100 women, 18 high-intensity sessions, 4 days, 1 aim – kickstart that bikini body! Last weekend, we headed to Shropshire to join 22-year-old former-TOWIE beauty Lucy Mecklenburgh at her Bikini Blast BootyCamp.
Inspired by the success of Results with Lucy – the exercise website that the toned reality star set-up with her trainer, Cecilia when her Twitter followers started asking for tips for better abs, flatter stomachs and of course, that infamous shapely bum! – Lucy wanted to inspire more young women to kickstart their fitness.
Having found military-style bootcamps vile (her words!) the svelte model decided to create her own affordable, fun BootyCamp, helping each woman find the workout style she enjoys. Did she succeed? Read our review and find out!
Each BootyCamp morning kicked-off with Cecilia’s high-energy powerstart, getting our blood pumping with squats, crunches and sprints. Over 100 women of all ages and fitness levels – from solo travellers, to groups of friends, and even mother-daughter combos – got down to it, starting each day on a high!
Turns out you don’t get a gorgeously toned Lucy-Meck-behind without a tonne of lunges and squats! To get us started, one of BootyCamp’s male instructors (who added a bit of motivation for us girls, we’ll be honest!) lead an intensive Fired Up session, activating our Kim Kardashian muscles.
We got our hearts pumping in Bling Beach Body, worked hard in Abs Like Slabs, and pushed ourselves towards that bikini body in This is Sparta – bursts of cardio interspersed with 50 reps of press-ups, sit-ups and more lunges! If you’re thinking this all sounds like hard work – it was! But everyone got through smiling, and the expert instructors were encouraging and motivating.
It wasn’t all hard toil though! A real strength of BootyCamp (and the success of the constantly-updated videos on Results with Lucy) was that each day involved a variety of sessions and got us laughing. We practiced our Strictly moves in energetic dance classes, relaxed our minds in yoga, remembered how fun (and waist-slimming!) hula-hooping is, and brought out our saucier side in a cheeky Burlesque class.
We know what you’re thinking: bootcamp food – will I eat lettuce all weekend? Should I sneak in some emergency chocolate (just us?!)? We needn’t have worried – the food was delicious and plentiful.
Nutritionist Emma explained that the trick is counting nutrition, not calories, aiming to detox wherever possible (for example, switching coffee for herbal tea). The menu fuelled us for the sessions – from gluten-free carbs, such as sweet potato and quinoa, to healthy proteins like turkey, and tasty salads (carrot and walnut was our fave). We even got a gluten-free chocolate brownie!
Determined to get that bikini body ready, we grabbed Lucy’s top exercise and diet tips (and yes, she is that beautiful in real life!). She told us:
• As soon as you get up, do some exercise you enjoy – even if it’s just 10 minutes.
• You can eat really well, with big portions, as long as it’s the right food, and if you struggle to avoid treats, keep them out of the house!
• Build up your confidence at home. A lot of members on Results with Lucy are self-conscious, so the online videos are perfect because you’re in your living room, without the pressure of anyone watching.
Lucy told us she hopes people leave BootyCamp “Without a fear of fitness. I want them to go home and love exercise.” Well, we came away feeling energised to kickstart our exercise regime and eat a healthier diet – and judging by the smiles on people’s faces, the other BootyCampers felt the same!
Inspired to kickstart your bikini body? For top tips, exercise videos, and nutritional plans check out Results with Lucy, the online fitness platform with a wide range of workout videos featuring Lucy Mecklenburgh and her personal trainer Cecilia Harris. From yoga to dance there is something for everyone.
Kickstarting your exercise regime? Share your progress with us @tweetjanes
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