This article was taken from the February 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
How we tested
We sent three intrepid (and brave) Wired staff members on three different boot-camp fitness regimes. Two were all-inclusive, one-week live-in packages, whereas the other was a four-day "DIY" solution using personal training and a controlled diet to ensure a matched calorie-controlled intake. The regimes were assessed on diversity of fitness sciences employed, quality of training and exercise, nutrition, facilities and results achieved.
No1 Boot Camp, Norfolk (Jeremy White)
No1 Boot Camp's main claim to fame is that it trains cast members of Made in Chelsea, but there's nothing luxurious here. The rooms are shabby and there is no Wi-Fi (pain!). But the superior quality of the fitness instruction is clear: Stuart Saxby, formerly an RAF physical instructor, is our leader. Our target is 300 to 600 calories burned each torturous session. This and a reduced-calorie intake diet should give us a deficit of 1,500 a day.
The five sessions each day concentrate on interval training and high-intensity interval training (HIT). "If you do it right, no one can do this for longer than 20 minutes," says Saxby. "Warm down"
11-kilometre walks become a welcome break. Day four has us going to the beach (exercising on sand is 40 per cent harder). Day five and Wired is visibly thinner. This restricted -- but tasty -- diet is working. On the final day Wired collapses doing rapid press-ups. "In between the comfort zone and the absolute limit is where you get the results," Saxby says. As far as he's concerned, it's job done. And so is Wired -- who's lost more than six kilograms.
Wired: Amazing instructors; stunning weight loss; increased fitness
Tired: Shabby facilities; limited hot water for showers; no Wi-Fi
Cost: From £995
Specifications Weight loss
6.8kg
Other loss
7.5cm off waist
Training
Fartlek; resistance; Tabata; circuits; interval; HIT
Type
Live-in
Calorie intake
1,250 (f), 1,500 (m)
Calorie burn
3,000 (300-600 kcal a session -- five a day)
No1 Studio Training, London (Olivia Solon) Two London locations (Tower Bridge and the City) run half-hour "fitness slots" for up to four people at a time. Wired's fitness objectives are assessed by studio cofounder Harry Thomas.
In order to get similar results to a week-long boot camp, Wired is advised to attend five fitness slots a week, and to eat "clean" foods every 3-4 hours: fish and meat with herbs, green vegetables, nuts, olive oil and animal fat (like a Palaeo diet), without calorie counting (but Wired aims for 1,250).
The slots are every half hour from 6.30am to 8.00pm and no two are the same. Most incorporate dynamic stretches, Power Plate, free weights, TRX, kettlebells and a wobble board. The instructors, who are encouraging but not pushy, observe and tweak my posture, identifying imbalances. Within two weeks Wired can do press-ups for the first time and is tighter and lighter, without any loss of flexibility.
Wired: Fits well around work; lovely instructors; extremely varied training sessions; sustainable
Tired: Requires self-control and meal planning
Cost: £360 (for three months' unlimited slots)
Specifications
Weight loss
2kg
Measurements
2.2cm off waist
Training
Tabata; TRX; Power Plate; free weights; kettlebells
Type
Drop-in
Team Bootcamp, Lincolnshire (Katie Collins) Wired's room is a haven of cushions, blankets and soft lighting, and has stunning views of the countryside. But after a 6am weigh-in the hammering begins. The daily routine involves three intensive sessions in the morning and a longer challenge in the afternoon. Burpees, press-ups and walkouts are all standard forms of torture, and are interspersed with HIT such as Tabata and Metafit -- a hardcore 30-minute workout. Active recovery days, which break up the intensive days, help too. A 19-kilometre walk is followed by low-impact circuits or Pilates in the afternoon.
It may not sound much, but the Fitbit Wired has been issued says Wired has burned the same number of calories as on intensive days -- around 3,000. Although food is rationed and starch forbidden, hunger remains at arm's length and energy levels remain high.
Weight loss over five days isn't huge, but Wired has shed centimetres all over. Where there was fat there is now muscle. The evening talks on exercise and healthy eating, plus the recipes given away, leave Wired feeling as if this is much more than a quick-fix solution.
Wired: Stunning facilities; attentive staff; good food; emphasis on education; post-
boot-camp support
Tired: Patchy Wi-Fi
Cost: From £99 (one day)
Specifications
Weight loss
1kg
Other loss
23cm in total off thighs, hips, waist and chest
Training
Resistance; Tabata; circuits; Metafit; interval; HIT; running; hiking
Type
Live-in
Calorie intake
Counting discouraged
Calorie burn
Approximately 3,000
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
