Edinburgh Altitude SQW 2012

The 3rd of March came around so quickly.  Wasn’t just a week ago that I blogged about the run up to the event. Not only were the UK trainers making an appearance but some huge names like Mark Sinclair, Susan Renata, Corey Baird and Dan Cohen.

Calm before the storm

For those of you that don’t know I teach on a regular basis out at Engage Fitness and I went along on the Friday before the big day to see the transformation begin:

It was amazing watching the various teams from LMI UK and Engage clear the hall and setup the various rigs and the stage.  From the above to the below:

The Storm

250+ Les Mills group exercise instructors gathered at Engage Fitness early morning for the opening ceremony. Shaun Egan introduced all the master trainers and international presenters followed by a speech from no other than the CEO of Les Mills international Phillip Mills.

It was quite overwhelming meeting the man behind a brand that has changed my life so much. Going from a body combat participant to an instructor was one of the hardest but most fulfilling thing I have ever done. Speaking to him for a couple of minutes it was interesting to hear about the future direction of Les Mills and about what he’s doing here in the UK.

Between masterclasses it was great seeing everyone, some old faces, some new faces. Always good catching up with fellow instructors seeing what the chat is.

Sh’Bam 7

I think this was the first time the programme has been delivered in the UK? I attempted to follow the master trainers Mysti Oglesby and Phil Harrison but it just wasn’t happening. It’s official I don’t have moves like Jagger but wow, Mysti and Phil do.

Body Step 87

Susan Renata and Vanessa Labort delivered this masterclass. I’ve never done Bodystep before and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I was too busy trying to get the choreography right to take photos.

Body Pump 81

Big line up Susan Renata , Mark Sinclair, Shaun Egan, Dave Kyle and Dan Cohen.  I currently don’t do pump but this is going to change in the future. Loved the music. Looking forward to my gym doing this release.

Body Attack 76

This master class was delivered by Mark Sinclair and Venessa Labort.  The banter on stage between Venessa and Mark was brilliant. Very memorable, fantastic master class. Awesome release of which afterwards met them both. Note that I’m actually near enough kneeling on the floor in the below pic…

Body Jam 60

Mysti Oglesby and Phil Harrison take to the stage again. At the last super quarterly I done Jam for the first time and I really enjoyed it.  This time I’m not sure what was going on. I just couldn’t get with it.

CX Worx 6

Dan Cohen, Corey Baird, Susan Renata and Dave Cross took to the stage. This is the 3rd time I’ve done CX and it’s a programme I’m keeping my eye on. 30 minutes of core work, wow, being in the room with so many instructors and everyone doing the big “oh” at the end is a good sign.

Body Combat 51

Only teaching Body Combat properly for about 12 months I didn’t know what to expect from the programme director delivering this release to the UK.  As instructors we see these fitness professionals on DVDs but having Dan presenting literally stone throw away, well, whole new level. I had a quick look through the choreography for body combat 51 with me thinking, maybe wearing a kilt was a bad idea….. However, myself and another instructor Karl decided lets just do it:

I managed to keep my kilt on for the entire release. Roger Edwards who was beside me was glad I wasn’t a true Scotsman when it came to the conditioning track….

Updates via Twitter and FaceBook from Master Trainers around the world that I highlighted in my previous post was so right.

Body Combat 50 was just a warm up compared to Body Combat 51.

Oh my. .   Dan Cohen, Phil Harrison and Dave Cross took to the stage with the new cool looking Les Mills Clothing  and delivered an unrelenting release.

More in-depth post about Body Combat 51 will come after I’ve done it a little more as the whole day was mind blowing. Each programme just flew by…..

End of the day

Myself and everyone I spoke to had a fantastic day. I believe it was a huge success and we all hope that events like this become a regular thing up here in Scotland. Shaking hands with Dan Cohen, Mark Sinclair and Phillip Mills isn’t something that happens every day.. Les Mills should be proud of the team they have here in the UK as they never fail to deliver 100%, so inspiring and motivating.

I really do hope Mark, Susan and Dan can make an appearance again in the future.Was great speaking to them all. Mark, you are the man….. Till next time, safe trip home guys.