Pump is a fantastic low impact group exercise class that focuses primarily on strength – you may have heard of branded versions such as BodyPump or Body Max. It’s suitable for beginners right up to Pump professionals!
In our face to face classes, we use barbells with a variety of plates so you can choose the right weight for the exercise we’re focusing on for that track. If you’re joining by Zoom at home, you can use a variety of dumbbells, but even a pair of baked bean tins adds weight!
We all know that music can make a MASSIVE difference to how we feel and how hard we work in classes, so we use a different piece of music for each area we’re working on, with the beat at around 128bpm. The music is all upbeat and I like a wide range, so we’ll have some dance, some rock, a little pop.
Our movements tend to be in either 2 or 4 beat phrases, so for example, a common movement is 2:2 – in a squat, we’d squat down for 2 beats and up for 2 beats. Varying the speed and range of the movements, even holding a position keeps your muscles ‘guessing’ a little, giving great results!
Typical Pump class tracks
Warm up
Warm-up tracks can sometimes be the hardest ones because, although we use lighter weights, we have a go at all the exercises, whereas in the rest of class we isolate the areas of the body and concentrate on the specific moves for that track.
Hamstrings and back
The hams and back track tends to allow for heavier weights and includes;
- Deadlifts
- Bent rows
- Upright rows/high lift
- Squats & cleans
Legs
Squats all day long! Actually, we do play around with squats and lunges, with the bar resting on the back of our shoulders, or with dumbbells held down by your side.
- Wide/Narrow squats
- Pulsing
- Varied speed and range
Arms
Using just plates or dumbbells, again we play with the speed and range of movements
- Bicep curls
- Triceps extensions
- Triceps dips
- Bicep rows
Shoulders
- Chest press
- Flys
- Push ups
- Clean and press
- Bent arm
- Front/lateral raises
Tracks vary after a set number of weeks, when we introduce new body areas, new moves and new music, so you never get bored, but you do have long enough on each set to see improvements.
Watch the video to hear me explaining how Pump works and see some of the moves.
Now you know, join us!
Use the Booking page or your Gymcatch mobile app to book your Monday evening Pump class – Can’t wait to see you there!