This is where RPM 56 begins to separate the fit from the unfit. The transitions are sudden. There is no "slow" recovery here; you go from Attack to Retreat in seconds. Music Vibe: Industrial, driving.
We now enter the "dark room" section. Track 4 is a seated climb. Unlike modern releases that use melodic trance, RPM 56 uses glitchy, industrial progressive house. The resistance goes on early—heavy enough that your quads scream to stand up, but the coaching tells you to stay seated. les mills rpm 56
The result? A tracklist that flows like a perfectly built pyramid of pain, culminating in one of the most infamous final climbs in RPM history. A standard RPM release has seven core tracks: Warm-up, Pace, Acceleration, Hills, Mountain, Speed Work, and the Cool Down (perhaps preceded by an Intervals track if it's a 60-minute format). RPM 56 follows this structure but with specific musical choices that define the workout. 1. Warm-Up: "Raise Your Weapon" (Madeon Remix / deadmau5) Music Vibe: Ethereal building to aggressive. This is where RPM 56 begins to separate
Known colloquially among superfans as the "Hammer" release, RPM 56 arrived at a pivotal moment. It followed the high-energy, dance-infused RPM 55. While 55 was a party on a bike, It was about building strength, breaking down mental barriers, and introducing a level of technical precision that the program hadn't seen in years. Music Vibe: Industrial, driving
If you are a collector of classic RPM tracks, a coach looking for a "back to basics" heavy hitter, or a rider who wants to know why this release is still discussed in forums today, this deep dive is for you. To understand RPM 56, you have to look at the era. In 2010, Les Mills was globalizing rapidly. BodyPump was king, but RPM was the quiet contender. Unlike the high-intensity, choreography-heavy "Trip" (which would come later), classic RPM was raw.
You can find release 56 on the old Les Mills Instructor Portal (under "Archive" -> "RPM" -> "2010"). Note that the production video quality is standard definition (480p), which looks grainy on modern screens, but the audio master is still crisp.
Most RPM warm-ups are about finding your rhythm. Track 1 of Release 56 starts deceptively calm. As the deadmau5 chords swell, the ride instructions are simple: "Find your breath." But the Madeon remix injects a frantic energy. Coaches often note that by the third minute, the resistance is already on. It’s a warm-up that wakes up the legs without shocking the heart, but it warns you: This is not a gentle ride. Music Vibe: Thumping, relentless.