| Visions of climbing walls and swinging from ropes | | | | creates a phenomenon called "metabolic disturbance." |
| over muddy puddles of water might be your idea of | | | | This is key to fat loss because it sustains a high |
| a boot camp, and they are probably pretty accurate | | | | caloric burn rate long after the workout is over. A |
| if considering Armed Forces basic training. However, | | | | boot camp that asks its' participants to never let up |
| fitness boot camps, for civilians, would more closely | | | | on the throttle reduces both the quality of the |
| be described as just plain old hard. Sure, there are | | | | workout, and the effectiveness of the training. Long |
| plenty of military overtones in many of them, and | | | | routines with no pause get sloppy as they foster |
| Marine Corp themes abound what with the | | | | poor exercise form. Just as significantly, these |
| camouflaged exercise attire and exhausting routines | | | | programs stifle optimum results because they don't |
| at the hands of drill sergeant-like instructors. But, | | | | allow adequate recovery, and a fatigued muscle |
| these group fitness programs don't require a 3 year | | | | cannot produce enough effort to demand adaptation |
| enlistment to participate, only a strong stomach, a | | | | to occur. That adaptation to exercise is called fitness. |
| high pain threshold, and maybe a little over zealous | | | | So, although the frenetic pace of a boot camp may |
| penchant for self inflicted misery. A casual observer | | | | be impressive, bordering on lunacy, (how many of |
| of a fitness boot camp in a park or athletic field | | | | those 100 push ups are done well, anyway), a better |
| might ponder: Is that a workout, or just a | | | | approach would be one where participants are |
| work-over? | | | | awarded the time to recover from very brief, albeit |
| As a fitness trainer for close to 30 years, I have | | | | very hard, bouts of exercise. This on again, off again |
| witnessed the advent of many trends in the industry: | | | | mechanism is imperative to ratcheting up the fat |
| aerobic dance, step classes, sport specific training, | | | | burning process even while sleeping. The bottom line, |
| pilates and even hot yoga. Most recently, with much | | | | which is great for your bottom period, is that it is not |
| well documented research showing the superior | | | | important how many calories the workout burns, but |
| effects of strength training and especially interval | | | | rather, how many it burns the other 23 hours of the |
| based workouts on fat loss, the fitness boot camp | | | | day! This has been supported via human performance |
| format has become a favorite of those attempting | | | | studies by Trembley and Tabata and others, and |
| to resurrect their bodies. But, are fitness boot camps | | | | their findings have been used to fashion the fitness |
| following the tenants of sound methodology given | | | | protocols by the best trainers world wide. |
| the latest findings? | | | | Unfortunately, the fitness boot camp is often mired |
| Intensity rules the day if the purpose is maximum fat | | | | down in old standard military influence, and techniques |
| loss and muscle gain. Unfortunately, pushing clients in | | | | are invented to be just plain old hard, with little |
| a boot camp setting becomes overkill when well | | | | thought given to tempering the exercise plan to be |
| intended instructors never pump the brakes. A law | | | | just plain old better! |
| too often overlooked states that muscles need to | | | | Another benefit to HIIT based boot camps, is the |
| recover if they are asked to repeat, (and survive), | | | | time it saves the consumer. After all, what is given |
| high intensity training. This is what high intensity | | | | as the number one reason why people do not |
| interval training is all about. Entitled HIIT for short, | | | | exercise? That answer is time! A fitness boot camp, |
| interval based training is just that: brief doses of very | | | | conducted properly with the rules of engagement |
| difficult exercise, repeated after a break, either as | | | | described above, could be as short as 30 minutes. In |
| long, or slightly longer or shorter depending on the | | | | fact, the Tabata study briefly eluded to earlier |
| effect the training is designed to create. For example, | | | | demonstrated impressive results in less than 20 |
| if fat loss is priority one, then shorter rest periods | | | | minutes total conditioning time per week! Granted, |
| are allowed between work intervals. If muscle building | | | | the intensity of the training was severe, however, |
| is in order, work to rest ratios might expand so that | | | | wouldn't you agree that the brevity of the workout |
| twice the time is spent recovering. This is the beauty | | | | time invested is remarkable, as well? Five weekly, |
| of HIIT. It can be massaged to meet specific goals. | | | | four minute workouts under Tabata's supervision |
| When clients are asked to endure long spells of | | | | produced better results in both aerobic and anaerobic |
| redundant drills, for example, 10 push ups combined | | | | conditioning than a five day, 60 minute workout, or a |
| with 25 yard sprints, only to repeat another 10 sets | | | | total weekly time investment of 300 minutes |
| of the same torturous duo without rest, intensity is | | | | workout per week. |
| diluted by the sheer volume of the repetitions. | | | | Fitness boot camps can learn a lot from these |
| Intensity and volume are at opposite ends of the | | | | studies, and hone their craft of group training to |
| workout continuum. If a drill is very hard, it cannot | | | | reflect a better model of conditioning. Training hard is |
| also be very long; after all, if anything is hard to do, it | | | | fine if done with a governor that makes sense |
| cannot be done a long time by the very nature of | | | | physiologically, and one could argue, psychologically, |
| the task. One can walk 2 miles, but could never sprint | | | | too. Nothing is so demoralizing as working your tail |
| the same distance. | | | | off without actually seeing it get smaller. There is a |
| The rest intervals provide two essential components | | | | better way than just pushing onward because it's |
| to a fat loss workout. First, they allow the energy | | | | boot camp and it's not meant to be pretty! That kind |
| systems of the body to rekindle the fire, so a | | | | of thinking is just pretty... stupid! |
| maximum effort can be generated again. Quality of | | | | Work hard, rest, recover and work hard again. This is |
| exercise form and force production are mandatory | | | | the surest road to fitness in a boot camp, regardless |
| to ensure safety and effective training. Secondly, the | | | | of whether there are ropes dangling over mud |
| frequent starting and stopping of high intensity effort | | | | puddles on that road, or not. |