Leave the "I can’t" attitude at the door if you’re planning to check out a BodyPump class at Mana Fitness Studio. The class accommodates different levels of fitness because you can control the amount of weight you lift and the intensity of the workout.

The BodyPump group fitness program was created by trainer Phillip Mills of New Zealand in 1991 and is offered at more than 10,000 gyms worldwide.

Many of Mills’ slogans grace the Kaneohe studio’s wall, including "Fitness is a battle — Welcome to the front line!"

The front line, in this case, includes squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups and weightlifting that are done during a fast-paced hourlong class. The moves are pretty basic and include dead lifts, overhead presses and curls.

The strength-training exercises are choreographed and set to lively music. We added plates to a bar to achieve a desired weight. Instructor Gina Hopper offered suggestions for warm-up weights for each of the body’s muscle groups based on their weight-bearing capacities. Be warned: You aren’t supposed to use weights during the actual workout that are lower than your warm-up weights, so start conservatively if you are new to the class.

We were constantly moving, with little or no breaks, but did stop in between working various muscle groups to stretch a bit.

This class is prefect for anyone who is afraid of picking up free weights, can’t figure out what to do with them or is too intimidated to journey into the barbell section of the gym.

Dumbbells and hand-held plates are used during the workout. The class ends with an intense abdominal session and finally a nice, gentle stretch. Hopper provided clear instruction on form to ensure folks in class were working the proper muscle groups.

With proper form, the body’s core is engaged, and the BodyPump workout can burn more than 500 calories per session, she said.

Hopper explained that we did about 800 repetitions during the class, focusing on each muscle group for about five minutes. The number sounds overwhelming, but the class was upbeat and the time went by quickly.

Hopper recommends attending two to three classes a week so muscles have time to rest between sessions.

"If people only go once a week, they are normally sore afterward because they aren’t doing it often enough, and they don’t see the same results," she said.

I really enjoyed the workout. It’s definitely challenging, especially during the triceps and biceps routines, which had my muscles screaming. I could definitely feel the burn during class and the day after as well.

Mana Fitness Studio’s $100 monthly pass includes unlimited BodyPump, BodyBlast, BodyCombat and yoga sessions.

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“Tryouts” features exercise and wellness classes and other fitness activities. Reach Nancy Arcayna at narcayna@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4808.