The tester
Bryony Coleman: "I'd steadily expanded for seven years to the point of being three stone overweight. I was fat and cross about it. I wanted to lose weight and get incentivised to start using the gym again."
The lowdown
'Boot Camp Spain is set in and around a pretty converted mill in a valley surrounded by olive groves near Malaga. As a location, it's more cosy than luxurious. Don't expect slippers, towels or smelly stuff in the bathrooms (and do expect to pay more not to share a room with a stranger). Staff and 'campers' eat round a large farmhouse table and gather at night in the one sitting room to watch British TV (in our case, we self flagellated with nightly doses of Come Dine with Me). Food is super-lean, local and authentic rather than cordon bleu (though portions are definitely 'nouvelle cuisine'). Alcohol and fizzy drinks are a no-no.
Our constant companions were two bone-fide Army Physical Training Instructors with big muscles, beautiful manners and bad jokes. No one shouts at you here — the boys are firm but kind and it's all about motivation and camaraderie — you keep going because you're all in it together. Men are welcome, but in my week, we were ten women of all ages, most of us unfit fatties. Over the week, we sweated, cursed, wept and laughed dirtily together like schoolgirls. I'm still in touch with most of them.
The first shock is that we were expected to be outside and ready to rumble at 6am each morning for an hour's warm-up before breakfast. The daily routine was a hardcore eight-hour haze of uphill runs, massive mountain hikes and endless circuits that involved boxing, resistance training, crunches, weights, burpees and other torments. We played netball and Ping-Pong as a treat and, in the warmer weather, guests can swim in the pool.
I'm not going to lie. It was unbelievably hard work. You hurt pretty much all of the time and on day three, you get the equivalent of the baby blues and blub uncontrollably. But it became easier. Perks were a superb massage and a trip to an Arabian spa in Granada.'
The result
'I lost half a stone, 4.5cm from my waist and 7cm from my thighs. As they say, no pain, no gain.'
The cost
Boot Camp Spain costs from £1,295 per person, including accommodation for 7 nights, training and equipment, private nutritional consultation, meals, drinks, airport transfers for recommended flights, one massage and a visit to the Arabic baths. A ten per cent discount is available to all readers who make bookings by the end of February. Just quote High Life. bootcampspain.com
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