Boot Camp Classes: Four Tips Every Instructor Needs to Know

When you take a nice stroll through the park, you might expect to see a calm and gentle scene. Perhaps you expect to see signs of family wellness, with parents and children wandering through the park and feeding the ducks. Maybe you suppose to spot an elderly couple getting some fresh air together. However, while you might have this peaceful, idyllic picture of what goes on in your local park, once you get there it’s a whole different story, packed with hardcore wellness buffs. Some are working on their wellbeing with a few park-wide sprints, while others are performing squats on the grass. This is a firsthand look at the power and popularity of fitness boot camps.

 

Fitness Trainer Ryan Halvorson, director of group training at Bird Rock Fit and creator of Fat2Fitin30.com, explains, ‘Boot camp classes have become a solid contender in the fitness world. According to information from the 2010 IDEA Personal Training Programs & Equipment Trends report, 41% and 25% of respondents offer small-group boot camps and outdoor boot camps, respectively. The data also show that 63% of those offering these programmes expect their growth to continue. For individual professionals and fitness facilities alike, boot camps can be a significant profit centre.’ Most things you read will tell you the benefits of boot camps to get you to attend one of these classes, but why attend a class when you can run one?

 

‘These days, boot camps are varied and appeal to different types of people,’ says Halvorson. ‘Many follow traditional methods with “screaming-sergeant” instructors, while other classes are more like playtime or recess. While it’s an inspiration to see so many exercise groups at your local park, a challenge arises: How do you set yourself apart from the pack? Starting a boot camp business can be a lucrative opportunity for fitness professionals. In many cases the overhead is minimal, if nonexistent. Classes can be held in parks or at recreation centres for a small fee. Equipment adds variety to the programme but isn’t necessary to produce an effective workout.’ So how do you create a boot camp programme that works?

 

1. Get an Early Start on Your Brand: ‘Once you’ve decided to start a boot camp, you’ll want to come up with a good name,’ says Cat Smiley, owner of Canada’s first and longest-running fitness boot camp, The Original Boot Camp. ‘Check with local and national government agencies to determine whether the name is available before you spend any money on graphic design and website.’

2. Be an Individual: While you may have the traditional view that boot camps are for those who want to be screamed at for 30 minutes, it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, doing things your own way can set you apart from the pack. ‘Use your own confidence and creativity to make your programme your own,’ Smiley instructs. ‘Many trainers don’t have it in them to do the “tough-as-nails” boot camp. Instructors are most successful when they use their own personalities and styles while teaching.’

 

3. Don’t Give Away the Farm for Free: Smiley warns, ‘Other trainers might call you and ask for tips and advice. Trust that you can be friendly and give advice without giving away trade secrets. Similarly, clients will sometimes want you to spend extra time helping them with exercises or nutrition advice after class. These are additional services that you can sell.’ You might be tempted to drop your prices to compete with other professionals, but stand your ground. ‘Set your price and stick with it,’ Smiley instructs. ‘Have confidence that you are worth what you ask participants to pay.’

Categories: boot, boot camp, boot camps, bootcamp, branding, camp, camp classes, camps, fitness boot, instructors, local park, smiley instructs

The Absolute Best 30-Minute Boot Camp Workout

There is an increasing popularity of the so-called ‘boot camp’ workout. There isn’t necessarily a specific way of pinning down exactly what a boot camp workout really is, but generally it will be a fitness regimen that is supposedly based around techniques used by those in the military to stay in shape so that they are adequately prepared for combat with enemies. This sort of ‘hard’ training is touted as the ideal way to lose weight or tone up for those people who have always felt like they need to drop a few pounds. But with so many supposed ‘boot camp’ workouts around, how do you which one is the right one that will really stand and deliver?

 

Ken Weichert, master fitness trainer for the U.S. Army has created a system that could potentially be the perfect system for staying in shape or slimming down. His plan allows you to burn off fat and build muscle with this cardio and strength workout that does not require any sort of special equipment. The plan encourages the idea of short but intense workout sessions including cardio intervals, full-body strength workouts and some extra moves for your abs in order to get the payoff you’re looking for. It’s the perfect way to slim down, tone up your muscles and tighten your stomach.

 

To get the full effect of the workout doing the business for you, it’s vital that you follow the proceeding steps so as to maximise the amount you get out for the effort that you have put in. You need to complete the circuit of the workout, which will take approximately ten minutes. To get the best out of it you should do it three times. This means you’ll be getting a fantastic workout for your body that takes just 30 minutes out of your day.

 

The first aspect of the workout is a short period of skipping without a rope. Simply stand as if you are going to be skipping, but do not hold a rope in your hands. Failure to execute this precise aspect of the move correctly will result in you skipping with a rope. Jump up and down on the spot while rotating your arms and shoulders. Continue this at a level of high intensity for around a minute and a half. Next you’ll move on to squats.

 

To perform a squat you must stand with your feet a shoulder width apart and, keeping your back straight, bend down as if you are sitting on a chair. Then you must slowly return to the standing position. Do this for two minutes before moving on the next move, which is the lunge.

 

Once again start with your feet a shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips, then broadly step forward with one foot. As you do this you should bend the other leg downwards, as if you are trying to take one long step. Repeat this with both legs for a minute. Next you must move on to crunches, which you must do for the remainder of the ten minutes.

 

Then it is the time for you to take a break for a couple of minutes. While this might seem pointless, it gives your body time to recover so that you have the strength and energy to do the next set of exercises properly. You then repeat this whole routine twice more. So this routine  every single day and it won’t be long until you stay seeing real progress in your life and you’ll understand why you have been going through with it.

Categories: 30-minute, boot, boot camp, camp, camp workout, minutes, nbsp, shape, shoulder width, Workout

How to Burn Off Those Extra Calories With a Bootcamp

There are all kinds of ways to help you lose weight and boost your fitness, but a new craze that is springing up – called boot-camp – could be the best way of all. Not only will the strength, agility, resistance and cardio moves from the workout help you burn some serious calories, they will also help you to tone up and get the body that you deserve.

 

The best news of all is that you don’t actually have to go to a boot-camp session. You can do your very own boot-camp at home, just by following these simple moves.

 

First of all, do you live near a beach? If you do, then you absolutely have to make use of this in your workout. Working out on sand is a lot harder than working out on a flat surface as you are constantly having to adjust your stability, and the sand also makes the surface a lot less buoyant. You really have to work hard when you run across sand!

 

The best way to incorporate the beach into your workout is to do some strength and cardio training together, like little mini drills on the beach by yourself. You can do short-distance runs (50 – 200 yards for example) and then intersperse these with a few reps of something like lunges, squats, mountain climbers and so on. The cardio and strength training combined is the best way to burn fat and get lean muscle.

 

There are also plenty of things that you can do around the house, if you don’t have a handy beach nearby. For example, when watching television you can try some simple but very effective resistance moves, such as the plank. In the plank, you get into a push up position but with your arms further in, underneath your shoulders, and then push up and hold for as long as you can. You could also stand up and do some lunges whilst watching TV, ironing or doing the dishes, as these are great for toning the thighs and bum area.

Categories: beach, boot, boot camp, bootcamp, calories, camp, exercise, nbsp