boot camp

To get in shape to play Battleship's hard-hitting Petty Officer Cora Raikes, Rihanna geared up to work alongside the real-life Navy. From weapons training to boot camp, find out how the pop songstress got in shape for her big-screen debut.

Drop and give me 20: Forget what you think you know about bootcamp workouts. Rihanna's training was the real deal. She worked alongside Navy soldiers, performing drills that challenged her entire body. She describes the experience as "really intense with lots of yelling," and, of course, lots of push-ups. The goal was to get her in action-hero shape while also breaking her out of the "celebrity mindset." In order for Rihanna to really connect with her role, she needed to understand the mentality of a soldier. You can train just like Rihanna — minus all that yelling — by doing our 11 total-body bootcamp workouts.

A weighty affair: Wielding a big gun is no easy feat. Aside from a ton of weapons training, Rihanna needed serious upper-body strength to maneuver around with such a heavy arsenal. Her trainer's answer? Weighted sandbags. Working out while carrying added weight helped Rihanna prepare for running, jumping, and kicking her way across the screen with heavy artillery strapped to her chest. Feel like challenging yourself with military-style tactics? Get going on these CrossFit workouts that anyone can do, or wear a weighted vest the next time you hit the treadmill.

I prefer Pilates and dance classes over high-intensity workouts, but a few weeks ago, I decided to try out my gym's bootcamp class. Thinking "boot camp" would consist of a bunch of girls doing some squats and jogging around the room, I figured I could handle it no problem. You can imagine my shock when I entered a room full of beefy men and started sweating profusely within the first five minutes of class as the tough instructor with a buzz cut barked a series of training exercises that had me gasping for breath.

For the next hour, I felt as humiliated and weak as a middle school football player, and even a few classmates gave me supportive high fives as I consecutively came in last place on the relays, outside sprints, and mat sequences. For the next week, my entire body ached, and I could have given up all together. However, I decided to persevere and attend the next class better prepared. The second class, I felt a million times stronger and more resilient, and now I'm on a total bootcamp kick. If you are considering taking your first bootcamp class, feel prepared and confident to dominate this intense workout by following my tips.

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Barry's Bootcamp (BBC), the high-intensity workout that helps celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, and Jake Gyllenhaal stay in amazing shape, has opened its first East Coast location in Manhattan! The studio is known for its nightclub-meets-boot-camp-style during hour-long classes that mix strength training with treadmill intervals. The result is a high-intensity workout that burns fat (up to 1,000 calories per class) and tones muscles.

In an exclusive interview with Shape.com, Barry's Bootcamp co-president Joey Gonzalez reveals where he thinks most women's workouts go wrong — and what they can do to fix it.

Common Misconceptions: Where Your Workout Goes Wrong

1. You do one or the other: cardio or body sculpting. "Don’t get me wrong, half of our class is cardiovascular, but the strength training is equally as important, and that's really what helps kick metabolism into high gear," Gonzalez says.

2. You ignore weights. "What you're doing when working out is building muscle, and muscle is an integral part of actually burning calories throughout the day. With weights, your body is burning 'x' amount of calories more an hour than it was before you did it — and that’s not true of cardio. That’s why women who tend to use weights and bring it into their regular exercise program are not only stronger and healthier, but on average have better bodies. If you touch their arms they're strong, they're not soft. Women complain about 'flarm' (laughs), the flabby arm area, and, really, the best way to target that is working your triceps."

See the rest of Joey's tips after the break!

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

If all of the eating and drinking of this holiday season has made your waistline a bit merrier, take action now. End this year on a lighter, more toned note by incorporating top boot camp moves from former Marines, Alex Fell and Ruben Belliard of Warrior Fitness Boot Camp, into your workouts. Get ready for fat-blasting cardio and tough total-body strength training.

1. Jumping Jacks: 25 repetitions

   Stand with your feet together hands at your sides. In one motion, jump and spread your feet apart while raising your arms up from your sides. Clap your hands together above your head and bring them back down to your side while bringing your feet together. Repeat. It should be 1 fluid motion.

2. Traditional Push Ups: 10 reps

   Upper body and core exercise. Hold the push up position and lower your body to the ground until your biceps are parallel to the floor. Then push up. Do the Push Up on your knees if you are a beginner and off your knees if you are more advanced.

Learn the next 10 moves when you keep reading.

Are you a hup, two kind of gal? Ladies who like to take their exercise to the extreme levels often enjoy a round of boot camp every now and then — or even every day. Then there are others who would like to participate in such a class but don't have the time or confidence for such endeavors. If you'd like to get out there and give it a test run before committing to such a dutiful ritual, you can set up your own version of boot camp to gear yourself up for the real deal.

My brother-in-law, a half Ironman triathlete, marathon runner, athlete to boot, also participates in a boot camp where he leads the group in their sunrise ritual. Here are a few exercises and pointers he likes to employ among his "troops."

Exercises:

1. Start in a kneeling position on the ground and jump up to your feet. Then, jump in the air and bring your knees to your chest. Do this 10 times.
2. Time for sprints! Do one 100-meter sprint followed up by one 200-meter sprint and then one 400-meter sprint. This is easiest if done on a track as it's already measured out for you.
3. You'll need a partner for this exercise: One person does 50 full sit-ups (not crunches) while the other plants her hands on the feet and steadies herself in a plank position. Switch positions and repeat.
4. Do 50 push-ups. If you must, do them on your knees and try not to take rest breaks.
5. Finally, gear up by marching high knees for 30 seconds. Back it up with butt kicks on the way back.

Do this whole routine three times with water breaks in between.

To see his bits of advice, just read more

While hiking in the Sequoia National Forest recently, I was inspired by a post from the Get Fit For 2010 community group. FitSugar reader caffeinecaptain adds variety to her workout by turning a nearby playground into an outdoor gym. I thought, "what the heck, I'm turning this hike into my own mini boot camp!" By the time I reached the end of the trail, I was feeling pretty worked. I was also pretty elated: exercising outdoors boots self-esteem levels, and it's good for the planet! Here's how I turned my weekend hike into a kick-ass boot camp:

• Plyometrics. Adding up and down movement to a hike adds a new level of intensity. I included short intervals of skipping and hopping, which helps engage muscle groups that may not be used otherwise. To really step things up, I also did short bursts of trail running.
• Make use of trees and boulders. It's amazing how easy it is to turn nature into gym equipment. Do incline push-ups off of trees, and use boulders for triceps dips.
• Why walk when you can lunge? Really challenge yourself when hiking up an incline by doing a set of walking lunges. Work your arms by using rocks as dumbbells to add bicep curls or lateral raises.

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens skipped the fancy trainers and went straight to the Navy Seals for a boot camp workout. The actress, 21, told People Magazine that training with the elite special forces was the "most intense thing that anyone could ever do." In preparation for her role in Sucker Punch — a 1950s era action flick — Vanessa trained with the Seals for five months.

"I was bawling my eyes out because they push you so hard," she said. "But it’s amazing what you find from it. When you go so far you find a certain Zen within that and you know you can do anything. It’s very empowering."

In the film we'll get to see an edgier side of Vanessa: "I walk around with the biggest guns you have ever seen." Though she may have been crying her eyes out by the end of the workouts, Vanessa says that training with the Seals has helped her prepare for the role, both mentally and physically. Tell me, has a workout ever pushed you to tears?