Boot camp exercise classes are challenging workouts that use simple moves to bring about effective results. They burn about 600 calories per hour, according to the American Council on Exercise. Boot camps offer a lot of variety in terms of the exercises used but typically combine athletic and military-style drills. You can perform the exercises indoors or outdoors. Boot camps might involve such equipment as dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, stability balls, steps with risers, cones or resistance bands. Some boot camps use no equipment and focus on body weight exercises. Incorporate variety into your boot camp workout to keep from getting too bored and to keep your body challenged.
No Equipment
Classic moves, such as squats, walking lunges, push-ups, planks and triceps dips, use just your body to create an effective workout. Cardio moves -- including jumping jacks; crab walks; plyometric, or explosive, jumps, such as jump squats and plunging lunges; speed skaters; suicide runs; and high-knee jogs -- raise your heart rate between the bodyweight moves. You can perform no-equipment boot camp exercises just about anywhere: an open field, a group exercise studio, a basketball court or in your own living room.
Minimal Equipment
A pair of 5 to 10 lb. dumbbells and an aerobic step offers additional boot camp exercises. Do push-ups with hands or feet on the bench for extra challenge. Run up and down as fast as you can onto the step for a cardio challenge. Perform double or single leg jumps onto the platform to tone the legs. Use the dumbbells to do simple strength moves, such as military presses for the shoulders or bent-over rows for the back. Combine bicep curls with a rhythmic step up onto the bench. Use the weights to do chest flyes or presses near the end of class. String together these exercises, taking no rest between them, to create an intense boot camp routine.
Multiple Equipment Options
Although boot camps are simple, they may still take advantage of equipment to increase the workout's challenge. Use a medicine ball for wood chops and torso twists. A stability ball increases the intensity of crunches and plank holds. Lie on a stability ball to add extra challenge to such moves as chest presses, triceps extensions or pullovers. Use kettlebells for swinging movements during squats or lunges. Use resistance bands to add constant resistance in such moves as squats, biceps curls, shoulder presses, triceps extensions and rows, suggests the American Council on Exercise. Set up an obstacle course with cones and run through them or jump over them for a cardio element.
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