Bootcamp - Training for the trainers Part 1

Last Saturday was my first day at the AALO bootcamp training where I will be transformed in a real bootcamp trainer! At the moment I am providing bootcamp classes at my job, where we raise money for charities. The bootcamps go very well and there are a lot of enthusiastic colleagues that want to get in shape while having fun! By doing this training I hope te gain more in-depth knowledge about differentiating exercises, for example basic version of exercise and advanced versions, more ideas for fun group exercises and how to build up a good bootcamp class. 

In this blog post I will share what I have learned so far

What is a bootcamp class? I explained more about bootcamp in a previous post. A bootcamp class is based on the military training technique. With its introduction to civil society it also received a 'fun' factor. It focusses one or more of the following elements: 

Difference in body type muscle fiber type one and two

• Coordination
• Flexibility
• Endurance
• Speed
• Strength

When you look around you to the different body types of persons, you notice that some people have a longer, thinner appearance, while others have a rather short and firm appearance. This is interrelated to the two different muscle fibers we can have. We can train both types of fibers, but because it is also defined by your genes, there is a high chance you will be able to develop one type of muscle better, or easier than the other. 

Type one muscle fibres are mainly used for endurance performance. Take for example marathon runners, they have many developed type one muscle fibers, long and tall fibers. 

Type two muscles fibres are used for explosive performance of a rather short time period. Take for example sprinters. They have relatively more short and firm muscles

Training strength during bootcamp is a very central part of the training and focusses in the type one muscle fibers as the type two muscle fibers. Strength training can be done in different ways:

• Concentric movement: for example when curling your bicep
• Eccentric movement: for example when straighten your arm after curling your bicep
• Static: hold the position for a longer period
• Dynamic: combination of concentric and eccentric movement, for example knee bends. 

One area that can be focussed on during the training is core stability. This is the static strength of the muscles in the area of your navel. What is often said during training is suck in your belly or tilt your pelvis. This is acutaly not sufficient to really tighten your core. In order to do so, you should really contract and focus on your abdominals. Popular exercises to increase core stability are planking, bridging and 'superman'.

During the bootcamp your body will go through different energy systems. There are three main energy systems:
Anearobic alatic (phosphate system): explosive exercise, couple of seconds, high output/performance
Anearobic latic: starts after 30-45 sec, your can feel your muscles getting sour
Aarobic system: low output, long duration of time.
The picture below depicts the three energy systems of your body very nice. You want to take into account this different energy systems when designing a bootcamp. The aim is to have a succesfeeling of the participants of the bootcamp and you want them being able to finish the class. Therefore you need to consider how you build up the class so that it is challenging, but doable.

The body's three energy systems depicted

You want to take into account this different energy systems when designing a bootcamp. The aim is to have a succesfeeling of the participants of the bootcamp and you want them being able to finish the class. Therefore you need to consider how you build up the class so that it is challenging, but doable.

When starting the bootcamp, you can open by welcoming everybody and introduce new members. That you can explain what you will do this bootcamp and ask if there is anybody with injuries that you should take into account. 

The warming up starts with walking exercises, mobility exercises and muscle preparing exercises preparing for the exercises you will focus on during the core training. It is important that the warming up is matched to the class you are going te give that day. Therefore, it is required to have the core of the class clear and prepared for yourself before designing the warming up. 

My key take aways are that it is very important to match the level of the training with your clients. I have the tendency to overestimate the ability of my clients and make the trainings relatively hard and intense. The danger of this is that the performance and technique are not executed well.

The succes perception of the client is very important. Always take into account how they feel an whether they enjoy the class or not. Everybody prefers a different style of teaching, so try to match this to your client. When providing different variations of exercises, start providing the basic version to everybody and give the advanced options as an extra option and not the other way. Try to avoid too many anaerobic latic energy system exercises, because many people don't like this feeling of the muscles getting sour. So aim for exercises not longer than 30-45 sec.

Also, in preparing the next bootcamps I aim to spend more time to focus on muscle preparing warming up, matching the core of the bootcamp training that day. This enables both the body and mind to better prepare for the exercises. 

Excited to the second class already!

AALO Bootcamp training for the trainers

My metabolic rate

Why should I care about my metabolic rate?

The metabolic rate is an important factor if you want to loose weight. Metabolism is the process where your body converts what your eat and drink into energy. It can be divided in two categories: 

• Catabolism: the breakdown of molecules to obtain energy (breaking down molecules)
• Anabolism: the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells (building up molecules)

A higher metabolic rate is beneficial because it increases the number of calories we burn over time. 

Many people think that heavy people have a slower metabolic rate that skinny people. This is not true. In fact, in general, how heavier you are, the higher you metabolic rate because a heavier body requires more energy during physical movement. When you loose weight, your metabolic rate will slow down. 

Your metabolic rate is determined by several factors, among others:

• Muscle mass: muscles use more energy than any other body tissue
• Age: young cells renew more often which requires energy
• Length: tall persons require more energy to keep their body warm
• Hormons: several hormons influence the metabolic rate

However, you can exercise some influence on your metabolic rate. 

• Create more muscle mass! The muscles in your body will require more energy than any other tissue in your body, even when you are not working out. Even when you are sleeping you will burn more calories than a person with lass muscle mass. :)
• Eat regularly and eat food with a low glycemic index (complex carbs) and high in fiber! These foods require relatively more effort from your body to digest than foods like simple carbs without any fiber. Your body will use more energy to digest. Eating regularly ensures your metabolism is working continuously and keeps on burning energy. 
• Move! Physical exercise will burn calories. Whether it is a long easy walk on the beach or a heavy bootcap workout with intervals, you will burn those calories!
• Sleep! Try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Your energy and activity levels are higher when you slept well, increasing your metabolic rate. 
• Herbs like chili powder and cayenne peppers can increase your metabolic rate. These herbs increases the release of, among others, adrenaline which stimulates the metabolism and increases calorie burn. 
• Drink green tea. Several studies show that drinking green results in burning an extra 70-100 calories a day because of the antioxidants in the tea. 

Do keep in in mind that although your metabolism influences your body's basic energy needs, ultimately it is your total caloric intake and physical activity that determines wether you gain or loose weight!

Work hard and get your metabolism on fire!

HOT yoga

Hot yoga, or Bikram yoga, is a derived from hatha yoga and practiced in a heated room of about 40 degrees calcium. This is warm! Especially when you are doing all 26 postures in a routines, performing each posture twice. As a former dancer, and sporadic practitioner of hatha yoga, I still have quite a flexible body especially for a girl lifting weights. I knew the biggest challenge for me was the heat. I am uncomfortable laying in the sun for a long time because that gets so hot and I am no fan of sauna's either. 

The Bikram yoga studio on Rotterdam

The first time when I steppen into the heated room, I found a spot in the back, as was recommended to me. I was there with about 20 other people, some dressed in fancy legging and short tops and the men only with a tight pants. We all faced a large mirror. I have to say; quite confronting! Dressed in an short black pants and a wide pink top I tried to stay calm and not focus on the heat. As more and more people entered the room, the once that were already in relaxed on their back or did flexibility exercises. 

Five minutes doing nothing into the class room I was already sweating. Than the teacher walked into the room. Everybody stood up and followed the instructions that the teacher told via his headset microphone. In this type of yoga, the teacher is not performing the postures, instead he explains what you have to do and everybody follows his instructions. 

The 26 postures of Bikram yoga

The class started with a breathing excursive followed by several standing exercises, stability exercises and ground exercises for a total of 90 minutes. While I did manage to fully perform each posture (not every posture as glamourise as the other) I did feel light headed once or twice, but recovered quite quick. I was sweating my ass off non-stop! Now, it has not been proven that increased transpiration means increased calories burned or that it drains toxics out of your body, but it did feel kind of good! After the class I decided to go for a weekly unlimited card and to try it out more often this week!

After one of the best nights sleep, I went back again two days after and took a morning class at 6.30AM (yes, that is early!). Walking still sleepdrunk into the Bikram classroom, I did feel less uncomfortable with the heat than last time. The postures I performed even felt less difficult. Could it be that you see improvement in such short time-period? I experienced Bikram yoga in the morning as very positive as this gives you an focussed start of the day; starting your day more conscious. 

This afternoon was the third day I walked into the classroom. With the Harbourrun (an Obstacle run in the harbour of Rotterdam) scheduled for tomorrow, I decided not to go to the gym today but instead prepare for it by going to Bikram yoga. Let's see if this prepared me well for the run tomorrow! 

A Bikram classroom