March 23

15 Fun Bootcamp Games For Group Fitness Trainers

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Incorporating fun bootcamp games into your group fitness programme isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s what keeps your clients engaged, excited, and spreading the word about how amazing your classes are.

If your classes become repetitive or predictable, it’s easy for clients to lose motivation, get bored, and even consider leaving.

Before I share some fun Bootcamp games with you, you can explore my entire library of challenging team games inside my new resource, The Ultimate Bootcamp Games Collection!

You'll discover 220 Fun bootcamp games that will breathe new life into your group classes and keep your clients happy and engaged.

Let's get into some fun bootcamp games, shall we?

Today, I’m excited to share 10 fun and engaging Bootcamp games that you can incorporate into your sessions right away! 

These team games are designed to bring energy, excitement, and a fresh challenge to your group fitness classes, so your clients stay motivated, engaged, and coming back for more. 

Whether you’re looking for a high-intensity workout finishers, a team-building drill, or a fun warm-up that gets everyone in the right mindset, there’s something here for every type of session.

Each of these team games has been carefully selected to provide a mix of cardio, strength, and functional movement, ensuring that your clients get a well-rounded workout while having fun.

Plus, they’re easy to adapt for different fitness levels, so everyone can participate and push themselves within their comfort zone.

Fun Bootcamp games are an amazing way to break up the routine, create camaraderie, and make fitness something people genuinely look forward to each week.

10 Fun Bootcamp Games To Make Group Fitness Fun And Effective

online workout programs

This is the first of 10 fun bootcamp games I'll be sharing with you today. 

In this fun 10 minute bootcamp game, the objective is to score points and make the opposing team work harder. You can create many different bootcamp games with this drill by switching out the exercises.

Title: Roll, Win, Benefit

Time: 15 Minutes

Method: Split the group into teams of two and give each team two dice.

Game 1: Show the group an exercise to complete with 1 minute of work, 30 seconds of rest, for 3 rounds (set your interval timer). After each round, both players in each team take turns rolling the two dice. The partner with the highest score wins a point.

When the three rounds are up, the player with the most points wins, and the losing partner completes 5 burpees.

How Many Games?

Complete one game as a quick finisher drill, or play multiple games for a longer challenge. For example, you could run 4-6 games using a variety of different exercises and switch partners after each round. 

This keeps the energy high and gives participants a chance to work with different teammates, adding variety and excitement to your session.

Fun bootcamp games

Fun Bootcamp Games #2: Mexican Wave

Mexican Wave is a high-energy team relay that tests speed, coordination, and teamwork. Each move flows down the line like a wave, challenging players to stay sharp and connected.

Title: Mexican Wave

Time: 5 Minutes

Method: Split the group into two teams and have them line up facing each other. Starting at one end of each team’s line (the left side), players complete a single burpee in sequence, one after another, creating a “wave” effect down the line.

  • The team that completes their burpee wave first wins a point.
  • Repeat the game for a total of 11 rounds. The team with the most points at the end wins.
  • If there’s an odd number of players, the trainer should join one of the teams to keep the numbers even.

These are fast-paced games, so keep the momentum going. As soon as one game finishes, be ready to start the next round immediately to maintain the energy and flow.

Bootcamp games

Fun Bootcamp Games #3: HIIT Accumulator

The HIIT Accumulator Challenge is a high-intensity workout designed to test endurance, strength, and competitive spirit using a compound movement called the "powerlifter.

Title: HIIT Accumulator

Time: 4 Minutes

Method: Pair participants with someone of a similar ability and provide each player with a kettlebell that challenges their fitness level.

Round 1: Players perform power lifters for a 4-minute Tabata (8 rounds of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest), counting their reps as they go. At the end of the 4 minutes, the partner with the most reps wins, while the losing partner completes 10 burpees as a penalty.

Rounds: Play one round as a quick finisher, or add more rounds for a longer challenge. If you go for multiple rounds, switch up the exercise each time to keep things fresh and engaging.

Why It Works

This challenge encourages both teamwork and friendly competition, pushing each participant to perform at their best. It can be adapted with different exercises to keep the format fresh, but the power lifter movement adds an intense, full-body workout component that’s perfect for building strength and endurance.


Fun Bootcamp Games From The Royal Marine Commando Training

fun bootcamp games

Fun Bootcamp Games #3: The Push-Up Beep Test

The Push-up Beep Test is a classic endurance and strength assessment used in military training, including my time with the British Royal Marine Commandos. 

It’s a simple but challenging test of upper body strength, muscular endurance, and mental toughness. 

This drill was part of our Royal Marine training—a rigorous, high-stakes environment that demanded peak physical fitness and discipline to earn the coveted Green Beret.

How It Works

  • Setup: Begin in the push-up position with arms fully extended and core engaged.
  • Audio Beeps: Play the audio recording. Each time you hear a beep, perform one push-up.
  • Increasing Intensity: The beeps will continue, and you must complete a push-up for every beep. The goal is to keep pace with the beeps.
  • Score Tracking: Each beep also counts your reps. When you’re unable to maintain the pace and fall behind, stop and record the number of push-ups completed.

Benefits: 

The Push-up Beep Test is an excellent measure of strength, endurance, and consistency. It builds core stability, upper body power, and enhances mental resilience. 

Because it pushes participants to work at a continuous, timed pace, it develops cardiovascular and muscular endurance simultaneously. This test can be used frequently to track progress and gauge fitness levels over time.

Bootcamp Variation for Partner Competition

For a fun and motivating twist in bootcamp settings, pair up participants and have them compete to achieve the highest score. Partners can alternate turns, with one recording the other’s reps and encouraging them as they go.

At the end, the partner with the highest score wins bragging rights—or even a reward, if you choose to add an incentive. This competitive aspect keeps participants motivated, builds camaraderie, and adds a goal-oriented challenge to each session.

The Push-up Beep Test is more than just a workout—it’s a proven fitness benchmark that can be revisited periodically to monitor improvements, push limits, and build the mental and physical resilience that’s key to any fitness journey.


Fun Bootcamp Games #4: Arms Bend, Arms Stretch!

Fun bootcamp games

This is a command-based push-up drill inspired by military training, ideal for adding intensity and focus to any session.

Have participants assume the push-up position with arms fully extended. Then, call out "Arms bend" for them to lower down and "Arms stretch" to return to the top.

The commands can vary in tempo, and occasionally you can have everyone hold the push-up position for extra endurance.

Instructions:

  • Start Position: Have participants hold a high push-up position.
  • Commands: Call out "Arms bend" to signal lowering and "Arms stretch" to signal pushing back up. Vary the timing and tempo to keep them guessing!
  • Goal: See how long participants can last. The last person standing wins the game.

This fun bootcamp game works well for all fitness levels, as each person can go at their own pace. It's an excellent drill for building upper body endurance and adding excitement to push-up routines.

In my own Commando training, this drill would go on for quite a while, (usually as a punishment from the training team) which is why it became one of my best strength-builders.


Bootcamp Games With Cones #5: British Bulldog

Overview: British Bulldog is an exciting and active bootcamp game that's ideal for groups in a bootcamp setting. It combines elements of speed, agility, strategy, and teamwork, making it an engaging activity for players of various fitness levels.

This bootcamp game is well-suited to outdoor environments and can be adapted to different age groups and fitness capacities.

Why It’s a Great bootcamp Game:

  • Enhances Agility & Speed: Players must quickly dodge and weave around “dogs” to avoid being tagged, which helps improve reaction time, agility, and acceleration.
  • Builds Endurance: Constant movement, sprinting, and short bursts of energy make British Bulldog a fantastic cardiovascular workout.
  • Boosts Teamwork & Strategy: Players learn to work together to distract or confuse the “dogs” in the middle, fostering team spirit and strategic thinking.
  • Social Engagement: The game encourages interaction and bonding between players, building camaraderie in a fun, friendly competition.
  • Adaptable for All Ages: Rules can be tweaked for younger or older players, making it a flexible choice for various groups.

How to Play:

  1. Set-Up:
    • Designate two boundaries on opposite sides of a playing field using cones.
    • Choose two players to start as “dogs,” positioning them in the middle of the field.
    • All other players start behind one of the boundaries, ready to run across to the opposite side.
  2. Objective:
    • The goal is for players (called “bulls”) to run from one side of the field to the other without being tagged by a “dog.”
    • Any bull tagged by a dog becomes a dog in the next round, joining the center to tag other bulls.
  3. Gameplay:
    • At the start of each round, dogs in the middle call out “British Bulldog!” to signal the beginning of the run.
    • Bulls then sprint to the opposite boundary while dodging and avoiding the dogs.
    • Dogs attempt to tag as many bulls as possible before they reach the safety of the boundary.
    • Tagged bulls become dogs, increasing the challenge for the remaining players.
  4. Repeats:
    • This sequence repeats until there is only one remaining bull who has avoided being tagged. This player is the winner of the round.
    • Play four rounds, selecting two different starting dogs each time to keep the game dynamic and give everyone a fair chance.
  5. Game Variations:
    • To increase difficulty, add more dogs at the start or decrease the size of the field.
    • For younger players, you can limit the speed or methods by which dogs tag bulls, like using light taps.

Benefits of Playing British Bulldog:

  • Physical Fitness: The combination of sprinting, dodging, and quick directional changes improves cardiovascular health, leg strength, and agility.
  • Mental Resilience: Players learn to think on their feet, anticipate movements, and build resilience through repeated efforts.
  • Social Skills & Confidence: Players work together, encourage each other, and build confidence with each successful crossing.

In Summary: British Bulldog is a lively, high-energy bootcamp game that serves as both a workout and a bonding activity. It combines elements of fitness and fun, making it a great choice for bootcamp settings.


Two Tough Bootcamp Games

1

Points Blitz Challenge

Method: Write the following on something the group can see. 

  1. 10 Push ups
  2. 2 x 20m shuttle sprints 
  3. 10 Burpees

Players have 14 minutes to complete as many rounds as they can. When the time is up players use the chart bellow to see how well they performed. 


  • 4 Rounds: Poor
  • 5 Rounds: Average
  • 6 Rounds: Good
  • 7 Rounds: Very good
  • 8 Rounds: Elite
2

Super AMRAP Workout

Method: Write the following on something the group can see. 

  1. 15 Push ups
  2. 2 x 20m shuttle sprints 
  3. 15 Squat jumps

Split the group in to 2 teams. Players have 10 minutes to complete as many rounds as they can (AMRAP). When the challenge is over ask one player from each team to add up all individual scores with a calculator. The team with the most points wins.

3

Partner Workout

Method: Write the following on something the group can see. 

  1. 15 Squat jumps
  2. 2 x 20m shuttle sprints 
  3. 20 Kettle-bell swings

Split the group in to teams of 2 (pair weaker with stronger if possible) then mark out a large running circle.


Round 1: Player 1 jogs clockwise around the circle while player 2 complete all 3 exercises in the middle of the circle. Then, Player 2 jogs clockwise around the circle while player 1 complete all 3 exercises in the middle of the circle.


Teams have 12 minutes to complete as many rounds as they can.


Optional:  The top three teams with the highest score avoid a forfeit.


The 11 Components of Fitness And How You Can Use Them To Design Fun Team Games

Components-of-Fitness-bootcamp-games

When I studied to be a trainer, one of the first things I learnt was the 11 components of fitness.

1. Agility
2. Balance
3. Body Composition
4. Cardiovascular Endurance
5. Coordination
6. Flexibility
7. Muscular Endurance
8. Muscular Strength
9. Power
10. Reaction Time
11. Speed training

How To Turn A Strength Based Workouts Into Fun Bootcamp Games 

How many of these components do you include in your training programme?

Utilising the 11 components will help you create a more effective and fun training programme for your clients. If you can turn them into fun bootcamp games and challenges, all the better. 

I mean, when was the last time you incorporated reaction time, coordination or agility into one of your group sessions?

Going over my old course material today has made me realise just how much I've forgotten, and how much I forget to apply when I'm creating my workout programmes for the week. 


Fun Bootcamp Games That Develop Strength, Endurance And Reaction

agility training


Lets talk about balance and coordination, which are probably the least developed
skills in a group training programme.

"Having good dynamic balance can help improve your coordination and ability to react to sudden changes of direction, both of which can help reduce the risk of an accidental fall" (Credit, Pete McCall - 5 Benefits of Training for Dynamic Balance read more....)

When was the last time you purposely included these elements into your group session? If it was a while back, or never. Here are five ideas to get you going.

Here Are Five Bootcamp Ideas To Get You Going. 

1

Tennis Ball Focus

Stand opposite your partner (2m apart) on one leg. Throw a tennis ball back and forth at different heights and angles. Hand-eye coordination/balance.

2

Partner Bosu Drill

Include two Bosu balls as part of a broader circuit. Players stand on the Bosu and throw a tennis ball back and forth at different hight and angles.

3

Wobble Board

  • Use a wobble board as part of a broader circuit. Have one player on the next station completing squats so they can throw a tennis ball to the person on the wobble board. 
  • 4

    In Reverse Lunge

    Lunge walk backwards for 20 - 30 metres. It takes a lot more balance and coordination than going forward. It's surprisingly challenging. Try it. 

    5

    Agility Ladders

    Did you know? Agility ladder drills are considered a type of high-intensity interval training. Agility ladder training improves speed, agility and quickness which in turn strengthens your joints, ligaments and tendons.


    Agility ladder movements include lateral shuffles, skipping through rungs, and other movements conducted up and down the ladder. 


    Set out three ladders, one for each level of fitness. Beginner, intermediate and advanced. This way players can work at the right intensity without being slowed down by less fiter member. 

    5

    Copy Cat Challenge

    TitleCopy Cat
    Players: 2+

    Time: 15 minutes


    Method: Split the group in to pairs. Pairs face each other.


    Round 1: Player one copies players two's movements for 90 seconds, then player two copies player ones movements for 90 seconds. Here are the four movements players are allowed to use. 


    1. Shuffle left two steps, touch the floor, back into centre
    2. Shuffle right two steps, touch the floor, back into centre
    3. Jump up
    4. Touch the floor
    5. Complete one burpee

    Play 4 rounds in total. After each round, ask players to switch partners. 

    6

    Partner Mirror Challenge

    TitlePartner mirror Challenge
    Players: 2+

    Time: 15 minutes


    Method: Split the group in to pairs. Pairs face each other.


    Round 1: Player one randomly switches between any exercise they like for 90 seconds and player two mimics as closely as possible. Once finished, players switch roles and go again.  


    For example: Player one completes squats for 10 seconds, then breaks in to burpees for 10 seconds, then squats for 10 seconds, then back to burpees and so on. Player two copies. 


    Play 4 rounds in total. After each round, ask players to switch partners. 

    Final Thoughts


    "A while back, I watched the eagerly anticipated boxing match between George Groves & Eubank jr. Eubank jr was the hot favourite to win, but Groves won in convincing fashion, making Eubank jr. look like an amateur. When asked, what was the secret to beating Eubank jr, Groves replied.

    "It all comes down to one thing, boxing fundamentals"

    That's what give me the idea to dig out my old course material for a refresher on the 11 Components of Fitness.


    Whenever you're creating new workouts, have the 11 components of fitness to hand and make sure you include as many as you can.

    You can create bootcamp games, finisher drills, team workouts, partner challenges etc. If you've got any good balance and coordinations drills you'd like to share, please hit reply and let me know".

    Leon Melnicenko

    Want More Fun Bootcamp Games

    If you enjoyed these fun bootcamp games, keep in mind that they’re just a small sample of what you’ll find in The Ultimate Bootcamp Games Collection. 

    With over 220 unique and challenging team games, this collection is your go-to resource for keeping classes fresh, fun, and effective for the long term.


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