How to Get More Out of Your Boot Camp Workouts

There is no question that boot camp workouts are highly effective for improving your fitness, blasting unwanted body fat, and increasing your muscle definition. However, even in the best designed boot camp program, the boot camp participant can fast track her results by employing a few simple strategies during each boot camp workout.

 Do more repetitions.
Since the exercises and drills in boot camp workouts are time based, each participant can control how many repetitions of the exercise she gets done in the given time period. Pay attention to how many reps you do in a given time frame- write it down so that you have a record. In the following rounds or even the next time you do the workout, push to get more reps than before- of course with great form.

 Use heavier weights.
Although many run of the mill boot camps will suggest that their participants bring 5-pound weights to class for months on end, sticking to lifting this same load over a period of time is a sure way to stall your progress. As you challenge yourself with heavier weights, your muscles will be challenged more and this will help elevate your metabolism to ensure that you are positioned for the rapid fat loss that most boot camp participants desire. Remember women have significantly less testosterone than men so even when you lift heavy weights, you are likely to get smaller and tighter rather than big and bulky.

 Do the more advanced progression of each exercise.
If you are attending a good boot camp run by a legitimate fitness professional, you will be presented with at least three level options for each exercise in the workout. If you find that you are not maximally challenged with some of the exercise moves, doing the more advanced progression is a way to up the intensity and speed up your results. Besides doing the same movement with more weight, an exercise can be progressed by changing the tempo (slower and faster movement can both increase the challenge depending on the movement), increasing the balance challenge (i.e. doing a pushup with only one foot on the ground), increasing the range of motion (i.e. lunging deeper), or integrating another move with the exercise (i.e. adding a shoulder press to the top of a squat).

It would be irresponsible of me to neglect mentioning how important following a balanced nutrition plan that is supportive of your goal is to getting the best aesthetic results from your boot camp workout. Follow the plan that your coach provides and be sure to communicate openly and honestly about your success or lack thereof in following the plan. Your coach should be able to adjust the plan to make it more feasible for your lifestyle to help you gain the compliance needed to produce aesthetic results. You can not out train poor nutrition even with the hardest boot camp workouts.

As I’ve shared here, there are plenty ways to push yourself in each boot camp workout to get more benefit even if your actual workout is the same for a few weeks. Ideally, your boot camp coach should encourage you to progress your workout but since taking personal responsibility for your results is critical to success, be sure to use at least one of these strategies in your next boot camp workout.