Les Mills Review

I've been ramping up my fitness game this past year, and wanted to give a special shout out to my latest fitness obsession — Les Mills!

I was introduced to it only a couple months ago, after I joined Fitness First. Whilst rotating through a mix of classes, I found two I especially enjoyed and started regularly going for. Now, I'm a subscriber of Les Mills on Demand and it has become a huge part of my overall fitness routine to the point of replacing my gym membership (considering it's only $25/month here in Singapore)!

What is Les Mills?

Les Mills (pronounced with a Lez; nothing French about him!) is a series of fitness group classes that can be found in various fitness clubs around the world (in Singapore, you can find them in larger gym franchises like Pure, Virgin Active and Fitness First).

They have a series of different types of classes catered to different fitness training styles, so there's definitely something for everyone! With a set choreography and music tracks, the 'standard' of the training and intensity becomes quite expectable in a good way. The instructors are also held to high standards with trainings and certifications (though I still find that you'll get have some trainers who are better than others). They also frequently come up with new 'releases' every quarter for something new once in a while.

My Thoughts on Different Les Mills Classes

They have quite a large variety of different classes, catering different fitness needs. I haven't tried them all myself, but amongst those I've tried...

BodyCombat

BodyCombat has to be my favourite of the lot. It's a combat class that combines martial arts techniques from Taekwondo, Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira, amongst others, that makes for a very high-intensity exercise and a huuuuge stress reliever.

Through the course of a 55-minute class, I find myself completely drowned in my own sweat while feeling extra empowered through the various punches and kicks. Time passes very quickly through the 8 tracks (of varying cardiovascular intensity, though all tough in their own rights) and the 9th conditioning track — always a good thing when exercising!

A good thing is that I can always adjust the intensity accordingly. You can always push yourself harder by punching harder and jumping higher, or opt for lower impact options (such as substituting a tuck jump with a squat) if you so need it. There's always something invigorating about punching 30 seconds straight, biting through fatigue!

Grit Cardio

Another one I love — a relatively newer addition to the Les Mills series, Grit is a series of HIIT classes. I've only tried the Cardio releases (they also have Pylo, with jumps and light weights, and Strength, with more weights), but I love it nonetheless. (Btw there's a free digital one available with Nina Dobrev I embeded above if you wanted to try.)

Just 30-minutes? Oh yes — but it's a hardcore 30 minutes of burpees, lunges, jumps, runs that'll challenge your cardiovascular abilities to the limits! Definitely not for the uninitiated; I'd imagine to reap the maximum benefit you'd have to have a decent level of fitness to begin with. Near zero rest with me gasping for air starting from what they call an 'accelerated warm-up' (which isn't easy from the get-go), I love the adrenaline that comes after I complete an intense Grit workout. (Truthfully I've even found Fitness Blender HIIT workouts easier than Grit.)

The great thing is that I'd imagine Grit to never become 'easier' even as I do it more; in fact, it will likely only become harder as I become capable of squeezing in an additional rep or jumping that extra bit higher while the timer counts 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Highly recommend :)

BodyBalance

With BodyBalance, my trifecta of favourite Les Mills classes is complete. Completely different from the sweat fests above, BodyBalance is a mix of Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates that makes for a lower impact and lower intensity session.

Through 55 minutes of beautiful flows and movements, there are tracks that are slightly more intense — for example, some of the 'standing strength' sections can challenge your thighs and glues, and a pilates track for core conditioning. I do enjoy the balance track challenges (since it's something I don't think about 'training') and I adore the intense stretching with tracks for hamstricks and hip flexors! I love stretching haha.

Slightly more for mental and spiritual health (which I think equally important as the physical counterpart), I usually end each class feeling extra invigorated.

Sprint/BPM/The Trip

Another series I quite like — Sprint, BPM and The Trip are Les Mills' spin classes. Sprint is HIIT cycling, BPM is your typical spin class available in 30 mins or 45 mins, and The Trip is the virtual reality version. Unfortunately, I've never been able to try The Trip yet (though I'd love to experience the huge screens and virtual cycling experience), but I've tried Sprint and BPM.

Now, personally, I don't love spin. I think it's a great and tough workout that I still incorporate into my schedule, but I just don't looooove it which is why it's more of a peripheral addition to my calendar rather than a regular fix. Just because, personally, I find that spin classes require more mental strength and endurance on my part to push through (due to it being pretty repetitive in terms of what you actually do). Good workout, just not enjoyable per say. That being said, I've grown to really enjoy Sprint though — it is soooo tough and I am drenched by the first 5 minutes. An equally intense, but lower impact alternative to Grit Cardio.

Will definitely do more of these classes, since spinning is lower impact. Better for my weak ass knees.

BodyAttack

I do workout with BodyAttack but it definitely isn't my personal favourite. It definitely is a personal preference kind of thing... It reminds me a little too much of cringey 80s aerobics videos with it's claps and hops.

It's still a pretty great workout and a really good sweat session, which is why I still consciously include it into my routine once in a while to mix up the trifecta. There's more emphasis on traditional aerobics like jumps, lunges, and squats and an overall good cardio workout.

Not my personal favourite.

BodyPump

BodyPump is Les Mill's version of strength training — using a barbell and a step board, you'll lift and squat tons of reps throughout the 55 minute class. I can't speak too much about it because I haven't been to many BodyPump classes (they never seem to fit into my schedule well) but the ones I've been to have been pretty decent and a decent strength workout.

You can also adjust the intensity pretty easily throughout the class, as it's your own prerogative as to what weights you choose to add on for each section.

I'd definitely do more of this if I could, as a supplement to my cardio-based fitness calendar.

Others?

There are also a couple others I've tried, or are thinking of trying — dance fitness like BodyJam/Sh'bam (which I'm pretty damn uncoordinated for, but quite fun — if you're wondering about the difference between BodyJam and Sh'bam, BodyJam is more choreographed and dance like, and Sh'bam is more accessible to even people like me), the latest addition Barre (which I've been wanting to try), CXWORX (to be renamed Les Mills Core; quite a good core workout) amongst others. 

You can see how Les Mills as a whole really does make for a complete fitness plan!

Les Mills on Demand in Singapore?

So... I'm stopping my gym subscription in lieu of Les Mills on Demand, their digital home videos. In part also because I'm moving to Melbourne soon, but also because the Les Mills on Demand can pretty much be all I use in place of group classes.

Do I think these online classes/home workouts can really replace group classes? Yes and no. I keep to myself quite a lot so the 'social' aspect I can pretty easily give up, but I definitely will miss that extra 5-10% I push myself more (just by being around others who are pushing themselves as well), and the occassional shouts/cheers you make and hear in class that can be really quite fun. I also won't be able to enjoy the latest releases since Les Mills On Demand comes a couple months later than live releases.

Unfortunately, for $25/month compared to a gym membership upwards from $130/month, I felt it only made fiscal sense. And another very very important core reason why I made the eventual drastic switch was because I want to be able to customise my own workouts, rather than be tied down to whatever the gym offers at 8pm on a Wednesday...!

Maybe I'll restart my gym membership after I settle down in Melbourne and if it makes sense. But for now, and for where I am in life, Les Mills on Demand is good enough.

I'd also add on by saying that I've been experimenting supplementing Les Mills on Demand with FitOn (and my old school love Fitness Blender) —  both free, premium workouts options you can check out. With all that, my home gym workout routine is pretty complete... :)