Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008 - (Page 25)

things that can change at a moment’s notice, such as lighting, weather (ice, humidity, cold, A difference lies in going from training wind, fog, dust, etc.), wet surfaces, closed areas, construction, traffic, visibility, mosquione client in a gym or even a group of students toes, available rest rooms, noise as well as other things in the environment that may vary in a fitness class to leading 15-75 people in a when you show up for leading a camp. boot camp class. No longer confined to the four walls of a state-of-the-art BOOT CAMPS REQUIRE MORE One of facility, a boot camp is more the reasons that boot camps take additional skills and than an outdoor personal training is that it’s more than a class — it’s a program training session or even taking that includes nutrition, lifestyle change, support, a strengthening class outdoors. education, fitness assessments, physical tests, coachIf boot camps were the same, it ing and more. Fitness pros should hone their skills in would not have the popularity, providing campers with information to change their produce incredible results or lifestyles, such as nutrition basics and behavior modibe as attractive to those campADVENTURE BOOT CAMP fication. It’s also important that they be proficient ers enlisting all over the world. www.adventurebootcamp.com in coaching to varying populations and personality 949.713.5319 types as they may be tripling their client base. THINK IT THROUGH, BOOT CAMP CHALLENGE Because the boot camp involves more than PLAY IT SAFE There www.bootcamp-challenge.com showing up to train one client or conduct one class, are many safety and logisti636.734.8594 additional business skills are needed to understand cal components to leading a how to attract people to boot camps, provide them boot camp, from designing OPERATION BOOT CAMP with safe, effective and fun workouts, communiworkouts to accommodating www.bootcampfranchise.com cate effectively, process payments and registration varying abilities and goals. For 888.7.FITNOW (34.8669) forms, conduct fitness testing in groups, keep everyexample, if you have a boot one thrilled, design and place ads, be visible in the camp with 50 participants THE FITNESS BOOTCAMP community and, ultimately, run a profitable camp. of varying abilities and have www.thefitnessbootcamp.com From finding the ideal location to filling your limited to no equipment, you 570.288.2409 camps, conducting a boot camp program may not need to be prepared to keep be nearly as easy as some make it seem. Many boot everyone moving in a produccamps have fewer than 10 participants and are not tive way for the entire hour. profitable. Without the right formula, boot camps can be a disaster, but with a passionate, There is much planning that goes into the educated and experienced boot camp instructor; it can be the best thing one does with their workout, and the instructor needs to be able fitness career. to think through the flow of drills, obstacle courses, cardio and strength segments and THE RIGHT STUFF The instructor needs to be sharp — and by that, I mean even stretching to make sure everyone is getsmart! They should be able to learn all of the participants’ names, their health histories, ting an effective and safe workout with little to needs and goals, choose appropriate exercises and have modifications ready. They need no down time while providing the most benexceptional communication skills to be able to provide specific feedback, plan transitions, efit with the least amount of risk. keep everyone moving and thrill them at the same time so that they want to come back For example, if you send campers out on for more. Making 40 or more participants feel important in an hour-long session takes a looped run, what are you going to have the exceptional effort. faster campers do while they are waiting for Boot camps can be geared to accommodate different populations, such as children, the slower campers to filter into base camp? women, teens, seniors, the overweight, athletes and so forth. If you are opening your boot Can you see everyone at once to monitor camp up to anyone, you may have campers who range in age from 11 to 65 and from them? Can you give directions to the ones who athletes to those who are morbidly obese. Boot camp instructors should be prepared to are returning in the middle of the pack and still work with all abilities. keep the slower runners moving while keepWhereas a personal trainer may have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars ing the faster runners motivated? If the faster worth of state-of-the-art equipment in a temperature-controlled environment with a campers are standing around waiting for the medley of popular music at just the right volume, a boot camp instructor may be in wet slower campers to return, well, they simply are grass with a handful of jump ropes and cones, ready to lead a small mob of 50 women who not going to be “happy campers.” are looking for an intense and engaging fat-burning session. Boot camp instructors must Additionally, leading an outdoor boot be well-prepared and quick on their feet. camp is filled with obstacles that even experienced and trained boot camp instructors may THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE FEARS The are many benefits of conbe challenged by. When exercising in the outducting a boot camp. If reaching more people, working fewer hours, producing ➤ doors, the instructor is subject to dealing with BOOt camps MAY2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 27 25 http://www.adventurebootcamp.com http://www.bootcamp-challenge.com http://www.bootcampfranchise.com http://www.thefitnessbootcamp.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Live Your Supertrainer Legacy Current Controversies Effective Employee Manuals Product Profiles The Coolest Training Zone The Making of a Top-Notch Boot Camp Instructor Mark Your Calendar Caffeine Exercise Spotlight Product Profiles New on the Market [Spotlight] Trish Muse

Personal Fitness Professional - May 2008

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