Community, competition and perhaps a little coercion are attractor factors for those signing up for weight loss boot camps. Of course, weight loss is the top goal of many participants. A 2008 American Council on Exercise study explored the health benefits of boot camps. Lead researcher John Pocari concluded that the biggest benefit was "burning an average of 600 calories per hour."
Back-to-Basics
Modeled on basic training for Army recruits, boot camps employ a no-frills, drills-aplenty approach to exercise. Expect to run, jump, squat and then drop to the ground for push ups. Promoted as all-inclusive experiences, serving both the "deconditioned" and elite athletes, trainers promise suitable exercise modifications to increase or decrease the level of intensity. Weight loss boot camps typically take measurements, such as weight, height, and body mass index, pre- and post-boot camp and offer nutritional guidance during the program.
Schedule
Weight loss boot camps rely on a commitment from each participant to attend sessions frequently and consistently over a set period. Kelli Calabrese is a lead trainer of Argyle Boot Camp's "12-Week Rapid Body Makeover" program. By attending three, four or five sessions per week, the program contends that each participant can expect to lose 12 to 36 lbs., drop 3 to 9 inches from her waist and decrease body fat by 9 percent to 12 percent. The program is segmented into three, four-week sessions, with a one-week break between each session.
Pricing
If hiring a personal trainer is not in your budget, a boot camp might fill the bill. Individual sessions of boot camps can cost as much as a drop-in group fitness class. Purchasing a package of classes, which is recommended for weight loss, can save you even more money. Structured boot camp programs that guarantee weight loss results might cost as much as $20 per session and require you to purchase a minimum number of sessions.
Women's Programming
Seattle Weight Loss Boot Camp, named by Fitness Magazine as one of the top fitness boot camps, is lead by CHEK-certfied holistic fitness coach Kimae Dolan. She decided women needed a fitness program developed "by women for women to focus exclusively on female specific training techniques proven to slim down the hips, thighs and belly while building full body strength. " Her outdoor boot camp incorporates interval and cross training while encouraging participants to "bring back the positive."
Men's Programming
Male-only weight loss boot camps are also an option. According to a March 1, 2007, New York Times article by Shivani Vora, "Enlistees of these men-only camps say they are drawn by the focus on muscle building, seeing the same guys up to five days a week, and what they feel is a tougher workout than those offered to women." Differing fitness goals between the sexes fuel the need for segregated boot camps, though the article notes: "The proportion of women's and mixed boot camps is far larger than men's only, and some boot camp owners say they have tried to unsuccessfully start men's programs."
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