When doing bootcamp workouts, you have to have a LOT of variety, or else your campers will get bored and another "bright shiny fitness object" like Zumba or spinning will grab their attention and they'll be gone from your classes for good..
As you know, there's a huge range of bodyweight exercises in the TT Bootcamps Workouts, but if you've gone through all of them already and can't wait until "TT Bootcamps 2K10" comes out, then here's a laundry list of exercise to help you change up your programs.
Well, here are more than 25 alternative bodyweight exercises for you.
Situation #1 - You need a replacement for push-ups...so why not try:
- close-grip pushups (use 3/4 range of motion for maximum triceps work)
- decline pushup
- elevated pushups
- off-set pushups (& walking off-set pushups - totally cool move)
- pushups with your feet on the ball
- pushups with your hands on the ball
- spiderman pushups
- decline close-grip pushups
- decline spiderman pushups
- pike pushups
Situation #2 - You need some new lower body exercises, so try:
- 1 & 1/2 rep Bulgarian split squats (advanced)
- split squats with your front foot elevated 4-6 inches
- 1-leg deadlifts
- 1-leg squats sitting back onto a bench
- 1-leg squats standing on the bench and dropping one foot off the side
- deep step-ups (drop your hips low before doing a step-up)
- reaching lunges
Situation #3 - You don't have dumbbells but you want to do something for the upper back, so you can do:
Using the smith machine, you can do...
- inverted rows
- underhand inverted rows
- inverted rows with your feet on the ball
- inverted rows holding the ends of a towel hung over the bar (advanced grip strength there!)
Using the pullup bar, you can do...
- eccentric pull-ups
- regular pull-ups
- sternum pull-ups
- chinups
- side to side pull-ups
Whew!
That should add some variety to your bootcamps until I can get the TT Bootcamps 2K10 manual done for you.
Your friend,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, TTBootcamps Workouts
