Q1'24 Release Highlights

BODYATTACK™ 123: LISA OSBORNE

Presenters: Dr Emma Alcock, Hamza Bkira, Jackson Fuafiva Osborne, Lisa Osborne, Maxime Vigeant, Nick Yan

“Everyone is going to love this release because of the music!” says Emma Alcock. “The beats are really good, there’s a mixture of new and older music, something for everyone. The workout is super challenging but achievable. Everything you could want from a BODYATTACK workout!

“One of my favourite tracks in this release is 9. It’s massive: the song, the moves. You get so engrossed in the workout that you can't help but give it 100%. I do also love track 8, which is saying something, as I normally prefer my athletic tracks! But as you’ll see when you watch the Masterclass, it’s a beautiful track that will be a crowd favorite for sure.

“My absolute favourite song is the track 3 circuit, and it's because this is the sort of music I listen to in my everyday life. It's so upbeat, so motivating, and just an absolute tune.

“We have a brand-new track coming to our BODYATTACK toolkit: a track 9 circuit, very similar to the track 3 circuit. This is super exciting as it's going to allow us Instructors to tailor our class to the members in front of us. You can teach a more athletic class, or have a mixture of athletic and aerobic tracks.

“As you’ll see on the Masterclass, the theme of this release is encouraging participants to move how they want to. I showcase this in track 2, where we have the choice between doing some old-school BODYATTACK armlines, or just letting your arms go wherever they want to. This was super hard for me to do because I'm so used to doing the correct armlines as per the choreography, but we want to  give participants the autonomy to train the way they like!”

BODYBALANCE™ 103: JACKIE MILLS AND DIANA ARCHER MILLS

Presenters: Andy Zhang, Berti Voigt, Charlotte Ranque, Eileen Post, Fraser Beck, Joash Fahitua, Khiran Huston, Michelle Estrada

“Diana [Archer Mills] sent us an email where she provided the theme of the release,” explains Berti Voigt. “She said: ‘BODYBALANCE 103 is about finding contentment within oneself and not searching for it through others — being kind to yourself, loving yourself, accepting yourself and the journey you’re on. And the power of stillness in an ever-moving world.’ I couldn't have said it better myself.

“It's quite an emotional release that gives participants the opportunity to truly connect with themselves, their bodies, and their breath. You’ll notice this when you listen to the music. The sonic/musical combination with the movement creates a vibe that allows you to retreat from the outer world and connect with the inner. This release also invites Instructors and participants to discover what they need from their practice today.

“My favorite track is 4, because I love the moves and the flow they create. At the end, you hold the Fallen Angel Pose and open your heart toward the sky, and it’s just beautiful!

“In terms of the music, I love track 8 – ‘Amen’ by RITUAL. Not only because I really like the artist and his other work, but also because this song is so calming. You have no other choice but to dive into it. You're going to love it, I promise.”

Eileen Post is also a fan of Track 4. “It’s a song that will evoke different emotions throughout the track,” she says. “For me, it feels like a journey that starts with vulnerability and evolves into kindness, acceptance, self-compassion, contentment within oneself, ease and freedom. The simple, repetitive, and gentle flow adds to this warm and liberating feeling.

“The innovation in this release is in track 7 – Hip Opener, which has different stages and focuses. We begin in 90/90 pose, then find activation and mobilization through a combination of active and passive stretches, finishing with a deep stretch in swan pose.”

“This release is so inviting!” adds Michelle Estrada. “From the music to the simplicity of the choreography, it continues the theme of healing and love from BODYBALANCE 102.

“My favorite song is ‘Josephine’ (Track 9). There’s the sense of deep longing and letting go in the lyrics that matches the intention of letting go of expectations and accepting where our bodies are today.

“Watch out for the Twisting Warrior in Standing Strength! It’s deceptively challenging!”

BODYCOMBAT™ 98: DAN COHEN AND RACHAEL NEWSHAM

Presenters: Anthony Oxford, Eileen Post, Kenshin Tani, Mai Sato, Maxime Vigeant, Rachael Newsham, Reagan Kang, Sebastian Jaramillo, Vili Fifita

“BIG love for the BODYCOMBAT 98 music!” says Eileen Post. “This was what stood out to me the first time I tried it. The music takes us on a journey of different emotions, styles of training and feelings in our bodies. The music will push you to reach new levels of output — it’s a powerful playlist.

“Track 7 (Muay Thai) is a highlight for me. From the sound of siren at the beginning, you know this track is going to be big! The song starts off calm, allowing us to find the beat, get used to the combo and move with great technique. From there, the music keeps building and increasing in energy. What I also love about this track is that you can feel the different intervals throughout the track. It’s great cardiovascular training.

“My favorite song is track 6, ‘Keto Riba Move’ — I feel like a different person when I move to this song. Way cooler than I actually am, haha! You just have to dance to this song. It brings a feeling of coolness and lightness that we need between the high intensity of tracks 5 and 7. It allows us to bring the heart rate down while creating some serious heat in the legs.”

Kenshin Tani is also a fan of the music in this release. “The workout is amplified by the playlist even more so than usual,” he adds. “When you watch the Masterclass, you’re going to feel the energy of the Presenters and you’ll be pumped to teach it!”

BODYJAM™ 107: GANDALF ARCHER MILLS

Presenters: Charlotte Ranque, Gandalf Archer Mills, Jaime Terrill, Janni Lindgren, Meno Thomas

“This release is a FULL-ON FANTASTIC BEAST,” says Jaime Terrill. “When I was first sent the recording of a trial class, I was scared of the back half! High intensity and high cardio in the absolute best way, with tracks that will shoot straight into your soul. The moves are powerful and the music accompanies the movement in true BODYJAM fashion.

“My favorite song is Track 2 ‘Drifting’. It's a captivating Tiësto anthem that serves up all the classic BODYJAM emotion you’d expect feel at the back of Block 2, but it's only the hype track! The lyrics say: "If I'm driftin', say that you will be there" and that line really speaks to me and my relationship with BODYJAM. It’s been in my life for 12 years, has lifted me up in times that I needed and has been a reliable constant that has connected me with more people and experiences than I could have ever imagined.  

“107 is just one of those releases that makes sense and feels great. The music is KILLER from track 1 to the Groovedown. The front has fun, sassy/sexy, feel-good vibes. The choreography in the back half offers an achievable complexity, paired with moody music that sends you to that place only BODYJAM can take you!

“Newer Instructors may be interested to learn that we filmed in Studio 1 at Les Mills Auckland City, where some ICONIC BODYJAM releases have been filmed. We wore old school mic packs/belts and took it back to the beginning. It was an incredible experience.”

“We filmed the release in the middle of the night, literally around midnight,” adds Janni Lindgren. “I was so nervous, excited and tired at the same time. It was impossible to sleep the following night because of the excitement!

“I’m really fond of the tracks I teach – tracks 3 and 4 – but my absolute favorite is track 14 ‘Fine Day’. In that track you just let it all go, it’s such a banger. I’ll never forget the moment in filming when that song came over the speakers. It was crazy beautiful, energetic and emotional. It felt as though the roof had been blown off.”

BODYPUMP™ 128: GLEN OSTERGAARD

Presenters: Anthony Oxford, Charlotte Ranque, Glen Ostergaard, Kaylah-Blayr Fitzsimons-Nu'u, Khiran Huston, Maddalena Boccella, Maxime Vigeant, Nick Yan, Vili Fifita

BODYPUMP 128 is based around the theme of ‘everyday strength for everyday life’, and you’ll see this coaching focus demonstrated throughout the Masterclass. It’s a great reminder that BODYPUMP includes many of the primal movements that we need to be fit and healthy for everyday activities!

There’s lots of innovation in this release — integrated movements in the Triceps and Chest tracks, a squat press in the Lunge track — alongside familiar favorites such as the Pause Squat in Squats and the Plate Drop Squat in the Back track.

“The music is incredible!” says Charlotte Ranque. “And there are so many ways to move to improve our fitness. I particularly love the Triceps track — the training is challenging and the rhythm is really cool! I also love the Lunges/Shoulders song — I feel it in my gut!”

Glen Ostergaard explains how he chooses the music in BODYPUMP, and how this should affect your coaching of the tracks:

“The Warmup has to have a certain feel to it — an open and welcoming feel because that’s its function in the class.

“Then in the Squat track, the emphasis is on the downbeat — because we’re going down in the squats.

“The Chest track has to be grounded because we’re lying on the bench. It's sort of like a matter-of-fact type sound. Like, ‘Okay, here we are. We're on the bench now’. It can be fun and it can be hip hop and all that stuff, but in general, it's that grounded sort of sound.

“The Back track always needs an upbeat to match the Clean & Press. It’s uplifting to match the feel of that movement.

“I have more freedom in the Triceps, Biceps, and Lunges. We can play around with different sounds for those tracks.

“And then the Shoulders always needs to feel open and grounded because you’re standing there, just confronting the class. It’s not a welcoming sound — it’s not melodic or uplifting. Staunch would be the word I’d use to describe the Shoulder track.

“It’s always going to be a similar kind of sound for the Squats, Chest, Back and Shoulders. And that sound dictates how we move and coach the tracks.”

BODYSTEP™ 134: MARK NU’U-STEELE

Presenters: Dr Emma Alcock, Kaylah-Blayr Fitzsimons-Nu'u, Mark Nu'u-Steele

“This release is perfection. This release is everything BODYSTEP,” says Emma Alcock. “My favorite track is Peak 3 — Athletic Circuit – because it’s absolute fire. I love it when I can push my body as hard as it will go and, oh my goodness, that’s all I can say about that one!

“It’s way too hard to choose one favorite song, every single song in this release is so good. But if I had to choose it would be either Peak 1 or Peak 2, purely because I loved these songs when they first came out. They are so motivating, so upbeat and absolute bangers.

“It was quite funny working and teaching with Mark and KB. Why? Because they are the sweatiest people alive (Mark even has the nickname ‘Mops’ because he sweats so much), and then there's me who barely sweats. I'm used to never having a single drop of sweat on my bench. When it came time for us to swap benches, their benches were covered in their sweat so having to wipe all their sweat off the bench was a new experience for me, hahaha!

“Everyone will love this release because the music is so good, the perfect mix of new and old hits. The cardio tracks get your heart rate up and the strength tracks make you feel the burn. Plus, there are lots of choices, so everyone can get the workout they came for.”

LES MILLS CORE™ 53: CREATIVE TEAM

Presenters: Ben Main, Berti Voigt, Hamza Bkira, Maddalena Boccella, Nick Yan, Reagan Kang

“The theme of all Q1 24 releases is ‘CHOOSE HAPPY’,” says Berti Voigt. “And that’s exactly what we did as a team during the filming of CORE 53. We were happy, and we had a blast! It was like doing a pretty nice, challenging, burning core workout with your friends.

“I love Track 4! It’s a burner for your glutes and legs, but the song is just massive. The music will motivate you to keep going, even when your muscles crying out for you to stop!

“We’ve introduced cool new moves and innovations in CORE 53. For example, the balance challenge in Track 4 — a combo of a Backward-Stepping Lunge into a One-Legged-Squat. Plus, there are some punches — wait, punches? Yes! You're gonna feel some BODYCOMBAT vibes in CORE! There’s also a Waiter’s Bow in Track 6 with your Smart Band, along with a Lat Pull Down. Have fun and celebrate the fire in your muscles!”

Maddalena Boccella adds: “I love the musical journey in this release — a cheeky glute track, power for the standing tracks, strong and grounded for lying tracks and a feel-good song to finish. BUT you gotta try the additional tracks to experience the animal flow and glute isolation! There's so much to see and hear!

“My favorite track is Standing Strength 2, Track 4. It's simple, but it burns sooo much. I love how something so simple and effective can be so tough. 😫🤕

“There are quite a few innovations in this release. Track 2 sees the return of familiar moves like the arm reach from the LA filming, but this time it’s reversed and at the end we add a plate raise. Track 3 starts with side steps and rows; then it speeds up. It’s fun to match the movement with the music and you’ll also love the band option. In track 4, where we focus on our glutes and hips, you'll see some upper body moves too. Then in track 5, we fire up the obliques with jack knives. Ouch.

“I recommend Instructors also try the 45-minute format and the different 30-minute format. You'll be surprised by how cool they are. The formats change the vibe of the class and make it sooo fresh!”

LES MILLS GRIT™ 47: ERIN MAW

Presenters: Anthony Oxford, Ben Main, Erin Maw, Kenshin Tani, Levi Farrell, Mai Sato, Sami Nieschmidt, Sankha Peiris

“GRIT 47 is an absolute monster of a workout!” says Levi Farrell. “The endorphins were through the roof when we filmed this release! The music is SO good and the workouts definitely deliver that breathless feeling we all know (and love) when it comes to GRIT.

“My favorite track that appears across all three GRITs is Supersets. It’s the biggest track right in the middle of the workout and you repeat three two-move supersets: first for 40-second intervals, then 30 seconds, and then finish on 20 seconds. It’s a burner! The movements are also repeated throughout the track, which keeps you feeling confident throughout by knowing what’s coming next and building the feelings of success.

“My favourite individual song is ‘Rhyme Dust’ — Dimension Remix! It appears in the first dropset track in GRIT CARDIO 47. It makes me want to move every time it plays!

“An awesome feature of GRIT 47 are the new AMRAP-style warmups. We’ve had AMRAPs in GRIT before, but never as a warmup, and they definitely get you warm fast! This style of warmup is a game changer in terms of keeping the workouts fresh and keeping GRIT up to date with the latest trends in HIIT training.

“This release will be so much fun to teach in our clubs! It brings innovation that we haven’t seen in previous releases and the music generates an energy that will make everyone excited to move! That said, this release also maintains the ‘simple and effective’ focus we’ve seen in previous GRIT workouts, so the movements can be tailored to suit any fitness level.”

Sankha Peiris thinks everyone can find their challenge in this workout, whatever their level of fitness. “There aren’t any crazy moves, but the challenge is in the structure,” he says. “The music is simply acoustic fire that drives and supports the workout. I think Coaches will love teaching this and members will adore the workout and the results they’ll see.”

Kenshin Tani adds: “My favorite song is the Core track. The music is incredible! I also love Track 4 because we see the return of an old favorite! I hope everyone is inspired by this release.”

LES MILLS SPRINT™ 34: GLEN OSTERGAARD

Presenters: Amy Lu, Anthony Oxford, Glen Ostergaard, Khiran Huston, Sebastian Jaramillo

“SPRINT 34 is PURE TRAINING!” says Amy Lu. “The key to intensity in this release is the simplicity: shorter, repeated efforts so you can focus on working hard. The music is full-on noise. It’s definitely going to drive the ENERGY!

“What’s my favorite track? Can I say all of them?? They all slap!

“In terms of workout innovation, we bring it back to traditional 2:1 work-rest ratio, which is going to give the biggest bang for your buck.

“The great thing about this release is that the workout plan is so simple and easy to remember — for Coaches and members. You won’t have to think too much about the choreography, meaning you can focus on just doing it. The efforts are the perfect length, so you can fully commit without worrying about pacing for duration. It’s guaranteed to get you deep in the HIIT zone!”

Sebastian Jaramillo says: “This was a very special release for me because it was my first time presenting on a LES MILLS SPRINT release. It was also special because we filmed in Studio 1 at Les Mills Auckland City! Another cool thing was having Dan Cohen as our program coach. He guided us on what to say, how to present, helped us with the ‘why’ behind our coaching — it was an outstanding experience.

“I think Coaches will be interested to learn that our focus for the release was on mechanical efficiency. This means you have the right load, you work on the right tempo, and you challenge your muscles so you can get the results faster!”

LES MILLS TONE™ 24: CREATIVE TEAM

Presenters: Des Helu, Kaylah-Blayr Fitzsimons-Nu'u, Khiran Huston, Kimi Holm, Maddalena Boccella, Mark Nu'u-Steele, Vili Fifita

“TONE 24 is fun, fun, fun!” says Maddalena Boccella. “The music has everything you need: uplifting to start with, spicy and fun cardio peaks to spike the heartrate, some funky and urban tunes for the strength part and some sweet symphonies for your abs.

“Lower Body Strength track 8 is my favorite. Using the resistance band and plate together feels fresh, and who doesn’t love a good leg burn?! In terms of the music, I love 'Milkshake', Resisted Cardio (Track 6). The beat just makes you want to dance!

“When it comes to innovation, we focus a lot on scapular retraction so you will see and hear this particular cue or posture setup a lot, right from the warmup. You will also see a different kind of steady state training where we focus on activating our major muscles so we are ready to jump, run and perform efficiently.

“In TONE, taking the low option doesn’t mean you won’t get the workout. It's important to set the foundation, build strength, and progress from there. Sometimes breaking down the moves, slowing them down, makes you realize where and how they should feel in your body. Give it a try. As an Instructor, I think it’s super important to know how all the different levels feel so I can coach them correctly to my participants. Practice first, then master it.”

RPM™ 101: Glen Ostergaard

Presenters: Amy Lu, Bas Hollander, Glen Ostergaard, Hamza Bkira

“RPM101 is SO MUCH FUN to ride!” says Amy Lu. “The positive vibes and joy of riding to music shines through in this release. We bring it ‘back to basics’ with an overall release focus of ‘Coaching Resistance’ to capture the feel of each track and the training effect. We continue to develop the themes of inclusivity and encouraging autonomy in RPM, where everyone has a place in the pack!

“Track 2 is challenging, but super fun to ride! Sitting at 130bpm, it’s one of the faster track 2s, which means it picks up the pace and sets the tone early on. I really love the way Glen coaches track 4. He includes some new descriptive language and the feeling of riding it is very liberating!

“My favorite song is ‘Sweet Disposition’. It’s a new take on a well-known song that delivers the uplifting and euphoric feel of RPM we all love.

“The biggest shift in RPM right now is the mindset with which we approach it, consolidating where this cycle program sits amongst the others. RPM is everyday cardio training where we get to experience the journey through music. We’re trying to encourage more autonomy, which allows people to design their own ride and empowers them to take ownership and feel accomplished. Our role is simply to facilitate their experience by nailing the basics of PRP.

“Instructors are going to love this release because it does heaps of the work for you! It has plenty of musical moments that you and your participants can play around with. The choreography is structured in a logical way that fits perfectly with the music across every track, making it easy for you to coach your participants into the right feel of resistance and rhythm. You’re going to have heaps of fun riding this together!”  

THE TRIP™ 36: Creative team

Presenter: Otto Prodan

THE TRIP 36 – K A S A D U    

A slow smooth entry leads us into the Forest and from there our workout flows.

Surrounded by nature and glimpses of a past civilization, we journey across the land, chaperoned by illuminated figures.

We progress under the Lake before finding ourselves on a Highway that leads us to the City, and from there we enter some kind of Vortex.

Our organic spaces transition to artificial ones and life abounds across both.

We welcome Otto to the team for this release and we have taken the opportunity to create a very Fresh & Flexible approach.

The focus initially comes from our desire to continue highlighting the ways we can be ATHLETIC. We do this through our mindset and our breath.

Our mindset is one of focus — smoothing out the transitions to maintain energy flow — and of finding moments to stay actively aware of our breath, which allows us to consciously manage our effort, to either maintain, or work harder, or pull back when needed.

Layering this focus with Otto’s Inclusive Attitude and natural enthusiasm, we find ourselves engaged in such a way that everyone feels welcome, included, and successful.

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