Boot Camp Blog
Bootcamp Week One - January 2012
My name is Claire and I have been a member of ALSAA for years and like many other people one of my goals for 2012 was to get fit and I decided that there was no better way to kick start this goal than to sign up to ALSAA’s bootcamp. I will be blogging about my experience over the next 10 weeks so I hope you will stick with me to see how I get on!
With my goal of getting fit in mind I found myself gathered on the athletics track with 14 other people waiting nervously to see what was in store for us.
We started off with two 2 minute warm-ups which involved jumping jacks, long strides, running on the spot and a lot more. We were really encouraged to keep going by our 2 instructors for the night Mark and Elaine and this really helped because by the end of the second set I was definitely feeling the burn!
We then paired up and started a set of different exercises including high knees, lunges, a plank using an empty keg and a few more. It was great having a partner while doing these as we were able to encourage each other to keep going and give it our all.
After a much needed water break, we then moved on to some running drills – first up were figure of eight runs. After that it was more running this time taking turns with our partners to run up and down between 2 cones for 2 minutes! I managed 15 up + downs which I was delighted with and hope that we can do it again in a few weeks to see if I can manage more. We then did push ups, different types of sit ups and a plank, 4 sets of 8 and after all the running let me tell you it was a welcome relief to get some time on the ground!
We finished with a pyramid run with our partner - 1 sprint each, then 2, right up to 5 and then all the way back down again! It was definitely the toughest part of the hour I found because I had put so much into everything else I really had to dig deep to finish it! Finally we did some stretches and then it was home time!
The great thing about the class is that you push yourself as hard as you can – you don’t have to go at anybody else’s pace, but it is important to make sure you get the most out of the hour so a bit of effort is required! There was a mix of males and females at the class all with a different fitness level and everybody seems really nice, friendly and encouraging!
My goal for the class was to do my best to finish everything and I am happy to tell you that I managed that! I definitely didn’t find the class easy but it was definitely do-able and all the encouragement from Mark and Elaine definitely helped. After finishing I definitely felt a bit sore and tired but also really pleased that I managed to do everything and I am already looking forward to next week. If you feel like you fancy a new fun way to get fit I would definitely recommend signing up to the ALSAA bootcamp!
Talk to you next week - Claire
Bootcamp Week Two - January 2012
Well after the pains and aches of last week had subsided (they were gone by Wednesday) I began looking forward to this week's class and what the instructors had in store for us.
There were 20 of us at tonight's class, so a few new faces ready to join the ALSAA bootcamp fun!
We started off with the same style warm-up as last week which was two 2 minute warm-ups with jumping jacks, long strides, running on the spot and a lot more. Again we were encouraged to keep going by two of our three instructors for the night Mark & Steve.
After we finished we moved onto the main event of the hour – an obstacle/assault course. Mark talked us through each station which we were going to do in pairs. There were 10 stations which included push-ups, plank, walking lunges and a lot more! The most important one was the keg run as this determined how long everybody would spend on the other stations. We did the full course 3 times, and I definitely found it tough but doing with a partner definitely helped as did all the encouragement from our instructors Mark, Steve and Avril. I definitely don’t think I would have been able to keep going if it wasn’t for them!
We finished off with a set of sit-ups and push-ups called an 8 up 8 down. You start by doing 8 sit-ups and 8 push-ups and then work down until you do 1 sit-up and Steve kindly let us finish up with 10 push-ups!
As our cool down we took a nice walk halfway around the track and then stretched.
I really enjoyed tonight’s class, the variety in all the exercises was great and again am looking forward to next week!
Bootcamp Week Three - January 2012
Week three this week and the weather decided it wanted to make things a little bit tougher on us! Despite the cold and the wet there were still 17 of us at tonights class for Steve and Elaine to put through our paces!
We started with our warm-up which was a bit different than the last two weeks in that we ran a lap of the track but stopped 3 times to do our usual warm-up exercises. Once we finished the lap we did some stretching and were than split into 3 groups and saw what was in store for us tonight. There were 3 stations tonight my group started with the keg run which involved running and moving 17 kegs backwards and forwards for 4-5 minutes I think. This was tough as you had to keep running with the kegs there was no walking allowed and Elaine was always nearby to make sure we didn't slack off!
Next up were walking lunges with a squat in between while carrying a weighted bar across the back of your neck. By the end of the first trip backwards and forwards my legs were burning but I kept going remembering that that feeling was only temporary! Finally we had a cardio and core circuit, this was alternating cardio and core exercises and involved burpees, tuck jumps, planks and bicycle crunches! I really enjoyed the core exercises in this one mainly because it involved lying down!
Once every group had done each circuit once we had a little water break and then it was time to start all over again but this time we were going for longer! This was definitely the toughest week so far, but the hour flew in, when Steve + Elaine said we were finished I was really surprised. I really enjoyed this week, it was great to have such a good mix of exercises. The instructors once again were really encouraging and its great knowing that they are there to give you that extra bit of motivation to give it your all! We finished up with our cool down walk, stretches and then it was time for home!
Looking forward to next week, fingers crossed the weather is a bit better!
Claire
Bootcamp Week 4 - 06/02/12
Week 4 this week and thankfully the weather was a lot better than last week. Steve & Elaine were back again this week to put us through our paces and keep us motivated.
We started with our warm-up which this week was jogging 2 laps of the track and then did our stretches. We were then told to pair up and claim a mat! This week we were doing core work and aerobic/anaerobic exercises - so as 1 of us did core work the other did the other exercises. There were 8 exercises of each type, the core work included planks, bicycle crunches and superman, the aerobic/anaerobic exercises included burpees, squat jumps and jumping jacks. We did each exercise for 30 seconds and then it was time for a short break.
Once the break was over it was back to the mat and time to repeat what we had just done only this time we did each exercise for 45 seconds. Elaine and Steve were full of encouragement to keep us going especially towards the end while it was beginning to get tough. After finishing we had another short break and then it was lucky dip time!
For the lucky dip we were split into 2 groups and got to do a selection of exercises which we pulled out of bags that Elaine + Steve had. I can only tell you what exercises my group did we ended up doing burpees 3 times, feet of fire 3 times along with tuck jumps. It was definitely a tough way to finish and my legs were really feeling it by the end of it.
It was another good week, it was tough but I definitely feel all the better for having done it!
Bootcamp Week 5 - 13/02/12
Well this week was week 5 which was the halfway point. The time has flown by and we couldn't believe that we are that far along already!
Steve + Elaine were out to put us through our paces tonight. We started as normal with our warm up which was a lap around the track and then the usual jacks, strides and finished up with stretches.
This week we did an obstacle style course, but with a difference. To make it tougher instead of just running through all of the exercise once the course was split into 3 stations each with 3 different exercises. We were split into 3 groups and each took a station. We did each exercise on each station twice for 30 seconds each and then it was time for a quick break. We did it again but to make it a bit harder we did each exercise for 45 seconds!
We finished up with a version of the 10 up and 10 down from a few weeks ago but this time with push ups and planks (note planks are tougher than sit ups!) Finally we did our cool down walk + stretches!
I definitely found this week the toughest of the last few, so was really grateful for Steve + Elaine's encouragement because this was the week I really felt like giving up! I didn't though and I gave every exercise my all and I felt great after it! We're getting a break next week while the track is being worked on so no bootcamp for 2 weeks now!
I'll certainly enjoy the break,
Claire
