Les Mills Sr., the New Zealand Olympian and founder of the Les Mills gym chain, has died at 91. He and his wife opened their first Auckland club in 1968, and his family launched the landmark BodyPump class in 1991, bringing barbell-based group strength training to millions. Les Mills programs now run in over 22,000 gyms across 100+ countries, and his son Phillip says his spirit endures in workouts worldwide.
Les Mills Sr., New Zealand Olympian and Creator of BodyPump, Dies at 91
Les Mills Sr., the New Zealand Olympian and fitness pioneer whose family helped transform group exercise into a global industry, has died at 91. Mills passed away peacefully surrounded by family, according to statements released Monday and first reported by The Associated Press.
Decades before boutique studios and streamed workouts became commonplace, Mills was already rethinking what a gym could be. In 1968 he and his wife, Colleen, opened their first fitness club in Auckland. That single venue grew into the Les Mills gym chain, and the next generation of the family expanded the brand into a globally recognized fitness company.
The defining moment for the brand arrived in 1991, when his son Phillip and daughter-in-law Jackie launched BodyPump — a barbell-based strength class set to music. At a time when many gym members found weight rooms intimidating, BodyPump made resistance training approachable, bringing structured lifting classes to millions of ordinary gym-goers.
More than 30 years later, the Les Mills portfolio — including BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyAttack and RPM — is offered in more than 22,000 gyms across over 100 countries, according to Les Mills International. For countless people, BodyPump was their first introduction to strength training, helping them build strength, confidence and long-term fitness habits.
From Elite Athlete To Community Leader
Before founding a fitness empire, Mills enjoyed a distinguished athletic career: he competed in four Olympic Games and won five Commonwealth Games medals, including discus gold in 1966. He later moved into public service, serving three terms as Auckland's mayor, according to The Associated Press.
Phillip Mills, in a statement from Les Mills International: "Dad was immensely strong, driven, and always cared deeply for the less advantaged. He left a lasting impression on everyone he met, and his spirit lives on in gym workouts around the world."
More than three decades after BodyPump debuted, Mills' influence is still evident every time gym-goers pick up a barbell and join a class — a legacy few in the fitness world can match.
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