Just about any boot camp will have you go through a number of exercises but you’ll probably need a lot more than that. Every body responds differently to exercise and is quite unique, so you should experiment with it to understand its capabilities, all while constantly working towards making it as fit and healthy as possible. Here’s how you can find the best exercise boot camps to meet your specific needs.

Fitness boot camps typically train 3-6 times per week, each lasting about 30-60 minutes. They usually incorporate resistance training using weights and or your own body weight. Some other exercises might include partner or team exercises, push-ups, squats, lunges, running, and core training. Fitness boot camps typically begin and end with warm up and cool down exercises, which involve stretching exercises. Look for a workout boot camps that deliver all of this, and more. When meeting specific goals, choose a specialized boot camps such as sports specific boot camps or weight-loss boot camps. Below are 5 tips you should take into consideration choosing a particular boot camp.

TIP 1. You must find out how closely the boot camp suits you. Since workouts are done in groups find a bootcamp that puts a limit on the number of participants. No matter how good an instructor might be, stay away from boot camps that exceed a 15 to 1 ratio (participant to instructor). This ensures that you will be able to get enough of focused, individualized attention and the instructor can be sure everyone is on task and make necessary adjustments.

TIP 2. Decide if you want an encouraging or more strict and intimidating instructor. Both are sure to get you your desired results. Some exercise boot camps have instructors with military backgrounds while others have little or no military regimen but take more of an energetic and fun personal training approach. Choose the style according to your goals and your personal flexibility.

TIP 3. Any reputable bootcamp should be led by a qualified fitness instructor or personal trainer with recognized certificates and or a relevant college degree. A medical clearance and private fitness assessment should be mandatory. This time will give you and opportunity to ask the instructor any questions, and address any concerns you may have before beginning.

TIP 4. A good boot camp instructor should answer all your questions and never ask you to ignore injuries or bodily pains. Just be sure you do your homework and not follow the instructor blindly. Traditional, military style boot camps mean tough workouts and subjecting the body to the worst of conditions. Most people are looking for something way milder than that and therefore never encouraging you to pull your body beyond its limit.

TIP 5. Any sound fitness camp should provide some sort of trial period. Use this time to learn as much as you can from the instructor and existing members and discuss their results. Make sure you have plenty of time before or after your trial sessions to talk to others. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, pay close attention and listen carefully during the class to get a feel for things and quickly determine if the particular boot camp will be a good fit for you.

The Author is a Kansas City Fitness Expert and Personal Trainer. Brandon Carrier and Brittany Katz are the owners of a 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Kansas City Boot Camp called Boot Camp 21 located in Overland Park/Kansas City area. To find out all about what their Kansas City Boot Camp can do for you, stop by their web site at www.BootCamp21.com.

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