A reader wonders how long it should take to start seeing effects from body pump.
Good question, given the claims made on the body pump portion of the Les Mills website, to wit:
BODYPUMP®is proven to be "the world’s fastest way to get in shape" by
research which has confirmed higher than expected fat-burning effects
alongside endurance, strength and ‘wellness’ benefits.
Well, hmmmm. A quick look over the website does not reveal the findings or the source of this research. My opinion–worth every cent you’re paying for it–is that all exercise is beneficial, but no specific form deserves to be called "the world’s fastest way to get in shape" for every individual. Weight-training is certainly the fastest way to build muscle, but body pump’s high reps are going to enhance muscular endurance more than stimulate size.
(You say you don’t want size because you’re a woman and just want beautiful curves? Beautiful curves are made of muscle. No such thing as "toning." It’s all muscle building. Besides–unless you’re a genetic freak [a term I use with affection] or on gear, you ain’t gonna build any size you don’t want. Those of us who want more muscle have to work awfully hard for minor gains.)
So I guess it depends what you’re looking for–and what kind of shape you’re in when you start the class. I do body pump for the sake of variety and because staying in constant motion for an hour burns calories. In other words, I see it more as a fat burner than a muscle builder. My other days in the gym are for building size with free weights and machines; body-pump day is a fun and shorter workout than usual, and because it involves high reps, it stimulates my muscles in a different way.
Can’t find my copy of Fred Hatfield’s Power: A Scientific Approach, but Dr. Squat says that although the biggest size gains are stimulated by low reps and medium reps, certain portions of the muscle cell are turned on, so to speak, by very high reps.
I still haven’t answered the question, have I? Short answer is that the body begins to respond immediately to whatever stimulus it gets. If one is new to weight training (and manages to avoid injury and is taught good form), gains are rapid. The leaner one is, the easier it is to observe those gains. I’d say give it three months to start noticing significant visual changes. But I’ll bet you start feeling more energetic within a few weeks.
