Fitness boot camps may sound like a relatively recent development but boot camp-style workouts have been around for decades! Most of the modern workouts, such as those offered in Fit Body Boot Camp, share several similarities, the result of many years of fusion of styles.
These similarities include a combination of calisthenics and bodyweight training, which may involve exercise equipment. The exercises are designed to give the upper and lower body as well as the core a comprehensive workout. This is among the reasons why fitness boot camps are great for nearly everybody, and here are more reasons.
Emphasis on Total Body Functional Training
Traditional gym workouts, which typically include a combination of cardio and strength training exercises, improve endurance, stamina and strength. These are good benefits, of course, but fitness boot camp workouts take it to another level.
Fitness boot camp workouts emphasizes functional training. It’s an approach known for its greater effectiveness in preparing the body for real-world activities, such as lifting groceries, climbing stairs, and carrying babies. Think of it this way: You can actually translate your improved strength and stamina into the real world.
Of course, there’s also the benefit that these workouts improve overall fitness and burn calories. The number of calories burned per minute is approximately 10 calories, about the same amount burned when swimming or cycling.
Truly HIIT Workouts
Most fitness boot camp workouts combine periods of high-intensity activity with periods of active rest. These are then considered as high-intensity interval training workouts (HIIT), which have been proven to maximize fitness gains in a short period.
When you’re in a fitness boot camp workout, your average heart rate can hit as much as 77% of the maximum. This is well within the range necessary for improved physical fitness (American College of Sports Medicine). Many people can even hit 91% of the maximum –and it’s well above the 80% maximum level required for a workout to qualify as HIIT.
Keep in mind, nonetheless, that every fitness boot camp workout has its own exercise components. These will affect the actual fitness benefits that you can get from it, such as when the program emphasizes the use of equipment; other programs may emphasize bodyweight training.
Nearly every relatively healthy individual can engage in a fitness boot camp program, too. Just be sure that you have your doctor’s go signal before you plunge yourself into it if you have an underlying medical issue. You have to choose the right class, too, with certified instructors and low instructor-to-student ratio.