Fit Tower: Boot Camp

Boot Camp is another one of Cathe‘s Advanced Fit Tower workouts. This workout uses the Fit Tower, the equipment that came with it and nothing else. Also included on this DVD is a Bonus Abs that is also included on the other two Advanced Fit Tower workouts: Legs, Glutes & Core and Total Body. I only used the Ab Bonus in Total Body since both Legs, Glutes & Core and Boot Camp contain ab work in the actual workouts.

Boot Camp is made up of 6 rounds. Each round consists of cardio, lower body, upper body and core. The workout is also chaptered by rounds. Cathe does an excellent job working all of your muscle groups using the bands or bodyweight–and the Fit Tower of course. This is a sort of barre boot camp workout since the lower body exercises are barre exercises. She shows easier modifications for some exercises but not all. I do wonder what the point is of showing low impact versions of some of the high impact cardio moves but not all of them. If you need low impact modifications, then you need those modifications on all of the exercises, right? Not just half of them. Kind of weird but whatever. If you do need low impact modifications then you will have to figure some of them out on your own. However, if you do not need any modifications then this a great total body cardio + strength workout. I enjoyed it and it burned out many muscle groups. In fact, several hours later, I still feel a nice burn in my upper back. BTW–the upper back is worked entirely through pull up variations and man, do they work your back well!

In one of the comments on one of the other Fit Tower workouts I was asked if the workouts could be done if you don’t own a Fit Tower. For lower body exercises–yes. You can just use a chair, but for most of the others, you would have to get creative. For instance, her pull up variations. You would need a squat rack/bench press and you would not be able to do the quick level changes unless you pause the DVD. I have a squat rack/bench press and I can change the height at which I rack a barbell but it is definitely not a quick change. When I did P90X, I used bands instead of a pull up bar, but you need to be able to secure your band in a high doorway corner for that to be an effective substitute. Then there are the exercises where you loop a band up over the top of the tower–again, you either need a squat rack/bench press or you would need to find another way to modify (or something else to loop your band over). For elevated planks and push ups–either put your hands on a step or just do them on the floor. Other exercises it is obvious how to modify–for example, for tricep dips, use a chair or step. And finally, for the abdominal exercises that use the Fit Tower, I really have no clue how to modify those. Many of those exercises seem like they need the tower.

Just like in the other Fit Tower workouts, I found the loop did not give me enough resistance so when I do this workout again, I will use a stronger loop. But the 6 foot resistance band that came with the tower gave me plenty of resistance for the other exercises.

Boot Camp is 49:30 minutes long; 4 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. After the stretch the workout starts with the resistance loop already around crew’s ankles–so as soon as the warm up is over, slip the loop around your ankles. Also, you do not use the Fit Tower for the warm up, so you will want to have it already set at a level 8.

Round 1: (bar is at a level 8 and resistance loop is around your ankles)

1. Plie jacks w/ loop around ankles
2. High tight pulses w/ loop (loop is raised to just above knees, face tower w/ hands on bar, raise onto toes, lower into squat, open knees, close knees then straighten; changes to pulse squats, remaining on toes the entire time)
3. Side squats w/ posture pulls (lower loop to ankles and hold band with one end in each hand, step squat side to side while pulling band out to sides with each squat–arms open and close in chest fly move)
4. Step out planks with loop around ankles (lower bar to level 1, hold straight arm plank with hands gripping bar, step feet out then back in; changes to lifting one leg and pulse at top of lift; changes to marching feet)

Round 2: (raise bar to level 8)

1. Criss cross jumps (start w/ feet in ballet 3rd position and jump to switch foot position)
2. (lower bar to level 3 or 4) Air squats (face away from bar and do squats, lowering bottom toward bar but not touching it; changes to squat pulses)
3. (raise bar to level 4) Tricep dips with hands on bar; cross one ankle over opposite knee and continue dipping
4. Tricep pull downs with band (drape band over top of tower, face bar and hold one end of band in each hand up close to top of tower, pull both arms straight down, keeping elbows close to sides; changes to pulses)

Round 3: (raise bar to level 9)

1. Power scissors (alternating jump lunges)
2. High and tight cross back pulses (face tower, hands on bar and feet close together but one foot is in front of the other, bend knees, raise onto toes and pulse; changes to partials; changes to singles)
3. Bicep curls w/ band (stand beside tower and loop band under foot closest to tower, hold both ends of the band in opposite hand, do single arm bicep curls w/ side leg raises; hold leg up isometrically while pulsing at top of bicep curl)
4. (raise bar to level 9 or 10) Bicep pull ups (sit cross-leg under bar and hold bar in an underhand grip, do pull ups lifting bottom off ground; extend legs in front of you w/ heels on floor and pull up quickly but lower slowly to count of 3)

Round 4: (lower bar to level 8)

1. Plie squat jumps w/ arm pull downs
2. Straight leg pulses (stand beside the bar, pulse straight leg in front of w/ toe turned out)
3. (lower bar to level 7) Back pull ups (sit under bar and hold bar in an overhead grip, feet are on floor and knees bent, do pull ups in this position)
4. (raise bar to a level 10) Slow vertical pull ups (sit under bar with legs crossed, still holding bar with overhead grip and do slow pull ups raising bottom off floor)
5. T band pulls (sit with legs straight in front of you, band wrapped around feet and hold one end of the band in each hand w/ palms facing the ceiling, pulse band out to sides of body with arms straight)

Round 5: (lower bar to level 8)

1. Squat lunge jumps (stand beside tower with one hand on bar, do a wide plie squat then hop to turn towards the bar into a lunge)
2. High tight pulses (face tower and place both hands on bar, stand with heels together and toes turned outward, raise onto toes, lower into plie squats and pulse; changes to partial reps; changes to singles)
3. (lower bar to level 3) Push ups w/ hands on bar
4. Mountain climbers w/ hands on bar (bring toes across under body to other side of body)

Round 6:

1. Front back attack (place loop around ankles, with hands clasped in front you, jump forward, jump back then jump in place 2x while bringing clasped hands from overhead to down between legs)
2. (raise bar to level 8 and place loop around ankles) Hamstring presses with band (band is around one ankle and the sole of other foot, push foot w/ band around sole behind you; changes to pulse/lifting band foot)
3. Standing front raise w/ band (loop band under one foot and hold one end of band in each hand, pulse straight arms up; add raising one foot off floor)
4. (lower bar to level 3) Boot Camp push ups (do push ups with hands on bar, as you lower torso you are also bringing knee to elbow on outside of same side of body, alternate sides)

Bonus Abs is 11:30 minutes: I really enjoyed this ab add on. It was not advanced–more intermediate level.

1. Bar is at a level 3 and resistance band is draped over the top of the tower, sit under tower so knees are under bar, hold one end of band in each hand, lean back and when you sit back up, bring one knee into chest, alternate knees (you are lowering as if in full sit ups, arms extending straight at bottom of sit up then as you raise, bend elbows, pulling band back toward shoulders)
2. In same position (sitting up) as #1, still holding one end of band in each hand, extend arms straight out to sides of body (in a letter T), alternate pulling band down to floor
3. Still sitting in same position as #1, band is still draped over top of tower, but now you are holding both ends of the band together in both hands, do full sit ups while “rope climbing” the band as you raise and lower torso
4. (set band aside) Heel tap crunches–lay on back with one heel resting on bar and other leg extended straight below the bar, hands behind head, crunch up and hold, raise bottom leg so shin taps bottom of bar, lower leg back to ground then lower head; changes to singles (raising and lowering leg and head at same time); changes to raising both head and leg and holding isometrically at top of move for 3 counts
5. Low reverse crunches–lay on back with arms/hands on floor beside hips, raise legs straight to ceiling and raise and lower hips
6. Elbow to knee crunches–lay on back, one foot resting on bar, the other leg extended straight w/ calf on bar, one arm behind head (same side as foot on bar) and other arm extended straight out to side (same side as straight leg), raise straight leg while crunching up, bringing opposite elbow to knee; changes to both feet on bar, both hands behind head, raise head/shoulders and twist elbow toward one side, alternate sides
7. Lower bar to level 1, get into straight arm plank with hands on bar, alternate tapping feet in under body; ends holding plank isometrically

Premixes:

Main Program + Bonus Abs 60:41 minutes

Timesaver #1 (Rounds 1-4) 34:38 minutes

Timesaver #2 (Rounds 1-4 + Bonus Abs) 46:03 minutes

Timesaver #3 (Rounds 3-6) 38:32 minutes

Timesaver #4 (Rounds 3-6 + Bonus Abs) 49:57 minutes

Cardio Leg Blast (Cardio + Lower Body Exercises) 29:37 minutes

Cardio Leg Blast + Bonus Abs 41:02 minutes

Cardio + Bonus Abs (all cardio exercises) 28:32 minutes

Scrambled (main routine but done in a different order) 49:16 minutes

Double it 90:23 minutes