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!

These days, it seems that there are fitness bootcamps everywhere you look. Even weekly classes in a gym are now being referred to as fitness bootcamps because it’s the new trendy buzz word. So what you do to make sure that your bootcamp does not become lost in this media circus?

If you have been in the fitness business for any length of time, you will know it all comes down to fitness marketing, but not just any fitness marketing – it has to be innovative, fresh .. not the same as everyone else.

The first thing you should decide is what niche to promote your bootcamp too (actually you should decide on this aspect before you design your fitness bootcamp really, as you will see in a moment). I know it’s tempting to be all things to everyone but that’s what a whole lot of other fitness professionals are doing so here is your first chance to stand out from the crowd.

There is another great reason for specializing as well as it makes it much easier to find the best places to advertise as well. Let’s look at a couple of examples. Perhaps you have designed your bootcamp for agility, then you could target local athletic teams through visiting the local running track or local high scolls or colleges. Maybe your fitness bootcamp is for mothers who have just had babies and want lose a little weight. You could frequent baby accessory and clothes shops or even place a few strategically placed leaflets at the local maternity wards!

You potential clients are more likely to choose your bootcamp if you can get them to remember you. You know the saying ‘nothing in life is for free’? Well, that’s one myth you can explode by offering a free Saturday workout for people in your local town. Once they see how you would conduct your bootcamp you can get them hooked to attend everyday. Best of all they will remember you!

More and more people are using the internet to search for ways to get fit and there is a variety of ways that you can get your bootcamp in front of these searchers – writing articles, creating a mini video about your bootcamp and blogging about it to name a few (hint).

The best internet fitness marketing tip I know is you can also find websites dedicated to the niche (and geographical location) you have decided to advertise to and you can contact these website owners and see if they would promote your fitness bootcamp for a commission and attract new clients that way.

A fitness business should definitely take advantage of what fitness marketing avenues the internet opens up for them especially as only a small proportion of fitness professionals presently use it to advertise their classes and bootcamps – see it as another chance to stand out from the crowd.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on equipment in order to offer your bootcamp trainees a great workout.  Indeed, you can do a lot of bodyweight exercises or other no-equipment exercises.   But to add variety to your bootcamps – which keeps trainees interested and excited about remaining a member — you can bring occasionally bring exercise equipment to class.  

However, that doesn’t mean you need to max out your credit card to get equipment. Just scour your garage and scope out your workout area (such as a playground) – you’ll likely find all the equipment you need.

Here then is a seven-exercise circuit using minimal or low-cost equipment…

TIP: Be sure to begin and end each session with five minutes of light exercise, so that your trainees properly warm up and cool down.

Exercise 1: Pull ups.  You don’t have to be in a gym to have your trainees do pull ups.  Get creative.  If you’re working out in a park, look for a tree with a low, sturdy branch.  Or if you’re working out near a playground, there’s probably plenty of equipment there that can double for a chin-up bar.

Exercise 2: Jump rope.  To make this circuit station more interesting, you might have your trainees race against the clock. For example, challenge them to get a specific number of jumps completed before the interval is up.

Exercise 3: Weighted squats.  Instead of doing bodyweight squats, you can make the exercise more intense by adding weights.  Typically the trainee would have a barbell resting on his shoulders or he’d have a set of dumb bells in his hands.  If you don’t have these items handy, then you can improvise by using rocks, jugs full of sand or liquid, small pails full of concrete or other heavy items.

Exercise 4: Farmer’s carry.  In this exercise, the trainee develops his grip strength by carrying something heavy for as long as possible.  It’s called a “farmer’s carry” because people often use big pails full of water, sand or rocks. But you can use most any type of weight (including things like rocks).

Exercise 5: Box jumps.  For this exercise you’ll need a sturdy platform that trainees can jump on and off repeatedly for the duration of the interval.  (Note: Have trainees lace their fingers behind their heads while jumping.)

If you’re near a park with a baseball field, look at locations like the dugout or even the stadium seating area to see if there are stairs or chairs (bolted down) that can be used for this purpose. 

Exercise 6: Elevated push ups.  Here your trainees will perform push ups. The only difference is that their feet will be elevated to make it more challenging.  You can elevate their feet using a box, a stepping stool, a stair or even something unusual like a fallen tree or a boulder.

Exercise 7: Power medicine-ball drop.  For this exercise you’ll need a medicine ball or a similar piece of equipment, and your trainees will need a partner. 

One person lies on the floor, face up, arms extended towards the sky/ceiling. The other person holds the ball and stands on a box or other elevated platform at his partner’s head.  The person with the ball drops it. The person on the floor catches it, brings it to his chest and then launches it back to the standing person with as much power as possible.

Rinse and repeat.  If you don’t have assistants to act as partners for your trainees, then your trainees will need to partner up with one another for the circuit and switch positions midway through the allotted time.

As owner of NutriFitness Bootcamps in Pa. and creator of the Sure Victory Fitness Bootcamp Kit , I am revealing my top 10  bootcamp exercises. Some variation of these 10 exercises should be included in every bootcamp workout program.

Exercise 1. Squats- (bodyweight squats,squat and press, squat and hold,etc), Exercise 2. Lunges all variations( walking lunges, Lunge combinations,etc), Exercise 3. Push up all variations, Exercise 4. Pull up variations(suspension TRX rows, inverted rows, chins,etc), Exercise 5  Swing-kettlebelle /dumbbell swings, Exercise 6  Med Ball Chops, Exercise 7 Single leg Hip extension or single leg Deadlifts, Exercise 8 Burpees, Mountain climbers, Exercise 9. Plank all variations, Exercise 10 Tabata or metabolic finishers(bodyweight circuits,hill sprints, jump rope, boxing drills)

I absolutely love total body exercises and total body workouts, tabata circuits,partner drills and my top 10 bootcamp exercises because these give bootcamp our clients RESULTS!

the joys of training a boot camp class, Hearts thumping.  People sweating.  And all of your trainees giving you “I hate you looks” because their muscles are burning and they feel like their lungs are going to explode.  But you just smile back because you know your trainees are getting the one thing they really want: RESULTS!

But you also want to make sure your trainees don’t get bored. That’s why you need to introduce new exercises and drills to keep your boot camp fresh. Plus, new exercises keep your trainees’ bodies guessing – and again, that means results!

To that end, here are five boot camp drills for group workouts you can start incorporating immediately into your classes…

TIP: Be sure to have your class both warm up and cool down before doing these drills.  Light jogging for 5-10 minutes should do the trick, followed by light stretching.

1. Pack Runs.  Here’s how it works: Have your trainees line up (single file) and start jogging.  When you call out a signal word or blow a whistle, the person at the back of the pack needs to sprint to the front of the line and become the new leader.

This one works great if you had a medium to large size class, because the person doing the sprinting has to sprint longer. If you have a small class, you can achieve the same thing by spreading your runners out a bit.

2. Suicide Bear Crawls. You’ve heard of suicide lines (AKA ego makers and lots of other names). This is where your trainees run from the starting point to a line that’s maybe 25 feet away, then back to the starting point, then out to a line that’s 40 feet away, then back to the starting point… and so on until they’ve run and touched every line.

And you’ve also heard of bear crawls, where trainees walk around on all fours (hands and feet) like a bear.

This drill combines these two great exercises.  Instead of sprinting to the lines, your trainees will alternate sprinting and bear crawling. For example, you can have them bear crawl OUT to the lines, and then sprint back.

3. Shadow Runs. This one is great for developing agility.  Have your trainees partner up.  One partner is the leader and takes off jogging. The other partner “shadows” the leader as closely as possible. So if the leader zigs to the right and then hops on one foot, the second person needs to do the same moves. 

Every two minutes you can blow the whistle to signal the leaders and followers to switch positions. You can also create a signal for “double time,” where each pairing needs to at least double their pace for 30-60 seconds (until you blow the whistle again).

4. Drag Runs. Here’s a good drill to develop speed and strength.  Plus, you can use it as a team-building exercise.

Here’s how it works…

Create a heavy drag (such as a tire on a chain) with an easy on, easy off harness.  Now have one person drag the tire while everyone else jogs behind.  When you blow your whistle, the next person in line must quickly take control of the tire and start dragging. That means all team members get at least one turn dragging the tire.

The goal is for the team to reach a certain destination within a certain amount of time. 

TIP: There are plenty of heart-pumping variations you can do. For example, you can have everyone else running suicide lines or pack runs until you blow the whistle, at which point someone else needs to take control of the tire. That way one person is dragging the tire and everyone else is sprinting – which means it’s a great workout for all!

5. Slalom Runs. Here’s a drill that helps develop both speed and agility.  Simply set up a series of cones or other markers for as far as you want your trainees to run. Then have them run through the cones slalom style – meaning they have to weave back and forth.

For a fun variation, blow the whistle and call out an exercise – such as burpees or push ups.  Trainees should do that exercise until you blow the whistle again, at which point they continue sprinting through the slalom.

Unless you live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, I’m almost certain that you have competition.  Even if there aren’t other fitness bootcamp trainers, you’re still competing with personal trainers and even gyms.  And that means you need to find a way to set yourself apart from the crowd.

You see, when potential trainees first encounter information about your bootcamps, they have one question in the back of their minds: “Why should I buy from YOU?”

In other words, why should they join your class when they have so many other options?  Listen: If you can’t answer that, you’re going to lose sales.  That’s because your prospects are going to blow a brain cell trying to come up with their own answer.

So, you need to answer that question. And you do that by creating a USP – unique selling proposition – which lets prospects know why your services are different and BETTER than the competition.

Now, there are plenty of ways for you to do this.  However, you’ll need to scope out the competition first to see how they’re positioning themselves in the market (as you don’t want to use the same USP, obviously, as that wouldn’t make you unique). 

You also need to think about your target market and what’s important to them.  Your USP will go over like a lead balloon if you choose a USP that’s not important to your market. 

For example, if you’re targeting upper or middle-class women who above all are looking for results, then creating a USP based on “lowest prices” won’t give you much of a competitive edge.

Here are just a few ways you can position yourself in the market:

Low Prices: If most of the trainers in your area offer higher-priced one-on-one training, you can offer low priced bootcamps.  (Just be careful about competing on low price, because you’ll start losing money if someone undercuts you).

High Prices: You can also position yourself as the “highest cost” trainer, like the Rolls Royce of bootcamps.  You’ll need to justify your high cost, however, such as by pointing to your experience, certification, personal attention, results, etc.

Customized Training: Most people who want personal attention and customized training go to one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer. You can offer one “free” one-on-one consultation with each of your bootcamp trainees.

Unique Qualification: This may include anything from specialized certification or education to a unique qualification such as you being a former drill sergeant.

Being “Original” or “First”: Some people think the original or first in a category is the best.  For example, “The Original Orange County Bootcamp – Still the Best!”

Specific Results: Maybe you’re running a bootcamp designed to get people in shape for an actual military bootcamp.  You can promise specific results – such as your clients meeting minimum requirements at bootcamp.

Or perhaps you’re running an athletic bootcamp. You can promise your clients they’ll improve on some measurable activity by some specific percentage.

If you want to really stand apart, then guarantee these results.  For example: “You’ll lose 10 pounds or you’ll get your money back!”

 Of course, don’t limit yourself to these factors.  Be creative. Find out what your prospects most want, and then create your USP around that desire.

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!

Running a fitness boot camp is always a good idea. But it’s especially a good (and profitable!) idea right now.  Here are five reasons why you should get your next boot camp organized ASAP…

Reason 1. Increase Revenue Now Before the Summer Slow Down Soon enough, your boot camp prospects are going to get wrapped up in their summer activities. They’re going to go on vacation, chauffeur the kids back and forth to summer activities and spend more time relaxing. They’ll spend less time thinking about fitness, which means you’ll experience the summer slow down.

And that’s why now is such a great time to organize your next boot camp.  It’s easy to get your prospect’s attention now (see Reason #3) – and you get the benefit of a nice boost to revenue.

Reason 2. You Can Run Theme Boot Camps  Many of your clients are going to join your boot camps for specific reasons. For example, you may have a boatload of people who want to get their “beach bodies” back before the warmest weather rolls in.  And you may find your class filling with women who want to get in shape for their upcoming summer weddings or even a class reunion.

You can take advantage of these reasons by running theme-based boot camps, such as the “Boot Camp for Brides” or the “Beach Body Boot Camp.

Reason 3. You Can Take Advantage of Your Clients’ Eagerness to Help Them Achieve Their Goals As mentioned in Reason #2, many of your clients have very specific reasons for wanting to lose weight and get in shape.  If nothing else, many of your clients are looking forward to shedding their winter weight and getting active again.

The point is, these reasons make your clients very eager to get results.  They’re committed to the program and extremely motivated.  And that means your class will be full of clients who show up and happily do everything you tell them to do. 

So what happens? Your clients get results.  You look like a miracle worker. And that means you have satisfied customers who’ll come back and happily do business with you again and again!

Reason 4. Spring Fever Means Your Clients Want to Get Outside Your clients have spent all winter staring at the walls while they’ve worked out on their treadmills and stair steppers. They have a touch of spring fever.  If they spend another day inside exercising, they’ll go crazy.

You see, your potential clients want to get outside to enjoy the fresh air and warm sunshine.  That means they can ride their bikes, walk, jog, swim… or join your boot camp! 

Reason 5. Your Class Has a Support System Built In As a trainer, you know that one factor that contributes to your clients’ success is whether they have a support system in place.  That’s the beauty of a boot camp – it has a built-in support system, since your trainees can motivate one another and hold each other accountable.  And that means you’ve just increased the chances of your clients seeing fantastic results.

Bottom line: If your clients get results, they’re happy. And happy customers not only do repeat business, they tell their friends to join your classes, too!

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.

Today’s boot camp business climate is getting to be pretty cluttered. It’s amazing how many boot camps are running in most major cities. If you want to be successful in your boot camp business then you need to find a way to separate yourself from the rest of the pack. A quick, easy, and effective way to make your camp stand out is to add an element of athletics to your programming.

By incorporating athletic activities to your camp your clients will have more fun, see better results, and have something different to talk about when they get to work. All of these things will have a positive effect on your business! Here are three quick and easy ways to up the athletics in your workouts and get your campers buzzing.

1. Add athletic drills to your warm-up. Instead of warming your campers up with a quick jog and then some light stretching you should be using this warm-up time to develop their athleticism as well as get them ready for the workout. Incorporate athletic drills that get them moving around such as skipping, hopping, side-to-side shuffling, light jumping, and crawling.

This type of training will do a great job preparing your campers for the upcoming workout. They’ll also be working on their overall athleticism. You’ll see an improvement in their performance during the main workouts and they’ll have some cool stuff to talk about with their friends.

. 2. Pre and post-test athletic skills. Does the average fat loss boot camper care about her 40 time? Of course not. However, in addition to your usual measurements try to test some of your campers’ performance qualities. Everyone likes to improve and if you can demonstrate improvement in some athletic quality your campers will be overjoyed. Remember, if all other things are equal, people want to perform at a superior level. So if your campers improve their max push-ups, shuttle time, or jumping distance they’ll see the value of your program, feel more confident in life, and be motivated to keep working hard.

3. Perform more bodyweight and whole-body exercises. Athletes don’t spend a lot of time doing isolation exercises like Triceps Kickbacks or Dumbbell Curls. Instead they focus on exercises that train their whole body using either weight or their own bodyweight. These exercises are far superior when it comes to improving performance and really are usually more successful for promoting fat loss, too.

By incorporating more bodyweight and whole-body exercises into your boot camp your clients will become leaner, healthier, more active, and in general more athletic. This will translate into better results for you and happier clients. That’s the way to build a business!

Adding an athletic element to your boot camp is an easy, quick way to differentiate you from your competition and improve the quality of your training. Anything you can do to make your camp better and set it apart will translate directly into your (and your clients’) success and improve your bottom line.