More than any other fitness class, fitness bootcamp routines put a great emphasis on group dynamics. There should be a feeling of kinship and a singularity of purpose. Where each individual member of the class feels as if they are all working together towards a group goal, that ultimately will benefit each individual.
This sense of community and group support is the foundation of a successful bootcamp. In order to maximize this group dynamic, a series of group orientated fitness bootcamp routines will be devised, drawing from the following popular routines.
- Group Strength: This will be a group session with the focus on strengthening of all the major muscles with basic movements for all ages & fitness levels. Motivational music will be used to great effect.
- Group Cardio: The focus of a group Cardio hour will be stamina training working in smaller groups, or even pairs, to encourage the group dynamic and pushing through the fatigue barrier.
- Group Bike/Spinning: These fitness bootcamp routines will make use of the bootcamp’s exercise equipment. As equipment is usually for solo use only, it will be up to the instructor to ensure that the group dynamic is not lost and group support helps flagging members push on through to break through their goals.
- Group Pilates: Focusing on the core, these routines will work on strengthening of the core usually working in pairs for encouragement.
- Group Zumba: Zumba is massively popular due to the group dynamic of dancing to the same rhythm. It offers a superb all round fitness bootcamp routine and will be one of the most popular group sessions at bootcamp.
Participation in fitness bootcamp routines like these promotes a cohesive group which work well together towards achieving their individual goals. Studies have shown that one of the benefits of forming a good cohesive group in this manner is to reduce the number of drop outs. As drop outs can have a negative impact on the group as a whole, the importance of this should not be underestimated.
Avoiding drop outs from the group enhances group cohesion, providing additional benefits to the group:
- Stability-the longer a group is together with the same members, the greater the cohesion.
- Support-cohesive teams promote support from fitness trainers and encourage them to provide support to other members of the group.
- Satisfaction-the extent to which team members are satisfied with each others performance.
For these reasons, fitness bootcamp routines really are the best!
How do you lessen the percentage of dropouts in the first place? You have to figure there will always be a few who find it not what they were expecting or some other reason they deemed valid. How could the instructor motivate many people in a group spin? Not everyone can do the same speed or the same length of time.
what is done for the people who don’t work well in a group? i’m always in a group with the person who doesn’t want to take part or do their share, how can i get around that or help that person get with the program?
@ georgia
Instructors can avoid early drop outs by making sure they meet with prospective camp sign-ups before hand and explaining how the camp works and what will be expected of them. By doing this and by being realistic, some people may decide it is not for them.
While this may seem like a lost member, think about the demoralising effect of the member quitting in front of a class. Bootcamp members don’t want to see drop outs, it makes them think about quitting too.
Be honest with your clients, it’s the best way to go in the long term.
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