Every morning and evening my campers and I would meet in the same area of the park.
But often times the workout I wanted to do required us to be in a different area of the park that we trained in. To save time and confusion, we would meet in the usual spot and then I would incorporate the warm up into a run to that area of the park.
That way when we got there we were ready to go.
To keep things interesting I liked to mix up which warm up we’d do. Below are some of my favourites.
You can use these even if you’re training in the same spot, just take your campers for a run and use one of the warm up techniques below.
Option 1 – Goose Run
Known for years as an Indian Run, we didn’t like that name so we’ve called it a Goose Run, which makes sense because it mimics how geese save energy with their flying ‘V’.
The number of campers should be at least four, although the more campers participating, the better the workout this works.
Start out by positioning the campers in single file (get them in two files, side by side, if you have more than 12). Let them know that they are running at a pace that everyone in the run can handle which will be set by you, an assistant trainer or a trustworthy client.
It’s likely that this pace will be SLOW, especially if you have newbies in your group.
Start running towards your destination. When you call out ‘Go’ or blow a whistle, the person from the back moves to the side of the line and accelerates past everyone to the front of the group.
Keep going until you reach your destination.
Ways to mix it up:
- Go front to back: On ‘Go’ the person in front moves to the side and does Jumping Jacks or Squats until the end of the line passes them at which point they join on at the end. This is a good option if you have confident runners in your group.
- Weaving: Have your group spread out so that they keep 2m between themselves and the next person in line. On ‘Go’ the person at the back must weave through the group on their way to the front. Go super slow for this one.
Option 2 – Stop & Mob
Pick a landmark like light poles or junctions along the path you are following to your destination. Run in a group in single or double file like the Goose Run above. Set the pace at one everyone can keep up with.
Each time you reach a chosen landmark stop and do 10 reps of a mobility exercise together as a group.
Here are some I recommend:
- Frog Squats
- Scapula Push Ups
- Spiderman Lunge with reach
- T Hip Drops
- Reverse Lunge with twist
- Side to Side Squats
Option 3 – Run To The Game
This one is quite simple and good for when the destination isn’t too far away. Form up in single or double file as above, then run at a pace everyone can keep up with to the workout location.
As soon as you arrive break into a warm up game like:
- Amoeba Tag
- Red Light, Green Light (link for BootCrafters)
- Toilet Tag (link for BootCrafters)
- Card Suits Quick Warm Up (link for BootCrafters)
Option 4 – Do you get stuck trying to come up with fresh warm up ideas?
Warm ups set the tone for the entire workout so it’s important to do something that is going to get your clients engaging, smiling and starting to sweat.
Trying to keep it fresh is not always easy though. If you’re like me, you end up falling back on the same 2 or 3 warm ups over and over again.
If you feel like it’s time to switch things up a little, come check out BootCraft where we’ve compiled 132 of our favourite warm ups into an easy to search database.
You can get access to them all for just $20. Read more about BootCraft and subscribe.
Plus, you’ll also get access to done-for-you workout plans like the one below.
Kyle Wood created Bootcamp Ideas in 2010 when he was hunting around on the internet for workout ideas. He ran a successful bootcamp in Victoria, Australia and spends his spare time managing this site, adventuring (or lazying) with his wife and find new ways to make bootcamps even better.
Leave a Reply