Drop and give me 30
THEY are becoming extremely common, especially during the summer when many women don’t mind dedicating a few months to getting that bikini body. But apart from preparing you to look good on the beach, signing up for an exercise boot camp has several health benefits, which could last all year round.
Boot camp work-outs generally take the form of old-school military training and help to build endurance and agility through a variety of push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, resistance training, crunches, drills and sprints. Some today also incorporate yoga, pilates, martial arts and belly dancing to further tone the body and improve flexibility and posture.
Among those institutions which will be offering boot camp classes this summer is the Guardsman Group Limited which recently started its total fitness military way boot camp. The boot camp, which starts at 5:00 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Gymkhana, mirrors what obtains on an army base and is even taught by trainers with military backgrounds.
“Our boot camps are really geared towards total body conditioning and core strength training as well as the overall toning of the body. We allow persons to use their own body weight to do exercises,” explained assistant manager for Gymkhana Andrew Khan.
Although the classes are open to both males and females, he said the majority of attendees are women.
“The thing is that we promoted it for persons to get their summer bodies ready by July. So women have been very receptive to it,” he said.
If you are on the sidelines wondering whether you should get involved, here are some of the reasons a boot camp might just be the thing for you:
1. It helps you find your inner strength. There is no “I can’t” in boot camps, certainly not when you have a no-nonsense instructor telling you that you can. It’s triple worse when your instructor is in the military, because he really won’t take no for an answer. But being pushed to the limit is a great way to test what you are really made of, and gives you less of a chance to slack off.
2. It creates healthy expectations. A boot camp puts increasing pressure on you to become personally responsible for your health. After working so hard and busting your chops, there might not be such a temptation to pig out on a tub of ice cream or casually fill up with three bottles of soda. You might very well hear the voice of your instructor ringing in your ears when you dare to even make such an attempt.
3. There is strength in numbers. No matter how unfit you might be, you are bound to push yourself physically if everyone else around you is going all out. No one wants to be the odd man out, so just to save face, you might find yourself transforming into Jillian Michaels without even realising it. Plus, one cannot underestimate the fellowship and camaraderie being in a boot camp engenders.
4. There is never a dull moment. Because of the diversity of boot camp work-outs, you will find that you will become fully engaged in the exercise routine. It’s so easy to get bored while trying to clock an hour on the treadmill. This explains why so many persons have taken to bringing books, magazines and iPads to the gym with them, to help them pass the time. You’ll be lucky if you even get to think straight while working out boot camp style.
5. It helps you feel better. At first you might hurt, especially if you have lived a very sedentary lifestyle, but after a week or two in a boot camp session, you will find that your mood improves and you are better able to deal with stress. That’s because exercise generally triggers the “feel good” hormones in your body.
6. You get faster results. Because boot camp exercises require a lot of energy, you will find yourself melting off the pounds without even realising it. There is also the added benefit of getting your entire body toned during the process.
7. It’s a plateau buster. Any seasoned fitness junkie or exercise instructor will tell you that after a while of exercising, your body generally tends to rebel by resorting to the “go slow” mode. However, the intensity of the fitness challenges a boot camp programme affords is a great way to shake the body from its slumber. A boot camp also helps you to be more disciplined in your weight loss endeavours.
8. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. It can be a great feeling when you are able to increase the number of push-ups by 10 each week or run a mile further, especially if you were a couch potato before signing up for a class. Your success with your work-out sessions might even encourage you to push yourself in other areas of your life such as on the job or with your studies.
