Athletic Boot Camp Sample Workout
Goal: Overall Athletic Development, Strength Development
Total Time: approximately 60 minutes
Equipment Needed: Marking Cones, Mini and/or light bands (depending on the strength of participants), Dragging Sleds with weight
Class Setup: The class needs an open area, preferably a field or rubberized/padded floor to perform agility drills. This area needs at least 25 yards of continuous space in one direction and 20 in the other. The strength circuit portion of the workout will consist of four stations, one of which will require use of the long space.
Minutes 0-5
-Welcome: Begin with a welcome and organizational meeting. Make your participants feel welcome and start bringing their head into the workout by briefly going over what you will be doing, your goals for the day, and a couple of basic coaching cues.
Minutes 6-12
-Warm-up: The warm-up will consist of various athletic drills designed to go from simple to complex. These drills will lubricate the joints, increase the athletes’ core temperatures, and prime the nervous system for further action. Each of these exercises will be performed for one minute per line, so if there are two exercises per line each will be performed for 30 seconds.
Forward/Backward Jumps + Slalom Jumps
Prisoner Squats + Walking Lunges (15yd)
Reverse Lunges + Side Lunges (15sec/leg)
High Kicks (15yd) + Arm Circles
Push-up Walkouts
Carioca (4x 15 yd)
Sprints (4×15 yd)
Forward/Backward Jumps: Participants will hop forward and backward over a distance of about a foot. Feet remain close together and the upper body is largely stationary. Emphasis is on staying on the balls of the feet and minimizing ground contact time.
Slalom Jumps: Participants will hop side-to-side over a line and a distance of about a foot. Feet remain close together and the upper body is largely stationary. Emphasis is on staying on the balls of the feet and minimizing ground contact time.
Prisoner Squats: Participants will stand with their feet slightly wider than shoulder-width and their toes pointed outward slightly. Their hands will be locked behind their head (as if they’re being arrested). Squat by sitting down and back until their thighs are at least parallel to the ground.
Walking Lunges: Participants will step forward with a much larger than normal step while bringing their trailing knee within one inch of the ground but not hitting the ground. They will then bring the trailing leg forward directly into the next step.
Reverse Lunges: Standing comfortably, participants will step one leg back and lightly touch the ball of that foot to the ground behind them. While maintaining most of their weight on their stationary leg they will lower the back knee to within one inch of the ground. They will then reverse the motion and perform it on the other side.
Side Lunges: Standing comfortably with feet parallel the participants will step one leg out to the side, maintaining a parallel stance with their feet. They will then sit down and back to the side they stepped out on, loading that heel, and keeping the trailing leg straight. To finish the movement they will push off the loaded heel to return to the start position.
High Kicks: With straight legs the participants will march the marked distance down the field. The object is to swing the legs as high as possible in order to stretch the glutes and hamstrings.
Arm Circles: With straight arms the participants will make forward and backward circles with their arms by rotating their shoulders. The object is to brush their ears with their biceps on every pass.
Push-up Walkouts: Standing comfortably with their feet parallel the participants will reach straight down to the ground (maintaining straight legs for the duration of the exercise). They will then walk forward on their hands until reaching the push-up position, where they will perform a push-up before reversing the motion until they’ve returned to the starting position.
Carioca: Participants will run laterally by passing their trailing leg over their forward leg, followed by passing it behind the forward leg on alternating steps. The shoulders are to remain in the same line that they began in.
Sprints: Participants will accelerate as quickly as possible and maintain speed for the distance prescribed.
Minutes 13-17
-Speed Block 1: A-skips, 20 yards. Instruct for one minute. Participants will perform A-skips at 20 yard distances. Rest 10-20 seconds between reps.
A-Skips: An exaggerated running technique designed to teach leg lift and explosiveness in sprinting. Participants will skip the prescribed distance will attempting to lift their lead knee as high as possible.
Minutes 18-22
-Speed Block 2: Sprint and Stops, 10 yards. Instruct for one minute. Participants will perform Sprint and Stops at 10 yard distances. Rest 10-20 seconds between reps.
Sprint and Stops: Participants will accelerate and sprint as much as possible for the distance prescribed and reduce speed as rapidly as possible to end in a low, athletic position. They will hold this decelerated position for two seconds.
Minutes 23-25
-Rest Break.
Minutes 26-30
-Agility Block 1: Slide and Stops, 2 steps. Instruct for one minute. Participants will perform Slide and Stops for two steps. Rest 10 seconds between reps.
Slide and Stops: Participants will start in good, athletic positions. They will slide step as quickly as possible the number of steps prescribed in the direction prescribed. After these steps they will sink and hold in a strong, neutral athletic position. This decelerated position will be held for two seconds.
Minutes 31-37
-Agility Block 2: Box Drill, 10 yards. Instruct for one minute. Participants will perform Box Drills. Rest will be at least 15 seconds, or as long as it takes for the box course to clear out from other participants.
Box Drill: Set up a four-point box with cones 10 yards apart. Participants will start at the back, right corner of the box. They will sprint to the right front cone, side shuffle (or carioca) left to the next cone, back peddle to the back cone, and side shuffle (or carioca) back to the original cone.
Minutes 38-40
-Rest Break.
Minutes 41-50
-Strength Circuit: Four Stations, 60 seconds per station, twice through the circuit. Instruct for two minutes.
Station 1: Band Squats – Mini or Light Band
Station 2: Band Push-ups – Mini Band
Station 3: Plank with One Foot Raised – Alternate on second circuit
Station 4: Forward Sled Dragging
Band Squats: Loop a band, either Mini or Light depending on the participant’s strength, under both feet and around the neck. Perform squats using the band as resistance.
Band Push-ups: Loop both hands into the ends of a Mini-band so that the band is stretched across the back of the participant’s shoulders. Perform push-ups so that the band provides resistance.
Plank with One Foot Raised: Lay on the ground so that the athlete is suspended on both elbows and both feet with the body held straight. Raise one foot from the ground so that the athlete is contacting the ground on both elbows and one foot. Hold this position.
Forward Sled Dragging: Weight the sled appropriately for the participant’s strength. Face away from the sled and either hold the straps in the hands or loop them through a belt or harness. Walk forward with some lean and drag the sled. Movement should be as quick as possible without running.
Minutes 51-52
-Rest Break.
Minutes 53-60
-Lecture. Gather the class to wrap up the day’s activities. Discuss a pertinent topic such as nutrition, recovery, or training to educate your participants and add value to their camp.
Isaac Wilkins, M.Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT is the author of Speed Camp Profits and the owner of http://www.athleticbootcamps.com. For more information on developing athletic boot camps and your free report “7 Tips on Starting Your Athletic Boot Camp Business” go to http://www.athleticbootcamps.com today!