At first glance, the idea of shelling out $400 or more for someone to bark orders in your ear for 90 minutes may seem ridiculous. Especially when those orders involve doing hundreds of sit-ups, cutting hundreds of calories and having what many would call zero fun. Yet, this scenario describes one of today's hottest fitness trends - boot camp.
"People are drawn to boot camp type programs in part because of the popularity of reality shows like The Biggest Loser," says Dr. Mollie Marti, University of Iowa Department of Psychology, who specializes in personality and social psychology. "Many times people believe they have tried 'everything else' and nothing worked so it's time to take an extreme measure."
Most of us today want results quickly with little investment of time. We are a society who moves quickly and is very busy, so it is difficult to invest the time in fitness if we don't see immediate results. "We have become impatient and these types of get-fit-quick programs meld perfectly with America's attitude of convenience," explains Dr. Ian Smith, seen on "Celebrity Fit Club" and author of Extreme Fat Smash Diet.
Dr. Marti believes that long-term benefits come down to how well the boot camp helps campers change from the inside out. She suggests there are key factors that contribute to the success of these programs.
Exercise
At a basic level, weight loss comes down to a simple formula: you lose weight when you burn more calories than you take in, but most people drastically overestimate the number of calories they burn during their average workout, which is why it helps to step the workout up a notch or two or three. Boot camp workouts combine athletic based drills, interval training and core conditioning with running and strength training to provide ultimate results. The average person loses one to two pounds each week.
Nutrition
Just as most of us overestimate the calories we burn, we typically underestimate the calories we consume during the average day. A good boot camp will give you a kick in the pants - not only to begin consuming less during the session, but to retool your lifestyle so that you eat fewer calories long after the boot camp has wrapped up. Dr. Marti says programs have to go beyond "simply restricting the diet to get the weight off. They have to teach the camper the fine points of healthy eating and help the camper restructure their mental and behavioral patterns so they no longer crave and eat large amounts of high-calorie, unhealthy food."
Variety
Cari Goodrich, a 27-year old CA resident, was drawn to the Perfect Balance program because she was "bored with my current workout routine and often left unmotivated and unchallenged." Many people quickly give up on their intentions to consistently exercise because they get bored. A good boot camp exposes campers to a wide variety of workouts and exercise modalities so participants can find several different types that they like and will continue doing.
Environment
Everyone at boot camp is focused on one thing - getting the most weight off as quickly as possible. The camps structure the environment to support this goal. Going through the program with others means you are not alone. If you quit you not only let yourself down but also disappoint others. "Motivation comes from our trainers who get to know us and what makes us tick," explains Goodrich. "Other team members are also encouraging. We get to know each other and can push one another to go harder, faster, stronger. When someone is succeeding, it makes you try your best so you can keep up with your peers."
Motivation
Reality shows are a lens to bring important lifestyle issues to the forefront. "Viewers put themselves into the lives of the contestants and feel a connection," says Dr. Smith. "They are inspired by it and the shows make people believe it could work in their lives too." Those who sign up for the boot camp make a commitment. They are in the mindset of achieving success. They are also investing the time and money to see lofty results. By putting their trust in the program they are already on the road to being self-selective about achieving their goals.
Dr. Smith does worry about burnout and the potential for rebound. Rightly so, as a recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that subjects who stopped exercising had an average increase in abdominal fat of about 7 percent after only two weeks. "It's OK to lose weight in a rapid way as long as you have a way to maintain it," he says. "Have a plan to switch gears right away to a maintenance phase."
