Ultimate Fitness Spain Bootcamp

Goodbye comfort zone, hello adventure! 

I have just returned from something so new and out of my comfort zone and can honestly say it has been an incredible experience and one I hope to do again... I travelled solo for the first time and did the Ultimate Fitness Bootcamp in Majorca.

The first challenge, seemingly simple but caused a great deal of worry before I left, was the idea of getting a bus from the airport to Alcudia where I would then be picked up and taken to the villa. I was lucky in that I found someone getting the same bus with me and spoke to her a little before leaving, arranging to meet at the airport. It was a nice way in, getting to know someone and having the opportunity to talk before meeting everybody else and certainly helped me, knowing I could do that step of the travel with somebody. In the end, I needn't have worried as it was incredibly straight forward, straight opposite the airport and two stops to the town but I was glad to have the company to make it seem even easier.

I was surprised by how comfortable I felt quite quickly- don't get me wrong I didn't feel at home- but I felt fairly at ease with the living situation and ready to take on the challenges of the week. I'm not the most confident or outgoing person and tend to take a bit of a back seat so the idea of living with strangers for a week was nervewracking but I enjoyed getting to know people and they helped make me feel more at ease. The bootcamp manager was also lovely and very good at settling you in and initiating conversations to help make it all easier. She definitely helped to make the experience even better and was very hardworking and generally lovely. 

The beach houses

Living together and working out together is definitely a bonding experience and it's surprising how well you get to know each other in a short space of time. It makes it weird to say goodbye at the end of the week despite the short time you've actually known one another. I got to share my week with some great people and found myself laughing constantly- creating a number of memories I'll remember for a long time. With people from all different backgrounds, different ages and from all over the world, it's great to come together with one clear shared interest and is particularly nice for support and motivation, as when you're struggling (aka any time I ran) people do their best to support you and push you, making it that little bit easier.

The day was structured to start with yoga on the roof terrace at 7.45am, followed by some fruit and then a HIIT/full body workout at 9am and breakfast at 10am. The first day includes a SUP (stand up paddleboard) lesson after breakfast and then throughout the week you have access to boards to go out whenever you fancy it. With free time in the afternoon, you can make the most of exploring the area or could take time to relax before the next HIIT/full body session at 6pm on Tuesday and Thursday, the hike on Monday and Friday and the beach volleyball on Wednesday. As someone who enjoys going to the gym but doesn't always go as often as they should, I was sure that that many workouts in one week would finish me off and although it wasn't easy (the aches on Wednesday being the worst), it was surprising how I found it and how it did get easier and slightly less painful over time. 

Morning view from the roof terrace

It was certainly a week of new challenges with new people, a new environment, new workouts and new to yoga, volleyball and stand up paddleboard but it was such a good experience and a great way to find new things I like. I even attempted sunrise paddleboarding one day unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side and the clouds stopped what would have been a great sight but for those that did it the day before, it looked beautiful!

Most of the morning workouts were circuit-based (after a warm-up) and involved 3 rounds of 12 different exercises, 45 seconds on each so 9 minutes of work and 1-minute rest. Each circuit was different and covered different areas of the body with a slightly different focus each day. The afternoon sessions involved a bit more running and were more based on reps rather than time. Although some were similar to one another, it felt good to have a variety within the workouts and didn't feel as though you were repeating yourself. Plus, you're bound to have some you prefer over others depending on which exercises you like most but they all manage to push you and show what you can achieve. These workouts may change depending on the week or trainer (if it changes year to year for example) and will probably differ in different locations but it gives you an idea of what you might expect. It really is good for varying levels of fitness as you can push yourself based on your own abilities and support one another as you do so.

Hike day one

I am not one for cycling back home but the use of bikes throughout the week was both beneficial and almost essential. Whether it was cycling to the port for dinner, cycling to the hike or exploring, there were ways around it but it's worth noting that you do use the bikes a lot. Cycling along the coast into town is not only straightforward but has amazing views that you can enjoy- it definitely makes the cycling seem easier!

As a vegetarian, eating abroad isn't always the easiest but I was pleasantly surprised by the food on offer at the bootcamp. It was spread out with individual items to make your breakfast and lunch what you like. Breakfast consisting of yoghurt, fruit, muesli, toast, eggs and alike and lunch including salad based foods and the likes of pasta, couscous, quinoa and rice. It was good to be able to pick the bits you like and build it into a healthy lunch that you can enjoy. 

One of many, many burpees!

As well as the option to stay in the beach house with others, you can book to stay in the Club del Sol, about a 5-minute walk away. Although I enjoyed staying with everyone and found it particularly beneficial as my first time away to push me out of my comfort zone and make me feel more involved and happy to talk to people quickly, I would consider staying in the hotel if I did it again. This would mainly be to combine the fitness bootcamp with a more traditional holiday and have the ability to stay by the pool and chill in the afternoons rather than going on further adventures.

It's amazing what your body can actually do and how you can push yourself even when every muscle seems to ache! The workouts were challenging but good and helped with motivation and inspiration for back home. I still don't think running is for me although there wasn't too much of it during the week anyway (thank goodness) but I tried a lot of things that I did enjoy and could feel myself improve with.

Stand up paddle boarding lesson

I would definitely recommend trying an Ultimate Fitness Bootcamp regardless of your fitness ability and will hopefully be going back myself or visiting one of the other locations: Thailand, Bali, Australia or Sri Lanka (opening in October), I'm particularly intrigued by the Bali trip! The fact that there were members of my group that had done it the year before and come back speaks for itself, especially considering the Spanish Bootcamp only opened last year. For anyone interested in booking a trip for themselves, I do have a few tips...

Take a blindfold and ear plugs- it's the nature of sharing a room and I didn't have any issues personally but if you share a room with somebody who snores, you may be grateful for the earplugs and the blindfold is good for blocking out unwanted light or shutting yourself off if people are in and out at different times. I like to listen to podcasts to help me sleep so I found it handy to take a blindfold with speakers like this, which was a great way to help get to sleep without disturbing others.

Use old trainers- the ground is uneven so be careful whilst you're there and take supportive trainers but as it is done outside on dusty ground, I'd advise taking an old pair as they do get dirty!

Multiple outfits- there is a washing machine there so it isn't vital to take multiple outfits but I found myself wishing I had more workout outfits and more underwear as you may end up getting changed several times between sessions depending on what you choose to do in your free time, as putting sweaty outfits back on in the heat isn't very comfortable! I also found it useful to wear leggings in the morning and change into shorts for the afternoon sessions due to the temperature. For your free time it really depends what you decide to do, you may choose to stay in workout gear or perhaps put swimwear on and head to the beach so having a bit of variety is handy. I didn't end up 'dressing up' much throughout the week and often went for food in my workout gear straight from an activity so evening wear probably isn't a priority. 

Friday's hike

Of course, these are all based on my personal experience and others may have different ideas and opinions particularly if it's regarding one of the other camps around the world. I had an amazing time and surprised myself in so many ways so I'd certainly recommend it to others! The owners and staff in general were lovely, adding to the experience. If you have any questions about my trip, please feel free to ask. Don't forget to follow my social media links in the top right-hand corner to see more from me. Thanks for reading this post, I hope it's opened your eyes to a new style of travel, if you have any similar experiences and/or recommendations please let me know. 

Love, Steph x