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The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
The Leisure Media Company Ltd
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FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

features

Promotional feature: Les Mills - A workout with Heritage

When the original Les Mills gym opened in Auckland in 1968, it attracted a large following of athletes. Today, thousands of clubs benefit from the brand's high-powered approach to fitness

Published in Health Club Management 2016 issue 9
Today's fitness members are looking for more athletic-based classes
Today's fitness members are looking for more athletic-based classes
With so much goodness packed into just one class, the BODYPUMP concept quickly shot into the international fitness stratosphere

After 25 years of continuous development, with a dedicated team of researchers and scientists now in its squad, it is undeniable that BODYPUMP™, the fuel that spread the Les Mills fire across the globe, will continue to evolve and endeavor to give revolutionary workouts for years to come. BODYPUMP has been challenging muscles for decades. From its humble beginnings as a dumbbell class in a basement gym, to the biggest fitness class in clubs around the world, this is the BODYPUMP story.

While some are born into families of businessmen, craftsmen or even fishermen, BODYPUMP was born into a family of athletes.

The Mills family had athletic blood pumping through their veins long before the creation of the first Les Mills World of Fitness. Phillip Mills is the second generation to drive the family business and he believes authenticity is the reason BODYPUMP became so popular so fast.

When Phillip’s father, Les Mills, opened the first Les Mills World of Fitness gym in Auckland in 1968, most of its members were athletes. With Les competing in four Olympics between 1958 and 1972, and Phillip representing New Zealand for 10 years in track and field – it is no surprise that much of their community was from a sporting background.

Long before the creation of BODYPUMP, when fitness for the masses involved a lot of aerobics and tae-bo, the Les Mills family and its gym, were weight training. It was this athletic style, in an environment full of elite athletes, that people seemed drawn to. Soon a simple, but popular, dumbbell class was offered within the gym.

“People loved group fitness but wanted something more athletic than the stereotypical ‘leotards and legwarmers’ classes,” says Phillip Mills.

The benefits of strength training on fitness and functionality meant the class quickly became so popular that the amount of dumbbells needed made the whole thing almost unfeasible. This issue created the first step that took a simple dumbbell class towards the global phenomenon that is BODYPUMP today.

With his wife Jackie, also a former New Zealand athlete and gymnast, Phillip created a group barbell class as a more efficient system to deliver all the benefits of strength training.

BODYPUMP for every body
Feminism was also taking off in New Zealand at this time. Women were chasing strength and empowerment not only metaphorically, but physically as well. “We wanted to break the stigma that women couldn’t, or shouldn’t, weight train”, says chief creative officer Dr Jackie Mills.

Jackie knew weight training was perceived as ‘masculine’ exercise that created bulky, muscular bodies. She had been incorporating weight training into her exercise through her gymnastic career and knew that the right type of strength training could create a strong lean body. Championing “strong is the new skinny” well before its time, Jackie and Phillip emphasised the gains involved in strength training; from cardiovascular health to joint functionality to hormone responses.

Participants soon realised that weight training in a group environment accompanied by great music, and led by a motivating coach, was more fun than a traditional weights workout.

With so much goodness packed into just one exercise class, the BODYPUMP concept quickly shot into the international fitness stratosphere.

Now BODYPUMP can be found in more than 15,000 health and fitness clubs around the world. Read the full story at: www.lesmills.com/uk/knowledge/newsfeed/history-of-bodypump/

This January Les Mills will launch its 100th BODYPUMP release. That’s 25 years of BODYPUMP classes across the globe. Find out how your club can get involved at www.bodypump.com

Make your BODYPUMP 100 January launch your best ever. Book your free space at a Power of Events seminar today at www.bodypump.com

TEL: +44 (0)207 264 0200
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEB: www.bodypump.com

Sign up here to get HCM's weekly ezine and every issue of HCM magazine free on digital.
The first Les Mills gym members were mostly serious athletes
The first Les Mills gym members were mostly serious athletes
Les Mills pioneered the concept of 'strong is the new skinny' well before it entered the mainstream market
Les Mills pioneered the concept of 'strong is the new skinny' well before it entered the mainstream market
Les Mills classes now inspire people all over the world
Les Mills classes now inspire people all over the world
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/242608_545503.jpg
When the original Les Mills gym opened in Auckland in 1968, it attracted a large following of athletes. Today, thousands of clubs benefit from the brand's approach to fitness
Les Mills,Les Mills, fitness, high-powered approach to fitness,
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As health club operators move to incorporate recovery into their offerings to meet growing consumer demand, Steph Eaves takes a look at what cryotherapy and ice bathing can add to the equation
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As more people join clubs to support their mental health, fitness professionals need to be empowered to take a holistic approach. Kath Hudson shares useful tools discussed at the ACE summit on mental health
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Members are telling us they need support with their mental and spiritual health and the industry is starting to see this need. Now’s the time to fast-track our response
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I would say those results, along with the team’s total lack of complacency – their desire to keep improving – have been the two big highlights of my first year
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Industry suppliers are responding to the exponential increase in consumer demand for strength training with a raft of new and innovative launches and concepts, as Steph Eaves reports
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Recent work includes a gym refurb for a number of Everyone Active sites and a full range of merchandise for the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race
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GymNation is pioneering the future of fitness with software specialist Perfect Gym providing a scalable tech platform to power and sustain its growth
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features

Promotional feature: Les Mills - A workout with Heritage

When the original Les Mills gym opened in Auckland in 1968, it attracted a large following of athletes. Today, thousands of clubs benefit from the brand's high-powered approach to fitness

Published in Health Club Management 2016 issue 9
Today's fitness members are looking for more athletic-based classes
Today's fitness members are looking for more athletic-based classes
With so much goodness packed into just one class, the BODYPUMP concept quickly shot into the international fitness stratosphere

After 25 years of continuous development, with a dedicated team of researchers and scientists now in its squad, it is undeniable that BODYPUMP™, the fuel that spread the Les Mills fire across the globe, will continue to evolve and endeavor to give revolutionary workouts for years to come. BODYPUMP has been challenging muscles for decades. From its humble beginnings as a dumbbell class in a basement gym, to the biggest fitness class in clubs around the world, this is the BODYPUMP story.

While some are born into families of businessmen, craftsmen or even fishermen, BODYPUMP was born into a family of athletes.

The Mills family had athletic blood pumping through their veins long before the creation of the first Les Mills World of Fitness. Phillip Mills is the second generation to drive the family business and he believes authenticity is the reason BODYPUMP became so popular so fast.

When Phillip’s father, Les Mills, opened the first Les Mills World of Fitness gym in Auckland in 1968, most of its members were athletes. With Les competing in four Olympics between 1958 and 1972, and Phillip representing New Zealand for 10 years in track and field – it is no surprise that much of their community was from a sporting background.

Long before the creation of BODYPUMP, when fitness for the masses involved a lot of aerobics and tae-bo, the Les Mills family and its gym, were weight training. It was this athletic style, in an environment full of elite athletes, that people seemed drawn to. Soon a simple, but popular, dumbbell class was offered within the gym.

“People loved group fitness but wanted something more athletic than the stereotypical ‘leotards and legwarmers’ classes,” says Phillip Mills.

The benefits of strength training on fitness and functionality meant the class quickly became so popular that the amount of dumbbells needed made the whole thing almost unfeasible. This issue created the first step that took a simple dumbbell class towards the global phenomenon that is BODYPUMP today.

With his wife Jackie, also a former New Zealand athlete and gymnast, Phillip created a group barbell class as a more efficient system to deliver all the benefits of strength training.

BODYPUMP for every body
Feminism was also taking off in New Zealand at this time. Women were chasing strength and empowerment not only metaphorically, but physically as well. “We wanted to break the stigma that women couldn’t, or shouldn’t, weight train”, says chief creative officer Dr Jackie Mills.

Jackie knew weight training was perceived as ‘masculine’ exercise that created bulky, muscular bodies. She had been incorporating weight training into her exercise through her gymnastic career and knew that the right type of strength training could create a strong lean body. Championing “strong is the new skinny” well before its time, Jackie and Phillip emphasised the gains involved in strength training; from cardiovascular health to joint functionality to hormone responses.

Participants soon realised that weight training in a group environment accompanied by great music, and led by a motivating coach, was more fun than a traditional weights workout.

With so much goodness packed into just one exercise class, the BODYPUMP concept quickly shot into the international fitness stratosphere.

Now BODYPUMP can be found in more than 15,000 health and fitness clubs around the world. Read the full story at: www.lesmills.com/uk/knowledge/newsfeed/history-of-bodypump/

This January Les Mills will launch its 100th BODYPUMP release. That’s 25 years of BODYPUMP classes across the globe. Find out how your club can get involved at www.bodypump.com

Make your BODYPUMP 100 January launch your best ever. Book your free space at a Power of Events seminar today at www.bodypump.com

TEL: +44 (0)207 264 0200
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEB: www.bodypump.com

Sign up here to get HCM's weekly ezine and every issue of HCM magazine free on digital.
The first Les Mills gym members were mostly serious athletes
The first Les Mills gym members were mostly serious athletes
Les Mills pioneered the concept of 'strong is the new skinny' well before it entered the mainstream market
Les Mills pioneered the concept of 'strong is the new skinny' well before it entered the mainstream market
Les Mills classes now inspire people all over the world
Les Mills classes now inspire people all over the world
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/242608_545503.jpg
When the original Les Mills gym opened in Auckland in 1968, it attracted a large following of athletes. Today, thousands of clubs benefit from the brand's approach to fitness
Les Mills,Les Mills, fitness, high-powered approach to fitness,
Latest News
While British adults are the most active they’ve been in a decade, health inequalities remain ...
Latest News
Kerzner International has signed deals to operate two new Siro recovery hotels in Mexico and ...
Latest News
Nuffield Health’s fourth annual survey, the Healthier Nation Index, has found people moved slightly more ...
Latest News
Short-term incentives to exercise, such as using daily reminders, rewards or games, can lead to ...
Latest News
With the launch of its 49th John Reed, RSG Group is looking for more opportunities ...
Latest News
PureGym saw revenues rise by 15 per cent in 2023, with the company announcing plans ...
Latest News
Following three disrupted lockdown years, the European fitness market bounced back in 2023, according to ...
Latest News
Charitable trust, Mytime Active, has removed all single-use plastic overshoes from its swimming pools and ...
Latest News
Community Leisure UK is helping the drive to Net Zero with the launch of a ...
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Operator Circadian Trust has launched a five-year growth drive designed to support health and wellbeing ...
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Norwegian health club operator, Treningshelse Holding, which owns the Aktiv365 and Family Sports Club fitness ...
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Sibec EMEA to blend fitness with luxury at Fairmont Monte Carlo
Experience the pinnacle of fitness and luxury at the premier industry event, Sibec EMEA, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Fairmont Monte Carlo this Autumn.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Webinar: Building a new energy future for the leisure sector
As one of the most energy-intensive industries in the UK, leisure facilities face a critical challenge in balancing net zero goals, funding and increased costs.
Company profiles
Company profile: BLK BOX
BLK BOX is recognised as a trusted authority in strength equipment and facility design. Through ...
Company profiles
Company profile: Everyone Active
Everyone Active's aim is to get communities active, engaged and entertained through our wide-ranging activities ...
Supplier Showcase
Supplier showcase - Jon Williams
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Greenwich Leisure Limited press release: ‘FAB’ freebies for Barnet carers!
Being a carer – whether that’s looking after a young person, a senior citizen or someone with a long-term illness or disability – can be rewarding but stressful at times. These responsibilities may also limit the carer’s ability to find paid employment.
Featured press releases
FIBO press release: FIBO 2024: Billion-euro fitness market continues to grow
11 to 14 April saw the fitness industry impressively demonstrate just how innovative it is in fulfilling its responsibility for a healthy society at FIBO in Cologne. Over 1,000 exhibitors and partners generated boundless enthusiasm among 129,668 visitors from 114 countries.
Directory
Lockers
Fitlockers: Lockers
Flooring
Total Vibration Solutions / TVS Sports Surfaces: Flooring
Cryotherapy
Art of Cryo: Cryotherapy
salt therapy products
Saltability: salt therapy products
Snowroom
TechnoAlpin SpA: Snowroom
Spa software
SpaBooker: Spa software
Property & Tenders
Loughton, IG10
Knight Frank
Property & Tenders
Grantham, Leicestershire
Belvoir Castle
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
Diary dates
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
Diary dates
30 May - 02 Jun 2024
Rimini Exhibition Center, Rimini, Italy
Diary dates
08-08 Jun 2024
Worldwide, Various,
Diary dates
11-13 Jun 2024
Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore, Singapore
Diary dates
12-13 Jun 2024
ExCeL London, London, United Kingdom
Diary dates
03-05 Sep 2024
IMPACT Exhibition Center, Bangkok, Thailand
Diary dates
19-19 Sep 2024
The Salil Hotel Riverside - Bangkok, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Diary dates
01-04 Oct 2024
REVĪVŌ Wellness Resort Nusa Dua Bali, Kabupaten Badung, Indonesia
Diary dates
22-25 Oct 2024
Messe Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
24-24 Oct 2024
QEII Conference Centre, London, United Kingdom
Diary dates
04-07 Nov 2024
In person, St Andrews, United Kingdom
Diary dates
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