Talent Story

Les Mills receives a constant stream of mail from, or about, people who have changed their lives for the better with BODYPUMP™ and the other LES MILLS™ programs. Check out this inspirational story below and please send more BODYPUMP™ stories and pictures to web@lesmills.com .

Les Mills has got Talent!

Like most LES MILLS™ instructors James Sampson likes to sing along to tracks during class, but in BODYPUMP 71 he's taken that to a whole new level – one of the songs is his.
 
James' song Magnetized has been chosen as the Warmup track for the latest release of the program.

The Denmark-based singer and BODYPUMP™ instructor of six years was in his kitchen listening to the song and thinking about BODYPUMP moves when he realized the exercises worked well with his tune. “I thought, why don't I send my song to Les Mills?” he says. It turned out to be a great idea.

Originally from California, James got his big break as a singer in 2001 when he won a singing contest on Danish television after his father-in-law encouraged him to enter.

“I have always loved singing, but I was a bit shy about my voice,” he says.

He started singing as a two-year-old and as a child he toured the globe with the choir Children of the World. But then the singing stopped. It wasn't until he had met his Danish wife and moved to Denmark to be with her in 1999, that he sang in public again.

Shortly after his relocation he was hired as a back-up dancer for Cher, who was going on a tour in Scandinavia. When the crew caught the ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki, James sang karaoke in the bar.

“That was the first time in a long time anybody heard me sing,” he says.

Some time later, when he sang at his in-laws' wedding anniversary, and his wife's uncle filmed the performance, he finally got the push that made him follow his life-long dream of making it as a singer. His father-in-law sent the video to the TV talent show, and when James won it he became famous in Denmark over night.

But launching his singing career didn't mean he left his other passions – training and inspiring others – behind. James teaches two BODYPUMP™ classes and one cardio/strength training class per week at Fitness DK in Copenhagen. He has also taught BODYFLOW™/BODYFLOW® and BODYJAM™.

“I love to inspire people and to work together as a team, and I love the music in the classes,” he says. “I am very excited about having a song on the BODYPUMP™ playlist, especially a Warmup song!”

The singer says he lost about 30kgs two years ago, partly thanks to BODYPUMP™.

“BODYPUMP™ was incredibly helpful,” he says. “Giving the whole body a work-out in one hour is really efficient.”

“When I was heavier, I walked around almost ashamed of myself,” he says. “I felt like I didn't have a neck – but I've got a neck now,” he laughs.

Becoming a father for the first time was what motivated him to change his lifestyle and eating habits. “I didn't want to be an overweight Dad,” he says. 

James' passion to inspire people has seen many club members from his classes move on to become LES MILLS™ instructors themselves – one of them now teaches four different programs.