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Aquatic Boot Camp

Aquatic Boot Camp is like Crossfit but very wet. This is NOT water aerobics, and your only easy day was yesterday!

Do you want to take part in the new fitness trend that is sweeping the world? Have you ever wondered if you're pushing yourself hard enough? You're not!

Aquatic Boot Camp (ABC) is much different from other boot camps, because it consists of land and water exercises, hence it's called amphibious. It combines rigorous cross-training of swimming, water aerobics, and modified plyometrics with traditional strength and cardio-vascular training. Memorize these training elements well. There will be no time later.

This training does more than just get you in shape and consists of a variety of lifeguard type functional swimming exercises that combine endurance and resistance training for total body aqua toning. It helps develop your swimming ability, physical fitness, and confidence in yourself.

Who is Aqua Boot Camp for?

Aquatic Boot Camp is very suitable for the fit athlete, but also for those who want to build fitness and muscle strength. It has a much higher intensity than Aquajogging and Aquarobics and some fitness condition is therefore desirable. These challenging sessions are especially for all those go-getters who want to give that little bit extra and push their limits, like fitness enthusiasts, adventurers, lifeguards, tri-athletes, beach bums, surfers, and anyone who likes to be challenged.

Aquatic Boot Camp is Tough

You'll be fully clothed in the water throughout the entire course. Swimming trainers and lifeguards adapt this aquatic or amphibian training for their teams, whilst others have toned it down to the level of mere aquarobics with clothes on. If you come across classes that don't use clothing, you're looking at basic aquarobics of some kind, not an aquatic boot camp.

Are You Ready?

You should be confident in the water and able to swim fully clothed for 50 meters without stopping, dive down to a depth of 2 meters, and tread water for 3 minutes. If you're not yet this fit, go to a local swimming pool and swim in a jogging suit or tracksuit until you reach this level. It's good fun.

Train like the Marines

Aquatic Boot Camps are modeled after old-school military training, adapted from military ROTC drills. They provide a basis of excellent workouts for the entire body, involving full body movements that activate large portions of muscle mass.

You also get great aerobic (cardio), anaerobic, and strength training all at the same time. On average, 10 kilocalories are burned per minute with boot camp style workouts. The popular workout method HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) can also easily be incorporated into aquatic boot camp workouts.

These types of workouts can be done pretty much in any pool or on a suitable beach, and require very little (if any) equipment, just some clothing layers. No need for an expensive gym membership or fancy machines. Your own body weight is all you need.

Boot Camps can vary depending on the focus. They generally include a mix of aerobic, strength training and elements of speed in each session. One camp workout could focus on body weight exercises (calisthenics) while another stresses military-style drills and activities.

Anorak for swim training in pool
Front Crawl / Freestyle
Anorak for swim training in pool
Backstroke using legs only
Anorak for swim training in pool
Breaststroke

Focus On Your Goals

If you are sleeping late every morning, start getting up earlier and earlier. Get a post card, write your goals on it and tape it to your mirror. Seriously, go and do it now. Write on it things like "Do 5 push-ups every morning" or "Fast Walk for 30 minutes every night."

You need to look at your goal card every morning as a reminder of your commitment to yourself. If you can discipline yourself to do this, you can achieve anything you want. You may think this is a silly idea, that you don't need a goal-list staring you in the face every morning. Well then, don't say that you haven't been warned!

Our training will push you to achieve maximum results, because it gives you a high-intensity low-impact aquatic fitness work-out in the pool, as well as the benefits of weight and resistance training in a traditional gym. Not only will you be creating new muscles but you’ll also be expanding your lung capacity, improve your swimming ability and tone your entire body instead of a few areas.

Compete with Yourself

This is a competition with yourself and you are encouraged to achieve your personal best in each event. You should be in a progressive physical conditioning programme to best prepare yourself for the demands of this training. It is not too difficult or demanding for the well trained lifeguard.

If you're training in a team, measure the results and see how everybody improved. You don't win by being faster or better than someone else, but by beating your previous results. If you must have a winner, pick the one who made the most progress against themselves. Measure your weight, waistline, and muscle size. Get one of those scales that measure many of your vital signs and write them down as you progress through your training.

Swim with Friends

This is a fun and challenging group based training experience. Setting a schedule becomes much more effective when you have friends or workout partners to keep you company and help you stay motivated.

Not only will they help you stick to your routine, but they can also provide a friendly incentive to help improve your swim time and strokes. If they are swimming faster than you, it will encourage you to pick up your pace as they make you to work harder than you ever thought possible on your own.

Training Benefits

Enjoy a tough, fast paced sequence of strength and conditioning exercises with interval training. It doesn't get any more intense!

Our innovative training techniques increase your functional fitness level, build stamina, increase the rate at which you metabolize oxygen, improve swimming efficiency, and of course help you lose weight. You can expect to burn up to 1000 kcal depending upon how hard you push yourself and how much you weigh.

This training combines resistance swimming with endurance to build stamina and strong muscles if done regularly. It is a type of fitness training based upon sound physiological principles, to provide varied activity and continuous challenge for the participants.

Aquatic Bootcamp training formats are calorie-burning workouts of intense, interval-based exercises to create progressive overload and take participants to the aerobic threshold. All this makes for a powerful training sequence that challenges you to move harder and with more power.

Just 30 minutes of exercise per day can increase your brain power and up the ante on your IQ. You won't become an Einstein overnight, but it will increase your brain's ability to think and focus and solve problems.

Aquatic Bootcamp Clothes

For optimum effect Aquatic Boot Camp training involves swimming fully clothed from start to finish. Swim in your workout clothes before you go to any aquatic bootcamp to make sure they fit well and you enjoy confidently swimming in them. Nothing is more annoying than badly fitting swim clothes.

Clothing Layers

The more clothes you wear, the harder it gets. Think of weight lifting. As you get stronger add a sweatshirt or hoodie under the anorak, and replace shorts with long running tights or jogging pants. Those clothes will soak up more water, making this training much more demanding.

You can vary the training level by adding or removing clothing layers. Layers are like weight lifting on land. The more you wear, the harder your workout gets, but without increased risk of injury. Below are clothing ideas you may want to try on before you go to an aquatic bootcamp.

fitness bootcamp swimming in clothes
Start with a single clothing layer, like running tights and long shirt.
aqua jogging clothes
As bootcamp progresses you add more layers to make it harder.
fitness bootcamp swimming in clothes
Anoraks and rain pants are fast drying pool training clothes.
aqua jogging clothes
Overalls are used for tough lap swimming.
fitness bootcamp swimming in clothes
Jogging suits are the heaviest bootcamp training kit.
aqua jogging clothes
Use a poncho as warm-up and for adventure swimming.

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