Les Mills BODYATTACK release 89 review

Every three months, Les Mills International debuts new “releases” for each of its group fitness programs, and it’s finally time to talk about the latest Les Mills BODYATTACK release number 89. I’ve taught this release quite a few times over the past month, and it’s certainly a good one in my book.

Why do I do these group fitness reviews every quarter on A Lady Goes West? Because people care. Les Mills, based in New Zealand, is a huge international community of more than 100,000 instructors and even more participants, enjoying 18 programs like BODYPUMP, CXWORX and more. We (the tribe of Les Mills fanatics) get a kick out of seeing the new moves and music and sweating together. We’re all just doing our part to help promote a fitter planet, in different time zones and in different languages, and we love to talk about it.

A little bit of background on BODYATTACK as a program

First, here are a few things you may want to know about BODYATTACK:

• It’s a one-hour choreographed sports-cardio class set to awesome music
• It’s much more athletic than aerobic and has been heading in that direction for the past year or so — the program is constantly evolving
• No matter your fitness level, you can do BODYATTACK, because there are tons of options and modifications applicable to almost every move in class
• It’s only available in gyms that pay for a license from the Les Mills company and cannot be done at home or by video (unless you’re a certified instructor who receives the educational videos for learning)
• I teach BODYATTACK about three times-a-week in gyms around the San Francisco Bay Area and have been certified in the program for almost two years
• People become obsessed with Les Mills BODYATTACK and there’s a reason why — the energy, the music and the workout high you get from it can be addicting 

For the nitty-gritty on BODYATTACK, head on over to my post on BODYATTACK tips for first-timers, or check this out straight from the folks at Les Mills:

BODYATTACK^™ is a high-energy fitness class with moves that cater for total beginners to total addicts. We combine athletic movements like running, lunging and jumping with strength exercises such as push-ups and squats. A LES MILLS^™ instructor will pump out energizing tunes and lead you through the workout – challenging your limits in a good way, burning up to 730 calories* and leaving you with a sense of achievement. 

BODYATTACK 89 class review

Overall, my thoughts on BODYATTACK 89:

• Great music, with a variety of genres represented … there are some new and popular songs, as well as more obscure songs, so it’s sure to please a wide-range of people.
• Moves quick … the recoveries are short, so both instructors and participants need to take the breaks, so you can go hard when the time comes.
• Is much more athletic … there are less and less aerobic moments in BODYATTACK, which means the sports-feel is ever-present. Enjoy those sporty moments, and have a little fun in the aerobic moments. 
• Makes you work hard … BODYATTACK should never feel easy, and this release provides a few new challenges designed to make you work for your fitness and become a better athlete.
• Is a winner … perhaps one of my favorite releases, and I didn’t dislike a single track.

And now for a track-by-track breakdown, with links to some of the music. (However, not all are exact versions of the songs used in the release.)

1. Warm-up. “Keep it Alive (Mr. G! Remix Edit)” by Brooklyn Bounce & Giorno. This upbeat song is a great welcome to the workout. We do a lot of running on-the-spot and bouncing side-to-side to get the body ready to move in different planes of motion. There are step touches, step curls, side lunges, as well as a short bit of work in plank on the ground. I found this warm-up moderately easy to learn and very easy to teach. The floor-work is quite brief in this one, and because I’ve actually enjoyed having a few mountain-climbers or push-ups in the warm-up, I’d love to see that come back in the next release. The biggest challenge in this track is getting participants to keep their hips square to the front during the athletic bounces. Thumbs up!
2. Mixed Impact. “New Thang by Red Parade“ Well I just love this song. At five full minutes, this is actually on the longer-side for track twos, and the moves are faster. There are some gallops, step curls, runs on-the-spot and a brand new side-step run. I love the direction-changing aspect of this new side-step run move. This track has a bit more of an athletic feel than other Mixed Impact tracks, and it certainly sets the tone for a good workout. As an instructor not on a stage at some of my gyms, it can be challenging to do the side-step run full-out on the way forward and run past my participants, but I make it work. The music is good, but at times it seems like the moves aren’t perfectly suited to it. Thumbs up!
3. Aerobics. “Bang Bang by J Rae & Fringe” Aerobic tracks are always fun for me to teach. This one is super happy, and the popular song with the “bang bang” lyrics is good to hook into. In this track, we do a lot of square running, shuffles, single knees and jump jacks. In the third set, some more challenging double-knee cross-behinds make an appearance, which always take a bit more time for participants to get. This track certainly keeps us guessing with all of the square-run direction changes. Overall, it’s a fun one, and does just as it is supposed to do — get the heart-rate up. Thumbs up!
4. Plyometrics. “Blade Theme (Bodybangers Mix Edit) by Bryce” I think this is the perfect track four. There are three sets, which are almost identical, except the last set has an added challenge. When we ask participants to work at their all-out effort, it’s best to give them simple moves that they can execute and improve each round. There are skaters with a hold, single skaters, bottom-half squat jumps and bottom-half squat jumps to burpees. Personally, I find the difficulty of this track is just perfection. People of all fitness levels can go as hard as they want. In just five minutes, this one does it. The music is different and certainly drives the moves. Major thumbs up!
5. Athletic Strength. “Freaks by Timmy Trumpet feat. Savage“ Okay, let’s get it out of the way and say that yes, this track features plyometric clapping push-ups, and they are killer. At six-and-a-half minutes, this upper- and lower-body conditioning track is no joke. There are reverse lunge pulses, single lunges, tricep push-ups, bottom-half chest push-ups and finally an optional plyometric push-up with a clap in-between. There are three rounds, which are quite similar. I found the counting of the initial reverse lunge/knee-lift combination a bit strange to introduce, but it goes well with the music. The hardest part about this release is the plyo push-up, and making sure members (as well as you) brace the core before pushing off the ground and clapping. I found that many participants left out the option, and those who did, mostly did it on their knees. Tough track. Cool song. Thumbs up.
6. Running. “Surrender by The Passionate Man“ Here’s another one that I just love. While in previous releases, I’ve felt like the running song was a “throwaway,” this particular running track is “cruisy” with a purpose. Both track five and track seven are pretty challenging, so we need the reprieve of a laid-back running track. In just four-and-a-half minutes, participants run around in a circle, do easy forward squat jumps and run-forward-and-back with a big clap. There are three sets, which are fairly similar and easy to coach and memorize. I think this track six is a home-run when you look at the release as a whole. Good song too. Major thumbs up!
7. Agility. “Hardcore Salsa 2K14 (Hardstyle Edit) by DJ Mikesh“ This is my favorite track seven ever. I usually don’t like track seven, but I can’t get enough of this one. I find it quite challenging too. As an instructor, you have to get your previews done properly to guide participants to the next thing. There are two halves, and the moves include squat pulses, bounces, and a brand new decoy-switch move, which is like a fast snowboard jump, turning the body about 180 degrees very quickly. This decoy switch is super difficult, as are the eight forward-back sprints with ladder-runs tacked on at the end — and the speed-work seems like it is going to go on forever. As a note: It’s tough to get members to see that the decoy-switch is different from a shuffle, and there isn’t a low-option demoed on the video or notes, but I’ve been adding one in. I just can’t get enough of this track. Major thumbs up!
8. Intervals. “Stay (Radio Edit) by Jens O“ This is a wonderful song, and goes so well with the moves for this standard track eight. We do some run/side flick combinations, run/kick combinations, kicks on-the-spot and kicks moving forward. Each set is a little bit different, and each builds perfectly with the tempo and tone of the music. While this is not a hard interval track, it’s just right as it sets us up for a big track nine. I love the fitness magic portion, in which we get to ask participants to raise their arms up with the lyrics during a break between sets. Thumbs up.
9. Power. “Viva La Hardcore (Radio Edit) by Section 1” I guess I could say I’m not a huge fan of this track. For some reason, it seems a little spastic to me. There is a three front-jump, one tuck-jump combination that we do while turning, which is very quick, and while I like this move, I prefer to have a safe and front-facing take-off for tucks just to ensure safety. This track is four sets and five-and-a-half minutes, with little-to-no recovery between the first three sets, so it packs a punch. My favorite part is the final set when we break the class up into two groups to finish with short bursts of work doing moves repeated from earlier in the track, which sort of redeems the track. Overall, not my favorite, but the song is cool with it’s bagpipe flare. Neutral thumb.
10. Core Conditioning. “Celebrate by Dense Missile” Five minutes to work the core, which is plenty after coming off of a tough track nine. This song is very good, and there are a range of plank, hover and crunch moves to keep us guessing. I love the addition of the single-leg glute bridge pulse, and am so happy to see more bridges and posterior work added into the core track. I definitely feel the burn in this one, especially in those top-half 30 pulse crunches. Thumbs up.
11. Cool-down. “Colours by Titanium“ This is such a pleasing and uplifting song, and is the perfect end to a tough workout. I love when we add in the adductor stretch, which we get to do in this track, as well as the standard hip flexor, hamstring and quad stretches. It’s short, at under four minutes, but does a decent job of hitting the major muscles for a cool-down. Thumbs up.

Wow, I guess I went through that without giving any thumbs down, so as you can see, I’m a big fan of BODYATTACK 89.

For instructors …

This one is pretty to easy to learn with a lot of repetition. But it’s tough, so be sure to show options early and remind participants about those options. I’d also recommend reading the “Track Focus” for each track and ensuring that you’re hitting what is suggested and not saying too much. For more tips, check out: Top 10 ways to grow your group fitness classes.

For participants …

BODYATTACK continues to change, and as a participant, you should continue to push yourself. I love it when I see people who normally don’t jump attempt a jump. And if you’re on-the-fence about the high options, go for them for the first or second set only. With this release, it’s important to focus on chest up, shoulders back and breathing. If you can get all that, you’ll be able to follow along with BODYATTACK 89. Enjoy it! For more tips, check out: How to get better results from group fitness classes.

Read more Les Mills-related posts

If you want to hear some more talk about Les Mills, check out the following:

• Most popular questions I get asked about Les Mills
• How to learn Les Mills new releases and choreography
• CXWORX Initial Training
• BODYATTACK Initial Training
• BODYPUMP Advanced Instructor Module 1
• BODYPUMP Advanced Instructor Module 2
• Les Mills Groundworks
• BODYATTACK Certification
• BODYPUMP 101 overview and tips for first-timers
• BODYATTACK 101 overview and tips for first-timers
• BODYPUMP 89 review and launch
• BODYATTACK 84 review
• CXWORX 101 overview and tips for first-timers
  
• BODYATTACK Advanced Instructor Module 1
• BODYATTACK 85 review
• BODYPUMP 90 review
• BODYATTACK 86 review
• BODYPUMP 91 review
• BODYPUMP 92 review
• BODYATTACK 87 review
• BODYPUMP 93 review
• BODYATTACK 88 review
• An amazing day of group fitness at the Super Q

I hope you have an awesome day, my friends! I’ll see you back here tomorrow for “Friday Favorites.”

Questions of the day 

Have you tried BODYATTACK 89? What are your thoughts?

What has been the best workout you’ve done lately?

Do you prefer aerobics, sports or strength work in a class?

  

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