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I'm a fairly experienced body pumper and have been doing a couple of classes a week for the last 2 or 3 years.  Now the gym I go to have some great instructors and I love their classes.

Recently I've been working away from home and I've being going to the gym (same franchise) near to where I work and the instructors there change the routines and remove the rest periods from the tracks e.g. during 'back' track instead of putting the bar down and resting for a few seconds they make you do 7 wide-grip rows.  Even at the end of the track they make you do an extra set of 7 rows.

I find this extremely difficult to cope with because the weights I use are such that I'm 100% worked at the end of the track, that is the end of the track which includes the rest periods and has no extra work added at the end.  In my new gym I find I can't complete the track using the weights that I'm used to.  I could lower my weights... but I don't want to as this would then become more of a cardio class and I'd rather keep my weights heavier and do a proper resistance workout.  I have started to add my own rest periods in, but the problem with that is that, with the best will in the world, I often add more rest periods than there should be and in my head I blame the instructor for messing about with the routine.  You know when you're so tired you'll use any excuse to take a rest, but with the normal routine I grit my teeth and push through as I know there's a break coming up or the end is just around the corner.

I think the instructors believe they are doing the class a favour by adding more work, but for me they're changing the class from a resistance workout to a pure endurance workout.

Has anyone else experienced this?  Should they be doing this?  I've seen people in the class struggle so much that their technique starts to suffer; I know mine did.  Tell me what you think.

In answer to your topic question - it's an unequivocal NO...

Now, there are plenty of Pump tracks where there are no breaks - in such cases the instructor should ALWAYS make it clear that this is the case so that participants can adjust their weight accordingly...

I too know of instructors that do this and some lift so little weight that I'm not really sure why they bother.  In some cases, they like free style better yet teach Les Mills and try to make it their own.  You are correct though - it's not ok.  You take the class and expect the class to be the same every time minus the songs and such.  What they are doing is in violation of their contract to teach Les Mills classes as they are choreographed, but no, they are not the only ones that do it.  I do the same thing you do, take my own rests; however, I also teach and know when the breaks are supposed to be.  I find the instructor glaring my way at times, but they have told me they are very aware of what they are doing.  If you don't feel comfortable approaching them, I would let someone at their gym know what is going on.  Good for you for taking notice.

I've been experienced that in the biceps tracks of current releases. No breaks at all

 If it's not intentional( mine forgot the breaks twice), then no problem.

But from what you've said My viewpoint as participant : you instructor should follow the chorey ad respect the rest time.

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In a word, NO. They need to add more weight if they don't need the break.

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Certified Body Combat and Body Pump instructor, Spin certified cycle instructor, Certified Personal Trainer.

LOL!  Talk about gratuitous self-rightous questions, errr was this post a question?  Definitely covers all bases.  Well designed, this "question". Like, was there any doubt in your mind what responders would say?  You poisoned all the exits except the *rightous* one first.

You might ask what you can do to *punish* the "sinners".  That would get even more responses. Or maybe that comes after the break?

My favorite BP instructor hasn't had a break in a track in probably the last five years, unless you call switching legs in lunges and the like "breaks".  It's a different workout for a different group of peeps.  There is incredible energy in those classes. I know I sure wouldn't want any of that energy to drop into a "black hole" break.

My tuppence.

Rex 

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

RexFury:

LOL!  Talk about gratuitous self-rightous questions, errr was this post a question?  Definitely covers all bases.  Well designed, this "question". Like, was there any doubt in your mind what responders would say?  You poisoned all the exits except the *rightous* one first.

Sorry Rex.  I just wanted other opinions.  Obviously my new instructors like it without the breaks... and they know more than me right?  Perhaps no break should be the right way to go, I don't know, but I don't think it suits me personally.

Lova ya xx

AndyMac:

 

Perhaps no break should be the right way to go

If Glen had chore'd those tracks with no break, then you'd have just had to either grit and bear it, or drop your weights. Some tracks, as was pointed out, don't have breaks, so they are not the be-all.

The point here is that at sign up, instructors agree to teach the LM programs as prescribed. I'd rather not get into a debate about the merits/flaws of pre-chore vs freestyle GEX, but it does ensure homogeneity and should allow people like us to get a consistent workout regardless of where we Pump.

Some might consider it small potatoes if an instructor misses out a break or two, but there has to be no room for variation otherwise a precedent is set. First it starts with a few reps during breaks, then changes to rep sets, then a slippery slope towards freestyle.

So, the answer is "no", but not without good reason.

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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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AndyMac:

I'm a fairly experienced body pumper and have been doing a couple of classes a week for the last 2 or 3 years.  Now the gym I go to have some great instructors and I love their classes.

Recently I've been working away from home and I've being going to the gym (same franchise) near to where I work and the instructors there change the routines and remove the rest periods from the tracks e.g. during 'back' track instead of putting the bar down and resting for a few seconds they make you do 7 wide-grip rows.  Even at the end of the track they make you do an extra set of 7 rows.

I find this extremely difficult to cope with because the weights I use are such that I'm 100% worked at the end of the track, that is the end of the track which includes the rest periods and has no extra work added at the end.  In my new gym I find I can't complete the track using the weights that I'm used to.  I could lower my weights... but I don't want to as this would then become more of a cardio class and I'd rather keep my weights heavier and do a proper resistance workout.  I have started to add my own rest periods in, but the problem with that is that, with the best will in the world, I often add more rest periods than there should be and in my head I blame the instructor for messing about with the routine.  You know when you're so tired you'll use any excuse to take a rest, but with the normal routine I grit my teeth and push through as I know there's a break coming up or the end is just around the corner.

I think the instructors believe they are doing the class a favour by adding more work, but for me they're changing the class from a resistance workout to a pure endurance workout.

Has anyone else experienced this?  Should they be doing this?  I've seen people in the class struggle so much that their technique starts to suffer; I know mine did.  Tell me what you think.

Paragraph 2 = No

In reply:

T01 = 15 seconds transition (weight change squats)
T02 = 30 seconds transition (weight change chest)
T03 = 45 seconds transition (weight change back)
T04 = 39 seconds transition (weight change triceps)
T05 = 30 seconds transition (weight change biceps)
T06 = 30 seconds transition (weight change lunges) 
T07 = 30 seconds transition (weight change shoulder)
T08 = 15 seconds (loose weights 1 plate opt for abs)
T09 = No transition to the cool down move directly to the cool down
T10 = None

LMI transition guidelines.

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RexFury:

LOL!  Talk about gratuitous self-rightous questions, errr was this post a question?  Definitely covers all bases.  Well designed, this "question". Like, was there any doubt in your mind what responders would say?  You poisoned all the exits except the *rightous* one first.

You might ask what you can do to *punish* the "sinners".  That would get even more responses. Or maybe that comes after the break?

My favorite BP instructor hasn't had a break in a track in probably the last five years, unless you call switching legs in lunges and the like "breaks".  It's a different workout for a different group of peeps.  There is incredible energy in those classes. I know I sure wouldn't want any of that energy to drop into a "black hole" break.

My tuppence.

Rex 

 

 

Do what you wish, but according to our instructor manuals, original chore is to be followed 100%, and like said before, if you don't find yourself needing the "designed in" resting periods, you do not have enough weight on your bar.  Plain and simple.

 

In fact, "your favorite instructor" while I'm sure is a great person, is not following the rules, and thus doing you all a disservice in not allowing you to reach your maximum weight on each track and not giving you the break you SHOULD need to finish with that weight.

Judging by the crassness of your response, I would guess you feel you are somehow better by not taking breaks, but let me assure you that you are only doing yourself a disservice.

Try it both ways, see what you think? 

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Global Fitness & Jezreel Fitness Spokane, WA Happy to be part of the team!

Crassness.....pretty much sums Rex up in one.

Getting back to the OP though - the choreography is there and that's how it's meant to be taught - end of story really. Sure, people may fluff the chorry now and then but changing it deliberately? It's really not on.

Back in the participant days I had an instructor who changed the chorry to make it more "challenging". Without wanting to mince words, those classes sucked.

I know of some instructors who do that (take out the breaks) and I know why they do it and I'm guessing everyone knows why they do it - because they aren't lifting heavy enough and most of the participants aren't either.

I found the way to counteract it was the next time I tought (to the same group of people), I said in the back track "We're coming up to the break now, and I only want you to take a break if you need it". Two people out of about 20 needed it, and some of the people still with the bar were smiling like it was some sort of achievement.

So I said "Everyone who didn't need the break needs to increase their weights next time because you're not testing yourself hard enough". I sweetened the pill by saying afterwards "Well done, it shows you've conquered the weight you were using but you really need to increase the weight next time to get the most out of the workout. You wouldn't go to Bodycombat and do it at walking pace"

The next week the majority of people had actually increased their weights.

SG7982:

The next week the majority of people had actually increased their weights.

For your class, yeah!  Participants aren't stupid.  Of course, they go back to their lighter weights for the other instructor.

And I notice it's now time to try to punish the sinners. But sinners can move to another instructor's class more likely than repent and be born again believers.

Rex

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

rob_in_london:

Without wanting to mince words, those classes sucked.

Huh???? Rex ponders this amalgam of words looking for the sense of it.....  Nope.  Ain't none.

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Excuse me... May I motivate you?

SG7982:

I know of some instructors who do that

This seems to be a recurring theme on this forum, so we could extrapolate that these "independent thinkers" are more common than might initially be apparent.

Which provides all the more ammunition for encouraging all gyms to adopt the "Enjoy Fitness Model" of quarterly filming assessments, as a means of weeding them out.

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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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