This GAP and Les Mills Core review covers a training morning that fully earned the label booty training day.
I started with GAP with Igor Angélico and moved straight into Les Mills Core, same room, same instructor, same serious intention to make our glutes, abs, legs and core work properly.
It was intense, fun, exhausting and deeply satisfying.
GAP hit first with squats, lunges, mountain climbers, planks, skaters and weight plate work. Then Les Mills Core carried the effort forward with moving planks, side planks, resistance bands, weight plate work and kickbacks, in one of those sessions where you can clearly feel your own progress.
This was not a casual training morning.
It was a proper challenging booty training day.
Quick Verdict
GAP
- Intensity: 8.5 out of 10
- Good for: glutes, abs, legs, lower body endurance, cardio effort and that fully worked feeling
- My after class mood: breathless, amused, destroyed and very satisfied
Les Mills Core
- Intensity: 8 out of 10
- Good for: planks, side planks, glutes, abs, core endurance, kickbacks, resistance band work and tracking real progress
- My after class mood: accomplished, challenged and very happy with how much stronger I felt
Class Snapshot
GAP
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Format: lower body and abs focused class with squats, lunges, mountain climbers, planks, skaters and weight plate work
- Equipment: weight plate, mat or floor equipment, towel and water bottle
- Instructor style: Igor was energetic, loud, motivating and fully aware of when people were about to give up
- My focus today: survive the leg work, stay with the pace and not mentally disappear halfway through
- What stood out: the skaters in the warm-up, the squat track with beautiful music, and the fact that I ended up on all fours recovering
Les Mills Core
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Format: floor-based core and glute class with moving planks, side planks, resistance bands, weight plate work and kickbacks
- Equipment: mat, resistance bands, weight plate, towel and water bottle
- Instructor style: Igor was focused, encouraging and clearly pleased when the room pushed through the harder work
- My focus today: get through the plank track better, improve my technique and leave with burning glutes
- What stood out: completing about 75% of the moving plank track, feeling I could have done another round, and the final kickback track
The Workout: GAP + Les Mills Core
The morning started with GAP and Igor Angélico.
Full room, instructor in great spirits, and we got going. I am NEVER prepared for Igor’s GAP classes. It is always SO intense! At the end I stayed on all fours for a few minutes, just recovering.
The warm-up was VERY efficient, we even had skaters in there. The reaction from the students is always priceless! It is so good to know I am not the only one left completely done for in this class!
We had squats, lunges, mountain climbers, planks, and other exercises whose names I cannot remember. Igor ALWAYS identifies them. In the moment I can retain the ones that hurt the most. But by the end, my mind goes completely blank.
There was one track, the squats with the weight plate, where the music was absolutely beautiful. The movements fitted the rhythm SO perfectly! I thought it was brilliant!
I find it magnificent the way the instructor pushes us. He KNOWS when we are on the verge of giving up. Igor keeps calling out with that booming voice of his: “stay with me!”, “come on!”, “hold on till the end!”, “is it over? No! We have more!” That last one is the one that hurts the most, because I ALWAYS think it is about to finish. The despair that hits!!!
Fun and training combined = Igor Angélico’s GAP class!
We moved on to Core, same room, same instructor.
Warm-up done, we moved into the plank track. Today, FINALLY, I understood why Igor and Maria João Lopes say they love this track. There is something wonderful about being able to do what is hard. Today I completed about 75% of this moving plank track, including rockys and side planks. At the end I felt like I COULD HAVE DONE ANOTHER ROUND! SO GOOD! I felt genuinely accomplished! Our bodies are truly incredible. Push them, people! They respond, and they respond WELL!
Another step forward: track 3! I have finally started to get the exercises and do them better!
Track 4 was wonderful and we said our goodbyes to track 5, the BEAUTIFUL one!
The final track was with resistance bands, weight plate and kickbacks. Goal: leave the class with burning glutes. CHECK!
A challenging and FUN BOOTY TRAINING DAY, as always! Students and instructor, well done all around!
Now I am going to relax and get ready for TOMORROW! CAN’T WAIT!
Instructor Notes
Instructor credit: Igor Angélico
This post is a very good example of how much one instructor can shape an entire training morning.
Igor brought the energy in GAP from the beginning. The class was hard, loud, sweaty and relentless, but never flat. He knows exactly when people are close to giving up, and he has that very specific way of pushing the room forward without letting the energy drop.
That matters even more in a format like GAP, where the work can become repetitive if the instructor does not know how to drive it properly.
In Les Mills Core, the energy changed, but the quality stayed high.
The class still demanded a lot, but in a more controlled and technical way. That allowed me to notice something just as valuable as intensity: progress. I could feel myself doing more, understanding more and handling more.
That is one of the most useful things a good instructor gives you. Not just pressure, but proof that you are improving.
Is GAP + Core a Good Combination for a Booty Training Day?
For me, yes.
GAP does the blunt work first. It hits the glutes, abs and legs hard with squats, lunges, skaters, planks and weight plate work. It raises the heart rate quickly and creates that immediate feeling that the body is being asked to show up properly.
Les Mills Core afterwards keeps the work going, but changes the type of effort.
The strain becomes more controlled. You still work hard, but through moving planks, side planks, positioning, bands, kickbacks and a stronger awareness of what your body is actually doing.
That is what makes the pairing so effective: GAP creates the fatigue. Core sharpens it.
If the goal is a challenging lower-body and core-focused training day with real effort and real satisfaction, this combination works very well.
How I Felt After Class
- Right after: tired, worked and strangely pleased with myself
- Later that day: physically heavy, but mentally very satisfied
- What stayed with me most: the 75% moving plank track, the beautiful squat track and the burning glutes at the end
Final Thoughts
This was a proper challenging booty training day.
GAP brought the intensity, the noise, the sweat and the kind of lower-body work that leaves you crawling mentally before class is even over.
Les Mills Core brought the second layer: control, endurance, resistance bands, weight plate work, kickbacks and that deeply satisfying feeling of noticing real progress in movements that used to feel much harder.
That was the real win of the day.
Not only that the classes were hard.
Not only that they worked.
But that I could feel, very clearly, that my body is responding.
And that is what makes days like this worth it.
My Gym Essentials
Everything I actually use and love during my workouts. Tested, approved, and perfect for busy women who want efficient results.
- Water Bottle: Stay hydrated without wasting time refilling.
- Training Shoes: Stable, comfortable, and perfect for cardio and step workouts.
- Gym Bag: Compact but spacious enough for everything I need for my sessions.
- Shockproof Phone Case: Keeps my phone safe during intense workouts, because I drop it more often than I admit
- Smart Fitness Watch: Tracks heart rate, calories burned, and workout intensity.
