3 Bootcamp Fitness Trends for 2010

I realized, after watching the England vs. USA World Cup game on Saturday afternoon, that everyone loves predictions. It was almost as entertaining to see all the “experts” predict the score of the game than it was to watch the match.

Only one expert got the score right, although it’s no big deal to be wrong…letting in the weakest goal in World Cup history, on the other hand, has serious consequences. Poor old Robert Green.

And while watching the match, I realized it’s not too late to make my own predictions on the most important bootcamp trends for 2010.

But these predictions aren’t just guesses. I don’t expect to be wrong, but I can assure you that failing to pay attention to these predictions will have serious consequences.

So here are the 3 bootcamp trends that I predict will separate the ELITE bootcamp trainers from those who struggle.

1) The trainer with the most interval training variations will win

You simply can’t do long, slow, boring cardio in a bootcamp. First, you already know that isn’t a good use of your time. And second, no bootcamp client will stick around paying you $10-20 per session just to be told to run around a park for 20 minutes.

But since almost every bootcamper is there for fat loss, that means you have to come up with fun, cool, and new ways to do interval training. You can’t rely on just one method.

You can use fun games, obstacle courses, shuttle runs, intervals with equipment, and TT Bootcamp style challenges to replace traditional interval training where you run in a straight line.

The more options you have, the more your clients will get results, love your bootcamps, and refer their friends to join your bootcamp.

2) The trainer with the most exercise weapons will win

I’m not just talking about workout straps, kettlebells, stability balls, power wheels, and bands. Those are all really cool to have, but they cost “the big bucks” (especially if you have a big class) and equipment is always a pain in the butt to carry around.

So the best way to stock your training arsenal with a wide variety of exercise weapons is to know as many bodyweight exercises.

If you don’t know at least 10 different pushup variations, 5 unique ways to do lunges, or 11 different ab exercises (not including crunches, since you want to avoid that movement), but your competition does, then you could find yourself in trouble as bootcampers look for new challenges and variety in your workouts.

I highly recommend you search high and low, on Youtube and in old school bodyweight training books to find as many bodyweight moves as possible to liven up your bootcamps.

3) The trainer with the most marketing tools will win

At the end of the day, you can still have the biggest exercise database and the coolest equipment, but if you don’t have bootcampers than you don’t have a bootcamp!

That’s why you need to learn simple, easy, and powerfully effective bootcamp marketing ideas from my friends Bedros Keuilian, Steve Hochman, Chris McCombs and Leanne Ellington. I interviewed them for the TT Bootcamps program as free bonus to give to you to make sure that you have everything you need to succeed with your bootcamp.

To help you take advantage of these 3 trends, I have put together the ultimate bootcamp training and marketing resource here:

=> http://www.TTBootcamps.com/31workouts

To your success,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TT Bootcamps

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Winter Olympics Bootcamp Workout

Have you been checking out the Winter Olympics?

I was looking at all of the events and it gave me this crazy idea to create a “Winter Olympics Bootcamp Workout“.

You can do this with your clients and I bet they’ll love it. You can even “team them up” into different countries and give out gold medals and awards.

Here’s how it goes:

We start with the Moguls Warmup.

I chose the moguls for warm-up,  because that’s where the skiers do all those crazy moves and look really mobile.

Jumping Jacks
Duck Unders (step to the side squat down and duck under as you move)
Stickups
Seal Jumps (like jumping jacks, but cross your arms in front of you)
Pushups (tell your clients they all wiped out and have to do pushups)

Next, we move into the first event – The Ski Jump
10 second hold in the bottom of squat and then do a vertical jump
Repeat 3 times, then move to…

The Downhill Ski Race
1 Long Jump
10 Squats
1 Long Jump
6 Walking Diagonal Lunges per side
Long Jump
20-30 second squat hold
Repeat 3 times.

Give out a gold, silver, and bronze to the people who made it the furthest.

Gold medal awards and water break

Next up, we move to Speed Skating Strength Training
Skater Jumps or Lateral Lunges (depending on fitness level)
Pushups (another wipe-out…so do pushups to practice getting up)
Lunge Jumps or Reverse Lunges (depending on fitness level)

Take another water break if you need to…award some medals if you want, and then move to more strength training, this time courtesy of a weird sport…Curling.

The Curling Strength Circuit
Lunges (because the lunge low when they throw the rock)
Spiderman Climbs (again, because it helps get in that low position)
Close-grip Pushups

Now here are two optional exercises you can add in…

Sweeping (this is a bit of trick…but let’s say your gym needs a cleanup, you can give everyone a broom to cleanup, and tell them its just part of the curling circuit!)

Curls (curlers love to drink beer, so your campers can do dumbbell or band curls to practice for post-game beverages)

Take another water break.

Optional: Hockey Strength Circuit (Uses db or kb)

If you have access to equipment and your campers like heavier resistance training, you can do the following exercises:

Split squat (to build strong skating muscles)
1-Arm Standing Shoulder Press (to practice raising your stick in the air after you score a goal)
Row (to strengthen your upper body & grip for hockey fights)

Figure Skating Bodyweight Strength Circuit

Now we combine bodyweight exercises for strength and finesse…

Reaching Lunge
1-Leg RDL
Pushup or Dip or Overhead Press
1-Arm Band Row

Take another water break.

Sliding Sports Circuit
Bobsled Push (For this, you’ll need a “prowler sled” or a punching bag or weight plate that can be pushed across the floor to simulate the start of the bobsled race)

Then you’ll follow that with a:
Stability Ball Plank or Plank (to simulate holding your body in the luge position)

And then flip to the side for:
Side Planks

Next up, the plain ol’ weird Biathlon (a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting). We’ll modify it so that we do:

Shuttle Sprints (in place of the skiing)
Plank (to simulate the shooting position)

And if possible, add in some type of skill component to simulate the shooting…perhaps you train folks in a gym where there are basketball nets…so have them shoot free throws…or bring in a Supersoaker…no wait, bad idea. But I’m sure you can come up with something.

Water break, cool down, awarding of more medals, and closing ceremonies.

***************
I’m sure your campers will have a blast with that. It’s a great workout, and you’ll probably have some even better ideas than that.

Let me know what other events you come up with,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TTBootcamp Workouts

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