Sometimes the training you NEED to do is NOT always going to be your favorite. I had a client ask me the other day, "when are we done?" We were doing a tougher than normal, five exercise, full body, all dumbbell set as a 30 sec on/30 sec off protocol. It was a 25-min workout and was meant to get your lift AND your cardio done all at once. I always believe, time is of essence! In a one-hour workout, for most people it is difficult to achieve a proper warm up, an adequate cardio workout, a challenging strength training segment, some postural exercises and an appropriate cool-down and stretch. How do we fit it all in? Most people want results in the shortest period of time. Who wants to spend 2+ hours in the gym?
Boot Camp & Small Group Combination Training is the answer
Combination Training is an integrated form of training that combines lower body, upper body, trunk musculature and balance training all into one exercise, accomplishing three times as much training in the same amount of time. Yep, the stuff we do at camp everyday!
Combination Training is also a more natural and functional way of training. Can you imagine any daily task that you complete regularly that involves only one joint or muscle group. Our bodies just don’t function in an isolation fashion. When you get out of a chair, bend down to pick something up or lift something to put it on a shelf; your entire body functions as a team. And all sports require your muscles to work together. And yet when we train in the gym, most people generally train their muscles separately focusing on only one body part at a time. It would be like a football coach taking each of his starting line players and training them individually before their first game. Even though each player may be in optimal physical conditioning, if the coach hasn’t pulled them together and scrimmage in order to learn to work together, their first game is going to be a disaster. For example, a leg extension exercise works the quads independently but it doesn’t mean the quads will be able to work together well with the hamstrings or the trunk muscles. Combination training teaches your muscles to work together as a team as they do in real life situations. During sports or recreational activities, your muscles have to learn to react, support and oppose each other effectively.
Combination training is an effective form of training both from a time efficiency and a functional perspective. Keep in mind, however, that it may take you a while before you can work up to combination training exercises; and at boot camp everything can be modified for your current fitness level. First you have to learn how to execute each individual movement correctly and then you can start combining.
Some examples of combination training exercises would be to combine lunges with an overhead press or squats with rows. What about performing bench step-ups with bicep curls, or squat to high pull? Try balancing on one leg when performing any upper body movement or lying over a stability ball when performing chest presses. When designing a program, personal trainers should analyze how you can take any exercise skill to the next level by combining two or three movements into one complex, compound movement. Not only will you be more efficient with your time but also you will be training your body in a way that mimics real-life movements. I love boot camp training because it allows me to be super creative, because let's be honest, most personal trainers are lazy and want to get away with doing the least amount of work necessary. Want more ideas, come to boot camp and see how it is done! Oh, and to answer her question, "We are done when you are sweaty, tired and have kicked butt." You're welcome!
Coach C