Thinking of Joining a Boot Camp? What to Look For

Boot Camps are a fantastic way to get fit. There’s nothing quite like having a personal trainer take you through a grueling, innovative, challenging, and intense workout that will leave you begging for less.

If you don’t dread going and leave feeling like a champion, you have signed up for the wrong boot camp. 

However, you need to research to ensure that you find a reputable trainer.

• Be sure that you are ready to participate; many boot camp programs are not designed for the newly active.
• Give yourself time to become fit enough to enjoy these challenging programs properly without the risk of serious injury.

Any boot camp worth attending will be led by a certified, registered, or otherwise qualified trainer. The exact designation may differ depending on which country you live in, as each country, state, province, etc., may offer a different governing body.

• Boot camps led by Registered Kinesiologists, Physical Therapists, and Physiotherapists are also a safe bet.
• Some of the more common fitness organizations are the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the International Sports Sciences Association, the International Fitness Professionals Association, and more.
• Look in your area for Trainers and what sort of education and experience they have.

 

If you are like me, you want organization, contact info, and contingency plans in place ahead of time.

• So, your camp leader should have procedures in place for where and when all classes will be held should weather change, notifications sent out if a class needs to be moved, rescheduled, or canceled.
• Basically, you should never be standing on a hill wondering where your boot camp is.

Innovation, encouragement, challenge, and enthusiasm are a huge part of the boot camp experience.

• You have signed up for boot camp because you need, really, really need that, and a great boot camp leader will deliver every single time.
• If you don’t leave your boot camp session feeling both energized and exhausted, feeling that you have accomplished something meaningful and that you have pushed yourself beyond what you could do on your own, you have missed out.

An experienced, qualified boot camp instructor will offer a variety of exercises.

• These exercises will change in type and intensity from class to class, and some will require the use of equipment while others will not.
• One lesson might require a butt-busting sprint up a set of stadium stairs, while others will require a burst of circuit-style resistance training exercises.
• A great class will include a warm down and recovery and relief moves to ease muscle tension and work out any aches and pains.
• Educating the class on basic fitness concepts is an essential component of a quality boot camp.

While Boot Camp is a group fitness class, you absolutely should get some quality one-on-one time with the leader every single class. This is imperative; the leader should be moving through the class to ensure that each and every participant is working at a safe, effective heart rate level and doing exercises in a safe, effective manner. 

You should also receive one-to-one time during which you receive positive feedback and constructive criticism on your progress in the class.

• Despite what you may have heard about Boot Camp, you should never be made to feel “less than,” nor should you ever be yelled at, be belittled, or shamed privately or in front of others.

The best Boot Camps will have you returning for more, again and again.

• These camps are the ones in which you will develop friendships that carry over, the ones during which you have so much fun as you build your fitness.
• Most importantly, these are the Boot Camps that deliver the fitness results you desire. Not just on the scale and not just in the mirror. 

Your blood pressure is down, cholesterol levels have improved, and you find yourself wanting to make healthier food choices. You notice that you are sleeping better than ever and that you have more energy, even though you get up at 6:00 am so that you can go to Boot Camp for an hour every day!