By Eric leader-Owner/Personal Trainer
Choosing the right boot camp exercises is crucial to creating an effective
workout that will challenge you without discouraging you as well. Many
struggle unnecessarily doing precisely that and end up losing clients in the
process. So, here are three surefire tips to help you select the right
combination of exercises for the ultimate boot camp workout as recommended by
a
professional personal
trainer.
Tip #1 for Choosing Boot Camp Exercises: Think Big!
When choosing exercises for your classes, it's essential to consider that your
clients only have so much time to work out. Think about it - most of them are
getting up early and rushing like crazy to fit your workout class in three to
five times a week. So, you need to respect their time and give them the most
effective and efficient workout possible for their time.
That's why you need to think BIG with your exercise selection... as in "big
muscle groups." In other words, whenever possible, try to select exercises
that engage multiple large muscle groups.
My all-time favorite exercise that fits this requirement? Burpees, hands down.
Burpees workout the entire body and will challenge your boot campers but are
not so complex. Which brings me to my next tip...
Ultimate Boot Camp Workout Exercise Tip #2: Complexity In Small Doses...
I frequently see fitness instructors who appear to be competing for who can
create the most confusing and complicated workout. I think this is probably a
throwback to the aerobics craze of the eighties, although it is also a
sickness perpetuated by an industry that is always trying to sell the next
greatest thing. However, if your clients wanted to be confused by their
workout, they'd do a step aerobics class; trust me, making your workouts more
natural to understand will improve your retention, drastically.
So, at all times, keep your exercise selections restricted to those movements
that can be emulated with minimal demonstration and instruction. Here's a
litmus test for you - if your mom couldn't do it after watching you demo it
once, it probably doesn't belong in your workout.
Boot Camp Workout Exercise Tip #3: Be A Multi-Maniac
"Multi-maniacs" are fitness instructors who favor exercises that engage
multiple muscle groups, that are multi-joint, and that involve multi-planar
movement. This is how the body moves typically during your clients' activities
of daily living. Whether they're unloading groceries from the car, picking
their baby up from the floor, or doing a double-leg takedown in jiu-jitsu
practice, the body moves in unison, not as separate parts.
So, leave the single-joint/single-plane exercises to the gym trainers. As I
said previously if your clients wanted to be at the gym doing those exercises
they would be. So, give them functional exercises, and that add some fun and
variety to their workouts. In almost every instance, the "multi-maniac"
approach will fit the bill.
About the author: Eric B. Leader is an ACE certified personal trainer with a BS in Exercise Science, and the owner of www.everybodyspersonaltrainer.com, the biggest in-home personal training company on the East Coast. As the owner of Every Body's Personal Trainer, and a personal trainer himself for over 20 years, helping people reach their goals is his passion.