"You Can Make It If You Try..."

I’ll admit it. Fitness boot camp classes scare me. For me, watching the workouts brings back bad memories of my lack of prowess in high school gym class. I'm amazed at how Jillian and Bob get the "Biggest Loser" contestants to jump through hoops in their intense boot camp workouts and end up hugging and crying with them. It seems that the staccato commands of boot camp instructors are very motivating to most people, and the fitness challenges usually lead to great results. Up to 600 calories can be burned during a boot camp session, which is obviously going to facilitate weight loss. The fitness boot camp typically mixes traditional body weight exercises with interval and strength training. It can be outdoors, indoors, in a park, at a gym, or even on the beach, but most classes are designed to push participants harder than they would normally push themselves; hence the resemblance to a military boot camp.

The classes are also very efficient; providing a whole body strength and cardio workout in each session. Because the boot camps usually use a combination of physical activities like band training, ball exercises, dumbbells, calisthenics, plyometrics, and resistance training, you can burn more calories than a traditional run on a treadmill, giving you quicker results. Workouts that provide multiple benefits are very appealing because of both the time and economic limitations many of us face these days.
Also, the camaraderie of working with a group provides a common goal and built-in motivation. According to Tom Rayhill, a boot camp instructor in Florida, the idea beind the boot camp philosophy is that our nature is to challenge ourselves against others. "Not everybody is as athletically inclined,” he says, “but by hanging out with those more driven people, you're naturally going to want to do better".
Many gyms, such as Lifetime Fitness, offer the boot camps as one of their team training components. Because the classes are progressive, participants are able to build on each level of work in the class. I've watched the participants run up and down stairs, crawl across the gym floor, skate on towels and squat against walls. Laura, Lifetime's West County Group Fitness director, puts the class through some tough stuff, but they all seem to love it! The team atmosphere and convenience of having the boot camp at your gym is very appealing.If you're a member of Lifetime, check with the Team Training desk for the next session. The YMCA and other gyms also offer variety of boot camp classes for most levels. But even if you don’t belong to a gym, there are many specialty boot camps offered by individual instructors.
Because I live in St. Louis, the programs listed are local, but you can check online for fitness boot camps in your area. Locally,some of the programs, like Best Body Boot Camp, meet at different parks and other outdoor facilities in St. Louis’s West County area: www.bestbodycpt.com/bootcamp.html
If you want an extremely challenging workout, try Crossfit St. Louis in the Hanley industrial area: www.CrossFitstlouis.com
The staff at lululemon athletica (see "Feelin' Groovy" post) in the Central West End (St. Louis) highly recommended the following instructors and their boot camps. Check their listings: www.lululemon.com/stlouis/stlouis/community.
Paige Dustmann offers Sleek Boot Camp with early morning workouts in Forest Park in St. Louis and Long Acre Park in Fairview Heights, Illinois: www.sleekbootcamp.com
Tisha Schurk, a personal trainer from Sante Fitness at the Chase Park Plaza, is offering two new “camps”. The “Beach Booty Bootcamp”; an eight week outdoor program that meets on Wednesday evenings and a men’s “No Pain, No Gain” six week boot camp. You can register at the Santé Fitness desk (314-633-3020) or email tschurk@chaseparkplaza.com.
Also, both Monica Koche, monica.koche@sbcglobal.net and Jaque Albus, jalbus@gmail.com are lululemon “ambassadors” along with Tischa.
Another option is Adventure Boot Camps with locations nationally and worldwide. Click on http://www.bootcampfinder.com/graduates.html for locations and schedules in your area.
Even for us gym class flunkies, a fitness boot camp might be just what we need to take our workout up a couple notches!