This is one of the days when I have difficulty sitting up standing up straight, thanks to my Original BootCamp Malaysia session yesterday morning. Actually it was a good, intensive session that I was inspired to draw up some images based on what we did yesterday. I wouldn’t mind doing it again but since OBC does not do the same routine twice (exercises may be the same, i.e. push-ups, sit-ups etc but the course of how we do it is never repeated), I doubt they’d mind me sharing our Tuesday session.

This is also to sort of prove to my friends that I really do go to BootCamp, that it’s not just all in my head and it’s not an excuse for me to eat more. Just because I’ve never really put up photos of me doing those exercises, heh. Come on lah, I’m not that imaginative.

We had a bit of jogging but skipped our usual elaborated warm-up. Got 10 grunts for not jogging in a perfect file and 20 grunts for late-comers. Not going to go into that for now… We then ranked up according to the 3 fitness levels – Delta, Seal and Ranger, as per much awesome illustration below.

Actually it’s quite a feat for me to remember everything in sequence because I’m sometimes in a blank after the sessions. Then memories of what we did were blanked out. So if you’re anal with perfect details, sorry.

First set: 20 seconds each with 10 seconds break in between:
1) King Kong push-ups; 2) Squats; 3) Plank holds; 4) Military star jumps

Can’t remember how many reps we did with the first set. More than 4, less than 10. Not a lot of time added on as well, which I don’t actually mind. It’s just fun to yell out to the newer recruits to do their exercises properly so we do not get extra time. Sort of to set in the discipline, you know. This is the easy stuff — when it comes to the hard stuff in the 3rd and 4th week and we get a lot of time added on, then I’d be really moody 😛

After the 1st set, each rank has to go for a run. As per my second awesome illustration below, recruits have to:

1) Jog/ run in a line towards the goal post;
2) Go around the goal post;
3) Run around where Sgt. Sim was standing back to the goal post;
4) Run back to the starting line.

My illustration is most likely not drawn to scale but you get the idea. Rangers bounced back twice, Seals 5 times and Deltas 6 times. At the end of the session I was chatting with Hafiz and he was moaning about being in Delta this week and having to bounce back 6 times.

Hafiz: “WE HAD TO BOUNCE BACK 6 TIMES YOU KNOW….”
Me: “So? Seals did 5 ok! You did one more only what!”
Hafiz: “Err…. *shy*”

While waiting for each rank to return, the recruits at the original stations did military push-ups and lunges. I only remember that Seals did 8 of each, rinse and repeat.

Once all 3 ranks did ran and returned, Sgt. Sim gave us a 1 min 30 secs water break. SO GENEROUS! I’m not taking the piss okay; we usually get 30 or 45 secs and that would be too short a time for me to run to the nearby rugby goal post (where we put our water bottles), gulp down some H20 and run back. I don’t know why I’m always standing at the far end of the line. You’d think that I’d have learned by now, eh?

Second set: 20 seconds each with 10 seconds break in between:
1) Diamond push-ups; 2) Jump squats; 3) Jack knives; 4) Seal jumps

Another run towards the goal post, without having to bounce back this time. While waiting, the recruits did military push-ups and squats.

Then a short water break and warm-down/ stretching. So that’s what we do lah. Fun or not? 😉

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!

— — —

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.

Assessment days never get easier. This is my 3rd month of Original BootCamp Malaysia which means my 3rd assessment. Still feels like shit, especially the 1-mile run after everything we had to do.

First month I clocked in at 26 minutes. I suspect that it’s a combination of 27+ years of non-exercise plus the previous weekend’s hike to Kemensah Falls. Second month I clocked in at 14m 35s. I like to tell this to the newbies because it gives them some sort of hope, heh 😉 This morning, my time for the 1.2km run + 45 push ups on knees + 30 grunts + 45 sit ups was … jeng jeng jeng… 13m 44s! Mai hiam si beh pai lah. For the 1-mile (1.6km) run after that, I clocked in at 14m 58s, two seconds before the cut off time. Don’t really care about this one because it’s a miracle I’m still alive.

Lots of newcomers this morning. You can always tell the newbies from the oldies, because the oldies never sprint during the 1st round, heh. So it is true that wisdom comes with experience! But apparently there are a few marathon runners new to BootCamp, and I’m sure they will kick my arse the next session.

It’s okay. This is not a competition with anyone but yourself. When I keep telling people that I’m doing it at my own pace, it’s not just the laziness talking. Well, a bit lah but for the most part it’s important to just do what you can. I am doubtful that my jogging/ running will get any better, so I don’t expect a better time for next month’s assessment.

That said, much thanks to Kevin for running the final 200m with me even though he’d completed his run. It did help me to go on, so much appreciated! 😀

Last Saturday evening, we had our graduation dinner and drinks at the Borneo Rainforest Cafe. Horng asked me why I am graduating again. I just told him I like lah, I can graduate every month because it’s a monthly programme 😛 Also my fellow BootCampers are cool people and it’s nice to hang out with them.

Back row L-R: EanMei, Vanessa, Derek, Kevin, Ruk, Su-Ann, Sharon, Mi Lin.
Front row L-R: Melanie, me, Sean, Pamela. Photo by EanMei

After dinner and chilling out for a while, some of us went to the Borneo Rainforest pub/bar where we had a jolly good time dancing et al. Photos are on my Facebook so if you are not a friend, too bad 😛 Here’s another group photo with some of our instructors. Which ones are the instructors? If you see anyone with hints of a 6-pack, then confirm it’s them lah.

Back row L-R: Tricia, Melanie, me, Sharon, Ruk, Sean, Vanessa, Mi Lin, Pamela, EanMei, Su-Ann, Jason. Front row L-R: Darmin, Faizal, Sim, Sayshan, Jon, Daniel. Photo by EanMei

Some mateys won’t be joining us for the next or next couple of months. Come back soon Jaime, Megaa and anyone else who has to go away for a bit! Hooyah!