Fitness Boot Camp: The Sure Way to Fat Burning, Weight Loss, and Results

Over the past decade of personal training in gyms, at home, and on public land, I’ve discovered that one of the best means of achieving fitness goals is Fitness Boot Camp. These are intensive outdoor group training sessions where you and others in attendance are pushed to the max, just like they are in the military.

The Boot Camp training method has become so popular across the country that entire programs and DVD series are dedicated to it. People just can’t get enough. The proof is in the results. And the results are in a new research study. Here’s the scoop:

Researchers led by two doctors at the American Council on Exercise (ACE) conducted a study that looked at the overall health and fitness benefits of Boot Camp-style training.

“There’s a certain element of going back to basics and a more functional approach to training,” says ACE Chief Scientific Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D. “People are looking for different experiences. With boot camp, you’re giving them something outside of the traditional club environment.

The reasons for the popularity of boot camps could be the cohesive group and grumpy cohesion, the outdoor experience, the DIY approach. No heavy metal gear, just you, the dirt, the coach, and your fellow campers pushing you…if only for their involvement.

“Boot camp is becoming more and more popular in the gym environment, so obviously people want to know if they’re really going to get something out of it and if it’s going to be worth it,” says Kirsten Hendrickson, a graduate. sports and exercise science student at the University of Wisconsin. “So we decided to take a look at it.”

In their effort to assess the real benefits of boot camp workouts compared to regular gym workouts, a team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse Health and Exercise Program, led by John Porcari, Ph. .D., and Hendrickson, recruited six men and six women ages 19 to 29.

After baseline measures, such as maximal heart rate and oxygen consumption (Vo O2 max), were obtained from participants by having them step onto a motorized treadmill, a Borg scale was used. This scale measures perceived exertion using a scale from 6 to 20, based on how the person feels that he is exercising in terms of effort, difficulty, and return on that investment.

After the baseline was obtained and the participants were well-versed in the upcoming boot camp routine (so there would be no error tripping), they returned to the lab and donned special equipment to quantify their workouts. Each subject was then fitted with the Cosmed portable analyzer, a backpack-and-face-mask device that measures oxygen consumption and calorie burn. Heart rate and perceived exertion were also recorded every three minutes during the 40-minute workout.

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that the average athlete burns approximately 9.8 calories per minute during a typical boot camp workout, which equates to almost 400 calories during the entire 40 minutes of the boot camp video studied.

“The biggest benefit is that you’re burning an average of 600 calories per hour,” says Porcari. “Obviously that will help with weight loss, but you’ll also get the muscle-building benefit of push-ups, pull-ups and squats that you wouldn’t get from just going for a walk or jog.”

According to the recommendations established by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), to improve cardiorespiratory endurance, people should exercise between 70% and 94% of HRmax. and between 50% and 85% of the Vo O2 max. According to the data collected in this study, the subjects exercised well within these levels. “On average, people were working out at 77% of their maximum heart rate, which is considered moderate intensity, but it also hits 91%, which means all these camp workouts have peaks and valleys,” Porcari explains.

In my opinion, the peaks and valleys achieved during a boot camp style are a result of the circuit training method used in boot camp training. Going from resistance training with the bands, to bodyweight exercises, plyometrics and cardio exercises. Having such variety in 1 single workout results in a very balanced overall workout that works and stimulates all systems.

You should know that not all boot camps are the same. As in any profession, the good and the bad rise to the top and it is the unwitting buyer who must beware. It is up to the prospect to know how to evaluate the different options when selecting a bootcamp. The most effective bootcamps will include a focus on combining functional fitness movements with high-intensity interval training.

The other benefit of a bootcamp workout is that you don’t need to own any equipment or a gym to belong to. Just show up and get ready for a kick ass workout that’s sure to pay off!