Go to the profile of BodyCombat Truro
BodyCombat Truro

Pros and Cons of doing Virtual BodyCombat Classes

BodyCombat “master classes,” designed and delivered by program directors Dan Cohen and Rachael Newsham (and friends) in New Zealand, have been distributed to certified BodyCombat instructors since virtually the beginning of the program as a way of communicating new choreography and teaching new methods/trends to instructors before each new release. However, recently, installation of projectors and touch-screen terminals in some group fitness studios (including ours) has given everyone the opportunity to potentially enjoy and benefit from these presentations. What are some of the reasons why one might (or might not) choose to try a Virtual BodyCombat class when there is also a “live class” taught by a flesh and blood instructor?

Pros

  1. Convenience. While live classes may be offered two or three times a week at our gym, the “peak hours” scheduling (usually between 5:30 and 7:30 pm in our community) means that many people cannot make it to a live class because of work hours, a long commute, or family responsibilities. Virtual classes, in comparison, can be run at any other time of the day that there is not a live class, assuming the space is not already booked (at the front desk) by other members.
  2. Control. Lots of things about a live class are beyond your control. Perhaps the “traditional” class format isn’t optimal for the way you would prefer to train. The music might be too loud, or too quiet. The bright lighting and mirrors might be a negative distraction because all you can focus on while training is how unflattering and visible all your jiggly bits are or how “silly/uncoordinated” you look attempting to learn the moves when you see yourself and others in the mirror. The current release mandated to be taught in class for at least the first month after its launch date might be among your most disliked because of the soundtrack, particular repeated moves that aggravate an old injury, or the fact that it doesn’t suit your current ability level. The class may be too crowded for you to feel safe executing the moves, or too empty to avoid self-consciousness, or frequently populated by people you would prefer to avoid (an ex? your least favorite coworker?). The instructor at your club might use a cheerleader style when you are best motivated by a drill sergeant (or vice versa). They might be a woman when you would prefer a man (or vice versa). In all likelihood, despite their best efforts, the local instructor is not going to measure up to the experience, skill, ability, and fitness of the program directors themselves (who were recruited years ago from the UK to New Zealand, the home of the Les Mills programs, in a worldwide talent search). Virtual classes allow you to completely control (or at least change) many of these things to suit your tastes. Turn down the lights, pump up the volume, stand in front of the screen to avoid seeing your reflection, select your preferred release and training buddies, and experience what has made BodyCombat the world’s most popular mixed martial arts workout. Take water or knee-grabbing breaks as often as you need to without fear of judgement, or take your fitness to the next level by competing to keep up with world-class athletes and authentic mixed martial artists like Dan and Andres.
  3. Curiosity. Maybe you’ve heard about or seen a little of this class through the group fitness studio windows, but you’re not really sure if it’s something you’d like or enjoy or be able to physically do, and don’t really want to commit to the social pressure imposed by a live class to stay its entire length and/or avoid embarrassing yourself when you decide that you can’t/won’t/shouldn’t. Virtual classes give you a chance to take the program for a test drive/”blind date.” If it doesn’t work out, it’s really easy to stop and move on without hurting anyone’s feelings or ego.
  4. Variety and Frequency. Perhaps you’re perfectly satisfied with the way the current live classes are delivered by your local instructor, but they don’t happen often enough! Or you feel like you’ve reached a fitness plateau that you can’t seem to push past. You can add additional or more varied training passes to your weekly routine by supplementing the live classes with Virtual sessions, and keep the challenge fresh and frequent.

Cons

  1. Lack of “Group Effect.” It’s not an opinion, it’s a research-based fact. Most people will push themselves harder and for longer periods of time when they train in groups. Whether it’s because we’re driven by a natural competitive instinct, or self-consciousness at being the only one to stop when others seem to be finding a way to push on, or inspired by the fitness or progress of the people we get to know as we work out with them on a regular basis, people do more in groups.
  2. Lack of Scheduled Commitment/Accountability. A lot of us are much better at delaying/finding excuses to reschedule our training sessions than committing to them when it’s left to our natural whims and individual inclinations. Contrast that with having a scheduled time and place each week for fitness, with people who will expect you there, and later ask why you missed if you don’t show up.
  3. Lack of feedback on your technique and progress. Regardless of whether it’s just a mirror in front of you that allows you to self-assess how your technique varies from the authentic/safe standard set by certified instructors (which is covered when the projection screen lowers in front of you for the Virtual class), or real-time and responsive safety or technique corrections made by your live instructor based on what they are seeing you doing in class, you lose a chance for the feedback you might need to prevent injury, improve your technique, motivate you to try harder, or recognize your unrecognized but gradual improvements or accomplishments over time. A live class also gives you opportunities before and after class to ask additional questions or get more information when you aren’t simultaneously struggling to hear or speak over the music, draw breath, or figure out which combo is coming up next on a one-to-one basis. Maybe you want to find out more about modifications for your personal ability or current physical limitations (nagging knee pain? maybe you’re pregnant but don’t want to announce this in front of a class of strangers?). Maybe you want to become an instructor yourself. There’s a reason that all the greatest athletes have coaches.
  4. Lack of ability to influence the local classes. You may not be aware, but instructors in live classes are often seeking input on the conditions or content of the live classes and their method of delivery. This isn’t just people-pleasing behavior, although it is obviously easier to work (even) harder when you feel like your work is being appreciated and enjoyed. The truth is that when instructors consistently pack live classes with “regulars”, we get more work (more classes offered at a greater variety of times) - everybody wins! “Voting with your feet” (attending class) and making your voice heard when it comes time to decide what favorite tracks should be mixed into the class after the “current release” mandate has ended is not a futile pursuit. Maybe you have a song from a previous release you absolutely wish would reappear, or another Nickelback track you know everyone in the class wishes would conveniently “disappear.” Maybe there’s too much techno and not enough pop music (or vice versa) or not enough mixing between the two? In the same vein, letting the instructor know of changes they have made or could make in their instructing approach (less yelling or more volume on the mike when instructing, longer breaks between songs to fetch mats, better demonstration of a particular move, or less talking over everyone’s favorite song, more background on the type and history of martial arts being demonstrated…) can make class more enjoyable for everyone. These are all things your opinion as a group of regular live class participants can influence. Classes look and feel the way they do, locally, because that is what the people in attendance (a self-selected demographic) want. If you don’t prefer what’s being offered, the best way to affect that is to attend regularly and make your voice heard. In contrast, it’s pretty much “what you see is what you get” in terms of Virtual classes. Your choice is currently limited to a handful of full length releases available on the machine (which changes over time), and you cannot “mix and match” tracks from multiple releases. The more that members opt to do Virtual BodyCombat classes (instead of live classes), the more that class format is likely to be prioritized in gym scheduling and budgeting … leading to the disappearance of even more live classes in the long term to make more room/time for virtual workouts in the group fitness studio.
  5. Decreased sense of belonging and social opportunity. There is something very powerful and validating about finding “your tribe.” In today’s society, we are increasingly becoming and feeling more and more disconnected and isolated in our day-to-day lives. The number of people living and working largely by themselves (at least physically) in front of machines and computers most days of the week, far from the places and people who know them well keeps increasing. Live classes provide more than just a training vehicle. They provide a consistent opportunity to meet and get to know people who share at least a few things in common with you, even if you are complete strangers to start with and the only recognizable face at that point is the instructor’s. A live class is a chance to connect with and know others as human beings, away from their “labels” or “job titles” in “the real world”, to make new friends, to build or embrace an alternate persona (badass action hero in your own blockbuster movie, intense mixed martial artist, or a fighter overcoming their own worst demons), or develop a new or different outlook on life with the help of the people you see and train with week in and week out. Though it may not be evident in a small town BodyCombat class populated by less than 10 people during parts of the year, the Les Mills “culture” and BodyCombat mantra of “Keeping it real and staying with the fight” is positively pervasive, worldwide. If you don’t believe me, take a second look at the most recent master classes filmed in Stockholm, with more than a thousand participants. You aren’t just joining a class, you are joining a movement, a tribe of people committed to improving themselves and the world, one workout at a time. Regardless of where you travel or move for changes in life or work circumstances, you can quickly and easily “plug in” to this social phenomenon based on this shared passion. Isn’t it nice to be treated like a human being instead of just a title/label, a mindless consumer, or another cog in the “machine” that seems to be only working in its own best interests for a few hours a week? The longer you do the this workout, the more you realize that the people and their shared culture are what sets it apart.