We’re closing in on a year to go until the London 2012 Olympics, and maybe it's just me, but I swear people are making more of an effort with their fitness these days. You can’t go 500 yards on a Saturday morning without passing hordes of runners pounding the pavements, and the amount of bicycle-related traffic that’s congesting the roads on the daily commute seems to have increased exponentially in recent months. What’s it all about? What happened to the good old-fashioned Saturday morning in bed nursing a burgeoning hangover whilst inhaling numerous bacon sandwiches? Or dragging your inert carcass from house to car and auto-piloting your way to work on a Monday morning? What’s all this EFFORT for?!
The general communal impetus towards a healthy lifestyle has been growing in recent years all across the country and it’s becoming increasingly evident that the people of Britain are no longer satisfied with a couch potato lifestyle. They are on a quest to live longer, feel healthier and look better, and they’re not afraid to get out into the streets and parks and show it! But there’s one type of fitness class that seems to rule all at the moment. The bootcamp invasion has begun. Perhaps you’ve noticed. If you haven’t, I urge you to look a little harder. They’re not difficult to spot. Organised groups of people of varying ages sporting a collection of mismatched training gear and participating unashamedly in strange exercise routines, in extremely public places.
Since I was first alerted to the phenomenon through the astoundingly excellent Groupon website with their daily cut price offers, I feel as though I’ve witnessed – and become a part of – a fitness explosion unlike any other in my memory. And it's big business, this exercise class malarkey. There’s no denying the current popularity of such things as Zumba and kettle bell classes; street dance too has taken off of late thanks to the exposure afforded it by such TV shows as Britain’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. A couple of years ago there was that fad where girls wore moonboots to perform aerobic exercise. Spinning classes have grown in popularity in recent years and appear to be holding their own, whereas the traditional aerobics and step classes seem to be steadily being phased out.
So are bootcamps just another exercise fad? Or are they here to stay? And what’s the fuss all about, anyway? From the point of view of the companies running them you can understand the hype. Low costs, very little in the way of overheads, no need to hire a venue, and equipment is cheap, if it’s even necessary. And people are paying sums of money equivalent to what they would pay for good gym memberships for this service. There are NO drawbacks! But what about the discerning fitness consumer. It’s one thing taking up a massively discounted Groupon offer, but why would you pay full price for such a service when you could just as easily go to the gym. Exactly how, or why, does it work? What exactly is it about being ordered around a communal green space by a gobby lass from Watford (really!) for an hour after work twice a week that is so appealing, or indeed, so effective?
Well I’ll tell you. Apologies for slipping into annoying Consumer Review-show type reporting there.
If you check out the website of the bootcamp I attend (below), you will see grand claims from women who have attended the bootcamp sessions and have lost huge amounts of inches. It’s the kind of advertising you’d expect to see on the front of a Slimfast packet and yes, as a true Brit I initially regarded the claims with more than a grain of cynicism. Losing 38 inches is impressive, but that’s not all from round your middle. When you throw in boobs, hips, bums and four limbs that’s quite a lot of body parts to divide that magic number by. But I remained open-minded and went along to my first session ready to give 100%. It was a cold, dark and damp night at the end of February. And the fact that I’m still attending today, five months later, perhaps gives the game away just a wee bit as to what I thought of the whole thing. So I won’t keep you in suspense any longer… it’s brilliant.
The general communal impetus towards a healthy lifestyle has been growing in recent years all across the country and it’s becoming increasingly evident that the people of Britain are no longer satisfied with a couch potato lifestyle. They are on a quest to live longer, feel healthier and look better, and they’re not afraid to get out into the streets and parks and show it! But there’s one type of fitness class that seems to rule all at the moment. The bootcamp invasion has begun. Perhaps you’ve noticed. If you haven’t, I urge you to look a little harder. They’re not difficult to spot. Organised groups of people of varying ages sporting a collection of mismatched training gear and participating unashamedly in strange exercise routines, in extremely public places.
Since I was first alerted to the phenomenon through the astoundingly excellent Groupon website with their daily cut price offers, I feel as though I’ve witnessed – and become a part of – a fitness explosion unlike any other in my memory. And it's big business, this exercise class malarkey. There’s no denying the current popularity of such things as Zumba and kettle bell classes; street dance too has taken off of late thanks to the exposure afforded it by such TV shows as Britain’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. A couple of years ago there was that fad where girls wore moonboots to perform aerobic exercise. Spinning classes have grown in popularity in recent years and appear to be holding their own, whereas the traditional aerobics and step classes seem to be steadily being phased out.
So are bootcamps just another exercise fad? Or are they here to stay? And what’s the fuss all about, anyway? From the point of view of the companies running them you can understand the hype. Low costs, very little in the way of overheads, no need to hire a venue, and equipment is cheap, if it’s even necessary. And people are paying sums of money equivalent to what they would pay for good gym memberships for this service. There are NO drawbacks! But what about the discerning fitness consumer. It’s one thing taking up a massively discounted Groupon offer, but why would you pay full price for such a service when you could just as easily go to the gym. Exactly how, or why, does it work? What exactly is it about being ordered around a communal green space by a gobby lass from Watford (really!) for an hour after work twice a week that is so appealing, or indeed, so effective?
Well I’ll tell you. Apologies for slipping into annoying Consumer Review-show type reporting there.
If you check out the website of the bootcamp I attend (below), you will see grand claims from women who have attended the bootcamp sessions and have lost huge amounts of inches. It’s the kind of advertising you’d expect to see on the front of a Slimfast packet and yes, as a true Brit I initially regarded the claims with more than a grain of cynicism. Losing 38 inches is impressive, but that’s not all from round your middle. When you throw in boobs, hips, bums and four limbs that’s quite a lot of body parts to divide that magic number by. But I remained open-minded and went along to my first session ready to give 100%. It was a cold, dark and damp night at the end of February. And the fact that I’m still attending today, five months later, perhaps gives the game away just a wee bit as to what I thought of the whole thing. So I won’t keep you in suspense any longer… it’s brilliant.
The only photo of me exercising in existence. It's the Race for Life, though! Completed in 30 minutes, after 3 months attending bootcamp
When I say brilliant, I don’t necessarily mean it’s an all-singing, all-dancing barrel of laughs from start to glorious finish. But what I do mean is, it WORKS. It really, really works. It’s not just standing in a damp field doing squats and lunges whilst being yelled at by a scary army-style trainer. I mean it is, a bit. (Our instructor even referred to some passers-by as 'civilians' instead of 'pedestrians' the other day by accident. True story). But it’s more than that. The exercises are different in every session, so there’s an element of surprise – probably along the lines of the surprise you get when you bite into one of those puke-flavoured jelly beans – but it’s a surprise nonetheless! It keeps you on your toes. One session you could be running up hills and doing push-ups. But in the next you could be bounding around the park holding a car tyre above your head, practising upper cuts with proper boxing gloves on, or even attempting to restrain another female while she tries to run away from you, wearing a harness. I kid you not. The sessions are designed to burn calories, tone muscle and improve your overall fitness – there’s not a morning after a bootcamp before where something hasn’t been sore. And it’s usually a lot more than something. The old adage of ‘muscles you never knew you had’ really does apply in this case, as not only do they hurt, but some of the time you even know what they’re called, AND what they’re for!
And it IS fun, sort of. The different bootcamps all seem to have slightly different atmospheres, some more serious and strict, staying truer to the traditional army-inspired roots, but others, like the one I attend, are a little more free and easy. You’re not forced to do anything you don’t feel you can do, and the instructor seems to instinctively know when someone is working as hard as they can, or if they can be pushed harder. The girls are friendly and supportive of one another, and there is a loyal group who attend most if not all of the sessions available. It’s not competitive – you push yourself as hard as YOU want. As they say, you get out what you put in, and it’s absolutely true with bootcamp.
For me I think the reason it’s so successful in comparison with a trip to the gym is that it provides motivation on tap. You can switch off and just work, in the knowledge that someone else is taking care of which bits of your body are being worked, and how hard, and for how long. The group atmosphere and the encouraging nature of the regime may not be for everyone, but it sure as hell beats pounding the treadmill or sitting on an exercise bike in a sweaty gym filled with posers. It’s tailor-made to help you improve your fitness, strength and appearance, at your own pace. The problem with the gym is you go there week in, week out, and go through the motions, without any notion of where you were, or where you are going. With bootcamp, you can really feel, and see, the gradual improvements, all over your body – inside AND out.
And the proof, if required, is in the full fat chocolate-based pudding. I really haven’t changed a whole lot with regard to my eating habits. I eat healthily but am not overly strict and regularly splash out on takeaways or other treats at weekends. And I’m not exactly a paragon of virtue in the alcohol consumption stakes as anyone who knows me will attest to. And yet the change in my body is visible. I’ve dropped a dress size, for the first time in my adult life. I’ve lost 12lb since Christmas, and the all-important inches have been shed - 11 in total. Not a massive amount when spread out but enough to mean that many of my clothes no longer fit, and thankfully, I did fit into the size-too-small wedding dress I bought myself back in October of last year. And yes, since the wedding I may have put a couple of those lost pounds back on – but now I’m back attending bootcamp regularly, I am safe in the knowledge they won’t hang around for long.
Give it a go – you won’t be disappointed!
http://www.nolippybootcamp.co.uk/index.php
And it IS fun, sort of. The different bootcamps all seem to have slightly different atmospheres, some more serious and strict, staying truer to the traditional army-inspired roots, but others, like the one I attend, are a little more free and easy. You’re not forced to do anything you don’t feel you can do, and the instructor seems to instinctively know when someone is working as hard as they can, or if they can be pushed harder. The girls are friendly and supportive of one another, and there is a loyal group who attend most if not all of the sessions available. It’s not competitive – you push yourself as hard as YOU want. As they say, you get out what you put in, and it’s absolutely true with bootcamp.
For me I think the reason it’s so successful in comparison with a trip to the gym is that it provides motivation on tap. You can switch off and just work, in the knowledge that someone else is taking care of which bits of your body are being worked, and how hard, and for how long. The group atmosphere and the encouraging nature of the regime may not be for everyone, but it sure as hell beats pounding the treadmill or sitting on an exercise bike in a sweaty gym filled with posers. It’s tailor-made to help you improve your fitness, strength and appearance, at your own pace. The problem with the gym is you go there week in, week out, and go through the motions, without any notion of where you were, or where you are going. With bootcamp, you can really feel, and see, the gradual improvements, all over your body – inside AND out.
And the proof, if required, is in the full fat chocolate-based pudding. I really haven’t changed a whole lot with regard to my eating habits. I eat healthily but am not overly strict and regularly splash out on takeaways or other treats at weekends. And I’m not exactly a paragon of virtue in the alcohol consumption stakes as anyone who knows me will attest to. And yet the change in my body is visible. I’ve dropped a dress size, for the first time in my adult life. I’ve lost 12lb since Christmas, and the all-important inches have been shed - 11 in total. Not a massive amount when spread out but enough to mean that many of my clothes no longer fit, and thankfully, I did fit into the size-too-small wedding dress I bought myself back in October of last year. And yes, since the wedding I may have put a couple of those lost pounds back on – but now I’m back attending bootcamp regularly, I am safe in the knowledge they won’t hang around for long.
Give it a go – you won’t be disappointed!
http://www.nolippybootcamp.co.uk/index.php
*I'd just like to point out that I'm not normally this blasé about being so overly positive about something - it's just not in my nature. British, you see. But that's not to say I'm being paid by any bootcamp, including the one I attend, to write such glowing stuff about the services they provide. They don't even know about it, yet! It's just really that good. Disclaimer, over!
