Our relationship with fitness is changing and nowhere is that more obvious than in the field of personal training and body boot fitness camps. This January a whole, new group of fitness enthusiasts, not to mention those who’ve indulged just a little too much over the holidays will sign up to punishing programs at centres, fields and even retreats that’ll stretch their mental, physical and emotional levels to the limit. These tough boot camps are designed so that participants lose the maximum amount of weight possible in the short time they’re out there.
However, a new, rather strange form of workout program is coming to the fore where the focus is much more on the individual, their goals and personal reasons for wanting to get in shape. The sessions are created on an individual basis, specifically tailored to work with someone’s strengths and weaknesses having previously analysed the best way to improve problem areas. Forget slugging it out with your comrades in arms, being yelled out by a drill sergeant like figure and crawling through the mud at six am as this is far more civilised. Not only could you benefit from one on one sessions over a space of three weeks with a strict but understanding training coach. You’ll also aim to improve your overall fitness yet take away with you a better understanding of who you are as a human being.
What Is It?
Personal DNA Fitness Camps are relatively new however they are starting to make waves in the fitness world thanks to their innovative and out of the box approach. Your program actually begins when you send off a DNA sample to the company, they’ll then analyse the sample you’ve provided and create a specialist program. Here, they’ll also identify certain ‘keys’ or markers that give an insight into what forms of exercise would benefit you the most, as well as identify what you should be eating for an optimal diet. If it all sounds a bit high-tech that’s because it is, technology has given us the ability to understand our body’s needs like never before and now researchers can map out your ultimate workout.
Before you even enter a gym you’ll receive a comprehensive report on your diet, exercise habits and the complete, if scary, picture of your total physical health. Depending on your individual needs the report may suggest a lowering of sugar, carbohydrates and starch and an increase in protein and fiber as well as highlighting anything your body is naturally sensitive to or any allergies the tests have revealed. You’ll also receive a similar report on your workout pattern where you need to improve, what you should focus on and any exercise that may be doing you more harm than good. Once all your results have been tabulated the instructors will get to work designing a bespoke workout that utilises everything the DNA report has given them. The eventual goal is, of course, that you lose fat while maintaining muscle mass, becoming healthier, more toned and able to exercise faster, stronger and longer.
Should I Sign Up?
DNA analysis can be highly useful when it comes to identifying any future health problems, highlighting certain conditions we need to be aware of, and it can also reveal to you activities you should be doing and those that you should cut down on. However, no boot camp is cheap and that certainly goes for a program that requires you to send off a DNA sample to a professional scientific lab, wait a few weeks for detailed reports on your physical fitness and then get started with a personal trainer. Still those looking to push themselves to the next level, gain a better understanding of their own body or aspiring athletes would find this approach more exclusive than a standard class aimed at varying ability levels. Fans of the DNA approved method believe that this is the best way to boost your workout however with a hefty price tag of at least $2,000 dollars attached to the residential camp it isn’t a decision you should make lightly.
Another thing to think about before you pop that little swab into your mouth is just how fit are you? For beginners with low fitness levels the punishing workout sessions will easily, and quickly, overwhelm you to the point that you may in fact leave in a worse state than when you arrived. Keen gym enthusiasts should be able to keep up but bear in mind that you won’t know what your workout program entails until you arrive and get started. Lastly, three weeks isn’t a long time to make much of a difference and you may be disappointed by the seemingly slow results. This program much like the Bikini Body Guide is also designed to be continued at home, you’ve been given the basic tools on how to take control of your own diet and fitness regime and now you have to learn to do it by yourself which isn’t easy for anyone.
Worth The Hype?
It’s hard to tell if DNA boot camps will end up being the go-to training ground for fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders, aesthetic followers and Olympic athletes. Or if they, like many people, would be immediately put off by the rather large price tag. After, all you could just pay for three years of gym sessions that are guaranteed to give you good results instead of putting all your eggs in one basket following a program that is still fairly untested.
However, the computer data presented doesn’t lie and after a mere five days of balanced, individual exercise, sticking to a personal diet plan and getting plenty of rest participants reported losing around 4% body fat so there may be something to this scientific, Star Wars like approach to health and fitness. We won’t really know how good it is until more people sign up, although you can now purchase the DNA results and diet information separately without attending the camp which is much cheaper. Unfortunately, at the moment it’s difficult to tell if the DNA fitness program really works or if it’s another flashy fitness fad.
Image credits:
Image 1 – Port of San Diego – https://flic.kr/p/c3bo7o
Image 2 – https://flic.kr/p/a5aV3S