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mlynn:

Can we back up a sec, please? BUN FIGHT? I almost spit up - what on earth is a bun fight? I'm sure it's a Brit thing, but it brought a picture of hot rolls being tossed around - tossers! Elaborate, please.

Only Trancendental knows what he meant, but often the most expeditious thing to do is google "bun fight definition"

My take, which differs from the accepted definition, is at a hoity toity affair where everyone must be on best polite behavior to position yourself between everyone else and the buns so that you have time to select the best ones while everyone else would be forced to wait or to reach rudely around you.

Or to make a pun of it, to keep your "buns" between everyone else and what is wanted. 

Several peeps trying to do this simultaneously results in a "bun" fight.

I did this recently when everyone in a class needed a jump rope from a pile of them. Once I got next to the pile, I kept moving to block others from getting any until I'd gotten all the best ones for me and my mates.

Rex

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

mlynn:

Can we back up a sec, please? BUN FIGHT? I almost spit up - what on earth is a bun fight? I'm sure it's a Brit thing, but it brought a picture of hot rolls being tossed around - tossers! Elaborate, please. 

'Tis a common expression round where I come from. I thought it was lingua franca, but obviously not.

RexFury's version is a reasonable interpretation, but I had a far more chaotic and selfish picture in mind - hence your "tossers", a label for people who have just grabbed the weights you were after.

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The forum member "pipera" is not a Les Mills Instructor, though his posts, signature and profile will claim otherwise.

Since he has been economical with the truth on his profile, read the real facts here.

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They do need to put more weights in gyms for Pump. If you go to a Les Mills gym in New Zealand they are very well equiped with weights and heavy barbells.

metroman:

They do need to put more weights in gyms for Pump

I agree with your sentiment, but how much is enough? Must be a tough call as a GFM knowing what quantity of gear to order. Get too little and your members gripe, get too much and your manager will tell you off for wasting money.

The sensible solution would be to order a basic amount first and then increase stock as membership takes off and/or class numbers increase. But that would be the sensible solution.

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The forum member "pipera" is not a Les Mills Instructor, though his posts, signature and profile will claim otherwise.

Since he has been economical with the truth on his profile, read the real facts here.

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trancendental:

metroman:

They do need to put more weights in gyms for Pump

I agree with your sentiment, but how much is enough? Must be a tough call as a GFM knowing what quantity of gear to order. Get too little and your members gripe, get too much and your manager will tell you off for wasting money.

The sensible solution would be to order a basic amount first and then increase stock as membership takes off and/or class numbers increase. But that would be the sensible solution.

I agree it's best to feel out the need before buying additional weights.  Unfortunately out of the 19 BP classes my gym offers per week about 5 of them always run short on weights that happen to be the classes I attend.  Wouldn't be so bad if the club didn't pay 1,000+ per month for outdoor landscape that adds no functional benefit to those working out.  Les Mills weights are overpriced IMHO but not to the extent that my club shouldn't be able to purchase another 300 Kg provided LM can provide some discount.  I've heard that in New Zealand and Australia BP classes are almost half male whereas here in the US the ratio is more like 10% men to 90% women.  Guessing a lot has to do with inadequate weights in most US clubs. Managers at clubs like mine error on the conservative side and as a result new members trying out the more popular classes often are unable to obtain adequate weights when they come in late. 

trancendental:

metroman:

They do need to put more weights in gyms for Pump

I agree with your sentiment, but how much is enough? Must be a tough call as a GFM knowing what quantity of gear to order. Get too little and your members gripe, get too much and your manager will tell you off for wasting money.

The sensible solution would be to order a basic amount first and then increase stock as membership takes off and/or class numbers increase. But that would be the sensible solution.

I agree it's best to feel out the need before buying additional weights.  Unfortunately out of the 19 BP classes my gym offers per week about 5 of them always run short on weights that happen to be the classes I attend.  Wouldn't be so bad if the club didn't pay 1,000+ per month for outdoor landscape that adds no functional benefit to those working out.  Les Mills weights are overpriced IMHO but not to the extent that my club shouldn't be able to purchase another 300 Kg provided LM can provide some discount.  I've heard that in New Zealand and Australia BP classes are almost half male whereas here in the US the ratio is more like 10% men to 90% women.  Guessing a lot has to do with inadequate weights in most US clubs. Managers at clubs like mine error on the conservative side and as a result new members trying out the more popular classes often are unable to obtain adequate weights when they come in late. 

The only places I  have seen adequate weights for Pump are at Les Mills in New Zealand. Why is this so?

metroman:

Why is this so?

Coincidence?

Large budget?

Got a good deal on weight equipment?

Participants don't lift so much weight there?

Emphasis on GEX?

Take your pick.

One thing for certain is that it shows that the GFM/management are taking notice of demand and meeting that with adequate supply - something the people running the OP's gym could learn from.

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The forum member "pipera" is not a Les Mills Instructor, though his posts, signature and profile will claim otherwise.

Since he has been economical with the truth on his profile, read the real facts here.

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Need I remind you that this is a business? 

While the cost to manufacture a 10kg weight probably isn't 4x the cost of a 2.5kg weight, I'll bet the selling price is. Therefore a Owner/Manager probably can buy at least twice as many smaller weights that will be used by a much larger percentage of participants than the jumbo weights.

If push comes to shove, he'll lose a couple of weight grubbers and satisfy several newer, more targeted participants by providing for them first.  There is always the weight room with it's large investment in equipment for the big lifters.

Cutting back on landscaping expenses indeed!  Might as well cut back on advertising expenses as well.

Rex

 

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

Rex I can understand that rationale to an extent from a business point of view. For participants who have been doing this program for a number of years the resources should be there. Having the resources there gives people something to aspire to.      It seems to me that Pump is being targeted at beginners more than people who are athletes or gym junkies.     How come I have yet to see Pump featured in Muscle and Fitness or Mens Health or other fitness magazines like that?     Don't get me wrong I think it is great as I have done it for years, the image they give it seems very much like it is aimed at women more.     I think the marketing should be made a bit more male friendly and that certainly includes providing the right resources so men can train and get the best from Pump.

trancendental:

metroman:

Why is this so?

Coincidence?

Large budget?

Got a good deal on weight equipment?

Participants don't lift so much weight there?

Emphasis on GEX?

Take your pick.

Guarantee you it's not number 4... Kiwi participants lift the most weight, by far, in all the countries I've pumped... Aussie, Singapore, UK, I usually have the heaviest weights in the class, but in NZ my weights are pretty close to the median, even a lot of girls lift heavier than me!

Could be partly the class size - if you can fit 250 in the Auckland studio, then 220 will still feel packed, but there will be plenty of weights to go around. If you're in a smaller club that caters for say 30, then on a day with 35 participants turning up, you'll feel the pinch! 

Definitely agree with the last one though, NZ and Australia, do place a level of importance on group fitness... The rest of the world seem to be a little behind. 

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BodyPump 4 Life

Running_Man_Matt:

Guarantee you it's not number 4... Kiwi participants lift the most weight, by far, in all the countries I've pumped... Aussie, Singapore, UK, I usually have the heaviest weights in the class, but in NZ my weights are pretty close to the median, even a lot of girls lift heavier than me!

Could be gyms in NZ have a higher retention percentage than other countries since most participants lift a lot heavier after a year or so than initially.  High retention can be good or bad for a gym, depending on how their fee structure works.

I'm pretty much over it now, but for several years I was continually surprised by the number of women in the free weight area here in US.  And they have attitude; if you get in their space, you're firmly directed to move it over.

Rex

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

I would agree with that.

RexFury:

Could be gyms in NZ have a higher retention percentage than other countries since most participants lift a lot heavier after a year or so than initially.  

That's a valid theory, and it would fit in that Pump has been around longer in NZ and Oz.

However, I think a lot of it has to do with the psychological factors of training. i.e. If you see someone next to you lifting a certain weight it breaks down the "I can't do that" barrier. Kinda like running the 4min mile for the first time!

I guess those theories tie in... The more established the programme and the higher the retention rates, the more people are going to push through personal barriers, and the more they will pull others around them along for the ride!

I love group fitness!! 

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BodyPump 4 Life

I've started helping other BP members reach their next level even though I'm not a certified instructor.  My first advice was add at least a kilo to both ends above normal weight once per week if you do 3 or