March 28, 2024

I have been seeing a lot of ads and seeing people around me joining short term fitness bootcamps.

The fitness bootcamp idea is generally 5 weeks, 2 to 3 times a week workouts with a trainer in a small group for a couple of hours a session. A couple of nights ago Desperate Housewives (the TV show) brought a fitness boot camp to TV.

What Are Fitness Bootcamps?

Have you tried these group workouts out? The idea is great. You learn a lot of new exercises so that your workouts are not as stale and boring and you have this very immediate feedback loop as to whether the workouts are working or not.

In practice though sometimes I wonder whether the fitness bootcamp is a great new idea or just a fad that will go the way of strippercize. After watching them continue on the last few Springs though it seems to be a workout with some staying power.

fitness boot camp

Here are the plusses of fitness boot camps. You learn how hard you can push yourself, you get a really good idea of what you are missing from your current workout schedule (from muscle pain the next day), and you get to potentially meet future workout partners.

The real problem with the fitness boot camp concept is the same as any other workout plan. There is no force to continue after you are done.

We all know that is good for us and we all know that we need to continue to workout but after a very intense few weeks it is really easy to just walk away and look at he boot camp as being just another experience in exercise.

How Are Fitness Bootcamps Structured?

There is a better way. I just watched someone go through a five week fitness bootcamp and she found it really tough.

It is hard for most people to find a couple of hours a night to workout so the best thing to do is find 30 minutes or so every night or most days during the week anyway and workout in those times following parts of your bootcamp workout.

Do weights one day, running or cardio the next and work through this schedule. Purposely mix up your workouts to keep them fun and add or subtract what you did not like about the bootcamp but not the intensity.

There are several thinigs you can change, the music, what you ate before and after, the breaks (still keep them short) and even the partners. Maybe you can get together with the same people in the morning or evening.

If you can mix up your workouts and have a few buddies to workout with then you have a much better chance to continue.

This spring I am sure the biggest story in fitness will be fitness bootcamps. Shop around and see what trainers are doing for bootcamps and what the schedules are.

I am sure some of these bootcamps will be better than others but realistically you will get our whatever you put back in to it.

5 thoughts on “Fitness Boot camps hit the mainstream

  1. You’re right most people who finished a boot camp doesn’t continue working out after the camp. They now lack focus and discipline. Forgets the main reason why they joined these boot camps. Although fitness boot camps are not the only way to be fit you can exercise on your own too. All you need to possess is initiative and discipline.

  2. Hi Mam this is sonam i would like to add you bt about Fitness i want know somethng..actually about Flat stomach i want so wat should i do can u give some tips on it so kindly i hope ur going give me a reply im working in a private company dear

  3. Christen, the Operation Boot Camp seems really good. As you can probably see by my yellow box on the top right of the pages here I am a big believer in the idea that once you start making changes and seeing real results then you will have the validation of success and will be more inclined to continue.

    These Bootcamps are a great idea that I think no matter what will contribute to people getting in much better shape and improving lifestyles

  4. I would also add that with OBC… the benefits are not just getting a good workout. It’s such a positive environment, and people bond with the other campers, which only makes the experience more enjoyable. It makes it easy to want to come back, instead of chalking it up to “just another exercise experience” and moving on. It’s fantastic!

  5. Interesting blog… check out Operation Boot Camp and I think you will see it’s definitely not a fad that will fizzle like Strippercize did. Been in business in Atlanta since 2000 and now expanding to CA, OK, TN, and NC (I own the NC franchise and we’re just getting started). It’s a great program and if managed right, I think you can keep boot camps fresh for campers for many months. Plus, this program offers morning or evening locations, every day of the week, so there is no need to work out for two hours straight OR try to cram in extra s or cardio after your camp. We do it right for our campers the first time so they don’t have to work out on top of what they are already paying us to help them do. I may be a bit biased but definitely make sure your camp instructors are properly trained, certified and that your camp is built around a tested structure and design, to avoid injuries from inexperienced trainers just trying to take their sessions outdoors and add more people to call it a boot camp. I personally love boot camp – obviously, or I would not have bought my business. Thanks for the post!

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