WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT TEACHING AND WHY?

Mice in the studio, wedding proposals, and getting choreography wrong in front of the Program Director! Les Mills Instructors from around the world share their most hilarious, embarrassing, emotional and powerful moments from class.

“I once punched myself in the face during BODYCOMBAT™ and had to teach the rest of the class with tissue hanging out of each nostril. Told the class that I bleeeed for them!”
Denice Burr

“One of the most memorable moments I had was covering a BODYPUMP™ class at a centre I wasn’t overly familiar with at the time. Guy casually walks in with his guide dog and gets set up. I go and have a chat with him, thinking about how differently I’d need to coach etc. Turns out he’s a regular and smashed the workout. Made even sweeter by the fact the dog was as good as gold, settled down by my bench and occasionally wanted a bit of a fuss!”
Robert Harvey

“Having a member come up to me after BODYCOMBAT and give me a thank you card. She struggled with her weight and her confidence and she believed my classes had helped her on her journey to becoming a fitter, more confident young lady. I felt so happy for her and, as I told her she did all the hard work, little did she realise that I also struggle with low self confidence (as well as my weight , but that was obvious) and that BODYCOMBAT is my release- stepping out of my comfort zone for an hour to deliver the most fun and inclusive class I can. Thanks Dan and Rach, it was an awesome IMT all those years ago.”
Sarah Houston

“Teaching RPM, a member jumped off his bike, ran to the mirror, started having a word with himself, ‘You’re better than this! You can do this! COME ON’ then jumped back on his bike like nothing had happened!”
Katy Sullivan

“Teaching BODYBALANCE™ when 2 baby mice run out into the studio and proceed to do circuits whilst class is on. Majority of class think sweet so tolerate... Class goes deadly silent, members looking at me weirdly when I’m in supine twist one says, ‘Er, you may not want to roll over’. I glance to the other side and a small baby mouse has taken the option of sitting below my bum. Then moves to just under my armpit until twist track was over. Super cute...”
Alison Beadle

“One of the most memorable for me was when I covered a class at a gym I hadn’t taught at before. A lady came to class who had been born with a forearm missing. Her dad had made her a special strap for her prosthetic so she could hold the pump weights. She did the whole class with great technique and was just so inspiring.”
Gaynor Rowe

“When I left Europe last year, some of my favorite Dutchies on the planet joined me for a massive 10-person team teach, inclusion our national Program Coach, Karin Zandstra, and fellow group members Aubrey, Charissa, Duco, Danielle and others. Between that and the kindness of my members, it was an amazing and unforgettable reminder of the impact that we ALL make in the world with what we do every day. I will never forget that day!”
Christopher Schouten

“Not a typical class but AIM2 experience with 28 instructors across 7 programs and I had been assigned BODYPUMP 100 Track 4 on my second day.

During feedback, my trainer had asked me to add more weight to the bar to correct my Clean & Press and not worry about having to participate in and finish what others were going to teach. So for my final presentation, I upped my weight from 30 to 45 lbs and started to teach. I am about to finish the first set when he walks up with a 60lb bar, places it at my feet, looks me in the eye and says - go for it. I'm naturally terrified at the prospect but proceed to pick it up and finish the track with that weight.

However, finishing the track wasn't the most memorable experience.

What was most memorable was the way the remainder of my class cheered and motivated me to do it. Each one of those incredible instructors shared the same Tr1be passion and drove me past my own boundaries even through “I” was the one “instructing”. I made some amazing friends that weekend and learned what the Tr1be actually accomplishes for its participants.
I'll never forget their smiles, their hooting and hollering, the looks in their eyes and their high-fives.”
Tej Dhawan

“Before getting on the UK TAP team, I was teaching BODYATTACK™ and Rachael Newsham came in to take part - I got track 3 wrong!”
Claire Place

“The power was down in the studio so no music or microphone possible. The front desk took my iPad and played the music loud on the main gym floor. We opened the doors of the studio so we could hear it and I delivered the BODYPUMP class but... no breaks between tracks at all! So I was explaining the weights for the next track at the end of the previous one the swapping out as fast as we could, then going again. 45-minute class condensed to 40! We were all in bits at the end but everyone kind of enjoyed the challenge.”
Mark McDermott

"One of my participants in RPM used to always wear short shorts... one class I glanced over and noticed his 'bits' hanging out... quick thinking I added a couple of climbs in the hope they slipped back in. No such luck so I just had to tell him 'George, put the boys back in the barracks please!'"
Kelly Hopkins

“Just before Christmas we had a member PROPOSE during Track 8 of BODYATTACK!

Tom had approached Helen and me ahead of time and we helped him to choreograph in ‘the moment’ - during ‘You’ve Got To Show Me Love’. Everyone in the class was in on it.

The class was cued to close their eyes, picture a moment, past present or future, with someone or somewhere they felt at their happiest. The rest of the class moved back to the edges of the room, leaving Tom’s girlfriend oblivious on her own in the middle of the room, eyes shut, flick-kicking.

We turned off the music abruptly, switched on some sparkly lights... she opened her eyes and he popped the question! (She said YES).

We had fizz and cake downstairs.

Amazing and unforgettable.”

Kristian Paul Turner, UK


“Best BODYPUMP class was when a member did the whole class in long socks and boxers. This was because our new studio opening kept getting delayed. So the week before it was due to open I said we are going to be back in our new studio next week. The member said, yeah right if that happens I will do it in my underpants!! We all witnessed it.

The studio was complete on time. He came fully clothed then stripped off and said a bet is a bet. The whole class wondered if he would. Great sport and we still laugh and joke about it now. I didn’t know where to look the whole class.

This was three years ago and he still comes with the other members and every year it comes up on Facebook memories… he will never live it down. Great sport!”
Linzi Mcdonald

“A few years ago I had my own studio. Les Mills programs only. Just a group fit studio. It closed down and this moment happened in my very last RPM™ class: I invited a regular participant to shadow with me for the class. She had no ambition to be an Instructor. She just loved RPM and rode with me twice a week for the previous three years. We were all sad about the studio closing and didn’t know if we’d see each other again (or ride together again). She was so chuffed to be up there it reminded me of why I started teaching in the first place. It was an amazing feeling and a moment I’ll never forget.

Our last pump class was similar and I almost couldn’t speak during the warm up (Run by Leona Lewis) I did all my old favs. So I guess my most memorable moments were made at my little studio over 3 years culminating in the goodbye classes.”
Kylie Devine

“I was actually a participant in this particular class but helped arranging it... it was a marriage proposal during BODYPUMP class for my best friend. I made sure she won't go out of the studio because her boyfriend filled the rest of the gym with balloons and brought a cake and other sweets.

Right before track 9 our instructor played a video on the screen on stage with the boyfriend talking to my friend... and then he walked in through the doors. At this moment I opened a side door and let hers and his family members (about 15 people) in and he proposed to her in front of everyone there. It was very emotional and beautiful. They actually met in a BODYPUMP class.”

Emma Geshel

“Teaching BODYPUMP in northwest Baltimore County one Sunday morning, we were on the Back Track and noticed a woman with tears running down her cheeks. It was a motivational song and I figured the words were touching her heart. I immediately went to my most emotionally strong Layer 3 cues on how you can push through the toughest obstacles in life through the same hard work and effort you give in this class, etc. etc. After the track was over, I discreetly covered my mic and walked over to her and whispered closely, “Are you okay?” Thought she was about to tell me some deep dark secret. Her reply? “Everything’s fine except that when I did that first Clean & Press, I nailed myself in the nose and my eyes wouldn’t stop tearing!” Proof, you think you know but you have no idea!”
Bruce Raffel