Drop and Give Me 20!
Exclusive ACE study investigates the fitness benefits of popular boot camp style workouts By John Porcari, Ph.D., Kirsten Hendrickson, B.S., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Mark Anders

Fitness fads come and go, but boot-camp workouts are still among the most popular. Back in the spring of 1998, the American Council on Exercise first spotted the rapid growth of instructor-led workouts based loosely on the calisthenics used (like push-ups, squat thrusts, punches, kicks, etc.) to whip new recruits into shape in the U.S. Army’s basic-training program. Ten years later, take a look at the class schedules of gyms and fitness centers across the country and you’ll still find boot camp.

According to recent stats from the International Health, Racquet &; Sportsclub Association, a trade organization for health clubs, 955 of its 3,306 member clubs offer boot camp style fitness classes. And it’s not just hot in the gyms. A quick scan of the exercise videos offered on Amazon.com yields more than 30 different boot-camp videos.

There’s a certain element of getting back to the basics and a more functional-training approach, says ACE chief science officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D. People are looking for different experiences. With boot camps, you’re giving them something outside the traditional club environment.

Maybe the boot-camp trend is still going strong because it’s not really trendy at all. The workout is simple and not tied to a single piece of equipment. Or maybe it’s the motivating team-oriented atmosphere that’s created as fellow exercisers survive the workouts together.

Whatever the reason, boot camp remains wildly popular, yet surprisingly its efficacy has never been formally studied. Boot camp is becoming more and more popular in the health club setting so obviously people want to know if they’re really going to get something out of it, and if it’s going to be worth their time, says Kirsten Hendrickson, a graduate student in exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin. So we decided to take a look at it.

The Study

To analyze the health and fitness benefits of boot camp style workouts, a team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, led by John Porcari, Ph.D., and Hendrickson, recruited six men and six women ages 19 to 29.

All volunteers were given an exercise test on a motorized treadmill to determine each subject’s maximal heart rate(HR max) and maximal oxygen consumption (V O2 max) to establish a baseline of fitness. Ratings of perceived exertion using the Borg Scale, a measure of how hard subjects feel they’re exercising, were also recorded throughout the exercise testing.

Once that baseline was established, the subjects were invited back into the lab to view a 40-minute recorded boot-camp exercise video. Naturally there are many boot camp style exercise videos on the market, so researchers reviewed a wide range of titles, eventually settling on one for the study. The Method: Cardio Boot Camp with Tracey Mallett. We chose that DVD because it has a good blend of aerobic movements and strength moves that you’d picture military guys doing at boot camp, notes Porcari. Plus we wanted to pick one where people were taxed pretty hard because that’s what you picture when you think of boot camp.

The study volunteers were given a copy of the DVD to take home and practice until they felt familiar enough with the choreography to be able to follow along easily with the workout. At that point, they were asked to return to the lab for testing. Each subject was then outfitted with the Cosmed portable analyzer, a backpack and facemask apparatus that measures oxygen consumption and caloric burn. Heart rate and perceived exertion were also tracked every three minutes throughout the 40-minute workout.

The ResultsAfter analyzing the data, researchers found that the average exerciser burns approximately 9.8 calories per minute during a typical boot-camp workout, which equals nearly 400 calories during the entire 40-minute boot-camp video studied.

The biggest benefit is you’re burning an average of 600 calories per hour, says Porcari. That’s obviously going to help with weight loss, but you’re also getting the muscle-building benefit from pushups, arm curls and squat thrusts that you wouldn’t get just from going out for a fast walk or jog.

According to recommendations set by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance individuals need to exercise at 70 percent to 94 percent of HR max and 50 percent to 85 percent of V O2 max. Based upon the data collected in this study, subjects were exercising well within those recommended intensity levels. On average, people were working at 77 percent of heart-rate max, which is considered moderate intensity, but it also gets as high as 91 percent, meaning, all these boot-camp workouts have peaks and valleys, Porcari explains. Heart rate and oxygen consumption varied by the minute as the test subjects followed the video from high-intensity moves like kicking and punching, down to low-intensity moves with the dumbbells, and back up again to high-intensity moves.

These workouts are designed to be cyclical like that, he explains. Boot camp is a good form of interval training because you get periods of high intensity interspersed with moves that tend to be lower in aerobic intensity but they serve a whole different purpose to build muscle strength.

The Bottom Line

Boot camp is an excellent way to enhance aerobic capacity and help control body weight. I think it’s a great workout with great variety, says Porcari. It’s a good combination of aerobic exercise and muscle conditioning and it’s much more of a total-body workout than just going out for a run or bicycle ride.

But remember, not all boot-camp workouts are created equal, he warns. Some are heavy on cardio, while others emphasize martial arts inspired movements or basic strength-training exercises. For best results, our researchers recommend picking a well-balanced program with equal helpings of aerobic movements and calisthenics.

If people are looking for something that’s fun and variable that will increase their adherence to an exercise program, and, most importantly, burn a lot of calories, says Hendrickson, boot camp would be a really great option.

©2008 American Council on Exercise

Drinking Soda and Weight Gain – Does It Matter If It’s Diet Soda?
Written by Dr. Carrie Jones on March 28, 2009 – 9:17pm

Her Writer, Dr. Carrie Jones:
Many times women come into my office and report drinking a soda quite often during the week. Sometimes it is one soda in the afternoon for a pick-me-up, sometimes it’s several. Either way, soda leads to weight gain…and no, it doesn’t matter if it’s diet.

In 2007, the University of Minnesota published a study in Circulation of which 9,514 participants were evaluated. The researchers found that people who drank just one diet soda everyday had a 34% increased risk of metabolic syndrome. This syndrome includes abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (good cholesterol) high LDL (bad cholesterol), elevated blood pressure, and insulin resistance.

In the Framingham Heart Study by Boston University, 6,039 participants without metabolic syndrome at the start of the study had a 44% increased risk of developing new onset metabolic syndrome with one or more soda intake per day. Specifically, they had a 31% increase in obesity risk, 30% risk of increasing abdominal waist circumference, 25% increasing risk of developing elevated blood sugar or triglycerides, and a 32% risk of low HDL on blood-work.

Finally, a study presented at the 2005 American Diabetes Association found that for each can of diet soda drank per day, the risk of obesity increases 41%. Does this mean you should switch to regular soda? Absolutely not! Those are filled with huge amounts of sugar. If you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and maintain a normal weight, please switch from soda to something that is beneficial to your body, such as water!
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Some other tidbits about water from Chief Fitness Fanatic, Dawn Franklin:

Can water really help you look and feel great?
Summer is here bringing with it a welcomed increase in temperature. While you enjoy a day out in the sun you may be struck with the desire for a glass of icy cold water. This thirsty reminder should not be taken lightly – as much as 75% of adults suffer from mild, chronic dehydration, a condition that dramatically works against your weight 1oss efforts.

Read on to discover why water consumption must be at the top of your list in your quest for a fit, healthy and athletic body…

Water does all that?

Though you probably don’t think about it often, water is the most essential element, next to air, to your survival. The simple combination of two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen makes up more than two thirds of your body and is involved in a host of bodily functions that we routinely take for granted. Just to name a few:

• Water works to regulate the thermal condition of your body
• Water serves as a lubricant in your joints
• Water helps flush toxins from your blood
• Water gives your skin a clear, glowing complexionWater assists with digestion, pulling all the usable nutrients out of foods
• Water aides in disease prevention (Drinking 8 glasses a day has shown to reduce your chance of colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%)

What about fitness and fat-Loss?

You’ve probably heard that you need to drink plenty of water in order to drop weight, but did you ever wonder why? What does water have to do with decreasing your calories and increasing your activity level in an effort to shed pounds?

1. Water is a natural appetite suppressant

Fill your stomach with a glass of water before each meal and you will find that you won’t eat as much. This also works on snacking throughout the day, keep hydrated all day long and watch as your desire to snack decreases.

2. Water increases your body’s ability to efficiently metabolize fat

This process begins with your kidneys receiving enough water to function at their peak, which in turn helps your liver reach optimal efficiency in removing toxins and waste from your blood. With your liver working at maximum capacity, fat will be metabolized at a higher rate. This means a decrease in your overall body fat. (And who doesn’t want that?)

3. Water is the perfect substitute for high calorie beverages

Want to super-charge your fitness results this summer? Well, this is the most effective way to utilize water toward your waist-shrinking efforts. Most of us consume more than our share of calorie-packed beverages. Smoothies, shakes, frozen mochas, soft drinks…you get the idea. When you trade your high calorie beverages in for a tall glass of water you will expedite your results in a major way.

The Other Side of the Story…

Now you know that drinking sufficient amounts of water will help you reach your fitness goals faster than ever, but you should also know that failing to drink enough water comes with serious consequences…

• Your body will shift into “preserve” mode – which means you will store more fat.
• Bodily functions will slow – leading to an overall decrease in energy levels.
• Headaches will become an expected nuisance – your brain is over 70% water.

To avoid dehydration this summer check out the following 5 Hydration Tips:

Tip #1: Caffeinated beverages – such as coffee, soft drinks or energy drinks – cause your body to lose water. After you enjoy a dose of caffeine replace the lost water by drinking 2 times that amount in water.

Tip #2: Add a slice of lemon to your water to spice things up.

Tip #3: Always carry water with you throughout your day – keep a bottle in the car, at your workplace and next to your bed.

Tip #4: Exercise and hot summer days both increase your body’s water requirements – make a mental note to drink before, during and after exercise or while out on a hot day.

Tip #5: Make it a habit to begin your day with a large glass of water then drink a glass before each meal and one between meals.

Share this info with a friend or family member…especially now that’s its getting hot out again. Take care, Dawn

Check out these blog posts I found on the internet….good stuff! DAwn

Why You Get Sore After You Exercise & Does It Mean You are Getting A Good Workout
by Kenn Kihiu Friday, June 20, 2008
Question:
Dear Kenn,
Why do I get Sore When I exercise and does it mean I’m getting a good workout.

Answer:
You get sore after you workout because your body is not used to the exercises you did. The soreness is usually at its worst within the first couple of days and it should begin to subside over the next few days.

The technical term for it is Delayed onset muscle soreness or (DOMS) and even though the exact cause is still unknown research is showing that it’s caused by tiny microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Your body is a wonderful machine, when it’s challenged, the muscles respond to the training by building reinforcements above its previous strength. What your body is doing right now even as you read this email is increasing the size of its muscle fibers.

Important to note: Soreness is not an effective way to measure the benefit of a training program. So if you are not feeling sore, this does not mean you did not have a good workout. As long as you feel challenged, that’s all your body needs to build more muscle and that’s how you become a fat burning machine.

Relief from soreness:
Gentle stretching can provide some relief from soreness.
I’m not a big fan of popping pills for every thing. But you can take anti-inflammatory medicines such as aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce the soreness temporarily.
In my book the best way is a good old fashioned rub. Massaging the muscle feels the best, so put your friends, family or better half to work.
Also remember to warm up before your next workout. A good 5 minute warm-up will really help with the soreness
Move Your Body, Move Your Life
Kenn Kihiu
Question: Should I Be Sore The Next Day After My Workouts?
POSTED BY: Stephen Cabral March 04, 2008 6:53 PM
Answer: Soreness the next day, or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is not a good indicator of completing a great workout the day before.
All soreness means is that you did some activity that your body wasn’t used to doing. Typically, most people are sore the next day (sometimes up to 72 hours) after finishing a new workout routine. As you progress through your 4-6 week program you should be less sore each week, or not all.
You do not have to be sore after every workout to get results. On the contrary, if you are sore from every workout it means that you are doing too much. It’s also a signal from your body letting you know that you are pushing the envelope of burning out and causing more harm than good to your body…
If you find yourself constantly tight and sore, try cutting back some of the volume from your workouts. Start by taking out 1 set of each exercise (or just from the body part movements where you feel pain). You can also just cut back on the amount of weight you are using. Then, you can always go back and add in a set of additional weight once the soreness has subsided.
Train smart and your body will reward you!

How to care for sore muscles by Dawn Franklin
SOAK in EPSOM SALT and STRETCH!

Dawn Franklin
http://www.ahwatukeebootcamp.com/
http://www.dawnfranklin.com/

Quick tip to determine if YOU are working out hard enough. Use RPE, Rate of Perceived Exertion, stay around a 6 or 7. Of course you will go higher when we do higher intensity type drills, workouts. If you are at a 1, 2, 3, 4, you may as well sit down and have some tea an crumpets:-)

Great article regarding RPE as a way to determine if you are working out hard enough:

The Rating of Perceived Exertion, or RPE, as a way to measure your exercise efforts. This 1-10 scale seems way more complicated than it really is, but it’s a great and easy way for anyone to monitor her exercise intensity when doing cardio. What’s more? It requires no equipment. Here is how you use it:

RPE What It Means:
0-1 No exertion. The only movement you’re getting is pushing buttons on the remote.
2-3 Light exertion. This is how you should feel when you’re warming up, cooling down, and stretching.
4-5 Medium exertion. You’re breathing a little faster. Your heart is pumping a little faster. You’re feeling a little warmer.
6-7 Moderate exertion. You’re breathing pretty hard now, you’re probably sweating. You can talk, but it’s getting tougher.
8-9 Hard exertion. You’re breathing really hard and you can only say a few words at a time. You’re wondering how long you can go on like this.
10 Hardest exertion. You can not keep this pace for more than a minute. Speaking is impossible. This is your limit.

So get your RPE on!

As you were,
Dawn Franklin, CFF
Chief Fitness Fanatic
SEV ADVENTURE Boot Camp
Dawn@DawnFranklin.com
www.SEVBootCamp.com
www.DawnFranklin.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“Oh wait, the holidays are over already? What?”

If you are like me then THAT is what went through your head recently. Now you are trying to get back into your daily routine, back to work, getting kids back to school, and thinking about getting back into your fitness routine (if you fell off the wagon).

I KNOW!

What I’ve found with life is if you don’t like something, change it! Don’t wait until a new year begins, you can actually do this anytime you wish. Sometimes we feel ‘stuck in a rut’ and feel we have no control over our lives….when we really do. YOU do.

When it comes to fitness I find that the best thing to do is to just do it! I know that’s a NIKE saying but it’s a good one. Just decide one day to sign up for a boot camp (may I suggest Adventure boot camp:-) or your local gym or simply start walking…and take your dog too or a friend or your significant other or your kid. I just talked to my best friend from high school today and she said she was getting ready to go to the gym with her son. That’s awesome!

Stop making excuses and get out of the post holiday slump…….

JUST DO IT!

All my best, Dawn

As promised, below are a few workouts that can be repeated about 3 days a week for the next couple of weeks during our Holiday Break. Enjoy!

For those that were in my December Holiday Camp, keep these workout ideas in mind:

Breaks from boot camp are good, you need to lower your intensity from time to time and let your body recover. During the break go for some light running or walking, hiking or whatever physical activity you enjoy. Most of all, the holidays are meant to be shared with family and friends, so enjoy this time. Heck, take your friends and family out hiking!

As promised, some suggestions for workouts during this break: Go to my website, http://www.dawnfranklin.com/ and download the awesome eBook called “Turbulance Tranining”, it’s about 20 bucks (I think). Great, simple, easy to follow workouts that you can do at home or even at the gym. There are 3 different levels, beginner, intermediate and Advanced. Do this about 3 days a week and then add some running or hiking as suggested above. Schedule your workouts! Yes, just a like a nail appointent, haircut or bootcamp and don’t fill that time slot with anything else. Most of us ladies, if we make a haircut with a popular sylist that books out, we NEVER miss that appointment….I KNOW I’m right!

Have fun with it and, like I said, breaks are good from boot camp to let your body recover from the intense workouts. With that being said, I never suggest working out 7 days a week. Give yourself at least 2 or 3 days of rest. It’s during your rest days that your body recovers, tones, gets stronger. Yes, your rest days can include an easy walk with the dog or something really light. However; you must allow your body to rest, injuries will happen if you do not allow for rest days. Get at least 7 hours of sleep as well.

Here is a sample workout from the “Turbulance Training”
by Craig Ballantyne, that I suggest you purchase. Below is a good snapshot of the workouts. If you do not know what an exercise is you can Google it. I love Google! Good stuff….enjoy:

Turbulence Training Bodyweight Workout 4-Week Program Intermediate Bodyweight Turbulence Training
• If you can’t do inverted rows, substitute the “Stick-up” exercise.
• If you can’t do full chin-ups, do the lowering portion of the exercise only.
Training Log (3 sets of each exercise)

Workout A
A1) Pushups (3×15) ……ie, 3 sets of 15 reps…
A2) Inverted Row (3×8) ….3 sets of 8 reps….etc….
B1) 1-leg Squat (3×8)
B2) Bicycle Crunch (3×30)
C1) Bulgarian Split Squat (3×8)
C2) Elevated Pushup (3×8)
D1) Reaching Lunge (3×8)
D2) Mountain Climbers (3×12)

Workout B
A1) 1-leg Deadlift (3×8)
A2) Chin-up (3×6)
B1) Step-ups (3×12)
B2) Slow Pushup (3×10)
C1) Prisoner Lunge (3×8)
C2) Side Plank (3×20 seconds)
D1) Close-grip Pushups (3×10)
D2) Plank (3×45 seconds)

See you all in January!!!! Happy New Year! Dawn Franklin

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all things for which we are thankful. You may be thankful for your family, your friends, your health, your happiness, your ability to fit into your favorite jeans. Oh wait, that reminds me, this is the biggestcalori fest of the year! But can you really do that much damage in one day? In one day, probably not, but it can lead to a spiraling effect of uncontrolled eating from now until the New Years. But how about in a month? Oh yes; however, do not panic. There are steps you can take that will allow you to enjoy the holiday and still keep your waist line in check. The 10 tips listed below are designed to steer you away from the “Who cares, it’s the holidays” mentality and the “I’ll just go on a diet after the New Year” mantra.

1. Don’t skip breakfast and avoid overeating at Thanksgiving
Eat breakfast and do not attempt to fast going into this meal, or you will overeat for sure.

2. Plan what you eat before and after Thanksgiving to avoid weight gain
Lighten up on your calorie intake a couple of days before and after. Your weekly average intake is more important than one day’s intake, and you can balance it out if you are careful.

3. Small plate = smaller portions = reduced calorie intake
Use a small plate: This keeps your portions in check. Sure, you can still pile high but that tends to get stares from other guests.

4. Don’t deprive yourself of food, just reduce the amount you eat over Thanksgiving
Go ahead and get a dab of everything that you want to try; this will keep you from feeling deprived later.

5. Make wise food choices so you enjoy Thanksgiving. Do, however, choose between the bread and dessert. One or the other, your choice.

6. Eating slowly avoids overeating
Eat slowly and take a drink of something calorie-free in between bites. This will allow you time to tap into your body’s fullness factor before you have overdone it.

7. Thanksgiving weight gains as a result of second helpings
No seconds! This is a one-stop shop, not all you can eat!

8. During Thanksgiving keep moving around to burn up those calories!
Resist the urge to plop on the couch afterwards. Move around, help do dishes, or take a walk. This will aid the digestion process and burn a few extra calories.

9. Remove the temptation of eating Thanksgiving leftovers – offer to your guests
If you are the host, divvy up the leftovers among the guests. You do not want to repeat this oh-so-good (but calorie-laden) fest any time soon. (Next stop: holiday parties.)

10. Drink water
Drink plenty of water, follow these tips, and avoid the scale for a couple of days afterwards and you will once again be thankful.

Enjoy the great food, your friends, and your family–it only comes once a year!