BodyPump Heavy: A Proper Recipe or Kitchen Disaster?
posted on: February 05, 2026. posted in: Fitness, Strength training
We've had a question in our comments...
"Can I ask what your views are on the new body pump heavy alternative to the normal body pump? Is it a good strength training option? Thanks."
Hello and welcome to Rebelfit 💪😅
Here's my honest take on it, the short version...
It's a massive upgrade on the standard BodyPump, but there are still big issues, especially for beginners.
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Strength Training Is Cooking
You're already very familiar with the concept of cooking.
Get some ingredients. Prepare them, combine them and cook them, according to a recipe.
Let's use the example of baked beans on toast, a classic.
• Put the beans in a pan for 3 minutes to heat them up
• Meanwhile, put bread in the toaster for 2 mins to toast it
• Once the toast is ready, spread the toast with butter
• Finally, serve the beans on top of the butter toast
All recipes follow this formula...
Ingredients + preparation + cooking time
But now I'd like you to consider how badly things can go when you get just one of those elements wrong.
For example, what if you swapped butter for ice cream? You heat your beans. You toast your bread. You spread ice cream all over the toast. You put your beans on top. In spite of looking like you're cooking, you've got a weird tasting mess.
Another example, what if you toasted your bread for 5 minutes, until black. You heat your beans. You spread ice cream on your now burnt toast, you put your beans on top. Even worse, something inedible.
Final example, imagine putting it all in the same pan. You heat your beans. You toast your bread for much longer. You add the burnt toast to the pan of beans, then you add in your ice cream. So now you've got a pan of baked beans, burnt toast and ice cream. You mash it and mix it all up together. You pour it out on the plate.
And what do you have?
A complete mess.
To the non-chef, who has no understanding of how to cook. They could prepare their baked beans in the ways I've outlined above. Burning their toast. Swapping butter for ice cream. Mashing it all in a pan. And they can FEEL like they're cooking. They can have their chef hat on, wear their apron, stir with their wooden spoon and LOOK like they're cooking.
But they're not cooking.
They're making a mess.
That, in my professional opinion, is BodyPump. A mish mash of random ingredients, some cooked far too much or far too long, all stirred up in the same pan. Whilst people look and feel like they're strength training, they're not getting real strength results. They're making a mess of their results, posture and joints. I've met many clients who went to BodyPump for years, saw almost no muscle or strength gains, and walked out with shoulder issues, hip issues and shocking posture.
The reason Les Mills created BodyPump Heavy is they've finally admitted the usual class has these problems, and they've stripped things back. Less exercises. Less reps. Slower tempo. More control. Actually following something that looks like a recipe.
So as I said, BodyPump Heavy is a massive upgrade on the standard BodyPump, but there are still big issues, especially for beginners. And the biggest issue is that you cannot learn how to strength train effectively in a group exercise class environment.
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Strength Training Is Highly Individualised
If you can understand how a child's portion of baked beans on toast is going to be tiny, and a big, burly strength athlete's portion is going to be huge, you'll have understood "training volume". You can have 10 people in a BodyPump Heavy class, all needing completely different volumes, with some getting far too much, some far too little.
If you can understand how some people have allergies that mean they need certain ingredients taken out, then you'll have understood "contraindications". You can have 10 people in class, one with a postural issue that means the press is contraindicated, another with a hip issue that means the squat is contraindicated, another with weakness or a restriction requiring an alternative move. Every person needing something different, but they're all given the same.
So if you're used to strength training, have excellent posture and form, with no joint issues or restrictions, then BodyPump Heavy is an excellent option for something social.
But if you're not used to strength training, have weak posture and form, with joint issues and restrictions, then your best option is to invest in a proper PT or strength coach, to teach you how to cook properly.
Liam x
Rebelfit
p.s. If you can't afford a personal trainer or strength coach, and you want to learn how to strength train properly, with portions/volumes appropriate to your unique age, size and level of ability, join Rebel Physique Club™ >>
It's the best online strength coaching for real women, with real bodies, who want to tweak their unique recipe to their unique needs.
Let's get cooking! 💪🧑🏽🍳
