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Well mrrocket ....yeah you as a bodystep instructor have to follow the prescription of height of bench recommendations and convey it to the class ...that being said ...we have lots of member at our gym that do the old freestyle thing of having three risers at some points during the class etc...I mean we as instructors can only as you say point out to the members when to raise or lower the height according to the bodystep standards, yet what members actually DO is another story.  At this point they do so at their own risk really. ..and you as the instructor have done your prescribed duty of following the bodystep standard.

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KIA KAHA! "for the strength of the Pack is in the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is in the Pack"...Rudyard Kipling

one little quibble, what the members do is what I tell them to do.  Sounds bad but unless I somehow miss seeing it nobody gets to go outside of prescribed step heights.  I'll stop the class until they do so.  I'd rather have one person not come back than have ten other people pick up bad habits.  Not that I do it nastily, I'll explain it but they don't have a choice.

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viva le quokka

what a cool discussion - agree with most of what was said earlier, but guys, maybe you need to get in touch with your feminine side a bit more?????? I guess theyre targetting their biggest markets for growth (as any business would), and in 72 the underlying theme is all about the "mamas", so i guess thats their identified segment for growth. Besides, mops has been wearing bright pink shirts and his hair in a ponytail recently........maybe hes been hanging round the girls a bit much.........or the queens...........

Hi there.  Interesting topic.  I am a male instructor and have been participating in Body Step for around 15 years and teaching for 5 years.  I think the releases since about Body Step 61 have been brilliant in general.  There is the odd track here and there I don't perhaps like the song, so just don't teach that track.

 

I think the dance bits are awesome and give you the opportunity to show a little flamboyancy which lightens up the class and encourages people to get out of their comfort zones. Isn't this what its all about, for all of us? Yes there are some moves that I don't like - "Pony Step" however in Body Step 70 - track 8 you can change it to a cha cha cha on top of the step which is a lot more fun and basically looks the same anyway.

If you get a track or song you really don't like then just supplement it with another you do like. There is a saying in life "If there is something in life you don't like, and can't change it, then change the way you think about it".  It works for me..

 

In general I think over the years some tracks have generally become a little faster, less complicated and tracks have become easier to learn, which is great. I say go the male instructors, hang in there and be a little more creative in your own way. We need more males around so as to encourage more male participants to class.

Go the choreography team and keep up the great work.

Go the dancie bits lol...........im having a bit of a giggle over all these bodystep posts, as i've just been to the physiotherapist about an hour ago and diagnosed with a grade 2 tear in my left inner long calf......done at bodystep last night during the running man in BS71 at Les Mills Takapuna.........maybe i shld do more of the girlie stuff and leave the macho guff out of it..........go the lippy, foundation, sports bra, crop tops..........and thats only what mark wears!!!!!!.

no i dont teach it i participate in it but i have got a copy of the dvd,love the boots and how did lisa get in them!!! No i teach BP,BA,BC and BJ but have just dropped BA and BP due to work and now focus on teaching just BC and BJ which allows me to participate in the others without the chorey pressure : )

What im saying is i just dont get a good work out unless i use both risers in all tracks. The instructor has done her bit by saying go down to one or no risers but i think this should be an option as without the two risers i would not go to the class? Im always up for a challenge and two risers gives me this. However, im not going to carry on with two risers if its a proven fact that it damages knees, is this the case?

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happy:)

i am agreeing with the original poster.... the class is more feminine than masculine. 

I love step.  what a burn!  I dont teach.....yet.  bu ti do teach combat, attack and pump.  you may like the frills, you may love it, and your class may love it too.  but they are still frills...... do you see my point?  'frilly' anthing is feminine.  how often do you hear  a guy saying 'i just got this new shirt and its really frilly?".......hmmmmm not so much.  what is the most femenine of all the classes?  Step.  easily.   

this isnt even a debate.  a lot of the moves are feminine....especially in old fasioned "errr! strong man america" 

 i still love the class, and i know the demograqhic is huge, but i dont understand why some of the tracks cant be more gritty.  not ALL of them, just some.   I loved 'arms race', but its few and far between.

oh and one of the posters named a bunch of so called manly tracks, like tequila.....right.  if thats manly then i guess a class like combat is downright offensive.

krafty:

i am agreeing with the original poster.... the class is more feminine than masculine. 

I love step.  what a burn!  I dont teach.....yet.  bu ti do teach combat, attack and pump.  you may like the frills, you may love it, and your class may love it too.  but they are still frills...... do you see my point?  'frilly' anthing is feminine.  how often do you hear  a guy saying 'i just got this new shirt and its really frilly?".......hmmmmm not so much.  what is the most femenine of all the classes?  Step.  easily.   

this isnt even a debate.  a lot of the moves are feminine....especially in old fasioned "errr! strong man america" 

 i still love the class, and i know the demograqhic is huge, but i dont understand why some of the tracks cant be more gritty.  not ALL of them, just some.   I loved 'arms race', but its few and far between.

oh and one of the posters named a bunch of so called manly tracks, like tequila.....right.  if thats manly then i guess a class like combat is downright offensive.

 

Yeah I agree with you on that. I take step regularly and whenever the moves get more feminine i will either do them and try to be funny, or just ignore them and kind of do my on thing that looks similar to it.

I tried body step a few years ago and got bored but the comments here intrigued me as it implied to me that bodystep was becoming more modern rather than sticking to the original rebok step routines. But found nothing girly in any of the classes I went to, seemed just same old. Does bodystep depend on the ability of the instructor? With some routines only given by experienced step instructors?

Here's what I hope Les Mills will learn from this discussion...

 
A number of men feel that Bodystep has a feminine tone and because of that, won't participate. As a male participant & instructor for the past 5 years, I agree that there is a feminine tone but have to overlook it to continue to enjoy this workout.

I personally feel this comes across more in the choreography than songs. I think Bodystep has done a great job in keep music upbeat, loud, and powerful.  I can workout just as hard to "She works hard for the money" as I can to "You shook me all night long". 

You clearly can't say that all the choreography is feminine but you can say that some if it is.  Mostly this is seen in the party tracks (Strut comes to mind). What's funny, is that I don't think any of the choreography comes across as masculine.  It's just neutral - which no one has a problem with.  Maybe this is what Mark (& others) should aim for.

The goal is to make and keep Bodystep successful which means getting and keeping people in class. If guys look in the door and think Step looks feminine, they won't enter. If they think it looks neutral, they might enter.  "Might" vs "Won't". If it were my company,  I'd shoot for "might".

 

Hi

 to agree with some posters . .your class is what you make it . . i teach BC and if I wanted to make it "girly" i'm sure i can  ;)

If you are not comfortable with something , then dont do it. But at the very least try it first . . you just never know.  I dont like the dance that Lisa does in the beginning of  T1 BS 71. I did it for the launch but i just felt awkward doing it so i dont anymore. The double pump arms   . . dont like it either  but i do it & give the running arms as options.

 for BStep, i have 3 guys that regulary take Step . . one is either in the army or reserves . . . . and he is as manly as a man can be BUT he takes step and he makes it "his" workout . He likes the tequila song  . .good for agility he says.

 the other 2 guys  . .oh lord , they are the sweetest men ever & if i say shimmy it . . they are right there with me. I guess they're very secure with their masculinity. I use them as examples for our "shy" girls to open up :D

 And if there is particular track that is really so blatantly for girls ( Naomi Cambell)  .. i give the boys options ( basic step in this case)  & tell them that the girls has something special for them  . . and then we do the walk.

At the same token, i do teach to the class in front of me  . .if i have a new guy , obviulsy i can make it more athletic, strip it down a little bit more.

 I say have fun , be comfortable with it  . .. and just push play & go. the beauty of Step is there is always options .

 Happy Stepping :D

Bianca ~

Bravo Bianca!  sounds like your doing the thing right!

Just a quick follow up...

Believe me, I have no problem removing the "girly" stuff - and I do remove as much as I can.

What I'm saying is that if a guy sees a bodystep class where the "girly" stuff is happening - he probably will not want to join in and become a new participant of the class. 

It's all about how it's perceived.  We know what it's really like and how great it is.  I'm concerned about the guys who I see look in the door and then walk away.  Whether I'm teaching the class or a female instructor is, I want to see more guys get involved. 

Hey guys and gals...I just had a revelation.

Ive been watching ...So You Think You Can Dance... so thats where this is coming from.

I dont know if it is the moves as much as the presentation. I know Ive seen guys that dance like a man...and guys that dance like girls.

I mean Gene Kelly is a prime example... he chasse'd all over the place but he still remained masculine! He kept his body in check and used AMAZING strength and form to execute the moves. Its a ll in the quality that the performer gives it.

If the arms are like a wet noodle then...u get it!

Just some food for thought!

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Tim

heres the problem.  sure some guys can pull it off, but most however, are not gene kelly.  a lot of guys have a hard time with rythem in general, then you give them masculine questionable moves and they will say forget about it.