New YouTube docuseries offers unprecedented access into the world of elite fitness, revealing the passion, pressure and personal toll as top global trainers compete for a shot at stardom.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, April 13, 2026 -- Leading fitness brand Les Mills today announces the global launch of RISE: Search for the Ultimate Trainers, a new YouTube docuseries that takes viewers behind the scenes of elite performance at the highest level of fitness.
Launching 13 April on the Les Mills YouTube channel, RISE follows the lives of elite fitness trainers as they compete for one of the most sought-after roles in the fitness industry: a place on the Les Mills global filming team. With a pool of 100,000 certified Les Mills Instructors worldwide, competition is fierce and the challenge is constant.
Spanning six episodes shot across two years, the series travels from New Zealand to London, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Berlin, Amsterdam, Riyadh and Stockholm, capturing high-stakes arena performances in front of thousands of fitness fans. The journey culminates in New Zealand, where the final trainers must earn their place filming the workouts enjoyed by 7 million people every week across 23,000 gyms around the world.
But RISE goes beyond the stage.
Away from the lights and crowds, the series reveals the commitment required to stay at the top, balancing family, health, constant travel, and the demands of delivering the world's most popular group workouts. These athletes have fought their entire lives to get here, and in the world of fitness, being on the Les Mills filming team is the ultimate crown. But can they claim it?
RISE follows the runners and riders through the heat of battle – featuring cameos from current stars and the extensive support team – with a particular focus on eight aspiring trainers:
- Maggie Cheng (China)
- Vili Fifita (New Zealand)
- Sebastian Jaramillo (Germany)
- Charlotte Ranque (France)
- Lula Slaughter (US)
- Kenshin Tani (Japan)
- Bronté Terrell (UK)
- Marlon Woods (US)
"Fitness is the biggest participation sport in the world and trainers are the heart of it. But very few people ever see what it takes to perform at the absolute top of the profession," said Phillip Mills, Managing Director of Les Mills.
"RISE is about ambition, pressure, and performance at scale. These trainers are exceptional, but delivering consistent excellence is what separates the very best from the rest. This series shows what it really takes to earn your place at the top fitness table, and to keep it as thousands chase your tail."
Alongside the main series, Les Mills will release a weekly companion vodcast, RISE Reactions, hosted by Les Mills Presenter Bas Hollander, with rotating guests from the show. The watchalong format gives fans and Instructors deeper insight into each episode, the performances, and the people behind them.
"RISE isn't just about who makes the team, it's what people are willing to commit to something they believe in," says Bas Hollander, host of RISE Reactions. "You see the pride they have for their work, the pressure and doubt it sometimes comes with, and the relationships that hold under it. That honesty is what makes the series powerful – this is fitness as you've never seen it before."
For Kylie Gates, a Senior Creative who spent decades in the Les Mills filming team, the series sheds light on the passion and love for their craft that drives trainers to greatness.
"Behind every great trainer is a desire to make people fall in love with fitness," adds Kylie. "And what really shines through in the docuseries is that however much they achieve, these trainers remain driven by the sense of purpose that inspired them to step up and teach their very first class."
Shot by award-winning New Zealand production house Tomorrowland, RISE: Search for the Ultimate Trainers runs for six weeks, with each episode released weekly in three parts.
And to celebrate the launch of RISE, Les Mills will be sharing an array of its legendary workouts free on YouTube, so millions more people can start their own fitness journey.
Watch RISE from 13 April (4:45pm EST) on the Les Mills YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@lesmills
A full press kit is available here
ABOUT LES MILLS
Les Mills is the global leader in group training and creator of over 30 programs available in leading gyms around the world. The company was founded by Les Mills – a four-time Olympian and national head coach of New Zealand track and field – who opened his first gym in 1968 with the aim of taking elite sports training to the masses. Today, Les Mills workouts are delivered by 100,000 certified Instructors in 23,000 clubs across 110 countries, and via the LES MILLS+ streaming platform.
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