Obese Troops Unfit to Fight

• In my last post I discussed the Pro’s and Con’s of Bootcamp Fitness Classes, and I tried to be as neutral as I could in my write-up of the points – however, if you know me well, you will know I don’t like these classes, despite the Pro’s and Con’s being fairly equally split. I promised in the last post I would give my overall opinion, so here it is.

  While the Pro’s and Con’s in the last post were equally split, if we gave each point a value, the weight of the Con’s is far greater than that of the Pro’s, in my opinion.

  Now, I understand that this is going to separate me from a few people, both consumers and others in the industry, however I must let the world know:

  “The typical way bootcamps are done is for the most part hurting people, and rarely does it get someone the results they are there for in the first place.”

  I say this with a lot of experience on the subject, but also, the facts speak for themselves. I stumbled across an article in the Independent from earlier this year saying that our troops are too obese to fight. A Ministry of Defence report into fitness levels confirms that barely two-thirds of soldiers are as fit as they should be. Another report presented to the Ministry of Defence chiefs two years ago warned that “obesity is a significant problem for the armed forces”.

  So why am I talking about this in relation to group exercise classes? Because most of these bootcamp classes are based on antiquated and outdated exercise principles designed for “military bootcamps” (hence the name). In addition, many of these classes are actually run by instructors with no more instruction than they had themselves in the Military!l

  If these techniques are clearly not working on the soldiers to increase their fitness levels and have them at fighting fit weights, then this isn’t going to do much for the general public either is it?

  Part of the reason I believe this is the case is because a one-size-fits-all approach to exercise and well-being does not work. Period. Every person is unique on a biochemical level, has individual musculoskeletal alignment, and their lifestyle and stress levels have to be different because we all have different brains and nervous systems. There are so many variables there that if you were to take 20 to 40 people into a group class environment and give them the same generic workout, only a handful of them will get results (they will be the regulars), and many of them will not (they will be the injured ones, or the ones that eventually give up because it’s just not working – and then they move on to the next trainer.)

  This individuality is the main reason for my 3+ hour assessment BEFORE I even give a new client any exercise. Sure, there are principles that I could recommend to everyone, but there differences far outweigh this.

  Now, I don’t want this blog post to be all doom and gloom because some Bootcamps are genuinely run by people with serious knowledge, the majority of people get results, they are safe and rarely does someone get hurt, and most of all people enjoy it and it gets them outside doing some form of physical exercise. However, I take my work as a fitness professional seriously and to me it is a privilege to work with all of my clients, so I hope a few bootcamp instructors read this and feel the same sentiment.

  So there you have it, my rant is over and you know exactly how I feel about bootcamps. I am expecting some mail from people who challenge how I feel. That is fine, and welcomed

  I also suggest that anyone who has strong feelings about this blog signs up for a Free Assessment with me and I have no doubt I can enhance your bootcamp experience by focusing on your health first.

  
  
  September 1st, 2010 | Brett Sanders | No Comments | Tags: bootcamp fitness, bootcamps, fitness classes, group fitness, group fitness classes, military training

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