Other Les Mills information
- BODYATTACK Certification
- How to learn Les Mills choreography
- BODYPUMP 89 review and launch
- BODYATTACK 84 review
Les Mills is one of the most popular search terms that brings people in to read my blog. In fact, my post on BODYPUMP for first-timers was one of the most clicked on posts I’ve written to date.
People love Les Mills and so do I.
If you’ve never had a chance to experience any of the classes, keep your eyes and ears open, or check out this gym locator.
What’s next for me with Les Mills?
I’m attending a BODYATTACK Advanced Instructor Module 1 a couple of days after I get back from vacation, and I’m looking forward to many tuck jumps, jumping jacks, plyo lunges and advanced coaching tips.
Questions of the day
Have you ever taken a Les Mills class? If so, what’s your favorite Les Mills program and why?
Budding instructors out there, do you have any questions about Les Mills? Feel free to ask!
Thanks for the informative post! You know how much I love Les Mills too. I’m excited to be part of the tribe and teach in the near future!
Every three months will be like Christmas when you get your new releases and music. Just wait! 🙂
I’ve taken both bodyjam and bodycombat. Bodyjam is really hit or miss for me but I do love combat!
Love everything Les Mills, as you know! Pump is my first love, but CX is def coming up there! And GRIT I love, but it’s just so different, it’s something you love & hate. haha!
Have fun in Cabo!!
I love to hate GRIT too. Great way to put it! 🙂
I LOVE BP but HATE the lunge and squat track. It’s just how I walk and it was recommended to me by my teacher that I not use weights for the lunge track. I’m just wondering how long I could get away with it.
What exactly is Grit anyways?
Hi Terra! Thanks for stopping by. Les Mills GRIT is a series of 30-minute programs, which are super high intense. There is a strength version, a plyometric version and a cardio version. The GRIT coach, comes into the class and corrects form and helps people more than a regular Les Mills class. The workouts are super short, so you go very hard. It’s sort of like a hybrid between group training and personal training. Very effective!
Thanks I’ve only seen flyers around my gym about it. Last night was the first time I actually heard about it.
I had a gym disaster strike me really hard and my BP classes got taken away from me for good. Is there any way I could continue strentgh training on my own? I really have no desire to exercise right now. I know I need to do something.
Hi Terra, I’m sorry to hear there’s been some issues keeping you from BODYPUMP. But yes, you definitely should still be incorporating strength training into your week about 2-3 times. Do you have any dumbbells or resistance bands at home? If so, head on over to my Fitness page and there are a few short and effective dumbbell workouts you can do at home. Let me know if you have specific questions.