A Little Bootcamp Competition

Tonight I headed off to bootcamp after work.  The bootcamp class is quite popular and usually reaches capacity so you have to go early to get in the line.  As we filed into class, I got to catch up with a friend and tell her about my almost catastrophic fall down the stairs at work today.  Luckily I was able to stay on my feet but it was slightly embarrassing since there were so many people around at the time. 

Back to bootcamp! Jason the trainer tells us what gear to get out in order to set up the circuit.  Today he requested that everything be set up in duplicate as a mirror image.  Apparently we were in for a competition.  Everyone would get a partner and then complete the circuit doing 20 reps of each exercise.  The room would be divided into two teams and the race was on to see which team could finish first. 

The circuits were:
1) Bosu ball crunch with a weight overhead
2) Straight leg dead lifts
3) Bicep curls
4) Squat with overhead press
5) Oblique crunch on stability ball holding a band taunt
6) Push up alternating hand on a step bench
7) TRX bicep curl
8) TRX squat
9) Plank with knee raise on the stability ball (kind of like a mountain climber)
10) Lateral side raise using a strength band
11) Bridge raises with feet on a step bench and weight added
12) Tricep dips off a step bench

So the fun came in if you found yourself waiting.  You couldn't start the next exercise until the group in front of you had finished and you couldn't start the next exercise until your partner was ready.  If you got backed up waiting then you had to do a waiting exercise.  These included straight arm planks, crunches, push ups, jumping jacks, and high knees.  Jason would alternate these and you never knew what was next. 

The first round was won by the front half of the room.  As the winners, we got a water break! The losing team had to do 40 leg lifts before they got a water break.  Round two was two trips around the circuit and sadly the front half lost.  Our punishment was 40 pushups and they were tough. 

The competition aspect really kept us moving quickly between stations.  I'm afraid I'm going to be sore tomorrow.  The pushups where we alternated one hand on a step and one hand on the floor were really tough.  My form was awful and I really felt weak doing them.  Below is a pic of a similar set up. 


This class has been a fun addition to my workout schedule.  It really has helped me see that I am a lot weaker than I knew:(  I like the variety of exercises that we do and like that you only have to do each exercise for 1 min at a time and usually just twice in a class.  You can do anything for a minute!

How about you...Do you go to any group classes?  Boot camp is the only one I go to.  I used to be a regular at spin classes but haven't gone in a few years.  I just use my bike trainer at home instead.  Have you tried TRX bands yet?  This has been my first introduction to them and there are some moves that are pretty tough like mountain climbers and squat jumps.