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The Best Bodyweight Exercises to Build Muscle

Many people acknowledge that you can get a great metabolic workout with bodyweight exercises, however, many of these same people are reluctant to say the bodyweight exercises are effective at building muscle. I will dispute this thought process. Bodyweight exercises may not make you a power lifter but they are definitely a help when you are trying to pack on slabs of muscle. So let’s take a look at some of the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle.

Push Ups. There are many different variations of push ups that you can do. All of them are effective at building muscle. I remember from years ago that Herschel Walker attributed his physique to hundreds of push ups each day. A push up uses about 60% of your body weight when you perform one. If you were to elevate your feet you would be using an even higher percentage of your body weight.

You can use many different variations of the push up to build muscle. Wide grip, narrow grip and a staggered grip will each give you a different feel. Narrow grip push ups are quite challenging for not only your chest muscles but you triceps as well.

If you want to not only add muscle but are looking or a bodyweight exercise to build strength then you might want to consider performing plyometric push ups. To perform this you will set a platform on each side of your arms. Then you will explode up so that you raise yourself off the ground and catch yourself on the platforms. Then perform a depth drop and propel yourself off the platform and back on to the ground. You can view the video below to see it in action.

Adam Archuleta attributed his great strength gains prior to attending the NFL combine back in 2001 to this type of training. He benched over 500 pounds at just of 200 pounds of body weight.

Pull Ups. Pull ups are not only the best bodyweight back exercises you can perform they may be the best back exercises you can perform period. Arnold Schwartzeneggar stated that the wide grip pull up was in his estimation the best exercise to pack slabs of muscle onto his lats. Not only will pull-us give you that “V look” or “cobra loo.” to your upper back but it will also provide a great workout and build muscle for your biceps.

You will find out that if you do a lot of pull ups that you will never have to do another bicep exercise in your life. And peope will still walk up to you and ask you how you got such big arms.

There are many different variations that you ca do for push ups as well. Wide grip, narrow grip, overhand grip and underhand grip will each hit you back and biceps in different ways.

One-legged squats (pistols). This is one of the toughest bodyweight exercises to perform. Not only does it require balance but an incredible amount of strength. This exercise will build muscle in your quads.

It is a very challenging exercise to perform at first and you may need the aid of some object to help you get up initially. The TRX Suspension Trainer is great for this. If you don’t have one of these you may want to use a door knob or some other object that you can grab onto to get you past the sticking point in the squat.

Handstand push ups. The last of the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle that we will cover here is the hand stand push up. It is quite difficult. You will place your hands about 2 feet from a wall and kick up into a handstand. Then lower yourself to the ground till your head touches and raise yourself back up. As I said, this is quite a challenging exercise but it is a great bodyweight exercise for shoulders.

You may want to do this on a carpeted floor. The first time I ever tried one was outside on concrete and I ended up with a scab on the top of my head when I contacted the ground a little hard. You can walk your arms away from the wall to lessen the amount of weight you are trying to push up. The closer to the wall you are the more of your bodyweight you will be using.

These four exercises are what I would consider to be the best bodyweight exercises to build muscle. Give them a try and see what you think.

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By thegang
March 8, 2010

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The Best Bodyweight Back Exercises

Bodyweight exercises can be used to give virtually any body part a great workout. The back is not exception. If you want a great back workout here are the best bodyweight back exercises for you to perform.

Inverted rows. If you have a TRX, I would perform this exercise with the aide of the TRX Suspension Trainer. If not then you will have to improvise a bit. If you have a weight bar around the house simply lay it across two sturdy objects such as a stool. It will need to high enough off the ground so that your arms can be fully extended and not touch the ground. If you do not have a weight bar then you can use a sturdy broom handle or something similar. You could also go to Home Depot and purchase a 4′ long section of 3/4″ dowel rod.

To perform the exercise use either an overhead or underhand grip on the bar and pull your chest to the bar.

Pull Ups. You cannot have a discussion about the best bodyweight back exercises unless you include the pull up. It is the most effective exercise at building size in your upper back. To really hit your lats use a wide grip. However, use varying grips to work your back in different ways. You can use close grip, wide grip, overhand or underhand grips. You can also use things such as towels to drape over the bar. In addition to giving your back a great workout it also wreaks havoc on your grip. You can buy a free standing pull up unit or you can get one that attaches to your door frame like Iron Gym. Or if you have exposed rafters in your garage stick a metal rod between them and knock out your pull ups. If you look around you will probably find many things to use such as a sturdy tree branch or monkey bars at your local park.

The previous two back exercises are for the upper back. If you want to work the lower back then one of the best bodyweight back exercises that you can perform is a hyperextension. These can be done on a Roman Chair if you have one. If not, then you will have to improvise and it might require a partner. Drape your body over something so that when you bend at the waist your head will not touch the ground. Have a partner hold your legs or find some way to anchor your feet. This will give you a great lower back workout.

Incorporate these bodyweight back exercises into your bodyweight exercise routine and watch your back grow in size and strength.

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By thegang
March 2, 2010

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Natural Weight Loss Methods You Should Find Interesting

Eat right and maintain moving. Its that simple.

You just have read all that you just need to know about how to avoid being overweight. That simple set of instructions should be simple to follow, but not for 35% of Americans who are unable to avoid being overweight.

Of course, once we are overweight, we generally want to trim down for a whole lot of factors, some related to health, others having to do with looks.

Also, it’s in no way too late to lose pounds. But the truth is, it is a whole lot easier to prevent putting on pounds than to try dropping them later on. And if there is one thing we all know, it is that weight gain is likely to happen if we do not get forward-looking steps to stop it.

Health experts say that most people who are into losing pounds generally stray. They tend to go back to their old eating habits even after they learn to enjoy low-fat eating. They tend to return to sedentary methods even though they enjoy exercising.

But despite the momentum toward weight gain, you are able to stop it from happening, specialists say. And there are plenty of great factors to avoid excess pounds, factors that go beyond vanity or social acceptance.

Actually, some wellness specialists contend that the significance of excess pounds is a lot more than cosmetic. They say that it takes a huge toll on people’s physical health.

The Way to Dropping Weight…Naturally

The nuts and bolts of eating right and maintaining a healthy weight is not all that complicated. Actually, it is a great bet that most people know pretty well what is best. Hence, dropping pounds the natural way should not be a problem at all.

Consequently, a reasonable approach for dropping weight normally is to stick to a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates, high in fiber, moderate in protein, and low in fat.

Moreover, wellness experts say that dietary fat promotes weight obtain because it is really a extremely dense source of calories. Also, whenever you consume excess calories from dietary fat, you store those calories as body fats a lot more efficiently than excess calories from other sources.

One of the greatest delusions from the 1990s is that “no fat” means “non-fattening.” The truth is, you’re frequently getting just as numerous calories from the no-fat version, even if the calories are not coming from fat.

The term fat-free can be a trap should you begin to believe that you just can eat any amount from the foods which are advertised that way.

What’s more, it’s definitely best to respond to hunger with healthful snacks. Wellness specialists say it would be much better to try eating each three to four hours, which might mean a nutritious low-fat snack between lunch and dinner.

Here are more resource articles on best exercises for love handles and love handle exercises and workouts.

Losing pounds normally is really a procedure and not a fad. Hence, it would take lots of dogged determination, self-control, and discipline just to achieve your ideal weight.

If you want more information on how to get rid of love handles, dont read just rehashed articles online to avoid getting ripped off. Go here: fast exercises for love handles

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By Derek Marsey
February 20, 2010

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Fitness After Thirty

Did you know your metabolism slows down after thirty? That is reason why you suddenly seem to start to gain weight more than before.

Now, if you do not exercise regularly then you will start losing muscle through atrophy that involves muscle shrinkage because of disuse. In fact, you also begin losing bone density, eventually causing osteoporosis.

If you have more muscle then you can count on more calories being burnt, muscle being an active tissue. As a result, when you begin losing muscle, your metabolism slows down causing more storage of fat resulting in weight gain.

Well, there is a way to avoid our body getting into this kind of a condition and the answer is exercise. All of this occurs because of a lack of activity. Some individuals at 35 appear to be more energetic, firm compared to others, and the reason is exercise. While you might not be officially so to speak exercising, you can be generally more active and still be energetic. The bottom line is that you need to do some activity that uses your body’s energy and burns calories.

If you get on an exercise program, it should include both resistance as well as aerobic exercise including stretching. While you can do these workouts separately, doing them altogether as a part of circuit training is more effective as well as time saving.

Many people consider aerobic exercise to be the most effective method to lose as well as maintain weight. However, most of your calories are burnt when you are resting. It is high time people change their misconception.

On the other hand, resistance exercise builds as well as maintains muscle mass muscle being an active tissue burns more calories even while you are resting. In fact, while a pound fat burns about 4 calories in a day, a pound muscle burns about 50 calories in a day.

Therefore, if you are aiming at losing fat and gaining muscle then you have to include exercise in your routine. This means including resistance or strength training also in your routine.

Resistance training helps you to burn more calories than simple aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise on the other hand helps you to build endurance. Hence, a combination of both resistance training as well as aerobic exercise will help you lose as well as maintain your weight, especially after you reach thirty.

In fact, people as old as in 80s have noticed an improvement of 200% in the level of their strength within only three or four weeks of beginning exercise.

Staying fit as well as maintaining a healthy weight is not too difficult even at forty, all you have to do is to keep exercising.

There are many different types of rowing machine find the best one for you today.

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By Cole Barnes
February 20, 2010

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Reasons Why You Should Hire A Personal Fitness Trainer

It is difficult to acquire the shape you want unless you have a personal trainer who will guide you along the way. Achieving the physique we crave isn’t as simple as many folks assume it is. To figure out your body type and its specific needs requires expertise and experience.

The most prized possession that any of us have is our own body. Every individual has unique physical traits. This demands the expertise of a personal fitness trainer who can focus on every client to ensure they reach their goals.

Many times people desire a body that is toned, but are not motivated and this prevents them from turning this desire into a reality. It takes a bit of a push to get us out of this lazy slump. Your fitness instructor will furnish you with this essential motivating factor.

We understand the ideal exercise routines that are required in order to attain this objective. Your fitness coach is armed with the best information regarding the proper positions and equipment needed for workouts. A fitness trainer provides assistance to concentrate on a given part of the body to achieve the desired results.

The required equipment will be provided to you by a professional fitness trainer, who will also teach you the correct method of using them. In addition, your personal trainer will supervise your diet.

A professional fitness trainer’s wisdom and expertise is very important. A professional fitness trainer is unparalleled in information and aid. Your personal training sessions will enlighten you with fitness tips as well as broadening your knowledge of fitness.

With individual fitness training, the fitness instructors will assist you in getting your shape back as quickly as possible; you will also learn how to keep your shape. You just need to focus on your workout, while your fitness trainer is responsible for devising your exercise program. If you are aware of the health improvements you need to make and where you have to reach, then you can reap maximum benefits from personal training.

Discover a gym where you can change your health and physical fitness.

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By Carlo Miller
February 18, 2010

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Stop Wasting Your Time with Worthless Treadmill and Elliptical Machine Workouts!

Have you ever considered if treadmill or elliptical workouts are actually that effective… or are there more fun and more effective exercise methods?

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

Now that I pissed off all of the treadmill and elliptical machine worshipers… let me say that if you truly enjoy mindlessly pumping away on a treadmill or elliptical (or exercise bike for that matter too), then by all means, keep doing what you enjoy, because enjoying your exercise is one of the most important aspects to sticking with any exercise program…

However, don’t say that I didn’t warn you that you were wasting your time with all that mindless cardio machine boredom.
If I haven’t mentioned it before, I don’t believe in cardio machines, and to be quite honest, I don’t think I’ve personally used a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike for at least the last 7-8 years or so.

As a matter of fact, I don’t even use cardio machines anymore for warmups before a workout (did before occasionally)… Nowadays, I prefer to do dumbbell or kettlebell snatches and swings mixed with bodyweight exercises as the perfect full body warmup at the beginning of my workouts.

So why do I have such hatred for cardio machines? Well, here goes:
1) Treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise bikes are mind-blowingly BOOOORING!

2) Mindless steady state cardio exercise while watching tv or reading creates a mind / body disconnect resulting in poor results from your exercise routine

3) I’ve seen studies that indicated that treadmill running may be less effective than outdoor running for various reasons such as stride abnormalities on treadmills vs natural running, slightly less caloric burn compared to outdoor running, etc.
(although I never recommend just “jogging” anyway… variable intensity walks / runs or sprints are so much more effective, training your heart rate in a much wider range instead of just the same pace during the entire workout).

4) Treadmills and ellipticals are ridiculously expensive and a waste of money for people that workout at home… there’s so many better options for home workouts you could have spent your money on rather than wasting it on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.
The perfect home gym setup is MUCH cheaper… there’s no reason you need anything other than a jump rope, bodyweight exercises, a few dumbbells, stability ball, maybe a few kettlebells (if you want to get fancy), and perhaps high tension bands for some more variety. And of course… the great outdoors has some of the best workout options of all… hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, sports, and more!

By the way, here are some great adjustable dumbbells which can save you big time cash if you’re setting up your own home gym.

5) Treadmills and elliptical machines are just a very ineffective way to workout compared to other options. Why should you do treadmill or elliptical workouts when you can get better results by doing more interesting forms of training that actually stimulate a fat-burning hormonal response and stimulate your metabolism to a greater extent.

• Discover the top 12 fat burning foods you didn’t know
• Exercises that burn more fat than cardio
• Also get a free metabolic rate calculator to determine your personal metabolism
So what are the alternatives to treadmills and elliptical trainers? Here are some of my favorite types of alternative exercises:
• jumping rope – great mind / body connection (try speed jumping, crosses, double jumps once you get skilled at it)
• bodyweight training – bodyweight squats, pushups, lunges, jumps, bear crawls, mountain climbers and jumpers, planks, and the list goes on and on
• kettlebell training – nothing will get your heart pounding like high repetition KB swings and snatches or clean & presses (can be done with dumbbells too, but I prefer KBs)
• outdoor wind sprinting (the ultimate for a rock hard ripped body… just look at the chiseled powerful bodies of world class sprinters, and compare that to the weakling withered physique of a typical marathoner… nuff said!)
• hill sprinting (yet another classic for a rock hard powerful body)
• rowing machine (ok, I don’t really lump this in as a “cardio” machine like treadmills and ellipticals… I think the rowing machine is actually a great full body workout that actually uses resistance)
• sprint style swimming workouts (a more muscular workout than steady state distance swimming… I actually love the upper body pump I get from sprint style swimming) – this is the same concept as sprinting vs jogging but in a pool instead
• heavy bag punching / kicking workout, speed bag, rebound bag… all great forms of training and much more interesting than boring cardio machines (requires an intense mind / body connection)
• shadow boxing… awesome workout, but if you’re shy, this is best done at home since you’ll get some crazy stares doing this at a typical gym from people who think they’re “too cool” for stuff like that.

Well, I hope that helps give you ideas on how you can get away from all of these mindless and ineffective treadmill and elliptical trainer machines (and exercise bike) workouts that are just wasting your time and energy that could be better spent on more effective workouts.

If you don’t already have a copy of my Truth about Six Pack Abs program, you can see some of the incredible reviews and results people are getting with Truth about Abs.

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By thegang
December 2, 2009

1 comment

The No Gizmo Workout

The benefits of body-weight exercises
By Perry Gil S. Mallari, Reporter

In the realm of physical culture, there are practitioners who prefer the exclusive use of body-weight exercises to condition their bodies and to gain strength. By definition, body-weight exercises are physical workouts that use the weight of the practitioner’s body as resistance in training the muscles.

The greatest advantage of body-weight exercises over other fitness programs like weight lifting is that it requires zero equipment and it can be done almost anytime and anywhere.

There are certain things that body-weight exercises can and can’t do. While it is capable of building and increasing muscle mass, body-weight exercises can only do such task on a limited basis. Since the body weights of full-grown adults are more or less fixed, the intensity of the resistance cannot be increased. So if the goal is continuous build up of muscle mass, a person is better off using weights training where the intensity of the resistance could be adjusted as desired.

Body-weight exercises have a long and honorable history. Warriors and combat athletes have used it through the ages because of two reasons: potency and practicality. A good example is the training regimen of wrestlers of old India. Physical culture is part and parcel of Indian tradition for thousands of years. India was known for traditional physical training implements such as heavy Indian clubs, gadas (maces) and nals (stone weights). But a staple in a traditional Indian wrestlers training program were two body-weight exercises: the Hindu pushup or dand and the Hindu squat or baithak. The execution of the dand is different from the simple upward and downward movement of a regular pushup. The Hindu pushup is done with a downward scooping motion that ends with a backward arcing of the spine. Its purpose is to build upper body strength and endurance. On the other hand, the baithak is meant to develop leg power and cardiovascular stamina. The Hindu squat is characterized by an upward and downward squatting motion coordinated with the raising of the heels and circular swinging of the arms.

Both the dand and the baithak were part of the training regimen of the legendary martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.

The Great Gama (Ghulam Muhammad), known as the greatest of the Indian wrestlers, was said to crank thousands of repetitions of dands and baithaks on a daily basis. If his professional record would be the sole basis, then it looks like body-weight exercises worked pretty well with Gama. With a career spanning 50 years, he is the only wrestler in history to have died undefeated.

People whose dwellings have limited space for exercise equipments and professionals who travel frequently can benefit a lot from body-weight exercise. Demanding only a few square-feet of space to practice, one can achieve muscular and cardiovascular conditioning with body-weight exercises. As in any other fitness program, a doctor’s evaluation and prudence are essential for safety in practicing these exercise routines.

Original article at:  http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/lifestyle/4770-the-zero-gizmo-workout

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By thegang
October 29, 2009

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Core Training That Matters

Marla Arndt

Special to the Mercury

The term “core training” often prompts confusion. Every movement you make originates in the core, whether brushing your hair, pushing a grocery cart or running after the kids.

Your body’s core is the midsection, from your groin to your shoulders. The core includes the pelvis, abs, back and chest muscles. It is this core that offers stability, balance and flexibility. If the core is not properly conditioned it will limit your physical abilities. Core training supplies a solid base for strength, stamina, correct posture and top form in most sports. Simply put, core training strengthens the muscles of the torso, pelvis, and back, allowing them to work together creating a strong physical foundation. From the power of that centre, the arms and legs can move fully and freely without additional strain. That’s core strength.

The muscles involved start with the abdominals: the rectus abdominis—the “six pack”; the obliques—running diagonally toward the pubic bone; and the transverse abdominis—deep below the six-pack.

The back contains a crucial stabilizing musculature: the spinal erectors—dual muscular columns on either side of the spine; the trapezius and rhomboids—to stabilize the shoulder blades; and the latissimus dorsi—“lats” to you—which involve arm movement.

In the pelvic area, there are the hip flexors that allow you to raise your leg, as well as hip rotators. The hamstrings, abductors, and adductors provide an important pelvic-leg connection. And finally, there are the gluteals, which allow for powerful backward kicking—and much, much more. The saying you are only as strong as your weakest link holds true in the case of your core.

Abdominals get all the credit for protecting the back and being the foundation of strength, but they are only a small part of what makes up the core. In fact, it is weak and unbalanced core muscles that are linked to low back pain. Weak core muscles result in a loss of the appropriate lumbar curve and a swayback posture. Stronger, balanced core muscles help maintain appropriate posture and reduce strain on the spine. Training the muscles of the core also corrects postural imbalances that can lead to injuries.

There are a variety of exercises and equipment available for core training. The most important exercises—in my opinion—are body-weight exercises. They are very effective for developing core strength, and can be done anywhere.

Bridges are a great example of a perfect core exercise. Here are three examples to try on a floor mat:

Prone bridge: In a prone position—face down—balance on the tips of the toes and elbows and maintain a straight line from your head to your feet. This makes the front and back muscles of the trunk work together.

Lateral bridge: In a sideways position, balance on one elbow and the side of one foot. This requires a co-ordination of the abs and the pelvis.

Supine bridge: Lying face up, raise the hips so that only the head, shoulders, and feet touch the mat. This strengthens the glutes.

Push ups, squats, hip lifts, lunges and back extensions are all great exercises to help develop a strong core.

Using Equipment

A variety of exercise equipment is available that can be used to train the core. Some of the best products for developing core strength include medicine balls, kettle bells, stability balls, bosu balls, balance boards and dumbbells. These types of fitness equipment create instability needed to engage the core muscles to maintain balance. They are challenging, fun but gentle. You will be amazed at how quickly you feel the muscles being used.

Pilates and yoga are two forms of exercise that will help develop core strength. The biggest benefit of core training is to develop functional fitness—that is, fitness that is essential to both daily living and regular activities.

Good core strength is important at every age and fitness level. Whatever your goals, find a way to incorporate body-core conditioning into your routine to reduce fatigue, avoid muscle strain and improve your strength and mobility.

Guelph-Based Personal Trainer Marla Arndt Owns and Operates Frameworks Fitness Studio. She Can Be Reached Via Her Website at Www.Frameworksfitness.Com. Her Column Appears Every Other Week.

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By thegang
October 28, 2009

1 comment

Bodyweight Lunges with Dumbbells

Here is a great instructional video of a dumbbell walking lunge.

Posted in body weight exercise.

By thegang
October 28, 2009

1 comment

‘Boot Camp’ style workouts gaining popularity in fitness world

By Randy Young, Chapel Hill News Columnist
“Shock and awe ” is a military term for rapid domination of an adversary, a strategy employed in the confrontation in Iraq based on a doctrine espoused by the National Defense University.While its efficacy over the past decade has been debated, the use of such aggressive tactics where our physical complacency is concerned — our vegetative states, the monotonous hum of our repetitive workouts, and the soothing ease of “sameness” — is gathering fervor.

No fitness professionals pretend to offer the demanding routine of the armed forces’ actual physical training, but many are emulating a few of the military’s tactics in America’s war on obesity.

The product of this amalgamation of gleaned wisdom has been gaining more and more popularity under the banner of boot camp-style training.

“Everything we do is slightly different,” said Rod Clayton, owner and personal trainer for Basic Training Fitness, which offers classes through the Triangle SportsPlex in Hillsborough. “It’s almost always body-weight exercise, where one’s own body weight is the resistance. Much of it is really play: we’re moving the body, we’re running, we’re climbing, and we’re jumping. We also do some plyometrics, which uses explosive body weight exercises.”

“It’s simply exercises that are based on those used by Navy Seals,” said Kelly Sikes, Triangle SportsPlex’s executive director of sales and fitness development. “It’s a great idea, and I guess it’s a little like the P90X workouts … on steroids.”

Confound The Enemy

Like the P90X system, military physical training tends to confuse different muscle groups through widely varied exercises, introducing new moves and routines so as to keep the muscles guessing, thus shocking the body off of its comfortable plateaus.

What’s new to fitness center menus is old news on military training sites, however.

“I ran across an old book about Navy PT Training and started doing it, and I had a great time,” Clayton said. “I got a couple more friends doing it, and it was recommended that I start a class … about 10 years ago. The first class, we maxed out.”

The workouts are based on exercises from BUDS — Basic Underwater Demolition Seal –the Navy version of boot camp for specialists, Clayton said. He also incorporates from other Special Forces operators, like parachute jumpers, who’ve given us ideas on water exercises we can do.

“We’re always looking for new ways to challenge people. I’ve been in fitness for more than 20 years, and this is probably the most effective workout I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Clayton strongly emphasized the difference between military-style workouts and actual military training, renown for its rigorous methods of focusing the mind and reshaping the body.

“This is nothing at all like that. This is purely about fitness,” Clayton asserted. “We try to concentrate on the positives without any harassment or negative things.

“We do get some people who come in and expect a military-style program, and it’s not that. We even get some folks who tell us, ‘Hey, you need to yell more.’ I suspect many of our people would leave if we did.”

Clayton re-emphasized that the image of the derisive drill instructor does not translate into fitness center settings.

“No, because, after all, they are paying us,” he said, chuckling. “This is a workout, not a true boot camp.”

Too Early

Jordan Albertson, of UNC’s Ram’s Head Recreation Center, said the notion of a pre-dawn run with 40-pound packs isn’t on the agenda through UNC Recreation’s boot camp fitness workouts, either.

“With our program, it’s not the time of day,” Albertson said. “We did offer a boot camp style workout at 6 or 7 a.m., and it was really poorly attended.”

“It’s more about the style of the workout,” he added. “I’m sure that someone who had been in the armed forces would say that this training is not much like their training. … It’s just a lot of back-to-back exercises without much rest.”

“Hey, we’re not here to kill you or make you sick,” Sikes said. “We’re here to make you better and to push you to where you don’t think you can go.”

With the derisive element excised from exercise, “boot camp” style fitness has become wildly popular over the past decade.

“It actually still seems to be gaining popularity,” Albertson said. “The program filled quickly the first time I taught it, and this semester it filled up super quick.”

One of the major reasons for the popularity of the basic training-style workouts is their efficiency.

“In four weeks, people will drop 5 to 6 percent body fat, lose up to 10 pounds, and reduce their mile time sometimes by two minutes, according to www.WebMD.com.

Human Nature

Another reason for the popularity with fitness centers and instructors is the low overhead involved. Whereas some fitness regimens use weights, equipment or large amounts of space, boot camp workouts use participants’ own body weight as resistance and competition with fellow participants as motivation.

“It’s human nature to challenge yourself against other humans,” Florida fitness coach Tom Rayhill told WebMD. “Not everybody is athletically inclined, but by hanging out with those more driven people, you’re naturally going to want to do better.”

Still, without a challenge, the system falls flat, results fall short, and popularity falls off. As such, workouts must be sufficiently rigorous.

“Typically, the people coming in are already in pretty good shape, and that’s how we market it,” Albertson said. “We tell people it’s going to involve tough workouts. It’s a fairly advanced class. It works out the entire body. There are a lot of body-weight power exercises involved, and that drains the system a lot.”

“It’s a hardcore course,” Clayton said. “We bill it as being for people of medium to advanced fitness. It’s not for the faint of heart, and we see everyone from cancer survivors who are battling back to athletes who’ve been to the Olympic trials.”

An elevated challenge makes for an elevated sense of accomplishment and self-esteem.

“I think the challenge itself is the reason for the popularity,” Clayton said. “We started our class before the real boot camp craze, and what we’ve heard from the start is that participants found themselves doing things they didn’t think they could do.”

“We get a lot of triathletes doing all-season training,” Clayton added, “and it’s the perfect complement. We also get a lot of former athletes who’ve been sitting at a desk for too long and need a program to get them motivated again.”

Tours Of Duty

Trainers see participants translating that sense of accomplishment into other areas. Rayhill said the classes also offer a way to reconnect with others from within lifestyles that are increasingly separated.

“Most of what we do all day is very isolating,” Rayhill said. “We’ve got iPods, cell phones, and computers. We’re not connecting with other people. No computer can make you feel better. No, not like the connection to other people.”

For those interested, basic training style classes are offered locally through fitness facilities including UNC Recreation and the Wellness Center at Meadowmont, as well a three-month tour of duty running from November through the Holiday season into January at the Triangle SportsPlex in Hillsborough.

“It’s in keeping with the idea of ‘maintain, don’t gain, ‘ through the holidays,” Sikes said. “People can get off schedule during that time of year, so we offer a choice of just one month (December) or for all three months.”

The SportsPlex classes will be offered twice weekly during the mornings and twice more during evenings, with an 8 a.m. Saturday session as well. The program, administered by Clayton’s Basic Training Fitness ( www.basictraining.biz) begins Nov. 2 and runs for 12 weeks. The cost for SportsPlex members is $60 per month or $160 if paid in full in advance. Non-member rates are $75 a month, or $200 if paid in full in advance.

“Our motto is, ‘don’t limit your challenges; challenge your limits, ‘” Clayton said. “That’s really what it’s all about. The challenge is not just physically, but to mentally go past where you thought your limits were.”

However shocking the tactics may be, most fitness experts are agreeing that the results have been nothing short of awesome.

Randy Young at chnsports@nando.com
Original article can be found here:  http://www.chapelhillnews.com/sports/story/53007.html

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By thegang
October 27, 2009

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