Have you had trouble getting into shape? Do you need to lose weight and get fit in a hurry? Then a “boot camp” may be just the thing.
The LA Times highlighted some of the benefits of boot camps:
“It’s a very efficient workout because you’re working your whole body in a short period of time,” says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. “It’s fun, and the exercises are different, so you’re not going to get bored.”
Boot camps usually combine cardio exercises with resistance exercises. Indoor camps use machines for cardio — the familiar treadmill and crosstrainers. They alternate the cardio with free weights and exercise machines. The result is a highly efficient workout that gives cardiovascular conditioning as well as muscle building.
The outdoor camps usually have a little different approach.
Boot camps have some special features. Many are held outdoors and often incorporate common environmental features such as stairs or ledges for cardio as well as functional exercises using only body weight or free weights.
Many people find it hard to get motivated to exercise. Boot camps can help you to succeed.
Encouragement comes not just from the instructor but also from the other participants, who cheer and clap for fellow campers.
No matter how well thought out a workout program is, it doesn’t work unless you do it. Boot camps can help you stick with the program.
“Boot camp means commitment,” says Jay Kerwin, Boot Camp L.A.’s founder. “You can join a gym and not go, but if you sign up for boot camp for a month it tells you where to be five days a week. The workout is hard, but you could never do this on your own. You can’t go to the gym and duplicate this.”
If you are finally ready to get in shape a boot camp may help. The intense cardio and resistance training, in a concentrated format, with the benefits of team spirit can be a winning combination.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-boot-camps4-2010jan04,0,3388467.story
