Ultimate Bootcamp - Boston Fitness: April 2012

Thursday, April 19

On Tap Goes to Bootcamp: Post 9

On Wednesday, Kim brought us back to the beach, where it all began. I seemed to have misunderstood the assignment when it came to one of our first drills, monster walking, suicide-style, in the sand with resistance bands. I quickly found myself at the back of the pack, quads burning and legs shaking. Apparently I missed Kim’s instruction about setting the appropriate amount of resistance.

Once I caught on, it got easier. Slightly.

Wednesday’s workout included:

Warm-up and cool-down runs
Side shuffling in the sand with a resistance tube
Push-ups (regular, dive bombers, staggered)
Squats
Planks
Mountain climbers
Bear crawls
Crab walks

We also completed a fitness test, counting the number of squats we could complete in one minute, which we compared to our results from Day 1. I improved by six squats, but more importantly, I’m much more confident in my form.

Now if only I could figure out how to keep the sand out of my shoes.

Thursday’s workout included:

Incline push-ups
Triceps dips
Hills
Plyometrics
Squat thrusts
Lunges
Squats
Jumping jacks
Running

I was so excited to earn my Ultimate Bootcamp shirt after four weeks of awesome morning workouts. I’ve loved the community and camaraderie, and look forward to signing up for another session soon. I cannot say enough about the program, truly. I feel stronger, faster, and fitter. Plus, getting up before the sun? It’s a piece of cake now.

Elizabeth writes at On Tap for Today, a Boston-based lifestyle blog featuring inspiration for fun, healthy and full living. She is a non-profit executive, a two-time marathoner, and an avid Boston sports fan. You can follow Elizabeth's adventures at Ultimate Bootcamp on her blog, or on Twitter.

Thursday, April 12

On Tap for Today Goes to Bootcamp: Post 8

We earned every, single one of those downhills. All twenty of them. Kim ran us over to G Street for an hour’s worth of hills. Half-way through the workout, I was very much regretting the forty-seven mini Reese’s cups I consumed on Easter Sunday (and now my RD knows why I wasn’t feeling well….)

We climbed G Street and then made our way around the Heights, one hilly street at a time. I barely survived. That’s only a slight exaggeration.

Monday’s workout included:

Squats
Lunges
Reverse lunges (up G Street… not normal)
Sprints
Stairs
Squat jumps
Calf raises
More running

When I got home, my FitBit read 5.01 miles… and it was just barely 7 AM. While I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the workout while we were actually working out, I was quite pleased that I was able to hang in there. And I rewarded myself with a 10 minute post-shower nap. Sometime you just need to get back into bed.

After an extremely long Monday, and knowing that I had to be at the office bright and early the next day, I gave myself a pass on Tuesday’s workout.

[Image source]

Though I felt a bit like a sloth, and was reluctant to break my perfect attendance streak, it seemed more important to give my little body a rest. Plus, I was itching to get a run in Tuesday night and knew it would be much more likely to happen with a little extra sleep and a much needed stretch.

[Image source and more about The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program]

And when we spend Wednesday’s crawling through the sand? Man, was I thankful for the rest. More on our last workout with Kim to follow. In the meantime, Ultimate Bootcamp is hosting a ‘Run to Home Base’ Bootcamp Blast this Saturday, from 9:30-10:30 AM at Arsenal Park in Watertown. Proceeds from the class ($18 per person) will benefit the Red Sox Foundation’s Home Base program. Click here to register for this great workout for a great cause.

Tuesday, April 10

On Tap for Today Goes to Bootcamp: Post 7

This session, we've invited a Boston blogger, Elizabeth from On Tap for Today, to attend Ultimate Bootcamp as a way to change up her routine and help increase her running speed. Elizabeth will be blogging about her Ultimate Bootcamp experience, and we'll be posting her entries here as well. Check out her blog and follow along!

I was both excited and terrified to find out that last Wednesday’s workout had a name: The 200. While Jeanine and Kim have referred to other workouts by name before (JFK, the Heights, Castle Island), they’ve all had something to do with the location. The 200 could mean anything, and so I assumed the worst. It wasn’tquite the worst, but it was brutal. Brutal and awesome.

[Image source]

Switching off with a partner, we completed 10 triceps dips and then 10 bicep curls with a resistance band before running the stairs on one segment of the stadium. Once we got to the top of the next set of stairs, we repeated the process over and over, working our way up to 200 reps of each move. Once we reached the end of the bleachers, we stopped for 3 sets of 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups before heading back in the opposite direction. We followed the same pattern, but this time alternating between triceps push-ups and reverse bicep curls. By the time we finished all 200 reps, my arms felt like overcooked spaghettis.

Wednesday’s workout included:

Warm-up run to the stadium
Dynamic stretching
Bicep curls (standard and reverse)
Pushups (standard and triceps/close grip)
Triceps dips (standard, one legged)
Stairs

Taking on “The 200″ seemed impossible at first, but we slowly chipped away it as we made our way around the stadium. It was actually kind of fun. Mostly because the soreness hasn’t set in yet. We went back to the track on Thursday for running and core work. I was about to type, “This was my favorite workout yet,” but it seems like every workout has been my favorite yet.

I felt more like a runner than ever during Thursday’s workout. There have been plenty of times over the last three weeks when I’ve struggled (I am looking at you, shoulder presses), but running always feels good. Manageable. Enjoyable, even. After focusing for so long on distance, I’ve come to appreciate each opportunity to leave it all out on the track. I nearly diagnosed myself with asthma at one point Thursday morning, but still. It’s fun to go fast.

Thursday’s workout included:

.25 mile warm-up run
Dynamic stretching (high knees, hamstring curls, squats)
Squat thrusts and running on the field
A three person drill involving high knee step-ups, sit ups and 4 x 200 m. on the track
Stairs, hill running
Single leg raises with a resistance band
Planks

I love the variety of these workouts. Just when I want squats to go extinct, we’re on to lunges. And as soon as I want to hunt down the person who invented the lunge, it’s time for planks. It’s impossible to get bored, and the sense of accomplishment at the end of each workout is addictive. Our group broke out into spontaneous clapping after Wednesday’s workout. It was pretty great. I’ve been driving home with a huge smile on my face each morning.

I really used to think people who exercised in the morning were either part-robot, or fully nuts. After more than three weeks of getting up at 5:15, I get it. I really do.

Thursday, April 5

On Tap for Today Goes to Bootcamp: Post 6

This session, we've invited a Boston blogger, Elizabeth from On Tap for Today, to attend Ultimate Bootcamp as a way to change up her routine and help increase her running speed. Elizabeth will be blogging about her Ultimate Bootcamp experience, and we'll be posting her entries here as well. Check out her blog and follow along!

I wish Mother Earth would decide which season she fancies and just stick with it. In the past two weeks, we’ve experienced spring, summer and winter. Some days I’ve battled allergies, others I’ve worried about getting a sunburn. On Monday morning, my cheeks (both sets) nearly froze off. I am all for variety, but this erratic weather’s getting old. Sort of like me.

Before starting bootcamp, I never realized how little time I actually spend outside. For all I know, this weather pattern may be completely normal. Likely, it’s nothing to complain about (like most things I complain about). On the average day, I’m outside with Clark for three walks, each lasting ten minutes or just long for him to do something naughty (ex. uproot six newly-blooming daffodils). Whichever comes first. I might make a run to the bank or post office during the day, or rush to the curb minutes before my car is ticketed. Otherwise, I’m chained to my desk. Which is very much indoors. On a semi-related note, I just got the results of my blood work back from my doctor. Apparently I am vitamin D deficient.

Are these mornings outdoors helping to put me more in touch with nature? Perhaps. If you’ve ever been camping with me, though, you know I prefer to keep a comfortable distance. I don’t really know where I was going with any of this. Let’s just talk about the workouts. We spent Monday at the track and field at Saunders Stadium. Having underdressed and then overdressed last week, I went back to underdressing and was freezing. As mentioned above. The running helped a bit, but as soon as we slowed down, I was shivering again. I’m three paragraphs in to this post, and it’s becoming largely evident that I am wimp.

Monday’s workout included:

Lots of dynamic stretching, plyometrics and mobility work
4 x 400 meters on the track
3 x Suicide runs to/from the 50 yard line (sprint forward, back pedal to the goal line)
3 x Bear crawls 10 yards forward/back
Squats (jump, tuck, wide stance, regular)
Shoulder raises with a resistance tube
Shoulder presses with a resistance tube

I channeled my inner Ochocinco, and imagined myself running plays on the field. And actually, like, doing them right. (No offense, Chad.) I secretly always liked running suicides at soccer practice in high school. If that makes you stop liking me, I would understand. There are so many different running drills you can tackle (baahaha) on the football field, though. Here’s the breakdown for one of Monday’s drills.

Another favorite of mine involves sprinting the diagonal, from one corner of the end zone to the opposite, and then slowly jogging to the nearest corner before sprinting again. This feels especially good barefoot, on a natural grass field (that is to say, not turf). During warmer weather, obviously. Switching
sports
gears a bit, today’s workout took place on the basketball courts behind the McDonough Field House and focused on legs. I will be foam rollin’ with the homeys tonight, for sure.

Today’s workout included:

.25 mile warm-up on the track
Many, many squat thrusts
Suicide runs on the basketball courts
Squats
Jumping jacks
Wall sit with a resistance band
Lunges (static, walking, using a resistance band)
Leg throw-downs

Though I am a bit shy when it comes to picking partners, knowing that someone else is waiting for me to finish a suicide run or 25 push-ups provides tremendous motivation. I don’t want to leave that person hanging (or, in plank position). Being accountable to the group has definitely helped me to stick with these early morning workouts. That, and the opportunity to pretend I’m a New England Patriot for fifteen minutes.

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