For almost a year now, I have been leading an outdoor bootcamp at least one day a week in the park right next door to my home. It is a venture I never dreamed would work out so well. For almost thirty years I've been teaching dance, fitness, yoga and Pilates classes inside dance studios in various locations. Getting outdoors has been a great change in many, many ways.
Bootcamp encourages a camaraderie that is very different from a dance or yoga class. Of course, in every class we are all struggling together, to some extent, but bootcamp really brings out the supportive nature and the team spirit in my participants. We do a lot of cheering each other on and noticing each others' strengths. Normally there is not so much shouting in a yoga class, for example, even during a vigorous downward-facing dog pose.
In addition, exercising together outdoors brings many important benefits. The sunshine on our faces increases our Vitamin D levels. The beauty of the park, through all the seasons of the year, is at once calming to our nerves and uplifting for our spirits. Studies have shown that exercising in nature helps combat depression and anxiety, lowering levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin.
The effects of moving the body outdoors cannot be matched by exercising inside a gym or on a treadmill. There is NO WAY that a "hill" or incline on a treadmill compares to running up an actual hill! We are lucky at our park to have a set of concrete stairs as well as a steep, grassy hill which we use for sprints, as well as other exercises. And lifting your own body weight through a series of push-up's, pull-up's, lunges, squats, and step-up's is a completely different animal than working out on the machines which "assist" your every movement.
Now that I have explained why getting your workout outdoors is so much better, I thought I'd also lay out a Plan B for those rainy days when bootcamp gets canceled. Of course, you could go to the gym! OR, if you don't feel like getting in the car, you could put together your own indoor bootcamp.
Start with a warm-up that gets your blood flowing, makes your muscles warm, and raises your heart rate a bit. March in place and pump your arms briskly. Lift your knees high, then kick your heels to your butt. Do a few jumping jacks. Spend about five minutes warming up.
Then take a walk around the room using lunges to travel. Simply take a HUGE step forward, bending your front knee so that it forms a right angle (thigh is parallel to the ground) and remains directly over the ankle. Then step together and repeat on the opposite side. Practice your lunge walk for about 5 minutes or as long as you can.
Grab a heavy, wooden chair and place your palms on the seat for a set of push-up's. Give me 10. If you are already awesomely strong, then do your push-up's on the ground instead. If this is your first push-up ever, try them against a wall instead. You can also use a weight bench instead of a chair.
Find a set of stairs (the longest in your home) and run up them as fast as you can. Walk back down at a comfortable speed. Then repeat 10 times. Do NOT slip or fall!
Return to your chair and turn your back to it. Bend both knees and reach your tailbone back as you squat down toward the seat of the chair. Barely touch your butt to the seat before returning to standing. Do 20 squats. Then turn to face your chair. Step up onto the seat with one foot and slowly lower yourself back down. Switch legs. Repeat 10 times on each leg.
Find a pillow or folded towel and place it on the floor. Place both elbows down on the pillow and extend your legs straight in a plank pose. (Similar to a push-up position but with elbows on the floor.) Hold your plank pose for at least one minute. If you have to take a break, just go back to the plank when you can. Build up to one minute or beyond!
If you are a newbie, just do one set of each of the above. If you are a regular exerciser, try for 3 sets. But stop if you get exhausted or dizzy. Rest when you need to. Make sure your furniture is very stable and supports your weight easily before trying anything acrobatic! Stretch all your muscles gently when you are finished.
If you try this indoor bootcamp, let me know how it works for you and if it needs any tweaking!
Bootcamp encourages a camaraderie that is very different from a dance or yoga class. Of course, in every class we are all struggling together, to some extent, but bootcamp really brings out the supportive nature and the team spirit in my participants. We do a lot of cheering each other on and noticing each others' strengths. Normally there is not so much shouting in a yoga class, for example, even during a vigorous downward-facing dog pose.
In addition, exercising together outdoors brings many important benefits. The sunshine on our faces increases our Vitamin D levels. The beauty of the park, through all the seasons of the year, is at once calming to our nerves and uplifting for our spirits. Studies have shown that exercising in nature helps combat depression and anxiety, lowering levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin.
The effects of moving the body outdoors cannot be matched by exercising inside a gym or on a treadmill. There is NO WAY that a "hill" or incline on a treadmill compares to running up an actual hill! We are lucky at our park to have a set of concrete stairs as well as a steep, grassy hill which we use for sprints, as well as other exercises. And lifting your own body weight through a series of push-up's, pull-up's, lunges, squats, and step-up's is a completely different animal than working out on the machines which "assist" your every movement.
Now that I have explained why getting your workout outdoors is so much better, I thought I'd also lay out a Plan B for those rainy days when bootcamp gets canceled. Of course, you could go to the gym! OR, if you don't feel like getting in the car, you could put together your own indoor bootcamp.
Start with a warm-up that gets your blood flowing, makes your muscles warm, and raises your heart rate a bit. March in place and pump your arms briskly. Lift your knees high, then kick your heels to your butt. Do a few jumping jacks. Spend about five minutes warming up.
Then take a walk around the room using lunges to travel. Simply take a HUGE step forward, bending your front knee so that it forms a right angle (thigh is parallel to the ground) and remains directly over the ankle. Then step together and repeat on the opposite side. Practice your lunge walk for about 5 minutes or as long as you can.
Grab a heavy, wooden chair and place your palms on the seat for a set of push-up's. Give me 10. If you are already awesomely strong, then do your push-up's on the ground instead. If this is your first push-up ever, try them against a wall instead. You can also use a weight bench instead of a chair.
Find a set of stairs (the longest in your home) and run up them as fast as you can. Walk back down at a comfortable speed. Then repeat 10 times. Do NOT slip or fall!
Return to your chair and turn your back to it. Bend both knees and reach your tailbone back as you squat down toward the seat of the chair. Barely touch your butt to the seat before returning to standing. Do 20 squats. Then turn to face your chair. Step up onto the seat with one foot and slowly lower yourself back down. Switch legs. Repeat 10 times on each leg.
Find a pillow or folded towel and place it on the floor. Place both elbows down on the pillow and extend your legs straight in a plank pose. (Similar to a push-up position but with elbows on the floor.) Hold your plank pose for at least one minute. If you have to take a break, just go back to the plank when you can. Build up to one minute or beyond!
If you are a newbie, just do one set of each of the above. If you are a regular exerciser, try for 3 sets. But stop if you get exhausted or dizzy. Rest when you need to. Make sure your furniture is very stable and supports your weight easily before trying anything acrobatic! Stretch all your muscles gently when you are finished.
If you try this indoor bootcamp, let me know how it works for you and if it needs any tweaking!
It will be not a right decision for the trainees to leave the bootcamp in the mid session. One must complete the full training session and observe the after effect. I guarantee he will get the result and fulfill his target. i like this blog because the schedule written is perfectly right.
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