When many people think of fitness boot camp-style workouts at Fit Body Boot Camp, they think of an instructor dressed in military fatigues pushing recruits into exhaustion with hard drills. Welcome to the militarization of fitness! Here, the workouts are designed to whip the participants into fitness with workouts inspired by military training.
For this reason, individuals interested in these workouts should carefully think about their suitability and safety before enrolling in a class. While neither weight nor age are disqualifiers, there are certain aspects of these workouts that require caution, mainly due to the militarization aspect.
Note, by the way, that workouts at Fit Body Boot Camp don’t involve a drill sergeant dressed in military fatigues. The certified instructors are dressed in typical workout gear and aren’t prone to barking out orders like a tough-ass drill sergeant.
Overtraining Can Be an Issue
Both beginners and veterans in fitness boot camps can fall into the trap that “going hard” on your body is the best way to achieve maximum fitness in the shortest period. This is actually problematic for many reasons mainly the fact that overtraining can do more harm than good for your body.
Exercise has to be done gradually so that the body becomes accustomed to the strains and stress placed upon it, and then it’s pushed to a higher level to avoid plateauing. This is especially true for high-intensity interval training programs like fitness boot camp workouts. Overloading the body due to overtraining increases the risk of injury, too, and it isn’t the kind of results you want.
Tip: Choose an instructor that looks after the individual needs of the clients as much as possible so that overtraining can be avoided.
Overemphasis on Work Can Be Problematic
Our bodies release feel-good chemicals when we engage in strenuous physical activity like HIIT workouts. These chemicals lift the mood and encourages the person to come back for more of the exhilarating feeling.
But when fitness boot camp workouts that mimic fit-for-combat military training too closely are adopted, the positive feelings that come with exercise can be significantly diminished. Think of it as taking the fun out of exercise and it’s a possibility with these workouts.
Tip: Choose a class that combines HIIT with fun, such as when catchy music is played, or when the instructor makes it a point to make the participants enjoy the workout.
There’s no need to push yourself too hard, too fast with fitness boot camp workouts. You should still enjoy the exercises while getting the desired benefits, and it requires a balanced approach.