Tell us about your new research Our work, published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport showed certain types of exercise trigger greater fat-burning than calorie counting suggests.
For the study, 12 healthy females cycled on a stationary bike and did a Les Mills Bodypump class. On all counts, the results showed a greater response to Bodypump than to the calorie-matched, steady-state cardio workout.
When blood lactate levels were examined, they were 81 per cent higher after Bodypump than cycling. Human growth hormone was 56 per cent higher.
Research like this fundamentally changes the way we think about calories.
Why does this research matter? Monitoring exercise via calorie trackers is becoming more popular and while burning calories is an important factor when considering the effectiveness of training, it’s not the only one. Long-term changes in body composition result from a variety of biochemical responses. This study reveals that two workouts – with the exact same calorie expenditure – can have very different effects on the hormonal responses that determine long-term changes in fitness and body composition.
This reinforces the fact that calorie measures alone don’t paint the full picture of exercise effectiveness.
Have any other research findings surprised you? Last year, we set out to explore the effects of our immersive cycling programme – called The Trip – on the rate of perceived exertion.
We discovered that combining immersive audio-visual effects with a structured workout gets novice exercises so absorbed while working out, they barely notice how hard they’ve exercised.
Research like this could change the way clubs structure the group fitness environment for newcomers, as they can get into higher heart rate zones and get fitter faster, without feeling the discomfort of this intensity level.
What other research do you do? To date, we’ve had 17 articles published in scientific journals investigating the various physiological effects of our programmes.
These studies have ranged from the effects of high intensity training on heart disease to Bodypump’s effect on bone health and from behaviour change to the best ways to get kids more active.
How is the research conducted? We partner with universities around the world to investigate areas of exercise science we want to find more about.
Our research is independent, peer-reviewed and industry-recognised.
How does it feed into the business? We invest heavily in research – it’s an important part of our business and in doing this, we’re assuring our club partners and their members our programmes are effective and safe. We know people expect results, so we aim to provide evidence-based workouts which do what they say they’ll do.
What’s next? Exercise we’ve researched recently includes CXWORX and running, a study of group dynamics and another focusing on doing push-ups on knees and toes.
This year we’ll be carrying out studies on stress and training loads, as well as doing a study to examine the anti-ageing benefits of Les Mills Bodypump.
Hastings has undertaken research into immersive cycling programme The Trip and its impact on perceived exertion
Bodypump workouts trigger greater fat burning than calorie counting suggests
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
PSLT Ltd
PSLT Fitness Solutions manufacture, remanufacture and buy back commercial gym equipment. [more...]
IndigoFitness
At IndigoFitness, we create intelligent training spaces that elevate fitness facilities across indus [more...]
Tell us about your new research Our work, published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport showed certain types of exercise trigger greater fat-burning than calorie counting suggests.
For the study, 12 healthy females cycled on a stationary bike and did a Les Mills Bodypump class. On all counts, the results showed a greater response to Bodypump than to the calorie-matched, steady-state cardio workout.
When blood lactate levels were examined, they were 81 per cent higher after Bodypump than cycling. Human growth hormone was 56 per cent higher.
Research like this fundamentally changes the way we think about calories.
Why does this research matter? Monitoring exercise via calorie trackers is becoming more popular and while burning calories is an important factor when considering the effectiveness of training, it’s not the only one. Long-term changes in body composition result from a variety of biochemical responses. This study reveals that two workouts – with the exact same calorie expenditure – can have very different effects on the hormonal responses that determine long-term changes in fitness and body composition.
This reinforces the fact that calorie measures alone don’t paint the full picture of exercise effectiveness.
Have any other research findings surprised you? Last year, we set out to explore the effects of our immersive cycling programme – called The Trip – on the rate of perceived exertion.
We discovered that combining immersive audio-visual effects with a structured workout gets novice exercises so absorbed while working out, they barely notice how hard they’ve exercised.
Research like this could change the way clubs structure the group fitness environment for newcomers, as they can get into higher heart rate zones and get fitter faster, without feeling the discomfort of this intensity level.
What other research do you do? To date, we’ve had 17 articles published in scientific journals investigating the various physiological effects of our programmes.
These studies have ranged from the effects of high intensity training on heart disease to Bodypump’s effect on bone health and from behaviour change to the best ways to get kids more active.
How is the research conducted? We partner with universities around the world to investigate areas of exercise science we want to find more about.
Our research is independent, peer-reviewed and industry-recognised.
How does it feed into the business? We invest heavily in research – it’s an important part of our business and in doing this, we’re assuring our club partners and their members our programmes are effective and safe. We know people expect results, so we aim to provide evidence-based workouts which do what they say they’ll do.
What’s next? Exercise we’ve researched recently includes CXWORX and running, a study of group dynamics and another focusing on doing push-ups on knees and toes.
This year we’ll be carrying out studies on stress and training loads, as well as doing a study to examine the anti-ageing benefits of Les Mills Bodypump.
Hastings has undertaken research into immersive cycling programme The Trip and its impact on perceived exertion
Bodypump workouts trigger greater fat burning than calorie counting suggests
According to research which tracked more than 147,000 people for 30 years, 90-120 minutes
of strength training a week may deliver some of the biggest long-term health rewards.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
PSLT Ltd PSLT Fitness Solutions manufacture, remanufacture and buy back commercial gym equipment. [more...]
