Summer is the perfect time to take fitness outside, and an OUTDOOR BOOTCAMP is still one of the best ways to get a great sweat in under the sun.
Designing an outdoor boot camp doesn’t have to be hard. All you need is adequate space, a good class design, and enough equipment for your group. A good boot camp workout mixes cardio, strength, and agility exercises – working opposing major muscle groups and alternating between upper body and lower body work. Whether you are a fitness pro looking for a class design that is ready to roll out, or you just want to hit the park for a solo session, we give you this simple, but effective circuit-style routine.
This design works best with 12 people but is scalable up or down. At 12, you can have two people at each station, increasing the peer-to-peer motivation. Adjust equipment according to your group size. Set your stations up in a large circle, or in a straight line depending on your space. Leave enough room to perform the work, while keeping the stations close enough to maximize group interaction.
Equipment Needed (Based on 12 people)
STATIONS:
- Agility Ladder Shuffle-Sprint Return (Equip: 1 Agility Ladder)
Going as fast as possible, put one foot in each ladder rung from start to finish. At the end, sprint back to the start, and repeat. Two people should be able to work in line with a time gap of 3 seconds. If your group becomes larger, keep the momentum up by having participants do scissor jumps in between ladder runs.
- Jump Rope (1 Jump Rope for each participant)
Each participant grabs a rope. Go all-out for full time.
If it’s been a while since you’ve jumped rope, here are a few tips.
Jump 1 to 2 inches off the floor, with just enough space for the rope to slide under feet —balls of feet should touch the floor.
Keep your elbows close to your sides as you turn the rope. The movement comes from the wrists and forearms, not the shoulders.
- Medicine Ball Pushup (1 Medicine Ball for each participant)
Start in the push-up position on the floor, and square your hips and keep your back aligned. Place one hand on a medicine ball, while your other hand stays on the floor. Keep your feet spread wide to help with stability. This will be your starting position.
Keep your body straight, bend your elbows and descend towards the ground, allowing your chest to approach the floor, stopping chest at the elbow. Push back up to full arm extension.
Repeat on the other side.
- Side Raise/Front Raise (1 Fitness Cable for each participant)
Each participant can grab a cable that provides a challenging level of resistance. Alternate between lifting your arms out to the side and raising them both to the front. Keep the range no higher than shoulder height.
- Russian Twists (1 Medicine Ball for each participant)
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor (easier) or raised up off the floor (more difficult) at about a 45 degrees angle. Hold the medicine ball with both hands, directly in front of you. Twist slowly from your torso to one side and touch the medicine ball to the floor. Pause and then smoothly contract your abs and twist your torso back to the center position, and then proceed on to touch the medicine ball to the floor on the other side of you. Repeat.
- Low Pulse Medicine Ball Goblet Squat (1 Medicine Ball for each participant)
Stand with your feet just outside your hips, toes slightly turned out. Hold the medicine ball in both hands at hip level. Keeping your weight in your heels bend at the knees and squat down to a 90-degree angle, moving the medicine ball toward the floor, in between your legs. Once in position, pulse at the bottom for the full time.
The Details:
TIMING: 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off
ROUNDS: 6
If you are a leader or coach of a group, run through the basics and form for each exercise. Next, run through a simple dynamic warmup that prepares the body in all planes of movement. (20 jumping jacks, 20 high knees, 20 skaters, 20 clockwork lunges). Then, have participants claim a starting station, spreading out so that all circuits are being utilized. Ideally, there should be two at each station.
Next, start the timer and perform the indicated station exercise for 45 seconds. During the 15 second rest, have participants move to the next station in line. Once participants have completed all six stations, take a 60-second break. After the break, have participants go back to their starting station and start the next round. Completing six rounds of the six stations will give you a 45-minute workout session. End with a cooldown.
COOLDOWN:
Run through a series of sun salutations. Try this four times through.
Mountain Pose.
Hands Fan up.
Dive into forward fold.
Half lift.
Hands to floor, step back to high plank (knees or toes).
Lower to low plank.
Pull through to up dog.
Hips push back to down dog.