We all know the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle; the tricky bit is finding the balance between exercise, diet and enjoying life.  Some people can become disheartened by following the same recommended training schedules but not making any real progress.

The hardest part of training is getting started, committing to yourself, friends or family that you are serious about getting fit and meaning business. This is where Reboot Fitness Boot Camp comes in ….. today I will give you all the information you require to get started with the long term goal of becoming and staying Fit for Life.

To begin with we need to follow three simple steps:

1. Assess where you are now; your weight, body measurements, physical abilities and resting heart rate. These results are where you are now and you need to save them onto your computer in a folder labelled Fitness boot camp training and then forget about them.


2. You then need to come up with a challenging goal that is achievable in three months time. This should not be a dress size or a measurement on your scales; it needs to be a physical goal. For some of you it may be to run 1 km and for others it may be completing a triathlon. Put this goal into your diary.


3. Decide how many times a week you are going to dedicate to training. You need to be realistic and make sure that you include at least two rest days a week. Once this has been worked out, schedule into your diary when exactly you intend to train and what type of fitness training you are going to do.

Once you have achieved these three simple steps you are ready to put together a boot camp training programme.

You need to understand that when we exercise all our body requires is the delivery of oxygen to the muscles and the extraction of metabolic by-products, like lactic acid and carbon dioxide, away from the muscles. Although this sounds very complicated it simply occurs during normal breathing. We inhale oxygen enriched air and exhale carbon dioxide enriched air.

If it has been a while then it is best to begin with jogging and abdominal exercises.

JOGGING

Many people think they are unable to run, when the truth of the matter is that our bodies are built to run. They were not made to sit around all day at the computer or on the sofa in front of the telly. Most people at some time in their life have decided to go for a run, they get all the gear on and step outside the front door not knowing how far they plan to run, what speed they intend to run at or how long the run is going to take. They start running down the street at the speed of a thousand gazelles to get to the end of the road feeling like they are going to die of a heart attack and quickly return home hoping that no one saw them. This is evidence enough for them that they can not run.

Try this …. sit down and plan a route, please make sure it is achievable, know the general area of the halfway point. Work out how long the run might take, if it is your first run for a long time then a short route around the block that lasts about 10 minutes is ample. Walk outside your front door and continue walking for about 100m then break into a gentle jog no faster than your walking pace. When you arrive at the halfway point evaluate the situation, should I slow down to ensure I get home and continue running or could I increase the pace slightly as this is far too easy. When you are about 100m away from your house begin to walk again and continue walking until your breathing returns to normal. Stretch out the major muscles in your legs, drink a large glass of water and write how long it took you in your training diary whilst giving yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

As you find the run gets easier increase the distance by going round the same route twice.

ABDOMINAL EXERCISES

The abdominal muscles are very important during exercise as they control many things like breathing. This simple routine can be carried out once or twice a day and only takes about one minute to complete - I usually do them after my run but you can do them in the morning or at night.

There are several safety points to remember:

1. Ensure your heels are in contact with the floor at all times with a slight bend in the knee.


2. Never place hands behind your head as this can cause damage to the neck.


3. Exhale on exertion, i.e. breath out on the way up.

Begin with a very achievable amount of exercises in each set maybe six or 11. This is actually five or ten but I always add an extra one to each set in case I did not complete one properly. If you find this too difficult then place your feet under the sofa or ask someone to hold onto your feet. As you find the sets get easier then increase the amount of reps by five, ensuring that correct technique is maintained throughout.

You should find that when you wake up the next day your body may begin to feel sore. This is very normal as your body is repairing the muscle tissues and getting stronger. To facilitate this your body requires carbohydrates and fat. The body cannot produce carbohydrates as this needs to be consumed. Fat however is stored all over the body and can very easily be broken down and utilised along with carbohydrates to enable the body to recover. Your body is like an old two stroke motorcycle engine which requires oil and petrol to produce energy. However your body requires carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread and potatoes) and fat (as stored in the body or in cakes, pies, sweets and chocolate) to produce energy as energy is required for all human functions.

Therefore, by increasing your carbohydrate intake and decreasing your fat intake your body will burn more fat as the muscles repair.

In summary you need to complete your assessment, set your challenging achievable goal and plan your boot camp training diary for the next month. Ensure your training sessions includes your progressive run and abdominal routine. Please join our mailing list via the website and receive your first Fitness Boot Camp Training Plan free.

It really is as easy as that but don’t expect it to happen overnight - it is a lifestyle change that you need to adopt. The first two weeks are the hardest but once you get through them you will begin to feel the benefits of exercise.

Remember your goal and how much you want to achieve it re-assess in three months time … so forget about the scales and enjoy life!

Firstly, it acts as a safety mechanism that prevents us from pushing our bodies beyond their limits. When our muscles produce lactic acid it causes a burning sensation in the muscles that can become very unpleasant and makes us reduce our training intensity. If we continue to work at these increased intensities the lactic acid can build up so much that it enters the stomach and causes us to vomit.

Secondly, it plays an important role in developing our bodies’ training systems and improving our overall performance. Lactic acid in the presence of oxygen will turn into a substance called pyruvic acid which will turn into energy. As energy is the currency the body requires to perform movement and exercises it is paramount to performance that we develop our lactate system.

So how can we carry out a boot camp style fartlek training session? Let’s begin by looking at how the professionals develop their training. For this we will look at Paula Radcliffe; as a long distance runner she will carry out sprint sessions on a track that will involve a 400m track. After a warm-up and stretch she will carry out various sprints over differing distances with relevant recoveries in between each sprint. A typical boot camp sprint session on a track would involve 2 x 400m sprints with 400m recoveries, 4 x 200m sprints with 200m recoveries in between and 8 x 100m sprints with 100m recoveries in between. During the sprints her muscles produce lactic acid and when she enters a recovery period her breathing rate and depth increases to feed the muscles with fresh oxygenated blood. She continues to repeat this process throughout the session enabling her body to become more efficient at dealing with the lactic acid and turning it into energy. Paula Radcliffe is so accustomed to this type of training that when she competes it seems like she is sprinting a marathon. Her body is continually producing lactic acid and rapidly turning it into energy to produce more lactic acid and so on.

I am not suggesting that you all need to go to a running track tomorrow unless you are training for a 5km race or further distance. Most classes that you attend at your gym or boot camp classes involve this type of training. You just need to make sure that the boot camp classes you do attend adjust the type of exercises, intensities and time durations you train for, week in week out. Whether you attend a spin, circuit, step, boxing, pump or aerobics class it needs to be varied to avoid the body becoming stale.

So there you have it, if you want to continue to improve your overall fitness introduce some boot camp style fartlek training sessions!!!

There seems to be various areas of importance depending on the type of establishment you attend. I found that the best results were attained within the military gymnasiums. I spent some time at Worthy Down Training Camp in Winchester and the main focus of importance was results, ie specified goals, linked with appropriate assessments and training, with realistic timelines to enable the individual to develop and improve gradually and incrementally. The instructional content was not designed as a ‘feel good’ factor for the clients - it was there to achieve a set outcome.

When I left the Army in 2002 I went straight into the private sector, teaching various group exercise classes, boot camps and developing training programmes. Time and time again I meet people who want to turn up to sessions and get away with as little as they can but expect to see results.  They have the mentality that attending a training session reflects accomplishment, rather than working hard to achieve results. I believe this is down to both instructional expertise and the general gym ethos.

I have also worked as a Gym Manager within several private health clubs and found it was all about sales, ie new memberships, maximising profit, personal training or the new fad health supplement that the club had signed up to. Little, if any focus, was placed on increasing the clients’ physical ability or aiding their clients to achieve goals.

A typical gym with around 20 running machines, swimming pool and say 20-30 weight training stations requires between 4,000-8,000 members, paying regular membership, to cover costs. Yet they only have enough equipment for around 100 clients to use the establishment at any one time.

When you sign up to a gym the gym instructor may take you around the gym, advising you to spend around 10 minutes on two or three various types of cardiovascular equipment like the stepper, x-trainer and rower, then suggests you use half a dozen weight machines before relaxing in the pool or sauna. The first time you leave the gym feeling great then after several visits find the routine quite easy.  You weigh yourself several months later with little or no change whatsoever.  The lack of results and momentum may mean that you use your gym once a month, if at all, but continue to pay your monthly membership. Obviously this is great for the gym but not so good for the client who has never set or achieved a physical goal and may actually have put weight on.

I have yet to meet an establishment that runs proper physical assessments on their clients, for example a timed run, 1 x repetition maximum, best effort sit-ups or press-ups. This means that clients have no idea of their current fitness levels or how they have improved.

I know it all sounds very negative but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  By following a proper training schedule, whether strength, endurance, speed or a combination of all three, you can begin to train efficiently with training sessions that work for you. At one particular council owned gym that I worked for I was informed that clients did not want to get fit, they just wanted to turn up to make themselves feel better.  If this is how health clubs and leisure centres are setting their standards then the levels of obesity and health related diseases are only going to continue to rise.

I know run my own residential fitness boot camp company that focuses on educating individuals how to adopt the same training techniques used by athletes around the world!

Six weeks ago… I was unfit very fat and un motivated??. One week at reboot, life changing!!!??Today 22lbs lighter, feeling and looking thinner, and can't wait to go for a run or to the gym?. I have now done Two sprint triathlons, run 10k and complete a 1500m swim. ??Best of all I feel great and the food I now eat is amazing. ??Thank you reboot I owe you so much not only for the week at boot camp but also for the continuing support over the last 6 weeks and the next 6 weeks?? to come. Everyone should do reboot boot camp at least once in their life whatever your fitness. It was one of the best adventures of my life. Thank you reboot once again!!

Rod Seeland

I’ve almost completed my 5th week of my exercise plan after visiting Reboot Dorset boot camp and can honestly say it’s helped me to change my life. 7 weeks ago I was virtually terrified of going out and had pretty much given up on myself. In an spontaneous moment of desire for change I signed up to Reboot Dorset. Upon arriving at Reboot boot camp I was filled with fear and regret, I honestly thought it would be 5 days of hell, in which I would try and get over with as quickly as possible, but after the first meal I started talking to other people, hearing their personal reasons for being there and realised we were all in the same boat, hoping to create positive changes in our lives.

Yes, the exercise is tough but in a matter of days you will be able to push yourself beyond any limit you though possible.

The people I did Reboot boot camp with and the instructors were so supportive and genuinely cared about helping you. This experience enables you to create great friendships with people from all walks of life in an unbelievably short amount of time.

After Reboot boot camp I felt the best I had ever felt, if you have the opportunity to go I strongly recommend it. I actually found that on the last day I didn’t want to leave!

Thank you to all the friends I made & all the trainers, I’m so grateful to have met you all!!!

Vicky xx

When I signed up for Reboot fitness boot camp I didn't know what a difference it would make to my life! ??I joined a great bunch of people at the start of March for what I thought would be a week of exercise and healthy eating - but it was much more than that! ??On day one we were met with a 1.2 mile run to break us in gently -I had an mini panic attack in my head as running is 'not my thing!' and I really struggled to finish; I had to walk most of it if I am honest. However, the Tuesday after returning I ran 1.5 mile pretty easily and a few weeks on I'm running 6k every Sunday morning without stopping! Mark will teach you the techniques to get you running...trust me! You will do so much exercise in the week and absolutely love it but best of all you will take the exercise bug home with you, too!?? The food is amazing and easy to make at home; you don't find yourself craving chocolate or junk anymore!?? The biggest difference I have seen is in my body shape and my confidence - and all my friends and family have noticed it as well! ??With the support you get from Reboot boot camp before, during and after your week it is easy to keep working hard and continue making amazing memories for yourself! The team work amazingly hard to push everyone and keep your spirits up when you need it most! ??Everyone should give Reboot a go at least once in their life! Thanks Reboot! :)

Becky

As a sports coach who had shockingly failed to do any meaningful exercise for about 6 years I desperately needed inspiration to get fit again. After participating on Mark's early March boot camp and now just completed my fifth week of training it has seriously changed my fitness and lifestyle (and at this point I can confidently say) FOREVER. ?I know my new found friends from the boot camp are busting a gut too and loving every minute of it.

Ian

It is hard to believe 4 weeks ago I was writing on Facebook of my fears about going to Reboot weight loss boot camp in the morning! What a difference a week can make to your life - I nearly cried when I realized the first task was a 1.2 mile run (I could only run 3 mins) and now just 4 weeks later I look forward to my 4 mile weekly run :))?? So if you are reading this and thinking of going to Reboot boot camps just do it you will have the most rewarding week of your life. I was the least fit person in my group and it didn't matter one bit the trainers and the rest of the group were so supportive and helped me to achieve things I couldn't dream were possible. ?When I went back to work every one of my colleagues said how well I looked and really didn't believe I had been to boot camp and not sat on a tropical beach for the week! So if you are not fit?, semi fit? or very fit?… Reboot is the perfect boot camp for you!

Helen

• Sit down and plan a route, please make sure it is achievable, know the general area of the halfway point.


• Work out how long the run might take; if it is your first run for a long time then a short route around the block that lasts about 10 minutes is ample.


• Walk outside your front door and continue walking for about 100m then break into a gentle jog no faster than your walking pace.


• When you arrive at the halfway point evaluate the situation … should I slow down to ensure I get home and continue running or could I increase the pace slightly as this is far too easy?


• When you are about 100m away from your house begin to walk again and continue walking until your breathing returns to normal.


• Stretch out the major muscles in your legs, drink a large glass of water and write how long it took you in your training diary whilst giving yourself a well deserved pat on the back.

As you find the run gets easier increase the distance by going round the same route twice. Your first goal is to jog for 60 minutes - this may take a week or six months to achieve but it will happen. When you have built your run up to 60 minutes you measure your distance and then repeat this run at least once a week. When you manage to get your time down to 55 minutes increase the distance by approximately 1 km and continue to repeat the process.

It really is that simple and we have had many success stories at Reboot Boot Camp through following these simple steps. So give it a try and we hope it works for you.

Let me go a little further and explain how I feel an athlete can better prepare their mind set for boot camp training. I would suggest that the average gym member that attends several exercise classes each week and maybe reads a magazine while training gives approximately 55% – 65% of their maximum potential. Those who compete in various events like 10km or half marathon runs at an amateur level probably give between 65% - 75% of their maximum potential. Then there is the elite athlete that competes for their country or professionally and they give around 80% -90% of their maximum potential.

Now before you start thinking ”who does this guy think he is?” I give 100% every time I train. The potential of the human body is above and beyond what we could ever perceive. In third world countries like Africa there are people who walk miles upon miles without food or water to help provide for their family or save their own lives. They continue to push their bodies further than we could dream of doing, so far in fact that they push themselves to death. Now I am not suggesting that we all exercise ourselves to death but if we did it would be 100% of our maximum physical potential. There are many things in the western world that weaken our physical and mental capability, such things as supermarkets, remote controls and having everything made easier and easier preventing us to have to work for anything.

As a healthy individual it is near on impossible to exercise to death as there are so many built in safety mechanisms to prevent us from doing so. One of these mechanisms, many of you may have experienced at boot camp, is muscle cramp, which is when your muscles seize up during excessive amounts of exercise and prevent you from pushing harder or even continuing to exercise. Another of these safety mechanisms is when our body produces higher levels of lactic acid than the muscles can cope with and the lactate then overflows into the stomach and causes us to vomit.

So how can we use this information to get the most of our next boot camp training session? By understanding our maximum potential and our actual effort output during training sessions we can begin to become conscious of the gap. From there we can begin to push ourselves a little harder giving an extra one or 2% of effort during our training sessions knowing that there is a little more in the tank. It is not an easy task by any means or something that happens overnight but every time we manage to give that extra 1% or 2% the effort output and maximum potential gap is decreased.

So the next time you prepare yourselves for a boot camp training session, when you are getting your kit ready, prepare your mind at the same time. Think about the last time you carried out a similar training session, how it felt when it got strenuous and how quickly your body recovered after the boot camp training session. Then when you start training, instead of concentrating on how hard the session is and focusing on the aches and pains your body is experiencing, focus on the positives! Look at how well you’re doing, how much more you could achieve as well as telling yourself how easy the session is and how you ARE going to be able to complete the task rather than telling yourself you can’t.

I hope this is helpful for future boot camp training sessions and by combining these techniques with effective and SMART goals you will be amazed how much more you can achieve. Finally, remember … whatever you put into a training session you will take away with you. During progressive boot camp exercise training sessions you are simply breaking your body down and the body’s reaction to be broken down is to come back fitter and stronger.

Boot Camp Body resistance exercises are predominantly used to improve strength.

Rest between exercises for strength should be between one to three minutes, allowing energy stores to replenish.

The body’s response to strength training is muscle growth. During this process an aching sensation occurs in the muscle group; this is known as `The Two Day Ache`. Its name speaks for itself as this is when the pain is at its worst. During these three to four days the body burns carbohydrates and fat to fuel the muscle growth. To this end body resistance training is one of the highest fat burning training systems.

Three great Boot Camp exercises that can be carried out at the beach that combined can train all of the muscle groups in the body:

• Press-ups – lie on your stomach with your hands on the floor and your thumbs positioned shoulder width apart. Depending on ability the level will depend on the type of press-up performed. The harder of the two exercises requires you to lift your chin up to allow the chest to touch the floor then keeping the rest of the body rigid by engaging the core muscles. From that position extend your elbows to full extension and then lower the chest to the floor by flexing the elbows. The easier of the press-ups is to place the knees on the floor instead of the feet therefore reducing the amount of weight above the hands. This exercise when performed correctly trains most muscles throughout the body.


• Sit-ups – lie on your back on a mat with your knees slightly bent placing your arms across your chest with your fingers in the depression of your clavicle. A full sit-up will be completed when you sit up until the base of your neck is directly above the base of your spine; lower back down into the start position under control until your shoulder blades are in contact with the floor. Benefits of having strong abdominal muscles include better control of breathing and also an increase in overall strength and power.


• Burpees – stand upright with your feet together, by bending at the knees and hip, place your hands on the floor beside your feet. While keeping your feet together jump back into the press-up position with your hands and feet on the floor. To complete the exercise return to the standing position the same way you got down and jump into the air bringing your knees to your chest. This is not for the faint hearted and you may not find it easy.