why Body-Combat/Body-Pump, Zumba & Insanity classes are the favourites

We have all heard of Body-Combat, Body-Pump, Zumba and the latest craze Insanity classes being the favourites in the gyms, with participates of 20-30 in the class.
Just why have these classes become so popular amongst gym members opting for these classes instead of a good old slog in session on the gym floor with the free-weights and weight machines and some added cardio?
When we look at all these classes on a deeper scale and notice that all have structured choreography, on the exception of Zumba if taught by an instructor who truly knows how to really work them steps, collaborating Salsa with various other Latin dances your guranteed a class with variety and not the same static moves for 3 months that creator Les Mills does for his Body-pump & Body-Combat, not forgetting to mention the crap music that you have to buy if teaching it to go with the choreographed moves.
Then theres the new craze Insanity that bluntly has taken the variation of hit training/circuit, which is a favourite for loosing fat and getting you shredded, if and there is an if, the right nutrition is followed, which the creator Shaun T has even taken care of that. In his booklet which is downlaodable it’s showing a high protein diet with little carbs being advise to consume. The dangers of consuming a high protein diet, not only can it have harmful effects if consumed regularly and lots of it, can also lead to problems with your liver function as well as an increase of osteoporosis by accelerating mobilisation & excretion of calcium are 2 listed in the dangers of consuming a high protein diet, then theres the other factor of gaining weight. Shaun T even gives you a run down on (calorie counting. How out-dated is that?). Firstly you shouldn’t be calorie counting in the first place, with Weight Watchers being UK chosen weight loss organisation and The NHS health reports suggests to send obese patients there to reduce the problem which has clearly not worked,with the promoting of calorie counting, hence now doing a complete U-turn as according to the UK Health Authorities obese is now diagnosed as a disability, really? OK some people might be suffering with a health disability that makes them put on weight, I get that but that’s not all of the obese population, theres another handful that eat way over their limit, downing ridiculous amounts of booze, take-aways constanly and not exercising regular are defiantly going to place the added weight on, unless you belong to the body type Ectomorph. The body type that finds it hard to gain weight easily, neither the less to say the weight might not gain as easily for this body type, but this body type can have consiquences if not looked after with regular exercise. Instead regular consumptions of fatty no good foods eaten on a regular basis and no exercise can lead to problems with their hearts, further more a heart attack.

Going back to the rising popularity of Zumba, Body-Combat/Pump and insanity has with gyms members, just how is it that it’s become so popular? Firstly theres the static moves that are repetitive from months on out, so the participants are blinded into seeing and thinking they are getting fitter and better at an individual exercise. The likely hood of anticipating in one of these classes and being so popular is the instructor is unable to correct to avoid their member any injuries because the class is over packed and not forgetting the Les Mills way of body-pump that goes against all principles of doing a deadlift, by teaching it’s instructors to teach its participants to lift the bar and take it to the knees: That’s not a proper deadlift, you take the bar to your ankles, just like the gym instructors are taught, instead Les Mills has placed his adaptation to make it easier for the participant and brain washing them into thinking thats the correct way, when in-fact their hamstring has merely not, had the workout it should to get the proper workout and conditioning required for that area. Body-Combat, I will give it a thumbs up for a cardio-workout, but lets be honest here, if you went into a proper dojo and started using the choreography and its meaning of combat you will be laughed out the dojo, then theres crappy music that comes with it. Les Mills I have never been to New Zealand but if thats the music you guys listen to hook me up I would be more than happy to supply you with some proper classic songs and artists with beats to get your participants really pumping. Then there’s Zumba that promises to tone and sculpt your body. OK if I do Zumba 3-4 times a week and eat utter rubbish will I still look tone & sculpt, after all it is Zumba? Thought not: Did I also mention anyone can be an instructor with their one day courses? Lastly theres Shaun T adaptation of Insanity that reportedly had a lot of participants injured usually in the long run mainly being knee injures, from a variety of plyometric exercises, for more info:(http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/lookup/filter/exercisetype/id/4/exercisetype/plyometrics.  Alright some of it makes sense like the Hit-Training is an excellent way to loose fat, but only if combined with the right diet and that does not mean a high protein diet so think about that and my best advise is to get to know your body and glide it in with your lifestyle, after all Aerobics was a big hit amongst the classes to do not long ago and was popular just like these classes mentioned, my point is exactly who does Aerobics or on that matter has it on their timetable, unless theres prehistoric gyms I am unaware of out there or an over 50’s keep fit?

To me I see this in a different light and coming from a phycology background, it is a cleverly organised structured classes designed to disillusion the naive population into thinking that you will shred pounds of fat, loose weight and tone and as mentioned the shabby music with beats that just are hideous rather than inspirational, but hey each to their own tastes. But the main point here I will raise is the fact that nutrition is not pointed out enough, For instance Zumba promises to sculpt and tone that body, does that also happen to the individual who shoves endless amount of lard down their throats every day and every other hour? Then there’s the other fact and statistic which now places The UK at the top of the list for Europe’s fattiest country. In other previous blog I have mentioned companies like Herbalife, Vaslis and The Cambridge diet as our answer to nutrition, then for the physical side, Body Combat, Body-Pump, Zumba and Insanity are our answers to keeping fit,sorry I forgot Vassals do a 90 day challenge that involves training, if so why is obesity and Type 2 diabetes rising by the minute, has our governing health gone bonkers or is it just me that sees the mass amount of money that is being generated and the creators of all this bullshit fads, pockets whilst the rest of the nation gets fat,meaning more revenue for Mr Tax, can you see the bigger picture now?

I was speaking to a contact who is high up in the rank for UK governing Health sectors, I cannot name the person, but I can tell you this, the person stated that classes like Les Mills, Insanity and Zumba don’t do what they say on the tin-label, instead act as a stepping stone to get people moving, more so they are moving so fast that they still are not catching up with the fact that obesity and type 2 diabetes is growing by the second and this problem will not go away unless stupid endorsed products and fitness fads go away for good.
What’s happen to good old classes that consisted of Circuits, Boxing, Legs Bums & Tums and Conditioning & Tone? Surprisingly these classes are not as popular but still are on most gyms timetable, participants finds them challenging as these classes are not static keeping to the same movements for 3 months in? I know in my 20 years experience in the fitness industry, it was not like there is today a growing obesity rate going up by the second like today, then again back then you didn’t have shitty endorsed products like Herbalife, Vasalis-90 challenge, but there was Weight-watchers that was bad enough. The point is Health & Fitness is a stepping path to making money and lots of it and thats exactly what these companies have jumped onto and guess what you are their guiny pigs for this and the popular classes just mentioned is great to get people moving, but at least get them moving in a way that teaches them technique, (after all you don’t want that journey to end before its began, because you have been injured, through poor technique ), or do you?.

 

 

 

 

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