Fitness boot camps are not for the faint of heart, and it is important to understand what they are before deciding to join one. The term “boot camp” should make you think of military training you have seen on TV with coaches yelling in your face, push-ups as punishment, and being mentally and physically drained.
What Fitness Boot Camps Are
Boot camps are there to push you harder than you have ever been pushed in your previous fitness programs. The coaches are there to push you beyond your perceived mental (and physical) limitations. Some instructors make the boot camps fun while others may take the military meaning of a boot camp to heart. Expect to be mentally and physically fatigued every day for the first two weeks. The goal behind a fitness boot camp is ultimately to develop a strong mind so that a seemingly impossible goal of losing weight does not seem impossible and you have the mental strength to strive for and achieve this goal.
Many fitness boot camps focus on such terms as, “Mind Over Matter”, “Impossible is Nothing”, and “Can’t Doesn’t Exist.” All of these terms are meant to motivate you through your workouts. These terms are especially used when you feel like you are done and that you can’t go any further. Fitness boot camps are going to push you to a level you may not have believed even existed in yourself. Fact is, anyone can lose weight when they put their mind to it and when they start believing that they cannot lose the weight, the fitness boot camp instructor is there to push you. All you have to realize is that the ultimate goal is to get healthy.
What to Expect at Fitness Boot Camps
When joining a fitness boot camp, expect to be sore for at least the first one or two weeks after workout sessions. The workouts typically consist of a great deal of cardio such as running, sprinting, and jumping jacks. However, that is usually just the warm-up. The actual workout consists of high-intensity push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and many other types of exercises where your weight is used against you. Sometimes workouts will include a course where you have to work up a wall, climb over a distance, or use kettlebells and jump ropes. Then just as you feel like you have a grip on the workouts, a good instructor will change the routines so you will continue to progress.
With workouts of this intensity, you should expect to change your diet. You will need to give it the proper nutrition in order to lose weight and have the energy to get through the workouts. Some foods will power you through your workout while others will leave you drained and lethargic. Check with a licensed Fort Collins registered dietitian (www.fuel2run.com) to figure out what the right foods would be for your workouts.
Conclusion
Lastly, when joining a fitness boot camp, you can expect to have social support from other people enduring the same struggle as you. Near the end of the boot camp you will recognize that it was all worth it and be glad that you stuck with it. Ultimately when joining a fitness boot camp, you should expect to gain a stronger mind, so that hopefully you have gained the discipline and know-how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.