Get fit the military way

Has the rising mercury thrown a spanner in your works as far as your fitness regimen is concerned? This summer, rather than procrastinating on fighting a lone battle to increase your fitness levels, how about working out in a group in the open air? This season, fitness clubs across the city have been organising outdoor boot camp training sessions, which follows this same philosophy. What is it that appeals people, of varied age groups, about these boot camps. This is what experts have to say:

Outdoor boot camp training sessions include sit ups (above), stretching exercises (below) and squats (bottom) and are always done in groups to foster team spirit

Boot camp decoded
Ritesh Shaiwal, head trainer at Fitness First, a club that conducts outdoor boot camp training sessions thrice every month says, "A fitness boot camp is derived from a group physical training programme that was earlier done by military personnel. It was a way for them to judge their physical endurance. These programmes became a huge rage in the United States and have now been adapted by various countries. They are designed to build strength and fitness through a variety of exercises over a span of one hour."

He informs that these camps are based on the principle of high intensity interval training (HIIT) wherein longer bouts of high-intensity workouts are followed by shorter bouts of recovery. The idea of boot camp training is to use your body weight to achieve newer levels of fitness. It often starts off with stretching exercises, followed by a wide variety of interval training, including lifting weights or objects, pushups, squats, sit ups, exercises using a rubber tyre, etc. The session usually ends with simple yoga exercises such as pranayam and shavasan. Shane D'Souza, master trainer at Inch By Inch, another fitness club says, "Outdoor boot camp training comprises so many different kinds of exercises that coupled with an effective diet plan, one can do it just thrice a week."

Mind, body and soul
Shaiwal says that outdoor boot camp training sessions are always done in groups, as it is a competitive workout that fosters team spirit. "The participants are given a common goal, which they have to achieve in a stipulated period of time. For instance, they have to do a certain number of pushups within one minute. So this compels participants to constantly be on their toes rather than slacking, which tends to happen some times when you are working out alone in a gym," he explains. D'Souza says that it is ideal for people who want to lose fat, increase their energy levels, speed up their metabolism and reduce stress. "These camps challenge the mind as well as the body as they work on core training, breathing, relaxation, and a better understanding of how the body moves," he adds.

Who can do it
D'Souza suggests that one should have certain amount of fitness levels and be proficient with weight training before opting for outdoor boot camp training as it encompasses rigorous exercises. He informs, "Men should be able to complete four pull ups and women should be able to hold a flexed-arm hang position (wherein they can maintain the elbow flexion in a pull up for as long as possible). Both sexes should be able to complete 40 crunches within two minutes. Men must be able to run one and a half kilometres in less than 14 minutes while women should be able to cover 1.5 miles in 15 minutes."

So, what are you waiting for? Without wasting any more time, start these exercises to become eligible for outdoor boot camp training sessions and get ready to burn some calories while bonding with your friends.