Boot Camp Fitness

[MrC]

I wanted to see if anyone had experience with Boot Camp Fitness. I am looking into a reputable one locally and wanted to know if would be a good kick start to a more serious routine.

[Carlos_Hathcock]

Originally Posted by MrC

I wanted to see if anyone had experience with Boot Camp Fitness. I am looking into a reputable one locally and wanted to know if would be a good kick start to a more serious routine.

You mean military style?, I was hired at a gym last year, but the program didn't last very long. it seems that people can't handle a little bit of yelling and pressure.

[illiniballfan112]

how about joining the military for real....i know it sounds funny but my roommate is a marine and after 3 months of bootcamp he lost about every extra pound on his body. he was ripped!

seriously though, i don't think it's the "answer" everyone is looking for. it's a good gimmick, but honestly that's all it is in my opinion. nothing is a substitute for doing something you enjoy, lifting weights regularly, and eating right

[iba2dat]

Oops, mio errore. I have no business in this thread.

[sugar bearr]

Originally Posted by illiniballfan112

how about joining the military for real....i know it sounds funny but my roommate is a marine and after 3 months of bootcamp he lost about every extra pound on his body. he was ripped!

seriously though, i don't think it's the "answer" everyone is looking for. it's a good gimmick, but honestly that's all it is in my opinion. nothing is a substitute for doing something you enjoy, lifting weights regularly, and eating right

I was about to say the same thing. I was in the military and due to some uh discipline issues I ended up being there for 17 weeks as opposed to 8. I didnt gain or lose any weight. I just shifted it from fat to muscle. Definitely came out for the better.

[gatorhoss]

I would be very interested in something like that. I spent some time in the military, and it was the best shape I was in during my whole life. It's amazing what 10000 push-up will do for you

[viciousvaia]

What exactly is bootcamp fitness? I hear advertisements all the time, but what is it all about?

[jakethesnayke]

I love crossfit, although I don't know if it exactly qualifies as a boot camp exactly..

[ckn]

"Boot camp" fitness isn't for everyone. In fact, I'd probably say it isn't even for the large majority of people.

Military training works because it's a volunteer force of people who tend to have innate personality traits, otherwise they wouldn't join up in the first place. If you're a soft civvy (nothing wrong with that in the slightest) then the military and military training methods are not for you.

The concentration on edge-of-limits fitness training is specifically designed to turn civilians into fully fit soldiers in the shortest possible time. It isn't designed for maximum long-term effect.

Also, the vast majority of the trainers I know in those places are just frustrated losers who get their kicks out of bullying people, not saying they all are but it definitely attracts a certain type of person. You can achieve far better results over a longer period with someone who can tailor the motivation to YOU rather than simply shouting a lot. A goal-driven softly-spoken motivator will generally achieve a higher proportion of lifetime changes than someone who shouts because they know nothing else.

The only truly effective diet is "eat less, do more". Even a right porker can lose weight by eliminating snacking, eating healthy food and going for a walk every day. Exercise is different though, there's no "one right answer" that works with everyone. For me, when I was in my late teens, military training turned me from a fairly fit civilian into a very lean and very fit soldier, now that sort of training would ruin my body due to years of accumulated injuries.

I know some very ripped lifters who can out-lift me every day who do no more than a tiny fraction of the aerobic exercise that I need to do while I know others who need to beast their body daily to retain their low fat levels.

In summary, if a generic person who I'd never met before and I had no clue about their past asked if "boot camp" was a good idea for them, I'd usually always say "no".

As an anecdote though. The last military unit I was in before I left, we had a PTI staff (physical training instructor) who were led by a Warrant Officer who believed that shouting was the ONLY way to get people to do their job. Before he joined the unit, we did no formal PTI-led fitness as, by convention, our squad did our own training. When he joined, he ordered all soldiers to train to his orders as he knew "what was best for us". I challenged him and his PT staff to a fitness test against my squad, his staff were the usual PTI staff of egotistical show-offs, the type who like to pose to the rest of the gym while doing weights. The idiot took on the challenge because he had no clue what an artillery forward observer did for a day job.

Over three days, they only won one of the eight challenges: swimming, my fault, I caused the failure as I rarely swim due to a chlorine over-sensitivity. We won everything else, short distance run (1½ mile), long distance run (12 mile), circuits, obstacle course, forced march (10 miles), bleep test and vehicle pull (1 ton hummer-equivalent over 200 yds) He decided not to take up the challenge of a rematch if he thought he could get his staff to the right level of fitness. Not once in the entire three years that I led that squad did I shout at anyone during fitness sessions, it was not needed.

[ckn]

Just noticed that I added my last post here without checking dates. This thread has had necromancy practised on it twice, raising it from the long dead.

This is getting annoying now.

[pliny_2001]

Boot camp fitness:Lazarus::ckn:Jesus


(If I remember my SAT's correctly)