On Bootcamps
Posted on | September 22, 2009 | No Comments
Drop and give me 20!
Bootcamps are all the rage these days, with the parks of Toronto and elsewhere filling with sweaty bodies and drill sergeant instructors/personal trainers every morning. While there is much to like about these programs, ultimately I find them lacking as a long term answer for most people.
Pros
- Any activity is better than no activity. Trainees are outside running, jumping, doing pushups, situps, and other great things. They’ll certainly sweat while doing so, and will definitely make some strength and fitness gains over the 1 month period that camps usually run for.
- Intensity–what’s lacking in most trainees’ self-directed or personal training programs is here in bootcamps. Instead of sitting on a few weight machines, then taking a short break to jog on a treadmill, bootcampers are outside doing bodyweight movements at high intensity. You’ll work harder doing these programs than at many gyms.
- Group classes–being around other trainees chugging through workouts is great motivation for many people. Having fellow bootcampers encouraging to push yourself harder is a great change of pace, not to mention the accountability that comes from knowing that people will pester you if you skip a workout.
All these aspects of bootcamps are great. If you’re going to the gym alone or with a personal trainer who points you to the elliptical, I’d honestly recommend a few bootcamps to make fitness fun. Otherwise, I have problems with most, if not all, bootcamps.
Cons
- Duration–bootcamps typically last a month, with the implication that you will be in great shape by the end of it. But then what? Do another bootcamp? Most trainees who go through one of these programs and and make fitness and body composition gains are either satisfied with their progress, or so beaten down from the workouts that they go back to their normal lifestyles, convinced that they’ve “got into shape.” Six months later, they’re out of shape and need to go to another bootcamp.
- Ridiculous claims–here are some promotional claims made by a bootcamp operating in Canada:
- Up to 16 lbs weight reduction
- 1 – 6 inches reduced in your thighs, midsection, and arms
- A boost in your immune system, and a decrease in sick days
- 25 – 100% increase in strength and stamina
- An energized yet relaxed feeling…
- Every point made is either barely justifiable or outright fabrication. There’s no secret weapon for fat loss or muscle gain – both processes take time. Can you see dramatic results in a month of quality training? Yes, of course, but good programs and trainers don’t need hyperbole. (And I’ll leave targeting fat loss around the body for another article.)
- Technique, form, progression, virtuosity: bootcamps can’t offer any of these things. There isn’t enough time to teach trainees anything but the most basic bodyweight exercises (and only to very low standards of movement quality). Squatting, deadlifting, rowing, push pressing…all these exercises are incredibly beneficial and can be taught to anyone, but you’ll never find a bootcamp that has the time or attention to teach them. Without them, trainees will be forever stuck doing endless sets of pushups, getting sore arms, and making very little progress.
Is a bootcamp for me?
If exercising with a group and being outside (assuming it’s summertime in Toronto) gives you the motivation you need to start exercising, then I would recommend you sign up. If you can afford it, however, look into a personal trainer with someone like SFB Fitness to get a more well rounded strength and conditioning program started. (Your first session with us is free!) If cost is an issue, look online for resources on training. A great place to start is the Starting Strength Wiki, a collection of articles based around Mark Rippetoe’s book Starting Strength (2nd edition)
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