Body Weight Boot Camp Exercises

Boot camp classes are a popular choice for fitness enthusiasts seeking the camaraderie of an exercise group. These classes are based on methods used by military organizations in the fitness training of new recruits. Although the music and upbeat tempo of civilian boot camp exercises are markedly different from military recruit training, the exercises are often taken directly from military manuals on fitness training.

Push-Ups

The push-up is the foundation of military fitness. It is also a common, popular and effective exercise in most civilian boot camp classes. The push-up exercises the muscles of the chest, shoulders and arms but also uses the abdominals, hips, buttocks and leg muscles, making it a total-body exercise.
To do the push-up, begin on the ground in the prone position. Place your hands, palms down on the ground, directly beneath your shoulders. Keep your body straight, with your legs together, and push your body off the floor with your arms. Upon reaching the top of the push-up position, when your arms are straight, slowly lower yourself back down until your upper arms are parallel to the ground. This completes one repetition.

Flutter Kicks

The flutter kick is second only to the push-up in use as a conditioning tool in the military fitness toolbox. Drill sergeants require recruits to complete thousands of this abdominal exercise each week during basic training. The abdominals are the core of any movement the body needs to make, and the military fitness establishment knows this. This exercise works equally well for civilian boot camp classes.
To do the flutter kick, begin on the ground, face up. Place your hands under your butt, palms-down. Lift your head off the ground so that you can look at your toes. Raise your feet off the ground until your toes are one foot off the ground. Lift your left foot so that it is 6 inches higher than your right. In a rapid motion, alternate the position of your two feet, so that your right foot is now 6 inches higher than your left. This is one repetition. Keep your feet and head off the ground throughout the entire set of flutter kicks to maintain the abdominal tension.

Side Straddle Hops

The side straddle hop, often called a jumping jack, is most commonly used as a cardio conditioning exercise, but it also strengthens the legs, the abdominals, the shoulders and the back muscles. It can be done as part of a warm-up or cool-down or interspersed between other exercises to keep a trainee's heart rate up.
To do the side-straddle hop, begin standing with your feet together and your arms hanging at your sides. Jump upward slightly and spread your legs so that you land with them approximately shoulder-width apart. Simultaneously, bring your hands up and clap them above your head at the same moment your feet touch the ground. Jump again and return to the starting position to complete one repetition of the exercise.