80s music always manages to brighten my day. Technically I’m a child of the 80s, seeing as I was born in 1987, but obviously I don’t actually remember anything about the 80s. But I still like to pretend that I am a true 80s kid – I love rockin out to some good old 80s classics!

The 90s however, were the golden days. Don’t lie – snap bracelets and Clarissa Explains It All were the bomb diggity, and you know it!

ANYWAY – Today has been a really insane day. I had to spend most of my day in court for a client, which definitely ended up being a little more stressful than it needed to be. But I made it through, and we’re almost at the weekend, right? I did get to dress like a real adult today though, which was exciting!

This is a nice change from my usual jeans and flip flops look at work. When you work with babies and sticky toddlers all day, comfort clothes are definitely a must. But my coworkers called this look my “please take me seriously as a professional even though I look like I’m 18” outfit. Sad, but true!

After work I headed to my usual Thursday night BodyPump class. After catching up on all of my usual blogs (things have been so crazy at work that I’ve gotten SUPER behind – no time for a lunch break to read blogs!), I have realized that some people might not know what BodyPump is! So I thought I’d do a really quick review of BodyPump for anyone who is not familiar with it!

BodyPump Review

is a weight-based group fitness program that focuses on low-weight, high-rep resistance training that sculpts and tones all muscle groups. It typically lasts 55-60 minutes (although some gyms apparently offers express classes), and dedicates 1 track per muscle group for a very focused workout.

The tracks include a warmup, squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulders, abs, and a cool-down. Each track lasts approximately 3-6 minutes, and the instructors walk you through a variety of moves that target each muscle group, using the upbeat music as a guide.

There are a lot of great videos on youtube if you’re interested in checking out what a class might look like in real life. Here is one example of what a class might look like:

Pros:

• Truly an all around strength workout. It targets all of the major muscle groups in multiple ways, so you will definitely feel it afterwards in all areas of the body.
• The music is usually upbeat and can really helps to push your workout, since the movements tend to match the beat of the music.
• Weight lifting in a group session is definitely helpful because not only does the instructor push you to go beyond your usual limits, but they can also keep an eye out for form.
• While it seems like solely a weight class, there are definitely some peak tracks that really increase the heart rate. I would not use it to replace another form of cardio, but I like that afterwards I definitely feel like I got some cardio in there as well!

Cons:

• There obviously not as much flexibility in movements as when you are lifting by yourself. Depending on the instructor, you can often do the same tracks for weeks in a row, which can get pretty boring sometimes!
• Each track follows a specific routine of movements, which can sometimes be hard to follow at first for newbies. BodyPumpers also use a lot of terms like “in the basement” which can be hard to pick up on if you don’t know the routines!
• Sometimes the come up with the most random songs! As a musical person, if the song just doesn’t speak to me, I’m not as likely to push myself super hard.
• Watch out if you’re a competitive person! There are people who use all sorts of different weights based on their own strengths and experiences in the class. I know that for me, biceps are my weakest track, so my weights tend to be WAY lighter. But I can’t help but look around and see everyone else’s weights too!

So there you have it – a quick and dirty review on BodyPump.

After work I headed home and made the most random dinner (when do I not?) that was made up of my version of comfort foods. After my crazy day, I definitely needed them!

That would be leftover “” from yesterday with ketsup, some broiled asparagus, and a small cheese and salsa quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla, with some greek yogurt on top. Yup, definitely hit the spot!

Now I’m off to try and catch up on some blog reading! AH, I’m so behind!!

Have any of you tried BodyPump before? What do you think?