Gym & Misc Boot Camp

[raskolnikov]

This week I started boot camp at my local gym. I thought I was reasonably fit, walking my dogs 5kms every night and working out at the gym three times a week. But * me the first session of boot camp on Monday nearly killed me. I could hardly walk on Tuesday. Surprisingly after the second session on Wednesday I was ok on Thursday. I had the third session last night after a couple of beers with my colleagues. Not a good idea. The boot camp goes for twelve weeks. Not sure how I'm going to last tbh. Anyone else done one who can give some insights and advice?

 

[rhaz]

Not sure how I'm going to last tbh. Anyone else done one who can give some insights and advice?

Of course you were going to be sore after the first session, you're doing things your body isn't used to doing. What sort of boot camp is it? What are you aiming to get out of it? General fitness? fat loss? ??? more details

Having beers before hand was never gonna be a good idea... it doesn't sound like you're taking it seriously. It's meant to be hard, thats the whole point of it and why you signed up. By the 12th week it'll be way easier... stick with it and stop having beers before! Or quit

 

[raskolnikov]

Of course you were going to be sore after the first session, you're doing things your body isn't used to doing. What sort of boot camp is it? What are you aiming to get out of it? General fitness? fat loss? ??? more details

Having beers before hand was never gonna be a good idea... it doesn't sound like you're taking it seriously. It's meant to be hard, thats the whole point of it and why you signed up. By the 12th week it'll be way easier... stick with it and stop having beers before! Or quit

I'm just aiming to increase my general fitness, plus lose a few kilos. I'm not really overweight but I would like to be a few kilos lighter.

I will stick with it. Just hope it's worth it in the long run.

 

[ThePezDispenser]

What are they getting you to do?

 

[raskolnikov]

What are they getting you to do?

It's an exercise routine mainly made up of reps of four different exercises. For example:

1. 1 min Jumping Jacks
2. 1 min squats
3. 1 min mountain climbers
4. 1 min cross bodys
5. 1 min rest

repeat ad infinitum

 

[ThePezDispenser]

I hope it comes free with your gym membership. Sounds like a PT who just finished their two week course came up with that one.

 

[raskolnikov]

I hope it comes free with your gym membership. Sounds like a PT who just finished their two week course came up with that one.

It's a little extra on top of my gym membership but not a whole lot.

It's actually a fairly recognised course called MRT(Metabolic Resistance Training).

http://www.ttfatloss.com/metabolic-resistance-training-bootcamp/

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

I'm not a fan of boot camp, I suppose this comes from my S&C coach mentality. 20 people doing the exact same thing, yuk. The most clients I train at one time is 10 and that's Strongman training on Saturdays with some advanced lifters. I trained a client at Fitness First, he went to EFM but wanted to try a new gym. All he did was boot camp and he was a nightmare, pretty much telling me how looking at his posture & movement was pointless, warming up was for pussies and how tearing his hamstring in bootcamp was a good thing (yes really). The guy would of been 6ft and 115-120 kgs big fat gut on him wearing long skins on top and bottom.

Is that what trainers teach? No wonder we have a bad rep.
PS. one EFM story for the road... End of the workout "alright guys 10 calf raises on each step" 15 steps later we have some screwed up people.

 

[George Washington]

1. Lift Weights.

2. Eat less.

3. ???

4. Don't have to worry about this bootcamp bullshit.

 

[cptkirk]

don't get injured

 

[rocker_oz33]

Yes drill sergeanttttt .

 

[mcgarnacle]

1. Lift Weights.

2. Eat less.

3. ???

4. Don't have to worry about this bootcamp bullshit.

3. Sleep more??

that's fine for the vain or improving strength pursuits, but from my experience, you get found out fairly quickly trying to do anything anaerobically or aerobically if focusing primarily on a weights based fitness program. great for picking up things, flexing in the mirror, and looking like a knob in a tight tee at the club on a saturday night. s**t for almost anything else.

 

[Pie 4 Life]

I did boot camp a few years ago and had the same thing. Did a 3km run and threw up after wards. Eight weeks later I had shaved 2:30 off my best time and had gone from finishing 9th/10th to 3rd (Two ahead of me were fitness freaks so they were always going to finish top two). We were out in the terrain trekking through Port Phillip, carrying tyres up hills and along beaches, and doing many, many exercises on the spot. It took so much out barely ever felt like eating. Was great though.

 

[raskolnikov]

All he did was boot camp and he was a nightmare, pretty much telling me how looking at his posture & movement was pointless, warming up was for pussies and how tearing his hamstring in bootcamp was a good thing (yes really).

Funny you mention that. I tore my calf muscle doing calf jumps at boot camp last week. The next session I couldn't do the jumping jacks so I basically just stood there moving my arms up and down. The trainer comes along and gets in my face and says, "What are you doing?". I said that I couldn't jump because I had torn my calf muscle during the last session. He basically told me to ignore the pain and get on with it. Not sound advice I wouldn't think. I have to say though that the results have been remarkable. We've only been going four weeks and I can already see huge changes in my body.

 

[Ivan Danko]

I'm not a fan of boot camp, I suppose this comes from my S&C coach mentality. 20 people doing the exact same thing, yuk. The most clients I train at one time is 10 and that's Strongman training on Saturdays with some advanced lifters. I trained a client at Fitness First, he went to EFM but wanted to try a new gym. All he did was boot camp and he was a nightmare, pretty much telling me how looking at his posture & movement was pointless, warming up was for pussies and how tearing his hamstring in bootcamp was a good thing (yes really). The guy would of been 6ft and 115-120 kgs big fat gut on him wearing long skins on top and bottom.

Is that what trainers teach? No wonder we have a bad rep.
PS. one EFM story for the road... End of the workout "alright guys 10 calf raises on each step" 15 steps later we have some screwed up people.

******* PT's are an epidemic right now, they are everywhere. As long as they keep handing out three month pieces of paper that make you a fitness professional, the s**t is going to rise to the surface. The whole system essentially relies upon the fact that people dont know what they are doing, they just follow the leader, case in point Red One - fat PT in skins.

 

[Dr Tigris]

I don't quite understand bootcamps. PT is OK, if the PT is actually knowledgeable. Some are full of *%it. Having someone shout at me when I'm exercising makes me not want to come. However if you need to motivation, then good on you for paying someone to motivate you. (seriously, not taking the mick - good on you for making yourself work harder)

But injuries are easy to do when you change exercise patterns. And are bootcamps sustainable? I'd rather see people change their exercise habits, and then build more slowly. Bootcamp for a while, then what??

And lastly, the old furphy that resistance training = weightloss. Energy in - energy out. Weights increase strength and cardio increases endurance. A mix of both is probably best, For weights to work you have to continually push yourself and change it up. Most people I see in the gym don't push heavy enough weights to cause the micro tears in their muscles that drive advance, adn they stick to the same comfortable workout. That is were PT/bootcamp is good. Teh trainer pushes you hard and changes it up. Although the circuit the OP' doing sounds booooring. Plenty of exercises to do that'll kill you, don't need to stick at 4.

 

[raskolnikov]

But injuries are easy to do when you change exercise patterns. And are bootcamps sustainable? I'd rather see people change their exercise habits, and then build more slowly. Bootcamp for a while, then what??

As I said in before my aim is just to get down to my ideal weight which means losing 5 - 10 kilos. Then hopefully my regular gym program will keep me at that weight.

And lastly, the old furphy that resistance training = weightloss. Energy in - energy out. Weights increase strength and cardio increases endurance. A mix of both is probably best, For weights to work you have to continually push yourself and change it up. Most people I see in the gym don't push heavy enough weights to cause the micro tears in their muscles that drive advance, adn they stick to the same comfortable workout. That is were PT/bootcamp is good. Teh trainer pushes you hard and changes it up. Although the circuit the OP' doing sounds booooring. Plenty of exercises to do that'll kill you, don't need to stick at 4.

The program I listed above was a skeleton program. We don't do the same thing every time. I agree that a mixture of cardio and resistance is best. As well as boot camp I walk my dogs 5 kms every day and go to the gym to work out on the cardio machines there two or three times a week. Once I finish boot camp I will stick with walking my dogs plus a gym routine that includes both cardio and weights.