The Scientific Reason Boot Camp Workouts Are So Good For You

Boot camp-style workouts have been around for decades. But now they come in many shapes and flavors—from bridal boot camps designed to tone people up for their nuptials to “prison-style workouts” taught by people who were formerly incarcerated. Yet most boot camps share a few important things in common. They combine a series of calisthenics, like pushups, lunges and squats, with running, jumps and other high-intensity aerobic movements that are modeled loosely on military methods for whipping new recruits into shape. Most use forms of body-weight training, but some incorporate equipment—whether real-world items like tires or park benches, or traditional gym gear like kettlebells. The exercises that comprise boot camps “are designed to work the upper and lower body and core, so it’s a comprehensive workout,” says Dr. Edward Laskowski, a professor and co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine who is currently conducting research on boot camp workouts. “They’re similar to CrossFit workouts but with less equipment,” adds John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science and program director of the clinical exercise physiology program at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. What makes boot camp workouts so unique is that they emphasize total-body functional training, Porcari says. While traditional gym workouts using weights and machines may improve strength, he says that functional training better prepares th...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Exercise/Fitness healthytime Source Type: news