Boot camp

Boot camp. I let my mind toss the term around for a bit before I let it decide if it wanted to subject my body to the (simply put) pain that would be the session.

Booooot caaaammp, I almost heard my brain repeat the words in slow motion, as I stood at the door of the yoga studio after my class, reading the timetable of the sessions for the following week.

And then, just like that, I felt a little shrug in my skull, followed by a tiny wave of hand, and something that sounded like easy peasy—I might have caught a little sneer too—I was going to the boot camp on Wednesday evening.

As usual, I was geared up and ready for a slow death at the studio’s door a little before time. Another session was in process so the group began to warm up outside. A lot of spot jogging ensued, and we hopped our way into the studio in a bit.

Sangeeta fixed the stereo with the most recent fast-paced Bollywood tracks, and the spot jogging continued in full vigour. We then duly stretched while bouncing up and down the room. Then came the kicks and punches, and alternating the two.

Boot camps are generally rigorous circuit training workouts. These comprise numerous upper and lower body exercises that are done in rapid succession. These are freehand or done with the help of dumbbells, ropes, steps, etc. So, for example, the camp I attended included stuff like kick boxing, punching, alternating them while practicing with a partner, jumping jacks…

It also included burpees. Have you tried a burpee? It’ll make you sweat like you’d on an April afternoon in Iraq. You jump to the sky, dive palms-first onto the floor, stretch out in one swift move, maybe do a push-up if you can, jump back like a frog, and stand up. That, into 45. Recounting it tires me.

We then worked out our upper body, mostly arms, with the help of a few jiggles with an aerobic step. Burpees continued to interject here. I might have cheated a little or a lot towards the end because push-ups are just not my thing! At the end of the class, I was soaked to the bone as I crawled onto a mat while trying to remember how to breathe.    

Recommendation level: You tell me.

Good for: You have to be a beast at the gym for this one!

Pain points the next day: Surprisingly, no one body ache really stands out. Either everything hurts and you learn to ignore it, or you’ve worked out so much that nothing hurts at all. 

Aerobics

My mom did step aerobics with the legendary Rekha in the ‘70s. She introduced me to concept of mostly freehand and always high-energy exercises conceptualised around a low plastic step—my mom, not Rekha. But the aerobics class at my gym is a variation called high/low (hi-lo) impact, minus a step. This sounded interesting to me, and my friend had attended a session and legitimised it, so I decided to give it a shot. 

Women were chatting all over the studio, and laughing out loudly while knotting their hair or shoelaces. It was a small group of about twelve, a few of whom I recognised from the Zumba class. Jehan, the instructor’s son, was generally making a mess of the colourful fitness balls and squealing with joy in the background. Soon enough, the instructor dragged her boy out of the studio, handed him a phone for company, and asked us to start stretching.

What I didn’t realise before I signed up was that my friend is a trained dancer. Not the Zumba practicing kind, who can shimmy to substitute any dance move, but the one who knows the difference between a Waltz, Cha Cha (Cha?), Tango, and can look graceful, and not generally lost à la Bollywood, while pivoting. No body told me this kind of aerobics involves dance steps, to say the least.

I struggled to ape the instructor while she slowed down to help me keep up. But soon enough, the regulars complained of the boring tempo as they continued to smoothly glide across the floor on the beats of the music. I watched a set of twins fly around in absolute synchronisation and might have stopped and stared. 

About 20 minutes into the class, I finally let my guard down, stopped concentrating and trying so hard, and just danced. I was alone in the back row, so I happily dragged my feet from one side of the room to the other, pivoted a little too late, and swayed my arms in no particular direction.  

It's quite a liberating feeling, dancing. 

Recommendation level: if you're good at following dance moves, have a left and right foot and not two left feet, and generally like dancing in an orderly fashion, this is for you.

Good for: anyone who likes to dance the proper way.

Pain points thus far: My hips were in pain and they didn't lie.