Workout of the Week

Bob L. Burger Recreation Center, 111 W. Baseline Road, Lafayette, 303-665-0469, ext. 3455, www.cityoflafayette.com/recreation

Instructor: Liz Negrey and Debra McNutt, of Lafayette, group fitness instructor since 1991, teaching step aerobics, pre- and post-natal aerobics, sculpt and tone, "Silver Sneakers," high- and low-impact aerobics, cardio-kickboxing and BodyPump. McNutt is Ace certified and has been teaching since 1989, including aerobics, step, sculpting, Pilates, cycling and water aerobics.

What is the workout? BodyPump is a high-repetition/low-weight strength class, by Les Mills. You can find the highly structured, choreographed Les Mills classes at fitness centers in more than 70 countries worldwide. The instructors teach the same routines, so the classes are consistent. Five million people per week do Les Mills classes in 12,000 clubs.

Who does it? Fourteen people, the max based on floor space. Class was mostly women.

When: Offered 10 times per week: 9:15 a.m., noon and 5:30 p.m. Monday; 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday; 5:30 p.m. Wednesday; 6 a.m., 9 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Thursday; and noon on Friday.

Level: Because choreography is simple, the class is for all levels. A four to eight on a 10-point scale, depending on the weight and effort. For me, it was around a six. Class claims to burn about 600 calories per class.

Format: Warm-up, squats, chest, back (including gluts and hamstrings), triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulders, core and cool down/stretching.

Equipment: Barbells,single plates and steps.

What to wear: Exercise clothes and shoes.

Muscles worked: Full body.

One new move: The "Mac Raise," which targets the shoulders. Standing in "set position" (feet hip-width apart, toes turned out slightly, knees soft and stomach pulled gently back toward spine) and plates in hands, raise one arm to the front to armpit height, with the elbow slightly flexed. At the same time, take the other arm to the side (in a lateral raise) with a 90-degree bend in the elbow. Then both hands come back down to the front of the thighs. Repeat, switching arms.

What's different: This class is more welcoming to beginners than standard weight lifting, and how perfectly the moves correspond to the music makes it stand out from other group fitness classes.

What I loved: When you attend Les Mills classes, you know they will always be effective and fun. Time goes by quickly and the music is great.

What I didn't like: Les Mills classes are not highly creative. But that is an easy trade-off for a guaranteed quality workout.

Inspiration for class: The Les Mills classes were developed in New Zealand. Negrey says she decided to start teaching this class because she thinks a lot of people are intimidated by the weight room and don't know what to do there. She hopes BodyPump reaches more people and teaches them how to do exercises that are typically done in the weight room, but in a friendly and supportive setting.

How I felt after the class: My muscles were tired, but I wasn't beat up too badly.

How I felt later: Medium-sore, especially upper body -- even though the lunges were the hardest for me in class.

-- Reported by Aimee Heckel.

Know of any interesting workouts? Tell us about them so we can check them out: heckela@dailycamera.com or 303-473-1359.