Fitness Boot Camps are a growing trend in the fitness industry today for good reason. They’re typically much more affordable than personal training. They also offer more camaraderie and social support, are much more exciting, and have many more convenient time slots than personal training while still providing expert supervision.
Unfortunately, boot camps also have their downside. Many fitness instructors want to jump on the lucrative boot camp bandwagon without having any of the necessary skills or experience to design custom workouts for the wide variety of fitness levels typically found in large group training. In order for you to have a great boot camp experience, use my 10 tips on how to select a boot camp to guide you to the proper camp that will get you the results you want and keep you safe at the same time:
The Top 10 Boot Camp Safety Checklist
1.) The Instructor(s)
2.) The Instructor(s)
3.) The Instructor(s)
4.) The Instructor(s)
5.) The Program Must Emphasize Body Weight Before External Resistance. There should be no added weight to any movements until you have mastered the key foundational body weight exercises in full ranges of motion like push-ups, squats, lunges, etc. A red flag should be raised if you are being instructed to add weight to a movement that you have yet to master with your body weight alone. This one's important because it's not a matter of if you will get hurt... it's a matter of when!
6.) The Training System Must Focus on Body Weight Circuit Training and Cardio Interval Training. High-Intensity Interval Training is scientifically proven to burn 9x more fat than the aerobic training alternative, so it is critical that both the resistance training AND cardio programs provided incorporate intervals since the goal of 99% of fitness enthusiasts is fat loss. Furthermore, most people are seeking for the lean, athletic look of a men's health or women's health cover model respectively, and this is easily accomplished with 2-5+ body weight resistance training movements organized in a circuit fashion with the proper pre-programmed work to rest periods between exercises. Plus a truly skilled trainer has mastered the art of intensifying movements without the need for extra loading.
7.) The Program Must Provide Nutritional Information. Nutrition is 80% of the weight loss battle. Without it, you are joining an incomplete program and wasting your money since there is no amount of exercise that can compensate for poor dietary habits. People are too busy, and frankly too lazy, so the nutrition program needs to be clearly outlined and easy to follow. It should provide both Quick-Start Nutrition Guides for Males and Females respectively that will have you eating to support your fat loss goals in 5 minutes or less. If a boot camp doesn’t address nutrition, then they don’t really care about your success and you should move on to one that does.
8.) The Program Must Have A Website AND An Interactive Web 2.0 Social Network. Bottom line, if the boot camp program in question does not have a website in this day and age it isn’t worth your time and money. Personal training is not just about "training," it is a business and it needs to be approached that way. Furthermore, social support must extend outside of the boot camp workout. There are several web 2.0 interactive social networks (e.g. NING) that offer member profiles, blogging, and a forum where trainers and clients can interact with each other for FREE, so there is no excuse not to set this up for boot camp clients.
9.) Any reputable program Must Have Social Proof And Raving Fans. If the program works, there should be proof in the form of client testimonials. Their previous clients should have results and be raving about all of the benefits that they have received from the program. Ask for before and after pictures and written or video testimonials of their services before signing up (this should be made available on the company website). And remember, it's NOT just about the weight loss. Benefits should include, but not be limited to, increased energy levels, dress/pant size reduction, improved health profiles, increased strength and flexibility, less joint pain, better sleep, etc.
10.) The reputable Program must Offer A FREE Trial or Satisfaction Guarantee. If the program is confident about what they have to offer you, then they will let you come in and try it for free or they will guarantee your satisfaction or your money back to completely eliminate the risk on your end. A results-based programs looks to minimize barriers of entry for prospects into their boot camps because they know that once you experience the benefits of their program firsthand you’ll be hooked!
Max Hoyt, IFPA & IYCA certified personal trainer, is a fat loss expert who has helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds of unwanted body fat through his FIRM Fitness Camps. For a free 1-week trial, e-mail Max:maxtraining365@
