7 things i learned from original bootcamp malaysia

So this is my 4th month into Original BootCamp Malaysia. Needless to say but I still need to say it, I learned quite a bit about OBC culture — immersed myself in it even. Since I get tonnes of e-mails asking me about Bootcamp, what it’s like etc, I’d like to share some of the things I learned along the way.

Bear in mind that these are my personal observations as a Bootcamp recruit, not endorsed by the instructors yadda yadda yadda, maybe some recruits don’t share the same sentiments. Whatever lah, what’s the use of a personal blog if you can’t use and abuse it, right? So here goes, in no particular order…

1. If you are late, make a run for it.

If you don’t already know by now, the entire platoon gets punished for absentees/ AWOL (without informing the instructors earlier) and late-comers. Usually the punishment consist of burpees, an exercise that I cannot show you in real life outside of Bootcamp because I absolutely and thoroughly hate it. You’ll have to take my word for it that burpees suck the living breath out of you, insert Harry Potter reference here.

In the beginning, I used to focus my anger at those who cause us burpees. Nowadays I just get down and get on with it because I’m a forgiving person by nature there are some things in life that you just cannot predict. I know, I’ve been there myself. So suck it up and finish off those burpees lah. In a way, it builds team rapport which is essential because that is what OBC is about — teamwork, team mates, team building.

However late-comers have to seng mok a bit lah. If you are late by a few minutes and you see the rest of your platoon already doing their warm-ups, make a run for the training ground. Doing a slow catwalk when you’re already late doesn’t endear you to the rest of the platoon. It’s confirmed that the platoon would be punished, so run your heart out and look damn apologetic. In short, look like you’d give your whole fortune to them. Do unto others, right?

2. Cheating is bad. Being stupid at cheating is worse.

Often the intensity of Bootcamp sessions is overwhelming. The recruits understand that, everyone have been and will go through it. Everyone’s fitness level is different, so it doesn’t mean that older recruits will breeze through the sessions just because they’ve been doing it for a couple of months. Come on, 10 minutes of warm ups and warm downs and 50 minutes of hardcore workout with less than 5 minutes breaks in between — it’s tough.

But that’s Bootcamp for you. It’s not easy but it works. The instructors often say that it’s okay to do the exercises slowly as long as you do them correctly. Even that can be hard, so sometimes you sneak in a couple seconds of self-recovery, which means taking long deep breaths during that couple seconds. Then you get back to whatever you are doing and try to complete it.

This one also have to be smart about it lah. Of course I do not endorse cheating lah (ahem), but if you have to take those couple of seconds, please try not to do it when the instructors are all around you. In short, it’s faster for them to add on time to the workout than you trying to breathlessly explain that you need those seconds. You know, to live.

Unless you’re already seeing stars and having images of black sheep charging at you or something, then it’s a different story. But I doubt that lah. The sheep, that is.

3. Do not take things personally.

I don’t know about you but for me, everyone is a monster during the entire hour of a Bootcamp session. That includes instructors, fellow recruits and myself. People will yell, scream and shout but not in a negative way because that is how recruits motivate each other. If you slow down, we will shout at you to keep up. If you fall behind, some of us may run back to where you are and run with you, shouting words of encouragement so you may feel motivated to go on. If the instructors add on time to the workouts because you paused for 10 seconds too long, that one no need to say lah, fellow recruits WILL shout.

Because we are in the same platoon mah. We do things together-gether one. There’s no self in a team. Everyone wants to get better and fitter. You sign up for Bootcamp, well you just signed up to do it the harder way. This is not a fancy gym. This is a outdoor, MILITARY-INSPIRED workout group where you get grass, mud, puddles of dirty water, frogs, earthworms, sand flies everywhere. Everyone gets dirty, sweaty and irritated. Everyone is the same.

Personally I’ve been yelled at many times by fellow recruits. I’ve learned not to take it personally because it is not personal. Lest I frighten you with visions of training ala Full Metal Jacket, I can assure you that it’s not humiliating and derogatory at all. Shouting and yelling is not necessarily negative and you learn to take it in stride. Over time you improve and you make new, good friends. That is how it works. I can’t tell you how appreciative and grateful I am to have fellow recruits encouraging me from across the field. How very wonderful it is when someone fitter bounces back and runs along with you, whether or not he or she has to do it.

And that is how we work out.

4. Maybe you don’t really need that water break after all.

We get 30 secs, 45 secs or 1 min 30 secs of water breaks in between our session. 2 mins if Sergeant’s in a good mood 😉 After the 1st week into the new month, the breaks become shorter. Over time you learn that some water breaks are not really water breaks; they are just very short breaks. As per awesome illustration above, you get 30 secs of water break. If you are very near to where the water bottles are, you can just run down and have a gulp of water then run back. If you are in the middle of the training ground, please feel free to have your water if you are a sprinter. If you are at the furthest end of the training ground, you don’t have time to run down, drink your water and run back. Just make use of that 30 secs to take deep breaths, calm yourself down. The water’s not worth it, the burpees for punishment when recruits don’t make it back to their stations on time are lagi not worth it.

You may think that it’s not fair that some recruits get their water and you don’t. Well life is not fair. Sorry to say but suck it up. From experience, there may be longer water breaks after a short one so you will eventually get to drink some. I’ve seen a few recruits who complete Bootcamp sessions without a single drop of water during the fasting month. They are still alive and well 🙂

5. Do. Not. Drop. Anything.

I know you hate the equipment used during sessions. I hate them too. But I hate burpees as punishment more so I take extra care not to drop anything that I’m carrying. It’s okay if you don’t get it the first couple of sessions. After so many additional burpees as punishment, I’m sure you will get it as well.

6. Do not talk when the instructors are talking.

Actually this is the first thing they tell you when you go for your first session. Then you’ll receive an e-mail from Selva reminding you of the same. Paiseh to say but I learned this the hard way. Kena from Corporal Dharmen kau kau 😛 So if you do not understand the instructions, try asking the instructors instead of fellow recruits. Most likely they will repeat the instructions another time. Or you look at what people in front of you are doing, and learn along the way lor. Not that hard what.

7. We are a team.

Kim says that it’s as if I belong to a cult. No lah. It’s just that it may be difficult for people who have not gone through a Bootcamp session to understand it. Then she doesn’t want to wake up early in the morning and/or sacrifice her Saturdays during Bring-A-Friend sessions, what to do lah 😛 HINT HINT!

As I may have mentioned before, only a fellow recruit knows what you are going through and what you have gone through during Bootcamp sessions. Sure, it is physically-challenging, but it’s more in the mind than anything else. I used to say that it’s difficult lah I’m not fit lah I no stamina lah this lah that lah… then over time I come to realise that it’s more mentally than physically taxing.

The instructors understand this all too well, that’s why they push us as hard as they do. Motivation and encouragement from fellow recruits also help a lot because they too go through everything that you are going through. Hence I believe it’s important to have an open mind and heart when you are at Bootcamp. Might just help to push yourself to try harder.

You also make lovely new friends such as myself, bwahahahahaha!

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I’m sure I’ve learned more than 7 things from Original BootCamp, but this is already a damn ass long blog post. Besides my limited artistic ability somehow translates to being arsed to draw out only 7 of the illustrations. So there.