How To Run Successful Fitness Bootcamps

There are fitness bootcamp workouts for everyone! After just a little browsing on the subject of bootcamps I came across bootcamps for new moms, athletes, kids, teachers, police and more. Then their were others that were run military style or equipment specific,such as band camps, kettlebell camps, and even a bootcamp for dogs! So if you are ever at loss for ideas for fitness bootcamp business ideas just browse on the internet should have your mind buzzing with ideas in no time.

There are hundreds or resources on the internet which you can get ideas from. My first point of call would be searching ‘fitness boot camp’ on YouTube. This is a great source as you will immediately be able to see what videos are really popular and get a whole array of ideas for your own fitness bootcamp workouts. Just to let you know that six pack abs and bikini ready bodies feature quite often on these videos.

Weight loss is indeed a major reason why people go on fitness bootcamps Playing to peoples’ positive emotions will win you customers i.e. ‘Become a ‘Buff Bride’ would attract more people than ‘if you get any fatter, you’ll never get a man’.Smile

Actually this idea of targeting a select clientele with a specific purpose is also a great fitness marketing tip. I know it’s very tempting to be all things to everyone and have a large target market but it is actually easier if you have a specific niche to decide where you want to advertise.

The market for fitness bootcamps is still wide open and with plenty of scope for new bootcamp ideas. Look around you all the time for target markets and decide what exercises would be best for them,the most fun or challenging. One such idea popped into my head when I was thinking about my schooldays. Why not create fitness bootcamp workouts based, around playground games? You know the ones, like dodge ball, catch, tag,and other such games. Market it as a trip down memory lane and advertise on reunion type websites like Friends Reunited, Meet Up, or Facebook

All it takes is a unique idea some innovative fitness marketing and your fitness bootcamps will be extremely popular!

One of the most powerful ways to market your bootcamps is by doing joint ventures (JVs) with other people who’re serving the same niche as you.  This means you join forces for mutual benefit.  It might be as simple as co-promoting one another. Or, you might create a product (or even a bootcamp) together.

Why is it so powerful?  Because you have another trusted and influential third-party endorsing you. 

You see, people do business from those they know, like and trust.  If you haven’t yet built up that trust with a particular portion of your niche, you can “borrow” credibility by associating with respected others in your niche.  That’s why a joint venture works so well.

Now, there are plenty of ways you can do joint ventures – it’s really only limited to your imagination.  But here are a few ideas to fire up the brain cells and get the creativity flowing…

Do joint mailings.  If you’re using direct mail, then you can split the cost with one or more partners and send out a joint mailing.  Depending on what you’re mailing, you might arrange it so that each person gets a portion of a flyer or gets to include a postcard or brochure in the mail.

Naturally, you don’t want to do this sort of venture with your direct competitors.  Instead, do it with people who serve the same niche but don’t offer bootcamps. For example, if you’re offering athletic bootcamps, then work with people who own sports supply stores.

Offer discounts to your respective customers.  Another way to use JV partners to attract new customers is by offering exclusive discount coupons to each other’s customers.  So whenever you start a brand new bootcamp with new clients, you hand out your partner’s coupons to your trainees.

For example, you can pair up with the athletic store owner mentioned above.  Then you can create exclusive coupons for each other.  Your coupon might be a “percent off” coupon, a “buy one and bring a friend free” coupon or even a coupon giving the recipient the opportunity to attend your bootcamp three times for free before making a commitment.

Offer a free bootcamp or workshop in someone’s store.  One way to attract new clients is to offer a “freebie” to prospects, as it’s a risk-free way for prospects to decide if your bootcamp is right for them.

While you can certainly advertise these freebies on your own, you can also partner with someone who owns a store, such as a health food store, vitamin shop or athletic store.  Then you offer your sample bootcamp (or even a related workshop) in your partner’s store.  Then both you and your partner can advertise this free event.

It’s a win-win situation.  You get more prospects to add to your list and more clients joining your bootcamps.  Meanwhile, your partner gets more foot traffic into his store, which leads to more sales.

Likewise, any joint venture you do should benefit both you and your partner.  Indeed, the more benefits your partner receives, the more likely it is he or she will agree to do a joint venture!

As a health and fitness specialist (aka personal trainer) you can rest assured that you don’t have to worry about job security.  Physical inactivity has been called the greatest epidemic or our time.  There are a lot of people that need help and many money making opportunities in the health and fitness industry.

That doesn’t mean that there isn’t competition and that the money comes easy.  Personal training takes a lot of time and we often find ourselves trading hours for dollars.  Unless you’re training the super rich, celebrities, or professional athletes you likely are not making the money you deserve and not helping as many people.

Boot camps are quickly becoming a popular to train clients.  It’s a win-win for both parties.  Fitness boot camps allow trainers to help more people and make more money while providing an affordable way for clients to get personal training.

If you are a personal trainer thinking about starting a fitness boot camp, here are some tips to help you get started.

1)  The first thing you need to do is decide who your boot camp will target.  There are many groups of people and occassions to which you can market your boot camp.  You can target brides-to-be, grooms-to-be, new moms, kids, bikini boot camps, abs, spring breakers, or just the general population looking to lose weight and get in shape.

Who you target will depend on what time of year it is, but there are always people with good reasons why they need to get in shape.  Determing who you will target will help you figure out how to market to your crowd.

2)  At the beginning of each boot camp you need to hold an “orientation” session.  This will allow you to lay the expectations for both yourself and the participants…they know what to expect of you and what you expect of them  This way, they’re mentally prepared for the experience in the coming weeks.

3)  Be creative!  Step outside the normal push-up, squat, lunge, and jumping jack routine.  Think up some fun games and exercises that get people moving and keep things fresh.  Push-ups, squats, lunges, and jumping jacks are good, but figure out a fun way to incorporate them into your boot camp workouts.  You’ll be amazed at the things you can do with grade school games such as tag and ultimate frisbee.  Find a local park and have a blast!

4)  Even though you’re training a group of people, it’s important that you pay attention to each individual client.  They’re paying you to train them so make sure that you’re meeting their needs and they are doing the right things to accomplish their goals.

5) While most boot camps are exercise oriented, you can’t forget about nutrition.  Nutrition is what will make or break a boot campers success.  There are two ways, or a combination of both, that you can do this.  The first is to hold a nutrition seminar to educate the participants on proper nutrition.  You can present general nutrition information and hold a Q&A session at the end.

The best, yet most time consuming, way to do it is to schedule individual sessions with each boot camper to design specific nutrition plans.  I love doing this because it gives you the opportunity to really get to know each client and help them reach their goals.  This will help them tremendously and set you up with a long term client.  It will take more of your time, but it is definitely worth it.

Boot camps are a great way to increase your revenue and they can be an absolute blast.  Just make sure that you still pay attention to the needs of each individual.  Do this and you will have a lucrative business on your hands.