When Is Boot Camp Really Boot Camp?

Over the last several  years there has been a movement towards boot camp like training in the fitness industry.  "Boot Camp" is a great marketing term,  and it sounds like a great adventure when you here a "stay at home" mom or "insurance" salesman tell you they are doing a boot camp. I run a "boot camp" myself and we have a lot of fun, we work out hard and I have seen many people transform their level of conditioning in a few months time. But just how real is "boot camp" in comparison to military "boot camp" training?

First off, I have never been in the military and I cringe to a certain extent when I tell people that I'm running a "boot camp". In my opinion, "boot camp" in terms of the fitness industry is a "marketing term" used by trainers to get people outside, running, doing pushups, partner exercises, etc. Maybe the term "outdoor fitness" or "group fitness" might be more appropriate, but from a business perspective most people are Googling "boot camp" when looking for such a program. So, I run a boot camp.

It is safe to assume that no drill instructor would tolerate "no shows",  "whining",  and the less than mediocre exercise form that comes along with fitness industry boot camps. To the drill instructors advantage, when you sign up for the armed forces, being fat or out of shape is a liability. Sharing  fox holes with those prone to pass out in situations of physical exertion isn't good for moral.  From what my military friends have told me, the out of shape, overweight, or underweight recruit are segregated and put in a separate group. Their food is rationed and they are put on a training regimen that will bring them up to speed with the other recruits. For these people, there is nobody who is going to tell them that it is "okay",  and that they "will get in shape with time".  Nobody is going to give them a seminar on "emotional eating" or "motivation".  The bottom line is they aren't up to the cut, and they will have to get their stuff in order eating the quantities of food that the military provides for them, and exercising on the militaries watch. 

Honestly, if I had as much control over my clients eating and schedule as the armed forces does, my success rate would skyrocket. I wish I had a dime for every time I heard somebody tell me that they had some chocolate cake, ice cream, desert coffee , six pack of beer, because they felt they earned it after doing a few "boot camp" workouts.  I doubt many overweight recruits in the military get rewarded "treats" for doing 10 pushups, and losing a lb of water weight. But left to their own devices, most of us "treat" ourselves to things we don't need. This is a weakness.  It would be fun to go into people's houses and burn all their doritos, and oreos cookies. I'd love to watch them have to deal with a plate of broccoli and some lean meat for their daily ration.  This would help them develop some real will power.    

As far as exercise goes, I think everybody should be able to run a few miles,  and do at least 20 pushups but depending on the group that signs up for "boot camp" it's hard to get everybody up to this standard. Some trainers have had success running "harsher" boot camps that cater to the fit, and let the unfit fall by the wayside.  A lot of this depends on the demand. If you have a decent size group of fit and committed people, you can let the slackers get in line, or go back to their TV sets, facebook pages and Ben and Jerry's.  Then you will have a boot camp that can wave it's flag high. On the other hand, from a trainers perspective, you have to make a living. So if  you have a group of semi committed people you give it your best shot, knowing that some of them may drop out, or skip a few workouts if the last one was too intense. You also know that a few of them will exercise intensely but never really get their nutrition house in order. You can let them know that their sore knees, or their inability to plank for a good period of time has to do more with their nutritional habits, and less to do with their natural ability but a lot of times that falls on deaf ears.

The bottom line is if you want a "real experience" with boot camp,  join the military or make it a point to push yourself harder. Do yourself a favor, next time you see your Navy Seal cousin at the family reunion, tell them you are doing a "boot camp" style training.

Tom Pollard

Dr Plankenstein's Fitness Training.