Fitness Boot Camps: Should You Enlist?
Fans say boot camp exercise classes inspire them while whipping them into shape.
Are you turning 40, ,maybe it's time to tackle a nagging urge to get in shape. That's when she signed up for her first fitness boot camp class.
"I didn’t have any energy and I could feel my age creeping up on me," says the Calgary AB., mother of two. Her weight had crept up, too. Though she wasn’t heavy, the 40 pounds she’d added over the years didn’t feel comfortable on her 5-foot, 3-inch frame.
A successful oil and gas consultant, Robins had never felt as comfortable in sneakers as she did in front of her laptop. "I didn’t have the confidence" to exercise, she says, because she always felt uncoordinated.
But when her stylist suggested she try the boot camp fitness class, she worked up the nerve to do it. And she's never looked back.
"No other workout makes me feel so good. It makes me feel like I really kicked my butt," says Robins, 42, a faithful boot camper for 2 1/2 years now.
She is now one of the fastest runners in the class, and is once again happy with the way she looks. "It took 12 weeks, but I lost 45 pounds," says Smith.
What Is a Fitness Boot Camps Canada?
Most Boot camp exercise classes vary in style, depending on the teacher. With most you can generally expect to meet outside, rain or shine. This is very dangerous, that's why you should look for a boot camp program that is only indoors until its safe to go outside.( If you slip and fall and injure yourself ,that's not any good for anyone) You'll probably spend an hour doing some form of cardiovascular exercise (running, hiking, interval training, or obstacle course challenges), along with strength elements (using dumbbells, exercise bands, or the resistance of your own body weight). You'll also work on flexibility in a stretch portion of the class, which may incorporate elements of yoga or Pilates.
You have to be very aware though as many boot camp programs operate solely on using participants body weight. These are usually inexpensive program but as we found they don't actually produce any results.
The fitness boot camp class Robins attends in Calgary, AB., is taught by 20 year fitness veteran and fitness coach Allan Fine. Fine's boot camp is offered once a day, five days a week, year round. People can pay daily, weekly, or monthly and come as often as they like.
Boot camp fitness classes challenge the mind as well as the body, instructors say.
"We work on technique, form, core training, breathing, relaxation, and a better understanding of how the body moves," says Fine. "In four weeks, people will drop 5% to 6% body fat, lose up to 10 pounds, and reduce their mile time sometimes by 2 minutes a mile."
Often, the confidence participants gain in boot camp class helps them take control of other aspects of their life, Fine says.
