I’ve been a fan of Les Mills workouts for a long while now, previously in the gym and since Covid via at home subscription, and even though I’m still pretty poor at most of the workouts, there’s a lot to like in there. Each programme refreshes every quarter, so you’re always in line for something new, and one of the best bits of that is following the progress of the presenters. Some burst onto the scenes fresh and smash it, others start in the background one release and gradually make their way towards the microphone.

I’m always so impressed by what these presenters do - an incredible balancing act of being motivating and inspirational, whilst also not alienating those of us who are, hmm, let’s just say not natural athletes. All of that whilst doing the moves to perfection and instructing you what to do at the same time. Incredible skills.

That’s why I was very interested in the Les Mills Rise series - a six episode programme, available on YouTube - that follows some of the trainers as they earn their spot on the presenting team, and a lot of behind the scenes of how live sessions and release filming gets completed.

I do sometimes joke that Les Mills is a cult, and I think this is only going to appeal to people who are already on board, but it’s a fascinating series. It’s not entirely clear what the point of it is, no one seems to win or anything, but even so, it was really interesting.

I didn’t know the instructors are ranked the way they are, and I was surprised at how harsh the assessors were on Marlon, who is one of my favourites and surely a very popular guy? The scores didn’t always reflect what was being said, which was weird, but I wonder if there’s more that goes into it than what was shown on screen.

It’s good to see what goes in to creating one of those big live sessions across the globe, and just how much practice goes into it. Obviously they don’t just rock up and hope for the best, but I don’t suppose I ever really thought about how many rehearsals they must go through to get it spot on.

Anyway, it’s definitely worth a watch - and not just because it’s always easier to watch people working out than doing it yourself. It’s also a really good, beautifully made, documentary series. More please!