Are Fitness Boot Camps The Answer For Quick Weight Loss?

By Howe Russ


If you were to ask one hundred people how to lose weight the chances are you'd get a lot of answers crediting fitness boot camps with the secret formula. After all, the HIIT workouts often found at these classes are great for fat loss.

Today we're going to answer the all-important question. Is there more to this training method than just being the next big fitness fad?

The one word answer is yes. However, there is more to this than meets the eye, as we will explain today. The reason it works is because the science behind it is proven and established. You see, despite all of the marketing claims that they are using the 'best kept secret in fitness' or that they have discovered a new formula yielding instant results, the foundation of a boot camp is built upon advice which is decades old.

If you walk into any well established gym these days you will see countless people applying the basic science of a boot camp workout to their gym session. High intensity circuits which incorporate both cardiovascular exercise and resistance training will cover all the bases you could hit at a boot camp.

The reason this phenomenon has become so popular is the marketing behind it. Sadly, this often leads to rival companies saying more outrageous statements in a bid to try to get more members than their main competitors and it can lead to people expecting miracle results. It's not rare to see advertisements for this type of class associated with statements about getting extremely fast weight loss in ten minutes per day, while eating whatever you want for the rest of the day.

By exaggerating the truth, of course, these classes often make it tougher to succeed. Every class has to top it's rivals so you end up in a situation where everybody is claiming to be the best workout ever, even though all of them are essentially providing the same thing and if you stuck to any of them you'd see results.

All of the hype surrounding this type of training, which is often merely a company's attempt at competing with it's rivals, can lead to the whole thing being labelled a fitness fad. Yet the workouts themselves are proven and they tend to stick to the basic exercises such as squats and push-ups.

The biggest problem boot camp classes face is customer retention. While some of this comes down to the fact that they often target their marketing efforts at individuals who are looking for a quick fix, who therefore quit quite fast, there is also a problem with people who actually see results. It doesn't take long for an individual who is serious about his or her fitness to realize they could get just as good a workout without paying for a class. This is why boot camps begin hyping up the group atmosphere they offer, trying to get members to work together as a team in a bid to keep them coming in.

Ultimately, boot camps are a mixed bag. While the science behind their HIIT workouts is sound, if you ask a boot camp trainer how to lose weight you're not going to get a miracle answer and the marketing behind the whole gimmick often discredits it's product. While you could certainly get the same physical results by yourself, if you place a huge importance on working out in a group atmosphere then boot camps could be just what you're looking for.




About the Author: