Adventure Boot Camp for Women: A really fun way to get fit

From Mon, 5 March 2018 to Fri, 30 March 2018 I took part in a 4 week boot camp with the awesome people from Adventure Boot Camp for Women.

The invitation to try out one of their boot camps actually came at the perfect time…   You see, I had gotten verrrrrrry lazy (from a fitness/training perspective) thanks to very long hours at work towards the end of last year and beginning of this year.   As a result I had become a bit of a couch potato, using every bit of spare time I had to just zone out. But after a while, zoning out just leaves you feeling sluggish and blah, and I knew that I had gotten to the point where I seriously needed something to kick my butt back into gear.

Adventure Boot Camp offers 4 week camps at over 60 different locations across SA.  Here in the Western Cape you’ll find various location options in Cape Town, Stellenbosch & Somerset West, offering both morning & evening sessions.  Being a city dweller (and someone who HATES early mornings), I opted for the Cape Town High School camp in Gardens which was a quick 5min drive from home and started at 17:45.

But what is a boot camp all about exactly?  Well it’s basically a 4 week outdoor exercise programme specially designed for women.  The programme covers both cardio & weight training (nothing too scary, don’t worry), with a different focus on each day:

• Monday: Full body
• Tuesday: Upper body & core
• Wednesday: Cardio & legs
• Thursday: Full body
• Friday: Upper body & core

They incorporate the use of dumbbells, medicine balls, kettlebells, weight bags, skipping ropes & TheraBands into the programme which keeps things nice & interesting, and you can choose between 3 camp options:

• 4 sessions @ R430
• 12 sessions @ R685
• 20 sessions @ R810

I wanted to really challenge myself, so I went for the 20 sessions option.  That’s Mon – Fri, 1 hour per day, for 4 weeks. Sure that does sound pretty daunting, but I figured you either go big or go home, right?

Now for a few action shots of us doing our thing:

If it rains – they take the class inside.  So no excuses.  And if for some reason you can’t make a particular session, you can also purchase a flexi option at only R20 to swap out to any other session that works.

We did a flexi on the first Friday because we were spending the weekend in Franschhoek, and therefore wanted to leave town early.  We flexi’d to the 6am session at Jan van Riebeeck Pre-Primary, and although I will admit getting up that early was a struggle, the beautiful sunrise totally made up for it:

The really cool thing is you get to track your progress by completing a mini fitness assessment at the end of week 1 and then again at the end of week 4.  I’m happy to report that I improved on all fronts.

These were my week 1 results:

• Run (3 laps around the field):  5min20sec
• Situps (60 seconds):  33
• Ladies pushups (60 seconds):  40
• Squats (60 seconds):  49

These were my week 4 results:

• Run (3 laps around the field):  5min16sec
• Situps (60 seconds):  36
• Ladies pushups (60 seconds):  49
• Squats (60 seconds):  52

Some of those improvements don’t seem too big, but Adriaan reassured me that even being able to do 2-3 reps more in 60 seconds is really good.  So all ‘n all, I was really chuffed.  Also technically the field I ran on in week 1 was slightly smaller than the field from week 4, so the running improvement was actually even better. 😉

I know most ladies will be thinking… but did you lose any weight??   I didn’t no, but that really wasn’t my goal.  I also don’t think it’s realistic to expect too many drastic changes in a 4 week period.  With the blog and all the delicious food I get to eat, I really struggle to stick to an eating plan, so for me the camp was more about toning and getting back into a regular fitness routine.   I definitely feel more toned overall and can see more definition in my legs, stomach & upper arms.  So for me that was a big win.   If you’re more serious about the weight loss side of things, the ABC team will be more than happy to help you with nutritional and eating plan advice.  But again, don’t expect miracles in just 4 weeks.  You will see an improvement, but it may take 2 – 3 camps before you see some serious results.

So would I do it again?   Yes!  I really loved the social aspect of it.  It’s not just you going to gym, trying to motivate yourself.  You’re part of a team of awesome ladies with an instructor pushing you all the way which makes it less of a chore and more of a fun activity you end up looking forward too.

Other notable mentions:

• They cater for all fitness levels.  If you’re a total beginner – that’s OK.  If you’re a bit more advanced – they’ll give you harder exercise variations to try.
• There are no signing up costs and no contracts to tie you in.  You pay per camp with no obligation beyond that.
• If you’re on Discovery Vitality or Momentum Multiply you can also claim points for your boot camp sessions.
• You also get special discounts with Women’s Health magazine, Puma merchandise, UCook & Zando.

If like me, you’ve been looking for something to get you off the couch, or you’re just looking to change up your fitness routine, I’d say definitely give Adventure Boot Camp a try.   For more information, or if you have any questions at all, you can also contact them on:

• info@adventurebootcamp.co.za
• +27 21 447 2746 OR 082 567 2267

Booking a camp is super easy and can be done online through their website.  Simply sign up, select your camp, pay and you’re ready to roll.  I mean come on, what do you have to loose?

xxx