For those of you that haven't heard yet and have had your head stuck in the ground, fitness boot camps are the new fitness craze sweeping the nation.
From Army boot camps to bikini boot camps, its all out there.
What is a fitness boot camp?
Fitness boot camps stem from military training. While some fitness camps still insist on this military style training others go for a more relazed aproach using personal trainers and fitness instructors to motivate participants without the combats and the orders.
Most boot camps will last for around 4 weeks and train 3 times a week. Expect to perform exercises such as jumping jacks, sprints, press ups, squats, lunges and anything else the boot camp instructor can think of to spice things up.
A word of warning though, prepare to work hard. Fitness Boot Camps are designed to get you out of your comfort zone. It seems far to many people who go to the gym nowadays are smack bang in the middle of their comfort zones. Fitness boot camps with the nature of working with others often as a team provides great camaraderie and motivation to go on and achieve goals that have been set out.
Furthermore, unlike most aerobic or spinning classes, fitness boot camps change from session to session. As the instructor sees improvement in the group he or she will usually step the difficulty level up by adding different exercises and less recovery time. After 4 weeks of fitness boot camp you will surely see a difference.
For example, one tactic used by www.thebootcamp.co.uk, is to lay out a set of cards. Each card is then set a different exercise. Participants choose two cards and then run to the designated area to perform their exercises and then run back and choose another two cards. Participants are kept guessing by this method and it often adds a little fun as someone always winds up getting the same cards over and over.
Overall, Fitness Boot Camps are a fitness craze that looks likely to stay. Fun, affordable (when compared to personal training), friendly, variety and results based.