What is a fitness boot camp?

What is a fitness boot camp? A fitness boot camp is a type of group physical training program conducted by fitness facilities, personal trainers and military personnel. These programs are designed to build strength and fitness through an assortment of exercise intervals over a specified period of time.

There are many other benefits of a fitness boot camp, which includes mental health. It’s known that regular aerobic exercise can help to reduce high blood pressure, hypertension and combat stress. Part of this is due to the release of endorphins, which act as a mood elevator. 

The term "boot camp" is currently used in the fitness industry to describe group fitness classes that promote fat loss, camaraderie and team effort. They are designed to push people further than they would normally push themselves in the gym alone. Boot camps are sometimes organized outdoors in parks using bodyweight exercises like pushups, squats and burpees, mixed together with running. The idea is that everyone involved works at their own pace as they team up and work towards one goal. 

Boot camps provide social support for those participating. This provides a different setting for those exercisers who get uninterested in a gym and find it hard to develop a habit of exercise. Participants make friends and socialize as they exercise, although how strict the trainers or drill instructors in charge can be will depend on the company running the camp. Members of fitness boot camps are usually tested for fitness on the first day and then retested at the end of the camp, which usually runs for between four and six weeks.

Fitness boot camps are often based on the military style of training, although that has started changing over the last few years. An advantage of a boot camp is that the large group dynamic will often help motivate the participants. A growing trend in fitness boot camps are the indoor locations which prove to be climate proof and provide a better workout environment for the members.

Boot camp training often starts with dynamic movements and running, followed by a variety of interval training, including lifting weights/objects, pulling rubber TRX straps, pushups/situps, plyometrics, and various types of intense explosive routines. Sessions usually finish with yoga stretching. These exercises using weights and/or body weight, are used to lose body fat, increase cardiovascular competence, increase strength, and help people get into a routine of regular exercise. It is called "boot camp" because it trains groups of people, may be outdoors, and may or may not be similar to military basic training.

PNF’s outdoor 6 week bootcamp starts May 10^th! Call or stop by today to sign up. For questions about fitness contact columnist@TheWindhamEagle.com.