Les Mills BodyCombat 66 and BodyCombat 67 sit in the shadows as we slowly approach the mixing phase. BodyCombat 69 track listing and the BodyCombat 69 video sizzler is out. Will there be enough local instructor quarterly workshops? How has BodyCombat 68 gone down?
Les Mills BodyCombat 68 Masterclass
We’re in the usual studio back in Auckland New Zealand. Just Dan, Rach and another bronzed presenter. Beginning to notice alot of changes now in the sense “instructors” are now classed as people at home since they also use the master class for on demand.
Initial overall thoughts
Not sure about this floor work again in the lower body warmup. What’s going on in track 5? Nothing really sticks out, some tracks am eager to teach others not sure about.
Anyway onto the tracks
Track 1a – Upper body warmup – Steve Aoki, Diplo & Deorro – Freak (feat. Steve Bays)
Like BodyCombat 67 this feels a little dark. What’s going on? Usually the warm up tracks are uplifting, motivating, this fails on both accounts. Simple boxing combinations which allows the instructor to focus on technique may it be on the jab,cross, or even upper cut. But like this paragraph dull and boring….
Track 1b – Lower body warmup – Break The Rules – Anonymous Hotel
I am a huge fan of the music used in this track. Uplifting, easy to hook into…. I do like the simplistic approach with this track. Lots of time to focus on technique with the various kicks. It’s a shame you can’t split the upperbody and lower body tracks. #greattrack
Track 2 – Combat 1 – Push – Kronic / East Movement / Savage
While you can feel the burn with this track, and really how couldn’t you? It’s very repetitive. Lets throw together a track that consists mainly of jump kicks and break it up with the old faithful lunge knee, sleeping yet? Positive side, if you ever need a filler for a random mix then this could be an easy choice.
Track 3 – Power training 1 – On My Way – Jupiter Soliloquy
Defined as “Happy, hardcore, inspiring and challenging”. The music certainly matches 3 of these. The challenging part comes into when you do the full combination on each side twice. Classic boxing combinations with a little foot work thrown in. I can see this on a mix playlist in the future.
Track 4 – Combat 2 – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light ‘Em Up)- 2 Chainz
No capoeira this time, but floor work continues (I am loving it, participants love to hate it). Last release we went to the floor at the end of the track and well looks like it was 10 steps forward and 20 back. Going to the floor “interrupts” the track. This feels like a classic BodyCombat track with the blocks and roundhouse kick. The side kick combo does get the burn going. On the triple have you tried low, middle, high? #YEEEEES
Track 5 – Power training 2 – Dirty (Metrik Remix) – Dirtyphonics
The choreography, music and the lyrics work? Hooks, body hooks and alot of crosses. Then you get to the squat jumps, what’s going on? Doing squat jumps brings alot to the work out but does it belong in the middle of the BodyCombat class? Change is obviously happening but personally I feel BodyCombat is losing it’s identity slowly…
Track 6 – Combat 3 – She Got It (Club Mix)- Vandalism & Angger Dimas
This track reminds me of a release way back in the days of being a participant by Robbie Williams, let me entertain you. I’m not entirely sure why as there are alot of differences. Side kick, front kick, back kick, simple but if not executed correctly can bring it’s own problems, when was the last time you video’d yourself taking a class? Not a track that sticks out of me but potential as a filler in the future.
Track 7 – Muay Thai – The United Vibe – Scooter
What’s not to like about this track. Scooter is back and it brings with it simple choreography of elbows, knees and the downward street brawl punch. Emphasis in this track is posture on the downward street brawl punch. I usually cut this 1 punch short and get the guys to high five each another :). #classictrack7
Track 8 – Power training 3 – Out Of My Hands – Olympic Daydream
If you’re committing everything you have to this track then by the end of it your shoulders should be talking to you. Kept simple with just jabs and hooks there is no reason to start turning up the gas. I like to focus on the 4 hooks in the sense of levels, 1st hook being “soft” with the 4th being the “knockout”.
Track 9 – Conditioning – Turn Down For What – DJ Snake & Lil Jon
“Total core conditioning”. Scissor legs, it’s going to burn. Throw in some oblique crunches and you got this track 9. #neutral
Track 10 – Cool down – I See Fire – Sol3 Mio
It’s a nice cool down to an average release….
What Next?
BodyCombat 69 track listing is out. What will BodyCombat 69 bring? Predictions : I have none….
Lot of new moves from BodyCombat 50 through to BodyCombat 60 and they’ve been one hit wonders. Will we see these moves again any time soon? It would seem not. BodyCombat 70, new moves, new format?
Roger and I will probably be chatting about this release soon so please check out his group fitness over coffee podcast.
Got launch pictures/videos you want to share?
Every release after my thoughts have been made public I do a post on “Everything BodyCombat release?”. These can all be found : http://www.siphilp.co.uk/tag/everything-body-combat. If you’d like to share something in the Everything BodyCombat 68 then please get in touch.
Give Feedback
If you have any thoughts about BodyCombat 68 and you’d like to share then please feel free to comment or get in touch. Previously you could give feedback to Les Mills but would seem the website doesn’t offer such a facility any more. Your best bet? Take it to twitter :). While you’re here why not subscribe?
Are you an instructor? Do you have thoughts on how the “portal” could be made better? Check out my post : 5 things that would make the Les Mills instructor portal better
Finally, dear Dan and Rach
Please can we start having bonus tracks? Every other Les Mills program has them, options are good. 🙂 Thank you in advance…
