Setting Up Camp

Expert Jatin Arora decodes the trend that’s taken fitness enthusiasts by storm – boot camps!

- Jatin Arora

These days everyone’s putting in a lot of effort to become healthy. After yoga, Pilates and training in the gym, the latest trend that has hit fitness enthusiasts is that of outdoor boot camps. These fitness programmes are all the rage because they work on every muscle group, can be done anywhere, don’t require much equipment and combine two factors that are of utmost importance to those who want to stay healthy – exercise and nature.

WHAT ARE BOOT CAMPS? 

Before we delve deeper into the subject, let’s first understand what boot camps are. Well, they, literally, kick your boot! Boot camps usually swear by intense workout – focussing on your strength and conditioning – and are designed to push a person beyond their physical and mental limits. They reinforce a sense of community, which pushes people to stretch their limits further. These outdoor training sessions are a low-cost, efficient and an intense yet fun way to lose those extra pounds and get back in shape.

A typical boot camp session will involve 10 to 15 people working out in an open space. The workout session usually begins with a 10-minute warm-up, and moves on to 10 minutes of focus on mobility and then a 40-minute intense workout that includes exercises such as push-ups, lunges, burpees, squats, partner exercises and core strength and interval training under the guidance of a certified trainer. The session usually ends with some light stretches.