How to Give Your Bootcamp Trainees a Super Workout By Georgette Pann
If you run the same exercises for every bootcamp, your trainees are going to get bored - fast. And their bodies are going to start adapting to the workout, which means they'll stop seeing massive results. Indeed, they might even hit a plateau.
End result: Unhappy trainees. And as you well know, unhappy clients will drop out of your bootcamp faster quicker than a cat jumping out of a swimming pool. That's why you need to keep things fresh and exciting. And that's why I've created this bodyweight workout plan, to give you just one more workout that you can add to your bootcamp schedule...
You can run these seven exercises on a circuit, with your trainees staying at each station for one and a half to three minutes. Keep the exercises in roughly the same order, so that you don't have trainees using the exact same muscles more than a few times in a row. Run through the circuit until class is almost over.
Be sure to allow time at the beginning for a five minute warm up and time at the end for a five minute cool down, both of which should consist of light exercise such as light jogging.
Exercise 1: Bear crawls. Instead of walking on their feet, your trainees should walk like a bear - that means walking on "all fours" (hands and feet, NOT knees). Have trainees walk around as quickly as possible for the duration of the interval.
Exercise 2: Chair steppers. Forget stair steppers - do chair steppers instead. Here trainees step on and off a chair. They step up with their right leg and then pull their left leg up on the chair. Then put their right foot back down on the ground, followed by their left. Next, they repeat the exercise, except this time leading with their left leg. They keep alternating for the duration of the interval. Obviously, the higher the chair or platform, the more intense the exercise.
Exercise 3: Supermans. Have trainees lay on flat on their stomachs with arms and legs off the floor and outstretched. The goal is to hold this position for as long as possible. For variety, you can have them flip over onto their backs, raise their outstretched legs just a few inches off the floor and hold that position for as long as possible.
Exercise 4: Crocodile walk. Here your trainees should be like soldiers crawling under barbed wire. That means they should be face down with their stomachs almost touching the ground. Then they should crawl around until that exercise interval ends.
Exercise 5: Walking lunges. Here your trainees take long, exaggerated steps. They'll really employ their quad muscles for this exercise, because on every step they'll be low to the ground, with one leg stretched out behind them (knee grazing the floor), and the leading leg should be bent at the knee, pulling them up.
Exercise 6: Stretcher. Here your trainees should start by sitting on the ground or floor with their legs stretched out in front of them, about shoulder width apart (i.e., their body is in an "L" shape). Their hands should be palm down at their sides, with fingers pointing towards their toes. Now trainees should rise up on their hands and feet, pointing their pelvis at the sky as high as possible. Finally, they'll return to the start position and repeat.
Exercise 7: Star jumpers. Trainees should start in a relaxed standing position. Their next move is to crouch down, hands on the ground/floor. Finally, they need to explode up - straightening their legs while simultaneously throwing their arms in the air. This final position - with arms outstretched and above their heads - makes them look like a star. As usual, rinse and repeat this move until the circuit interval ends.
In sum: Don't let your trainees get bored and drop out! Start incorporating fresh exercises and circuits every time they work out.
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Exercise 6: Stretcher. Here your trainees should start by sitting on the ground or floor with their legs stretched out in front of them, about shoulder width apart (i.e., their body is in an "L" shape). Their hands should be palm down at their sides, with fingers pointing towards their toes. Now trainees should rise up on their hands and feet, pointing their pelvis at the sky as high as possible. Finally, they'll return to the start position and repeat.
