Deena Patrick

BODYCOMBAT Instructor

Deena Patrick joined LES MILLS, a worldwide fitness program, 10 years ago when she earned her BODYCOMBAT instructor certification. New Zealand Olympian Les Mills initially operated his company as a small gym in 1968, but it quickly transformed into a network of over 140,000 instructors teaching more than 15 Les Mills-created exercise programs that are utilized globally both in-person and online. 

LES MILLS defines BODYCOMBAT as “a high-energy martial arts-inspired workout that is totally non-contact . . . No experience needed. Learn moves from Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing, Muay Thai, Capoeira and Kung Fu. Release stress, have a blast and feel like a champ. Bring your best fighter attitude and leave inhibitions at the door.”

Graphic via LES MILLS

Deena spent most of her high school career as a member of the marching band and eventually came to join the “dance guard” team, which combined dancing and color guard. Deena joined color guard in college, keeping it as her main form of exercise. After graduating, she did not continue to regularly exercise, believing “I was young and fit, so I was all good.” Deena discovered the world of group fitness exercise when she was offered a free gym membership from her employer. She attended her first BODYCOMBAT class in 2009 and just 3 years later decided that she wanted to further join the LES MILLS network by becoming an instructor. Today, Deena teaches BODYCOMBAT classes 3 days a week at 2 different fitness centers, with each class having over 20 participants. Deena also holds a primary group fitness certification earned from AFAA (Athletics and Fitness Association of America), which gives her a greater breadth of knowledge regarding general kinesiology and other exercise formats including yoga, cycling, and fitness dance.

LES MILLS classes are pre-choreographed, meaning that the instructors are given a script with outlined music, cues, and moves that they model and guide for participants in their classes.  Along with learning the newly released choreography and tracklists every 3 months, Deena also utilizes releases from the prior years to keep her class attendees engaged and to expose them to different moves and exercise combinations. Since beginning her role as a BODYCOMBAT instructor, Deena has learned more than 400 different tracks and the choreography accompanying each.

After graduating college and no longer practicing on the color guard team, Deena struggled to motivate herself to exercise, allowing her physical health to slowly decline. Attending BODYCOMBAT fitness classes allowed her to meet other people that prioritized their health and kept her accountable by encouraging her to do the same.

“People know who you are and ask where you are if you don't show up. You have a group of people that you motivate, and who motivate you.”

- Deena Patrick 

Not only does Deena love BODYCOMBAT, but also BODYPUMP (strength training with weights) and BODYJAM (dance-inspired), two other LES MILLS workout formats. She especially enjoys how BODYJAM classes build up the choreography with each track as the class progresses, bringing all the moves together at the end. Deena utilizes LES MILLS ON DEMAND at home from time to time, but prefers to workout in a class setting where she can connect with other members and class instructors in-person. Deena continues her fitness journey with the goal to build strength while also staying trim. She has found cardio to be a main component of building up her cardiorespiratory endurance. Cardio has also proved beneficial in maintaining a strong immune system and decreasing the frequent migraines that she suffered from in junior high school. Exercise has also served as an aid for tough times when Deena found herself struggling with personal hardships.

Deena believes that BODYCOMBAT offers unique benefits for a person and their fitness goals, setting it apart from other, more common forms of exercise. She explains that because it is a cardio-based class, you will see a greater change with each additional ounce of effort that you give each class.

“A lot of people think that you can't get upper body strength from

BODYCOMBAT classes, but that's not true.”

- Deena Patrick

Through 13+ years of experience in BODYCOMBAT classes, Deena has seen that adding additional weight to your body weight is not a necessity to build strength. Standing on guard, a technique foundation of  BODYCOMBAT, requires you to use your biceps and triceps to squeeze your fists. You must be in control of your muscles during the entire class, knowing when to stop them with each strike, uppercut, and hook. Both fast twitch fibers and slow twitch fibers are used to make your muscles constantly stop, then go, stop, then go. BODYCOMBAT is also a standing abdominal workout, implementing constant abdominal twisting and over 500 crunches without laying on the floor as traditional supine crunches call for. Deena has also learned basic self-defense moves from BODYCOMBAT, which has helped her feel more comfortable with protecting herself if she ever needs to. “When I was getting my certification, the instructors always told me to pretend like I was actually fighting a person in front of me.” BODYCOMBAT has made Deena feel stronger and more aware of how to “do damage.” For example, the elbows are the sharpest part of the body and are a great option for quick, impactful striking.

Teaching BODYCOMBAT has been a very out-of-the-box experience for Deena. She has never enjoyed public speaking and is typically very nervous in front of crowds or large groups of people. Deena has noticed herself struggling most with giving motivational cues during her classes because these are not outlined in the script provided to her by LES MILLS. However, becoming an instructor has helped her face these discomforts and is now an opportunity for her to challenge herself to deliver cues and movements with confidence during each class. Above all, Deena’s biggest goal with instructing BODYCOMBAT has been getting out, meeting people, and being the motivating voice for hundreds of people wanting to improve their lifestyles, both mentally and physically.