I have a fantastic selection of boot camp workout ideas to share with you today. But before I do, I want to share my latest update with you.
Over in the Workout Design Club, we like to get as creative as possible with our boot camp workout ideas.
Each week I design 12 fun and result-focused group fitness ideas, so trainers like you can run a popular and a more profitable business.
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The truth is, the workouts that you use with your clients help to form the personality and the reputation of your bootcamp business.
Thats why is so important to keep things fresh, fun and entertaining. Not just once in a while, but consistently, week in week out.
If thats what you're doing, GREAT. If you're not, then it's time to join the WDC and take your session planning to a new level of fun.
Here's are drills you could be using to WOW your group this week.
We've got brand new team games, team building drills, fun finishers, incredibly unique boxing workouts, wacky partner drills and more.
12 Boot Camp Workout Ideas That Will Keep Your Clients Hooked
Catch Crush: In this fun 10-minute warm up game, a sudden wrong move can cost you the game. It's lot's of fun, but more importantly, challenging.
King Dynamite: In this fun partner workout, the objective of the game is to unlock a series of brutal forfeits for opposing team members. This format can be switched up to create many different boot camp workout ideas.
Super Try-Angle: We're taking team workout ideas to a new level. In this tough partner workout, you either work hard or your partner suffers. It’s the perfect incentive to ensure each player put in the effort.
Marvel Endurance: In this 28 minute boot camp challenge, players complete 3 specific interval drills that are intensified by a series of isometric exercises. It's a tough endurance workout I think your bootcamp clients will love.
Super Gauntlet 200: The objective of this challenge is to make it through a 200 rep gauntlet and to the other side. These are some of my tougher boot camp workout ideas.
Tabata Nitro: In this fun team challenge, players are given a target based on their fitness level. The goal is to keep up with the target. Boot camp workout ideas that are competitive are a great way to encourage your clients to work harder.
Double Duck: In this bonkers bootcamp workout, 15 ducks need rescuing from a pond. Each player has 30 minutes and 2 dice to make it happen. Winner takes all. You can create lot's of different boot camp workout ideas using this simple format.
Tabata Accumulator: I guarantee you’ve never seen anything quite like this. You’ll learn a completely different way to structure a 30 minute bodyweight Tabata workout for absolutely savage results.
Double Demon: In this tough full body partner workout, players share 50% of the effort in a bid to finish in a top 3 position. It’s a 10 step accumulator workout with a fun twist.
A segment of time: I love designing fun workouts for groups, which is why I put together this incredible boot camp challenge that lets your group as a whole decide their own fate. It's a great team building workout designed to bring your clients together.
Abs Incredible: You’re about to discover three totally insidious boot camp workout ideas designed to shred the core and build rock hard abs.
Quads of Shaolin: Discipline is the aim of the game in this quirky (Shaolin monk style) circuit training workout. Players start together, then break in to their own individual fitness test based on their ability level.
Last Weeks Boot Camp Workout Ideas
The Megalodon: I love this these types of boot camp workout ideas. Consisting of 50% cardiovascular endurance and 50% strength training, we finish things off with a funky twist. I can guarantee that not a single person will leave your bootcamp class needing more.
Speed Warrior Plus: In this crazy HIIT workout designed to build muscular strength endurance, each player is given a goal objective based on their ability. These are super competitive boot camp workout ideas that will force everybody to give it their best.
Blended AMRAP: Boot camp workout ideas using AMRAP. In this super AMRAP workout structured 3 ways, player work up to a grand finale as they blast their way through 3 tiers of intensity. You've never seen an AMRAP workout quite like this.
Battle Reps: In this fun partner workout, players battle against each other to hit a goal objective. Here's the catch. The fitter you are, the harder it is the win. You can design a wide variety of Intense partner workouts using these simple boot camp workout ideas.
Special Forces: In this exciting partner workout, each team starts at the rank of recruit. The object of this fun bootcamp game is to work up to the highest rank possible by working together and moving through the levels. It's a great team building workout.
Willy Wonker: A cleverly designed full body kettlebell workout with a very cheeky twist. I'll show you 5 new kettlebell exercises that you can use to spice up your boot camp workout ideas.
Kettlebell Builder: The objective of this bootcamp workout is to collect a golden ticket by hitting the correct sequence. It’s a really fun bootcamp game designed to improve all-round fitness. They won’t even realise they’re exercising.
Hell Bender Circuit: In this full body kettlebell workout designed to build strength, the goal is to stack the kettlebell exercises and a build a brutal 4 round finisher. These are some of my favourite boot camp workout ideas.
Super Rounds: A fun circuit training workout focusing on cardio & conditioning. One round is a challenge in itself, so players will have to bring their ‘A’ game if they are to complete all 3. This is an intense bootcamp workout routines that will get the best from your clients.
Partner Treble: In this triple intensity full body circuit workout, each round merges in to the next as players battle to defeat the ladder. It’s a fun circuit training routine that packs a punch, considering the time frame.
General Rules:
A series of super fun boot camp workout ideas. In this bootcamp game, score enough points and you're safe from prosecution. However, the general has other ideas and wants to sabotage your efforts. Slot in your own list of bootcamp exercises for endless variety.
10 Awesome Boot Camp Work Ideas To Spice Up Your Next Group Fitness Class
On November 4th 2019 Train the Trainers 30 day fitness challenge went live for the 4th time. Run from a private Facebook group, personal trainers the world over joined me in completing a twenty minute HIIT workout each day for 30 days. We covered all sorts of different boot camp workout ideas.
Over 250 personal trainers took part and it was a blast. Train the trainer is a fitness programme that keeps you in amazing shape year round by completing short daily HIIT workouts using a wide variety of fun and effective training methods.
This proven training programme (includes 20 brand new boot camp workout ideas posted each week) guarantees that you always look and feel your best, so you have a cool confidence knowing that you lead by example and walk your own talk. I provide the motivation/accountably and we both show up daily and do the work.
Here's a leg workout from the challenge you can try.
20 Minute Bootcamp Workout
Title: Legs Of Shaolin (Lower)
Time: 21 Minutes
Equipment: kettle-bell
Complete each bootcamp exercise for 1 minute x 3 rounds. Rest for 1 minute after each round if needed.
1. Action Man
2. Weighted Walking Lunge (K-bell or dumbbells)
3. Power Jacks
4. Super Speed Freaks
5. Sumo Rocket
6. Steamers
7. Double Jump Overs
Optional Finisher: Complete Kettle-bell swing and burpees for 60 seconds each. Then 50, 50, 40, 40, 30, 30, 20, 20, 10, 10. This totals 7 minutes.
45 Minute Bootcamp Workout
Here is another great workout taken from Train The Trainer Pro. This is a 45 minute bootcamp workout covering nine unique bootcamp exercises.
Title: Total Titan (core & upper)
Time: 45 Minutes
Equipment: K-bell, slam-ball, small towel
Complete each exercise for 1 minute x 5 rounds.
1. Power Lifter
2. Swings
3. Chameleon Walk
4. Mountain Shuffle
5. Wake The Gecko
6. Clean Press
7. Lat Pull Extension
8. Plank Ups
9. Triple Loaded Burpees
Optional Finisher: Complete 50 slams and 20 triple loaded burpees. See if you can do it without rest.
Although Total Titan is a 45 minute bootcamp workout, it's also great for a quick workout by completing 2 rounds instead of 5.
3 Adaptable Themed Boot Camp Workout Ideas For More Fun
Around Halloween time group fitness trainer Kelli Ford posted a question over in our Unique Bootcamp Workouts Facebook community.
Although Halloween has long gone, you can still include these boot camp workout ideas in to your group training programme. If you read the following conversation you'll discover 3 fun boot camp workout ideas.
40 Boot Camp Workout Ideas
For More Inspiration And Variety
Coming up with brand new boot camp workout ideas all the time can be difficult, so, I put together a check list that you can use as inspiration.
Here are 40 boot camp workout ideas that will help you to stand out as uniquely different from the competition. Try designing one bootcamp workout around each workout type.
- Partner games
- Speed, agility, coordination drills
- Military style fitness testing
- Chipper workouts
- Assault course
- Pyramids
- Team Building Activities
- Adventure drills
- Memory bootcamp
- Lucky dip workouts
- Build your own workout
- Bleep test (push-up, sit-up, squat)
- Supersets
- Orienteering
- Sports day
- Ladder drills
- Accumulators
- Active recovery drills
- Functional boot camp challenges
- WOD
- Animal flow
- Musical Workouts (Finishers)
- Bootcamp Triathlons
- Story Based Drills
- Timed running drills (100m, 200m, 400m)
- Themed Bootcamp Ideas
- Paper, Rocks, Scissors
- Coins flip drills and games
- Playing card drills and games
- Random generator workout
- Board clearance drills (think sticky notes)
- Casino (poker, black jack, snap etc)
- Equipment carry drills
- Quiz based
- Relays races
- Tag games
- Focus Bootcamp (I.e. Legs, core or upper)
- Monetary drills (betting on a coin flip, dice etc)
- Boxing bootcamp
- Olympic themed (track and field)
How To Design Fun Boot Camp Workout Ideas
Using Running Games
There are lot's of different ways to make running fun in your bootcamp. Here are a few running formats that you can use to craft fun boot camp workout ideas.
- Fartlek Training
- Suicide Sprints
- British Bull Dog
- Indian Runs
- Tabata Sprints
Here's a running training plan I tried the other day. It's called, keep up or complete a forfeit. Mark out a 20m sprint distance with 2 markers (20m is roughly 26 foot strides), then set your interval timer to run for 10-minutes at a ratio of 20 seconds work, 10 rest. This is 20 rounds in total.
During each round, all you have to do is sprint out and sprint back. Once back you can rest until the next round starts. The goal is to keep up with the timer and complete all 20 rounds.
- If you quit between round 1-8, complete 50 Burpees
- If you quit between round 9-13, 25 Burpees
- If you quit between round 14-18, 10 Burpees
Spice Up Your Boot Camp Workout Ideas With These Fun Bootcamp Circuit Stations
One of the easiest way to design fun boot camp workout ideas is to use a wide variety of bootcamp exercises. Over in the Workout Design Club, there's a library containing over 350 unique bootcamp exercises. I use them to create unique boot camp challenges of all types.
Try This Burpees Challenge
Here are 9 burpee variations that you can use for your bootcamp circuit stations. Give each station a different burpee variation and have you clients complete the circuit three times through (1 minute per station). It's a tough burpees challenge.
A Tabata Workout Plan With A Cheeky Twist
Yesterday I tested out a new workout concept for a brand new Facebook group that I run called Train The Trainer Pro.
Train the trainer is an online fitness programme that keeps trainers in fantastic shape by completing 20-minute daily workouts using a wide variety of fun and effective boot camp workout ideas.
If you’re not quite walking your own talk, and you’d like to get back to your best in just 30 days. Click here and complete your first workout.
Unless you're superman/woman, it's next to impossible to go at 100% effort for a 4 minute (8 round) tabata without burning yourself out quickly.
With this new tabata drill, you can still maintain a heavy workload over the 4 minutes but you do it by pacing yourself based on your ability level. Come round 8 you're still going strong, which is the point.
Here's an example using burpees. I'll set a rep target for each round that is just out of my comfort zone. To do this I'll complete a warm up round (20 seconds) to gauge that number before I start.
With burpees that number is 5. There are 8 rounds in a 4 minute tabata, so my goal is to maintain 5 reps per round. If some of your clients are struggling with burpees, you can show modified variations.
You can apply this training method to as many bootcamp exercises as you want for a great workout. Don't get me wrong, this type of tabata workout plan is still tough, but the intensity that you'll work at is achievable, which is why I love it. Plus you can use whatever cardio exercises you like.
Don't worry if you have to drop a few reps here and there to keep up with the number you set yourself for each exercise. It's all trial and error, and will give you a target to aim for next time.
Six Mini Boot Camp Workout Ideas You Have To Try
I once ran an entire group fitness session based around finisher drills. You'd be surprised how creative you can get with these mini boot camp workout ideas.
Although it was very tough (as expected), it went down way better than I thought. So, the next session we did the same thing but with team games and it was even better.
If you fancy trying it with your group, here are some of my mini boot camp workout ideas for inspiration.
1. Complete 20m shuttle sprints for 6 minutes
at a ratio of 20 seconds sprint 10 seconds walk.
2. Complete squat jumps for 20 seconds then sprint
on the spot of 20 seconds x 6 rounds without rest.
3. Walking lunge for 100 steps. After every 10 steps, flip a coin.
Each time you flip a head, complete five burpees. The First to finish wins.
4. Complete push-ups and the plank for 60 seconds each.
Then 50, 50, 40, 40, 30, 30, 20, 20, 10, 10.
5. Complete 10 burpees every minute on the minute for 10 minutes (EMOM).
6. Complete your age in push-ups, sit ups and squats.
How To Design Better Boot Camp Workout Ideas Using Google Drive
If you feel like you're forever searching around for new bootcamp ideas, here's a solution. The most important thing you can do as a group trainer is document your best bootcamp drills.
This is your trainer swipe file, and it can give you a serious edge over your competition. Not only will it save you time, but it will give you the power to create a wide variety of fun bootcamp ideas quickly and easily.
In Google Drive start by creating 9 folders.
- Bootcamp games
- Circuit training
- Partner workouts
- Team building activities
- Workout songs
- Finisher drills
- Fun warm-ups
- Running drills
- Creative fitness tests
- Individual challenges
You can also create a folder for bootcamp ideas no equipment, and one to include equipment based workouts.
Sometimes lugging equipment around the park can be a hassle, that's why it's a good idea to mix things up and only bodyweight exercises occasionally.
After each session, type up your bootcamp ideas in separate word documents and add them to the relevant folders in Google Drive. It takes a little work, but it's so worth it in the long run.
To see my (ever expanding) collection of creative boot camp workout ideas,
head over to the Workout Design Club.
The WDC guarantees that you show up to every session with a fun packed and perfectly planned group workout.
Build The Perfect Bootcamp Workout FAST With Over 2500 Fun Bootcamp Workout IDEAS
Intense Cardio Bootcamp Using The Shuttle Run Test
If you love putting your clients through intense cardio bootcamps, then I've got a really fun bootcamp game for you to try.
When I was in the Royal Marines, the personal training side of things (as you can imagine) was very tough. Unbearable at times. The PTI's would push you to the brink of death, then tell you you've got at least 30% left to give.
And boy did they like to drag that out of you. Here's a fun finisher that will (ethically) force your clients to put in the work.
Players have 12 minutes to complete as many 20 metre shuttle sprints as they can counting back from 100. The number they are left with when the time is up is the number of burpees they complete. Trust me, their work ethic will go through the roof. Although it's only 10 minutes, it's one intense cardio bootcamp drill. For beginners, set up 10 metre shuttle sprints.
There are over 2000 creative bootcamp ideas inside the Workout Design Club waiting for you to discover. You'll learn 100's of new training techniques and unique bootcamp exercises you can't learn anywhere else in the world.
Bootcamp Boxing Workouts
Today I was chatting to group fitness trainer Mandy Tedge about the type of bootcamp boxing workouts she uses with her clients.
One thing we touched on was the time it takes partners to switch gloves and pads. Think about it.
Over the course of an entire bootcamp boxing workout, those minutes add up, especially if people are being super slow. In a 45 minute bootcamp workout every minute counts, so I suggested the following.
"Each time you shout switch gloves and pads, players have exactly 30 seconds. When everybody has switched and in position, stop the timer. For every second over, the group owes you 1 burpee. All burpees are added up and completed at the end of the session. However, for every seconds under, the trainer completes 1 burpee at the end of the session".
This little game you're playing gives the group an incentive to get a move on, but in a fun way. I think it's awesome. Did you know there are tons of bootcamp boxing workouts inside the Workout Design Club?
Four complete boxing manuals filled with great boot camp workout ideas. You can gain access to all 4-manuals when you join the workout Design Club.
The Ultimate Boot Camp Workout Ideas Number Game
Last month I ran a fitness challenge called Train The Trainer. The challenge is over now, and it was a great success. We got through 40 boot camp workout ideas. With an additional 40 finisher drills.
At the end of each workout is an option to complete a fun finisher drill. Here's one I want to share with you, If you have the cojones!
At the end of your next workout, ask your partner, friend, or family member to call out a random number between 1-100. Complete that many burpees.
If you're at the gym, you can ask the receptionist. As I said, it takes cojones because you could end up with a high number. Takes courage is what I'm saying. My partner Sophie called out 27, then later admitted she almost said 99. Phew!
So, It was 27 for me.
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