SAN DIEGO, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ — The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s leading authority on fitness and one of the largest fitness certification, education and training organizations in the world, today announced key findings from an exclusive study conducted at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse through its exercise and health program on the benefits of boot camp workouts. Results concluded that a typical boot camp-style workout will enhance aerobic capacity and promote significant calorie burning while also improving muscle fitness.
“From a cardiovascular and calorie-burning standpoint, the boot camp-style workout evaluated in this study compared favorably to traditional aerobic activities like group cycling, aerobic dancing, and cardio-kickboxing,” says ACE’s Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D. “During a boot camp workout, you can burn up to 600 calories per hour, which is obviously going to help with weight loss. But in addition to a great cardiovascular workout, you are also getting the muscular fitness benefit from exercises such as pushups, squats and lunges that you wouldn’t get from a typical aerobic exercise.”
The study tested men and women between the ages of 19-29 years old and was led by John Porcari, Ph.D.; Karel Schmidt, B.S.; and Kirsten Hendrickson, a graduate student in exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Researchers used a 40-minute video to measure the effects of boot camp-style workouts called The Method: Cardio Boot Camp with Tracy Mallett, which incorporated a balance of aerobic exercise and strength training.
The study concluded the average exerciser burns approximately 9.8 calories per minute during a typical boot camp-style work out. This equates to about 400 calories during a 40-minute video or 600 calories per hour. While boot camp classes offer a more total-body workout than running on a treadmill, ACE recommends a well-balanced fitness program for best results. Look for classes or videos that incorporate both aerobic movements and calisthenics.
Based upon the data collected in this study, subjects were exercising well within industry-accepted guidelines for exercise intensity. Study participants were observed to achieve an exercise heart rate that ranged from approximately 70 to 90% of maximum heart rate and 60 to 80% of maximum oxygen uptake which corresponds to a moderate- to high-intensity level of exercise.
“Overall, boot camp is a great total-body workout because it provides interval training that incorporates both high-intensity and low-intensity moves,” Bryant continues. “It is a great option for anyone looking for a fun, motivating workout that offers variety, provides some strength training and, effectively burns calories.”
A complete study summary appears in the July/August 2008 edition of ACE Fitness Matters magazine or on the ACE Web site at http://www.acefitness.org/cp/pdfs/FitnessMatters/Sept08.pdf
About ACE
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s premier certification, education and training organization, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. ACE sponsors university-based exercise science research and is the world’s largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. For more information on ACE and its programs, call (800) 825-3636 or log onto the ACE Web site at http://www.acefitness.org/.
The American Council on Exercise
CONTACT: Tara Shaffer of Formula, +1-619-234-0345,[email protected], for The American Council on Exercise
Web site: http://www.acefitness.org/
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