Exercise
Benefits of Outdoor Workouts
By
May 3, 2008 - 12:08:25 PM

Stacy’s Boot Camp Helps Participants Shape Up without Shipping Out


(HealthNewsDigest.com) - New York, NY – For most Americans, working out is a chore; it’s a means to stay fit and ward off illnesses like diabetes and heart disease or simply to avoid unattractive extra pounds of fat. There’s little to get excited about when returning day after day to the same gym and going through the same routine. Stacy Berman,founder of Stacy’s Boot Camp noticed her clients’ growing discontent and decided to take workouts to the great outdoors in order to get New Yorkers pumped up about working out once and for all.

Stacy’s Boot Camp meets in various parks throughout Manhattan, rain or shine, where Stacy leads each group in a challenging and regimented workout plan that combines strength, cardiovascular, flexibility and experience training designed to help each participant push their limits. Stacy maintains the essence of a boot camp, which is to present a demanding physical challenge, but has created a program that can easily fit into any hectic schedule.

"Moderate amounts of high intensity exercise yields greater benefits than the traditional endurance training when done correctly and decreases risk of injury due to overuse,” Stacy says. “I’ve created a program where people sweat and feel the burn of a good workout, but can see results in nine one hour blocks spread out over three weeks. The added energy of the park and camaraderie the group provides keeps everyone upbeat and motivated.”

Boot Camp Workouts Help Beat Workout Boredom

For every excuse in the book ever used to avoid working out, Stacy’s Boot Camp has an answer. Similar to how popular diet plans provide specific guidelines paired with reachable goals, those who sign up for Stacy’s Boot Camp know what they are getting themselves into. In each three-week long program there are nine, one hour-long sessions during which Stacy leads the group in challenging workouts and carefully monitors each person’s progress. The group setting serves to encourage mutual motivation – old friends often join together and new friendships blossom easily – and working out in the outdoors is invigorating, and according to the American Council of Exercise (ACE) through which Stacy is certified, “Outdoor exercise is more engaging and mentally stimulating due to the changing scenery and terrain.”

People who rely solely on a gym membership to meet their fitness goals often fail because as amateurs they are incapable of creating a workout plan that addresses their specific issues. Under Stacy’s watchful eye, participants of Stacy’s Boot Camp are treated to individual attention while paying prices much lower than individual training sessions. Taking advantage of personal trainers at the local gym can cost hundreds of dollars an hour – a financial commitment many people simply aren’t willing to make. At about $27 dollars a session, Stacy’s Boot Camp is an affordable option for people who want to take advantage of a professional workout but are intimidated by the cost often associated with a trainer.

How Stacy’s Boot Camp Works You Out

Stacy’s Boot Camp workouts engage the entire body by jumping from one exercise to the next without breaks in between. It is a strenuous workout, but unlike fitness experts who tout a “no pain, no gain” philosophy, Stacy’s philosophy challenges each member to push their own personal limits. With each session Stacy picks up the pace, forcing the class to go beyond what they previously believed themselves capable of to accomplish new and unexpected goals.

During each session Stacy emphasizes calisthenics, a series of exercises to develop strength, power and balance, by not only work the targeted muscle groups but require the whole body to work as a unit to perform the motion. Push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, sit ups, and other body weight exercises are interspersed with cardiovascular activities like running and jumping jacks.

Push ups – For beginners pushups are sometimes the hardest exercises because of how many muscles are involved: during the motion of a push up, the chest, triceps and anterior deltoids are worked, while the back and biceps are stretched. Just holding the proper form is a great workout for the abdominal muscles.

Pull ups – Even for those in great shape, pull ups pose a serious challenge. They primarily target the back muscles extending from shoulders to the lower back as well as the biceps.
Squats – Squats are a lower body exercise with the main emphasis on the quadriceps and the glutes, but it also involves the hamstrings, the calves, and the lower back. The squat is often called "the king of exercises" because of the belief that it’s capable of inducing more and faster muscle growth than any other exercise.

Lunges - The lunge strengthens the quadriceps muscles, gluteal muscles and the muscles comprising the hamstrings. A long lunge emphasizes the glutes whereas a short lunge emphasizes the quadriceps.

Sit ups – Sit ups are one of the most common exercises for the abdominal muscles. People attain washboard abs and get rid of pesky love handles through dedication to crunches.

Participation in Stacy’s Boot Camp forces preconceived notions about fitness into the ground – participants from all walks of life find Stacy’s Boot Camp engaging and exciting. “Whatever your goals are, I can help you step outside of the box and experience a challenge that will makeover your mind as much as your body,” says Stacy.

About Stacy’s Boot Camp
Stacy’s Boot Camp takes an unconventional approach to working out: taking the workout out of the gym. Stacy decided to make use of untapped resources all around her: New York City’s local parks! Using only the natural park surroundings (and a few park benches), Stacy’s Boot Camp was born. Class participants are asked to meet at a central location (i.e., cross streets in Manhattan) and then run to their class locations. Once each class participant arrives at the park, Stacy then launches them into an hour of rigorous training incorporating jogging, cardio interval training and body weight exercises. Through her extensive experience as a personal fitness trainer, Stacy has amassed an extensive catalogue of different circuit training options, making each boot camp sessions different and exciting for participants.

About Stacy Berman
Stacy Berman is a certified fitness trainer and founder of Stacy’s Boot Camp. Berman initially began her career as a lifeguard, and then moved on to one-on-one fitness training.

Berman graduated from Hunter College (NYC) with a degree in health education and psychology and her personal training certifications through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE). She is also a certified nutritional specialist through Dr. Jane Pentz, of Lifestyle Management Associates and is a NASM certified sports fitness specialist.

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