***UPDATE 3/12/15: SADLY, LES MILLS PUMP HAS BEEN RETIRED & IS SOLD OUT***

Les Mills Pump is awesome. After 90 days and completing the entire program, I am certain. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had working out at home. Right now I’m in a transition week getting ready to start something new on Monday and I’m feeling so lost! Les Mills Pump is a workout I will definitely be coming back to. Since the Pump workouts are only 3x per week, it’s super easy to do a hybrid with other programs – especially cardio-based programs.

(I’ve included a video + written review)

Les Mills Pump 90-Day Journey

The Results

Total weight loss: 7.8 pounds!

I did NOT go into Les Mills Pump with the goal of losing much weight. I wanted to lean out and build muscle.

Total inches lost: +.25

You’re probably thinking, well whoop-dee-dooooo, right? No inches lost? How can that be? Truth is, after losing a few pounds of fat I am more defined now than I ever have been even though I didn’t “lose” any inches. All of my measurements changed and pretty much just got redistributed. My waist stayed the same (though around my belly button shrunk by an inch), I lost over an inch in my upper chest, .5 to 1 inch off of each arm and I added 1.5 inches around my hip/thigh area. You can bet that’s from all the lunges and squats! My legs build up very quickly and easily. Still though, they feel more solid which is awesome.

Total body fat % loss: 2.1%

I measured my body fat percentage with my EatSmart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale. Love this thing. I haven’t had a professional body fat testing done but I simply measured at the same time of day using the same tool so that’s accurate enough for me!

What Contributed to My Results

• Eating clean 80% of the time. I did NOT follow the Nutrition Guide. It’s a great resource for recipes and things but I just figure that I want my results to LAST. I don’t want to follow a meal plan 100% and get results because I know personally that I will never follow any meal plan 100% forever. I did eat a lot of veggies, yogurt, baked meats, lean beef (sloppy joes, spaghetti, hamburgers), tuna and even some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

• Eating 5-6 meals throughout the day. I figured out how many calories I should be eating and simply divided it by 5 or 6. Simple! You don’t have to really “count calories” if you’re eating healthy foods. The reason? The stuff that’s really good for you isn’t calorie-packed so you can eat a lot of food.

• Combining protein, carbs and fats with each meal. For fats, I added things like flaxseed, nuts or almonds to my meals. I also take a fish oil supplement – on the days I remember. :)

• Adding in HIIT. Cardio exercise for Pump is walking 40-60 minutes. I can’t do that. The Deluxe version of Pump does come with cardio workouts and a step – highly recommend the upgrade. I upped the intensity and shortened the workout time with HIIT workouts. This included treadmill sprint/walk intervals, TurboFire’s Greatest HIITs and Insanity Fast & Furious.  To be honest, I didn’t do much cardio at all during the first 2 months (not purposely, just something I struggle with). I added HIIT 1-2 times per week during the last few weeks.

The Photos

I did not take “before” photos. I was terrified of getting into a swimsuit and I’m kicking myself now for not doing it. I did take a couple of pics along the way and I also took “after” photos. I never thought a bikini could have such a hold on me. I had a number of physical reactions when it came time to take pics. My heart rate went up, I started to sweat, I was genuinely completely uncomfortable with the idea of putting a bikini on and taking pics in it. I don’t even wear bikinis around my yard. I just started feeling comfortable in shorts 2 summers ago. It was so traumatic. Isn’t that ridiculous??

I’ve had 2 babies via c-section and we have 4 kids all together – there should be none of that traumatic-ness!! …I’m a work in progress. I have an entirely new admiration for all those “before/after” pics you see from people who have lost weight or simply improved their physical condition. Seriously, it takes A LOT of courage to slip into almost nothing and snap photos for the world to see. If you’ve done that, or have even taken progress photos for yourself, YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!

• 6 Weeks into Les Mills Pump:

*Couldn’t see those lower abs before I started! Still work to do there but I can see um!

• 9 Weeks into Les Mills Pump:

Les Mills Pump Results After All 90 Days:

ALL DONE!!! =)

Overall

I had so much fun with this program – it’s well worth the $$$ in my opinion. It’s introduced me to a whole different kind of workout which is apparently what my body needed. I had completed the first 2 phases of LiveFit trainer just prior to this and didn’t have these results. I attribute that to have been pretty much doing the same type of lifting workouts for the past 3.5 years and just being burnt out.

LIVEFIT TRAINER IS A GREAT PROGRAM. I am not denying that fact. For me personally, I needed something different at the time and so thankful Les Mills Pump came along. The timing was PERFECT. When it comes down to it, DO WHAT YOU ENJOY SO THE WORKOUTS GET DONE!

If you’re interested in Bodypump workouts you’ve got to check out Les Mills On Demand! They have all kinds of fun workout programs to try!

Thanks so much for reading!

xo Mindi