Is There Any Science To Say Weight Loss Boot Camps Actually Work?

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.

Is this method safe and effective? Are you really able to generate quicker results and, more importantly, retain them into the future?

In short, yes. Once you get past all of the marketing hype and sales talk behind the product, a boot camp is merely offering advice which has existed in gyms worldwide for over twenty five years. Simply put, it's nothing new or ground-breaking.

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.

Hang on a moment... If we're seriously telling you that the science behind boot camps is nothing new and has been used in gyms for decades, how come boot camps are billed as miracle solutions using the latest keep-fit secrets? It comes down to marketing. Notice that this type of class is usually associated with claims of instant weight loss and life-changing overnight results. It doesn't take long for the hype to get out of control.

While the general marketing behind boot camps tend to be quite misleading, the theories the style of training is built upon are actually very solid. Any high intensity interval training workout is going to get your blood pumping and your heart reaching the upper scales of it's ability. This will lead to weight loss and will improve your fitness. If you incorporate resistance training into the routine, which most trainers do, then you will also notice an increase in strength, too.

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.

If you are trying to discover how to lose weight effectively you will probably see boot camp classes in your local area quite regularly. Overall, the HIIT workouts they offer are proven to work but are ultimately something which you could do yourself. You should base your decision on how much you think you need a group atmosphere while working out.




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