Les Mills International
Encyclopedia
Les Mills International is a New Zealand
company that is the world's largest provider of choreographed exercise-to-music
group fitness classes distributed to health clubs. The first Les Mills program was BodyStep, with BodyPump being the first program released internationally. There are currently ten programs.
' father and named after his father, Les Mills
, four-time Olympian and founder of the Les Mills World of Fitness chain of gyms in Auckland
, New Zealand
.
Phillip Mills developed a series of exercise-to-music programmes that would later become the Les Mills programmes in current release. Their success in the Les Mills gyms in New Zealand led Phillip to release them internationally. After a successful debut in Australia, the programmes have expanded to more than 12,000 gyms and health clubs in 75 countries, with an estimated 5 million participants every week taking a Les Mills class.
In 2004, Phillip Mills was Ernst & Young's New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year, and the following year he competed in Monaco as a finalist for Ernst & Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year award. In 2005, Les Mills International was named New Zealand Services Exporter of the Year by NZ Trade and Enterprise and, in 2007, he and wife Jackie Mills co-authored the book Fighting Globesity - A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Global Sustainability.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
company that is the world's largest provider of choreographed exercise-to-music
Exercise and music
The interplay of exercise and music have been long-discussed, crossing the disciplines of biomechanics, neurology, physiology and sport psychology. People "automatically feel the beat" of the music they listen to and instinctively adjust their walking pace and heart rate to the tempo of the music...
group fitness classes distributed to health clubs. The first Les Mills program was BodyStep, with BodyPump being the first program released internationally. There are currently ten programs.
History
Les Mills International was founded by Les Mills, Phillip MillsPhillip Mills
As a founder and Chief Executive of Les Mills International, Phillip Mills is a pioneer and “thought leader” in the global fitness industry and “revolutionized” the modern group-exercise experience. He is also an author and a public advocate for the environment and sustainability in...
' father and named after his father, Les Mills
Les Mills
Leslie Roy Mills CNZM, MBE, is a retired New Zealand athlete, who represented New Zealand at Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games over two decades. He competed in shot put, discus and weightlifting events...
, four-time Olympian and founder of the Les Mills World of Fitness chain of gyms in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Phillip Mills developed a series of exercise-to-music programmes that would later become the Les Mills programmes in current release. Their success in the Les Mills gyms in New Zealand led Phillip to release them internationally. After a successful debut in Australia, the programmes have expanded to more than 12,000 gyms and health clubs in 75 countries, with an estimated 5 million participants every week taking a Les Mills class.
In 2004, Phillip Mills was Ernst & Young's New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year, and the following year he competed in Monaco as a finalist for Ernst & Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year award. In 2005, Les Mills International was named New Zealand Services Exporter of the Year by NZ Trade and Enterprise and, in 2007, he and wife Jackie Mills co-authored the book Fighting Globesity - A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Global Sustainability.
Programs
- BodyAttack, floor-based aerobics with an athletics and sports-inspired theme, featuring a variety of simple body movements placed in sequence to high-intensity music; said to be the most intense of the LesMills programs.
- BodyBalance, a strength and flexibility class that uses techniques of PilatesPilatesPilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
, YogaYogaYoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and t'ai chi, complete with special emphasis on body harmonization, relaxation, muscle control and concentration. (Known as BodyFlow in Canada and the United States of America) - BodyCombat, floor-based aerobics with a martial arts theme, featuring various disciplines such as taekwondoTaekwondoTaekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, karateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, t'ai chi, kickboxingKickboxingKickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
and muay thaiMuay ThaiMuay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
. - BodyJam, floor-based aerobics with a hip-hop dance-based theme which draws on other dance varieties such as jive, jazz and salsa as well.
- BodyPump, a muscle conditioning class using a barbell and plates to target major muscle groups for a full-body muscle conditioning and cardio workout.
- BodyStep, floor-based cardio workout with a step aerobics theme; using a height adjustable step featuring high-energy cardio blocks followed by muscle conditioning for the legs and gluteals.
- BodyVive, a floor-based, low-impact class combining cardio exercise for heart fitness, resistance training for strength and stability, and stretching and mobility work.
- RPM, a cardio—spinning routine on a stationary bicycle, featuring a simulated variety of terrains coupled with time trials and interval training.
- CXWORX, a 30 minute, floor-based core training workout combining a variety of core-focused exercises for strength and stabilization. New to the LesMills repertoire, to be released in mid-March, 2011.
- Sh'Bam, a floor-based aerobics program with more a Latin dance-inspired theme. New to the LesMills repertoire.
Research
- Lythe J., Pfitzinger, P. Caloric expenditure and aerobic demand of Bodystep, Bodyattack, Bodycombat and RPM. Auckland: UniSports, University of Auckland, New Zealand, 1999:15.
- Pfitzinger P, Lythe J. The aerobic demand and energy expenditure during BODYPUMP. Auckland: University of Auckland, 1999:17
- Lythe, J., Pfitzinger, P. and Ho, D. The Physical and Psychological Response to 13 weeks of Structured Group-fitness Exercise in Untrained Individuals. UniSports Centre for Sport Performance, University of AucklandUniversity of AucklandThe University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, New Zealand, 2000:33. - Stanforth, D., Stanforth, P.R., & Hoemeke, M.P. (2000). Physiologic and metabolic responses to a Body Pump workout. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 14, 144-150.