Friday, January 25, 2013

Mid Boot Camp Update


Today, I come to you today a little less flabby and a little bit stronger.

In sticking with my resolutions, I started a fitness bootcamp class 3 weeks ago.  This is such a silly name because it's not much more than an interval fitness class on a fixed (MWF) schedule for an hour each day.  We meet in a park very early in the morning and get done about the time most people have just had their first cup of coffee.

A typical workout looks something like this:
 3 sets of 25 - jumping jacks, push ups, burpees (10 min)
 stretching (5 min)
 3 sets of hill sprints/jogs/walks, side steps (10 min)
 3 sets of different ab work (10 min)
 high kicks, frog hops, lunges for the length of the field (10 min)
 3 sets of arm work with bands plus curb kicks (10 min)
stretching (5 min)
 
What I like:
 It gets me out at least 3x a week.
 It caters to any fitness level and changes as you change.
 I am home before Bran needs to leave for work.
 We never have two identical workouts.
 Instructor makes sure form is good so I don't get hurt.
 Working out in a group keeps me honest and motivated.

Boot camps like these are now found all over the country.  In fact, in my 'burb in LA, there are at least two competing companies who offer great groupon deals at least bi yearly.  If you are considering joining one, I really encourage you to go for it.  Make sure you do a little research before you join; there are many different "flavors" and if you live in a larger city, you can almost certainly find one that suits your needs (higher intensity, later in the day, etc).

Now what sort of progress have I made?  I can now run a hilly mile without getting out of breath, I can feel my abs are starting to bounce back (if this is post pregnancy, you want to be careful here) and I generally feel stronger than I have in quite a while.  The scale hasn't really budged much, but my pants are fitting better and overall, I just feel better than I did just 3 weeks ago.

3 comments:

  1. WHAT IS A BURPEE I MUST KNOW!!!

    I'm proud of myself for walking five times a week. I would totally die first in the Hunger Games, probably by your hand.

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  2. Ahhhhh, the burpee. So much love and hate for these little devils of fitness:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuIeW580Wwc

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  3. I’ve heard of fitness boot camps before, but I never looked into it. I guess I just have a stigma with the words “boot camp”. But after reading your update, it sounds like it could be both beneficial and fun. I think I’m going to start looking around for fitness boot camps in my area.

    Madison Mcnulty

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