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02 March 2015

Freestyle Step Aerobics vs. Les Mills BodyStep: Who Wins?

Freestyle Step Aerobics vs. Les Mills BodyStep: Who Wins?

If you’ve visited a gym or looked up local fitness classes at any point within the last few years, you’ve probably come across both Freestyle Step Aerobics and Les Mills BodyStep. These two immensely popular ways of getting in shape took the fitness world by storm; you couldn’t move without bumping into an instructor or member of one class or the other. The two classes do bear a number of similarities, so it’s only natural that they should compete with each other. Which is better? If you’re struggling to choose which class to go for, I’m here to be your knight in shining gym lycra gear and offer you some advice!


It’s the ‘Freestyle’ element itself in Freestyle Step Aerobics that makes the class so awesome! There are no set moves, steps or routines. It’s as simple as that. The classes do involve exercising on, over and around a height adjustable step, but this isn’t pre-defined by anyone, any company nor any organisation other than the instructors themselves. Instead, the instructors have complete creative freedom to make each class their own; to stamp on their own personalities while measuring the capability of the members stepping on that specific session.

‘The Lab’ by Lisa Picard via Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lmpicard/5023745216

This means that each class is completely different – each class is unique. Freestyle Step classes all follow the same basic principal, but you won’t find any two that are the same. In turn, this allows the instructors the opportunity to adapt the classes to suit you. If it isn’t working for you, don’t worry! If you have to change the moves to suit your ability or experience, then go right ahead. You won’t be the only person in the class doing so, so there’s no need to feel embarrassed or out of place.


Freestyle Step Aerobics offers members a complete body workout, from your head right down to your toes. Aside from being seriously challenging physically, the levels of concentration and co-ordination needed give your brain some good exercise, too.


With Freestyle Step, think intensity, originality, bags of energy, and more fun than you can shake your booty at.


Les Mills BodyStep, on the other hand, follows a much stricter routine. The instructors teach a set selection of steps and moves to hit music tracks. It’s true that the instructors can guide members on how best to enjoy and participate in a class, especially if there’s a particularly challenging move or if the individual has specific health requirements. However, there’s much less flexibility in terms of steps, moves and creativity.




So, what stops Les Mills BodyStep from becoming boring? Well, every few months a brand new routine is introduced! This includes new music to get your body moving, and a new set of steps to send you up, over and around your height adjustable step.


Clearly, Les Mills BodyStep provides a great workout for the whole body, just as Freestyle Step Aerobics does. This is because essentially, the process of stepping on and off from a step with a few extra moves, lunges and stretches thrown in is pretty much the same in both classes. The two main differences is that with Les Mills, it is less taxing mentally, as well as you repeat the same routine for a number of months, until the next routine is released. You still have to keep track of the entire routine, but as it’s made up of a set number of steps, the whole thing is much more predictable, specially after several weeks of repeating the same routine. With Freestyle Step, you never know what move your instructor is going to throw in next, which keeps you on your toes!


‘ThinQ Fitness Picture – Pierre Pozutto Video’ by thinqfitness via Flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/34318182@N07/3409184408/
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The Les Mills instructors claim that the classes are suitable for all abilities, whether you’re a beginner or someone a lot more experienced. The fact that the step is height adjustable means that it can be made more intense, but it can’t really be made much easier. This is down to the set routine that we’ve discussed before. In fact, out of the two different classes, it’s actually Freestyle Step Aerobics that is better suited to newbie's and beginners alike – as well as fitness class regulars who are looking for an even bigger challenge. For beginners, the instructor can adapt the steps to be a little easier, but for Freestyle Step enthusiasts, extra steps, moves and twists can be added in as and when the instructor or the member chooses.


As you can see, Freestyle Step Aerobics and Les Mills BodyStep are very similar in many ways. Many do find that if you do like one, you’ll likely enjoy the other, too! However, just because they’re similar doesn’t mean they’re identical. The two might have the same basic principal, but they’re quite different in terms of style, and only one is better targeted for a wide variety of abilities.


Les Mills BodyStep is very fast, action-packed and intense, but Freestyle Step Aerobics is much more flexible in terms of what you can do, as well as the fact that each class is tailored to the instructor’s individual tastes (as well as yours!). All of that’s in addition to all the physical and mental stimulation that the classes give.


I personally believe that they are two different worlds, infinitely apart from each other. I find that Freestyle step provides me a great physical workout, and an incredible mental stimulus, where I can only find the physical workout in Les Mills BodyStep. I know I am bias, as Freestyle step is what I always enjoyed, however I have had talks to Les Mills BodyStep practitioners who state that also for them the two worlds could not be any further apart, but their reasoning behind their comment typically indicates that they find that the physical workout is not as great in Freestyle Step as it is in Les Mills for them because the mental workout overshadows the intensity of their exercise. They spend too much energy trying to understand the move so they can implement it safely, which takes away from their physical workout and when they get the grasp of it, that class is not repeated again and the mental v's physical battle starts again on the next Freestyle Step class. 


It’s up to you to decide whether you would prefer something more structured and predictable, or something more fun and exciting. When the levels of fitness are similar in both (although I’d suggest that Freestyle Step Aerobics gives you a better all-round workout), ultimately it comes down to how unique you like your classes to be. There’s nothing quite like the thrill, exercise and enjoyment that you get from a completely customised Freestyle Step class, so that wins over Les Mills BodyStep every time! The above shows that different class styles are made for different type of members, and that each class has a reason for existence.

That was our article for March 2015. Remember to feel free to comment, or contact me via email to FreestyleStepXTRVGNZ@gmail.com, and comment on what you think of this article, or any article you have read, or just any improvements you may want to see happening.

In April 2015 article... I look at the intensification and stimulation created by the different additions to your exercise. Next month article "Freestyle Step: The Intense Version in Three Easy Steps" Some of the options discussed here were even surprising to myself.

Bruno Jimenez
March 2015
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