Les Mills Story

A Brief History

It all started with one man. In 1968, four-time Olympian Les Mills started his first gym in Auckland, New Zealand. It was a simple operation, basic strength and cardio training for a small community of athletes. Now, 50 years on, it is the hub of a global revolution – a vibrant destination where the world's top fitness talent create new ways to get fit, combining music with movement and then taking it to the world.

It was Les' son Phillip Mills who drove the change.

Phillip started working in the family gym after school. Back then he was charged with motivating exercisers by delivering magazines to them as they pedaled away on indoor cycles. It's fair to say it's a role he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about. But all that changed when he returned from a UCLA track scholarship. He had witnessed the birth of the aerobics phenomenon and as a result his enthusiasm for motivating exercisers had been kicked into a higher gear. So in 1980 he eagerly jumped back into the family business to create group workouts driven by the beat of modern music. Those early aerobic programs drew queues down the street and Phillip could sense the real power of group fitness.

Together with his wife Jackie, a doctor and former gymnast, Phillip spent years developing the concept, learning first-hand what makes – and breaks – a good fitness class. In 1990 they changed the game entirely by introducing weights – BODYPUMP was born.

Phillip and Jackie took BODYPUMP to the world. Employing a team of talented presenters to travel the globe and introduce other clubs to the power of great group fitness. There are now 20,000 clubs offering LES MILLS programs.

Over time, the suite of LES MILLS programs has grown. These days Les Mills' offers everything from yoga to cycling, dance, martial arts, HIIT and more – and every three months we create new music and moves to ensure our team stays motivated and ahead of the game.

Phillip and Jackie's children, Diana and Les Jnr, are now propelling Les Mills into the future. Leading a global team of thousands they are tapping into the freshest exercise trends, fusing science, music, movement and ground-breaking technology, and doing whatever possible to make life-changing fitness experiences more accessible.

Les Mills in the Tri-Cities Began Here

Les Mills was first introduced in the Tri-Cities at World Gym Kennewick which later became known as Kia Ora Fitness (named after the Maori greeting which our Les Mills friends in New Zealand frequently use). It began with BODYPUMP in 2003 and within 23 months BODYBALANCE, BODYSTEP, BODYCOMBAT and RPM were added.

Since then we have continued to lead in the Tri-Cities by being a pilot facility in the world-wide launch of SHA'BAM and also getting in at the ground level with LES MILLS CORE (previously known as CXWORX). In addition, the programs BODYATTACK, BODYJAM, LES MILLS TONE, LES MILLS BARRE, and LES MILLS SPRINT have all been or continue to be a part of our story.

Another way we have lead with Les Mills involvement is by having our owner, Lisa and daughter Rachael work directly within the Les Mills organization. Lisa worked 10 years as an Assessor and also as a Trainer of new instructors across the US and had the opportunity to present BODYBALANCE at a quarterly release in Orlando, FL. Rachael began instructing at age 16 and then started with Les Mills as an Assessor and Trainer while also working at Kia Ora. She has since become involved in the leadership of Les Mills US, based in Chicago, where she is currently LMUS Head Trainer overseeing the US Trainers, Assessors and Presenters. Les Mills runs in the family - Lisa's husband, Karl, and other children, Todd, Scott and Kelsey all are or have been instructors. And really, we consider all of our awesome, talented instructors family.

This brings together a vast wealth of experience that members at Kia Ora value and benefit from.