BodyPump 82: A review

Well, Team USA has finally launched BodyPump 82, and although I say this almost every time, this time I truly mean it when I say this is the best release we’ve had yet.

I’m not joking when I say this is a tough release. There are a whopping 58 pushups between the chest, tricep and shoulder tracks, and there would’ve been a lot more had we done the alternative shoulder track, which has 48 pushups alone, compared to a measly 15 in the regular shoulder track.

With that being said, here is my review of the latest release, which was also my last launch as a “single” man, with my wedding coming up before you can say hit the deck!

Warmup: A great start to the workout. This track had a lot of quick transitions, but we had to be on our toes. I was a little worried about that when I started learning this one, but we did a fantastic job of pre-cueing and nailing the transitions.

Squats: While I’m sick and tired of all the sappy Adele songs Les Mills is remixing into so-called BodyPump music, the choreography in this track was awesome. I saw a couple of participants increase their weight – which was possible thanks to the short bursts of work and all the hard work my participants put in. There are only two sets with minimal recovery in between, but don’t be fooled. They are tough!

Chest: This is where the fun really begins. An awesome song with even better choreography. The plate push-ups add a spectacular twist, and really hit the pecs and the chest from different angles. This was one of many new moves we showed off in this release, and I think the members will experience great benefit from it.

Back: This re-mix of an Evanesence tune really added spice to the back and legs track. Like the squat track, this one didn’t have a whole lot of recovery time, but it was a toughie. The song, however, proved to be very uplifting and matched the choreography extremely well. The slower tempos in the mid-grip rows really put the strength into the upper back, and we were certainly feeling it!

Triceps: Easily my favorite track in this release! No, not because of the push-ups, because of the cheeky song (Bad case of loving you, which everyone should know!) This track, we didn’t stop from the moment play was pressed until that last drop-and-stop push-up. The choreography (dips, extensions, kickbacks, pushups, kickbacks, pushups) is difficult, but the song kept the pain from the participants’ minds. We really did an outstanding job of being cheeky and silly during the song yet still driving the chorey and work into the members.

Biceps: One of my two personal bests came on this track (FINALLY was able to nail it with 14KG, or just over 30 pounds, on that bar!!) This was a short yet tough track, but again, the music was awesome. The song, Bottoms Up by Nickleback, has some great lyrics that tie into the workout, including “This is what it’s all about,” and “Hammer Down.” This track truly set a great tone for the second half of the workout.

Lunges: Les Mills has been spicing up the lunge tracks lately and this one was no exception! This time, we added jump squats to the mix. When I first practiced them, my first thought was, these are hard, but my members can do these like child’s play!! They did that and then some, skyrocketing off that floor like a rocket taking off to the moon. The club-atmosphere-like song certainly helped too!

Shoulders: There were “only” 15 pushups in this one, but this was a blast of a shoulder track! Once again, I was able to increase my weight (18KG to be exact), and the choreography featured a little bit of everything. The song was awesome, and once again, from the time we pressed play, we never stopped crushing it!

Abs: Not much to go into detail about here. Very simple yet tough abdominals track featuring crunches, oblique twists and mountain climber hover work. Great end to a great workout.

Cooldown: Not to sound harsh, but this song sucks and will be the first one to be mixed out! It gave me the feeling we were at a funeral, an Adele concert or at the house of some chick who had just been dumped by her boyfriend. In fact, the last two cooldown songs have given me that feeling. It’s not supposed to be that way. It’s supposed to celebrate the workout!!!!

BodyPump 82 was an awesome release, and Team USA has done a killer job of presenting it to our members. The response to the release was mostly positive, and I’m happy to say they enjoyed the workout!

Ryan McLaughlin

About Ryan McLaughlin

BDN sports reporter Ryan McLaughlin grew up in Brewer and is a lifelong fan of the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins. In "The Boston Blitz" he'll be sharing his perspective with BDN readers about what's happening on the Boston professional sports scene.