Pump-training: strength training for those who are bored in the gym
Miscellaneous / / April 05, 2023
Pumping muscles to music and in a group format.
What is a pump workout
Pump training, or Body Pump, is a group fitness program in which strength exercises with light projectiles are repeatedly repeated to music.
Bodybars are used as weights - short rubberized vultures, separate pancakes for a barbell or dumbbells. There are also movements with the weight of your body, such as push-ups from the floor.
Fitness Direction BODYPUMP™ came up with back in 1990, the founders of Les Milles from New Zealand. Now they sell training licenses, train instructors, and provide music and exercise combinations for classes.
The Pump program offered in many Russian fitness clubs is essentially the same, only with its own music and exercises.
Why pump training is good
Pump training provides several benefits:
- Promotes weight loss. Due to intensive work with minimal rest, the heart rate remains elevated throughout the session, which allows you to spend no less calories than during cardio exercises. Moreover, due to the power loads after training rises the level of growth hormone, which promotes the breakdown of fat and muscle building.
- Strengthens muscles, but does not make the figure bulky. During classes, weights of 20-30% of the one-rep maximum are used - the weight with which you can perform the movement only once. Due to the numerous repetitions, pump workouts load the muscles well and can make the body visually more toned, but not much. increase muscle in volume.
- Helps to get used to strength training. Working with rest between sets can feel boring. Pump training lasts 45-60 minutes non-stop, with energetic music and instructor's comments. This format helps to get used to strength exercises, which needed for good health.
- Suitable for any level of training. In Pump-training, weights are selected individually, so that the session can provide a good load for both a beginner and a well-trained person.
Who Shouldn't Do Pump Workouts
Since Pump training is quite intense and includes strength exercises, you should be careful under the following conditions:
- diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems;
- problems with the spine or joints, old injuries;
- exacerbation of chronic diseases;
- pregnancy.
If you are in doubt about whether or not to try intense training, consult with a therapist and warn the trainer about your problems and limitations.
How to prepare for the first lesson
Pump or Body Pump programs are offered in almost any fitness club. Find the one that suits you and sign up for a group workout.
Bodybars with pancakes, step-platforms and dumbbells are provided by the fitness club, so you only need to take comfortable sportswear and sneakers, a water bottle and a towel with you.
The class begins with a warm-up without weights. As a rule, it includes vigorous steps, swinging arms, bending over and sit-ups. The main part may include various strength exercises with a bodybar: deadlifts, standing and lying presses on the floor or on a step platform, traction to the chest and stomach, squats and lunges with weight on the back.
They also often perform movements with dumbbells: standing and lying wiring, biceps curls and triceps extensions.
All exercises are performed one after another to the music. As a rule, there is no strictly set number of repetitions - you work for 60-120 seconds, changing the pace or amplitude of movement.
The video below shows an example of a back squat. At first, the exercise is performed evenly and calmly, then the lowering phase lengthens, pulsation is added - quick squats after a smooth rise.
The specific choice of exercises depends on the trainer, however, almost all Body Pump exercises include movements on the chest and back, abs, shoulders and arms, back and front of the thigh, buttocks. So in 45-60 minutes of training, you will have time to work out all the main muscle groups.
And don't be afraid to get out of breath in the process. You will rest while changing apparatus and position, and while the instructor explains the technique of the next movement. As a rule, it takes at least a couple of minutes, so you have time to restore your breath.
Can I do pump workouts at home?
To work out at home, you will have to purchase equipment: a body bar, pancakes for it, dumbbells and step platform.
As for the program, you can find ready-made BODYPUMP™ workouts in English on YouTube, as well as Pump group classes from Russian fitness trainers.
Free up space, prepare all the necessary equipment and repeat after the video trainers.
If you have ever done strength training and know how to properly perform bench presses, deadlifts and squats, then you can easily do video training even without knowing English.
If the exercises are new to you, it is worth attending at least a few group workouts in the gym to learn the technique and avoid mistakes that can reduce the efficiency of the movement or lead to trauma.
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