How to choose the right outdoor fitness bootcamp for you

Bootcamps. Love them or hate them, tried them or afraid of them. They come in many shapes, sizes and concepts. The term ‘Bootcamp’ originated in the US Military when new recruits would go through an intensive 6 weeks of ‘basic training’ to toughen up the troops before heading out to serve their country. A lot has changed since then and although the same military themes and terminology remain for some outdoor fitness bootcamp, many types of bootcamps with different themes. Many people choose boot camps for the discipline, which of course so comes from the hardcore military perspective.

Others join for the element of fitness activities with other like-minded people and the team effort that comes with the community of outdoor group fitness bootcamps. And for many, simply being outdoor running, jumping, playing is what attracts others.

When choosing an outdoor fitness Bootcamp, make your choice wisely. As the level of professionalism, concept, and safety will vary greatly.

Unfortunately in the fitness industry, the low entry to barrier makes it very easy for anyone to jump into the industry and wear the cap of ‘personal trainer’ or fitness bootcamp coach. To help you find the best outdoor fitness camp for you, follow these 3 top tips when deciding on a fitness bootcamp to achieve your fitness and weight loss goals.

Qualifications:

Are the trainers and owners of the bootcamp qualified with outdoor specific qualifications and credentials? The Bootcamp Alliance is the leading outdoor fitness certification for fitness trainers. Sharing knowledge on how to develop safe, effective and progressive outdoor fitness sessions. Ensuring you choose an outdoor bootcamp company that is fully qualified, through such an organization like Bootcamp Alliance, means you will be in good hands of professionals.

Experience:

As discussed earlier, it is very easy to become an overnight personal training or bootcamp trainer. Similar to the bootcamp certifications and qualifications, check with the fitness company and check their experience in the fitness industry. Do they cater specifically to clients with the same goals as you? Are they focsed on fat loss, or fitness, sport, hard core military exercises and chanting with the typical military songs and “hoohraaaaaaaaaah”? If you’re not into the whole singing aspect of military victory songs, or don’t really appreciate being yelled at to ‘give me twenty!’, you might want to avoid any bootcamp which is themes their bootcamp with military fatigues, camouflage websites and head trainers that call themselves Sargent Steve.

Results Focused:

Once you have narrowed down your options, contact all of them with specific questions about how they run their bootcamps. What can you expect during a fitness bootcamp session? How you do track my results during the program and what additional support or information do you offer your participants. Do they offer nutrition support? Diet plans? Supermarket tours? Accountability and follow up? Pre and post assessments? Once you ask these questions you will instantly see which companies are serious professionals, compared to those just throwing a group ‘workout’ in the park.

Success Stories:

Always an important question; ask for previous and current success stories. What results have been achieved from normal bootcampers? Another tip is to ask for the contact number of a couple of current bootcamp members so you can ask them firsthand about their experience.

Community:

One of the biggest attractions and benefits of joining a professional outdoor fitness bootcamp is the community. Interacting and sharing fitness with others is proven to be one of the most successful elements to achieving results with your bootcamp training. Making it fun, engaging, making new friends, increasing your accountability to show up should definitely be high on your priorities when selecting an outdoor fitness bootcamp. Ask them what community activities they host to bring the community together. Simply checking out their fanpage on facebook will give you a pretty clear idea of the community and how the company runs their bootcamp programs. Be sure to look for lots of fun, games, videos, member events outside of bootcamp, sharing of results. Not just the selfie after each session.

Choose your bootcamp wisely. Do some quick research in your area and get in touch with a few that seem to fit your needs and are tailored to you goals. Of course the location is key, and so it are the timings they each bootcamp company offer.

In the next article we will cover how to get most out of our outdoor fitness training and keep an eye out for the serious on the best fitness and body weight exercises to do with no equipment.