MISSION: METABOLISM

Discover How to Fix the 7 Deadly Workout Sins to Achieve Metabolic Breakthrough

 By BJ Gaddour, CSCS

As a former fat kid and disgruntled owner of a naturally slower metabolism, I have made it my life’s mission to help other people like me achieve metabolic breakthroughs to dramatically improve body composition, performance, and overall health.

I have always struggled with my weight and it affected me a lot as a kid.

I used to shower in the dark to avoid seeing my reflection.

I used to fib to my friends that I was allergic to chlorine to get out of having to go shirtless to swim and risk turning the pool party into an expo at Sea World.

I was so afraid to talk to girls because I feared they found my mere existence to be nauseating.

But I remember the day everything changed for me– It was after a family cruise and we finally received our photos from the trip and one photo particularly caught my eye.

It was the photo you take with your group before you first board the boat.

What I saw absolutely horrified me.

It looked like I had a double chin, bordering on triple chin status.

At the time I was wearing a XXL shirt and a size 42 pants and I looked absolutely miserable.

I was literally a prisoner in my own oversized body and I finally had enough.

After seeing this picture I knew I had to make some changes because I just couldn’t live like that anymore– it was too painful and too depressing.

What follows is a culmination of years of research and trial and error to produce rapid and lasting weight loss through cutting-edge metabolic training that only requires a 90-minute commitment each week.

This is the exact system I used for my own personal metabolic breakthrough and I still follow these guidelines today to maintain single-digit body fat percentage year round.

Alright baby, time to crank up that metabolism!

What is metabolism?

Metabolism is the sum of all chemical processes that take place in the human body to sustain life. Many people are born with slower metabolisms that make them prone to weight gain. Other people, known as lucky ____ (fill in the blank), are born with faster metabolisms and seem to have no problem being lean regardless of their activity levels or dietary habits- I hate them too!

Though metabolic rate is largely determined by genetics, there are various ways to increase metabolic rate (the speed of your metabolism) through exercise, nutrition, and supplementation. Here we will focus solely on the metabolic impact of a properly designed exercise routine.

The 7 Deadly Workout Sins… And How to Fix them to Achieve Metabolic Breakthrough!

Deadly Workout Sin#1- Performing daily body part workouts

One of the longest running inside jokes within the fitness industry is the fact that Monday is “international chest day” where most gym-goers will do endless sets and reps of bench presses and chest flies until their boobies “burn so good” and swell as if being nipped by a swarm of ginormous mosquitoes.

We can thank the drug-abusing bodybuilding world for the concept of training one body part per day for best results. If you open the typical bodybuilding magazine, below is a great example of a training program you might come across (or some variation of this):

Monday- Chest

Tuesday- Quads

Wednesday- Back

Thursday- Hamstrings

Friday- Triceps

Saturday- Biceps

Sunday- Calves

Please keep in mind that when you take a cocktail of anabolic performance enhancing agents, just about anything you do will result in less fat and more muscle– not to mention a host of deadly side effects and the possibility of growing a tail (anything is possible).

The reality is that training your whole body more frequently will result in bigger strength and muscle gain, greater fat loss, and more metabolic boosts than training each muscle group once per week– and the science supports this.

In a recent study at the University of Alabama, researchers had two groups of men perform two different strength-training programs with the same total training volume (sets and reps) for each muscle group. However, one group split the work across three total body workouts while the other group trained each muscle group separately one time per week. They discovered that the total body workout group gained five additional pounds of lean muscle mass compared to their body-part training counterparts.

It’s critical to understand that the more muscle you have the greater your resting metabolic rate (RMR). Your RMR is the total number of calories you burn every day regardless of activity and adding several pounds of lean muscle mass will result in an additional daily calorie burn of up to several hundred extra calories per day. This translates into an awesome fat-smashing snowball effect over the course of weeks, months, and years. Think of more muscle as the fat-burning gift that keeps on giving.

Another benefit of having more muscle is that your body’s carbohydrate tank gets bigger. The human body has a limited ability to store glycogen (sugar) in your muscles and liver before it spills over into the blood stream and leads to unwanted fat gain. The total amount of glycogen your body can hold, or your sugar tank, depends on a host of factors including gender, body size, age, etc. However, by building more muscle through high-intensity training your body can subsequently store more sugar.

For example, let’s just say that your sugar tank was originally 250 grams of carbs but is now 300 grams due to intensive training and muscle-gain. The extra 50 grams of leeway before your sugar tank over flows means two things:

1.) You can consume more total carbohydrates before your sugar tank reaches capacity where you then begin to gain fat and smooth out unless that energy is expended. It’s just like when you overfill the gas tank in your car— the fuel spills on the floor and all over your hands and shoes costing you money and making you a pyromaniac’s wet dream. Though consuming excess sugar may not be as deadly, it’s the source of the raging obesity epidemic plaguing our sedentary society and leads to host of scary health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic disorder, etc.

2.) The lower your sugar tank the more your body will revert to using both dietary and stored fat to make up for that energy deficit. Thus if you gained more muscle and simply consumed the same amount of total carbohydrates, you will automatically burn more fat for fuel throughout the day. Now if you consume less total carbs in conjunction with more muscle mass then you will be a lean, mean fat-melting machine.

Plus, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that working your entire body each workout will torch more calories and thus accelerate metabolism and fat loss results. More muscles used equals more total work performed equals more total sugar, fat and calories expended– all good stuff!

Lastly, it appears that it’s best to wait about 48 hours before performing your next total body workout. In multiple studies at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, researchers determined that muscle protein synthesis was elevated for up to 48 hours after a resistance training workout before it returned to normal. Performing another total body workout with less than 48 hours of recovery may not allow for adequate muscle repair thus impairing performance.

THE FIX: For busy people looking for the biggest bang for their fitness buck, best results will be achieved with 3 total body workouts per week with ideally 48 hours between workouts to maximize muscle growth and recovery.

Deadly Workout Sin#2- Performing marathon workouts lasting 60 minutes or longer

I’m not sure what it is about our society that thinks its cool to do things for an incredibly long period of time. There’s no better example of this than the typical college student who brags to his or her friends about pulling an all-nighter to cram for a final exam. In reality, best results would have been achieved by spreading out all of that studying over the course of the entire semester in order to achieve true and lasting knowledge rather than simple and useless short-term memory. I’d be lying if I said I’ve never procrastinated before myself as I’m literally writing this article the day before its due date– but don’t tell my editor, wink.

Fitness is no different. What do most people who want to lose weight do? They either sign up to run a marathon and/or join a gym to do endless hours of long, slow, boring cardio on a treadmill, elliptical, bike, or step machine.

On a side note, if I ever see you “getting your cardio-on” while reading a magazine or checking your email I will slap you in the mouth and have you arrested for being a hopeless moron.

Why so harsh??

Well, a landmark aerobic training study from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition determined that 45 minutes of steady state aerobic training 5 days per week had zero effect over dieting alone when it came to weight loss— that’s 45 hours of activity for nothing! However, the lack of results wasn’t solely due to the length of the workouts, but also the low-intensity nature of these workouts.

In addition, long, drawn out workouts have diminishing returns and create a negative hormonal environment in our bodies. That’s because during one-hour plus exercise bouts our body enters survival mode and releases a catabolic stress hormone called cortisol that both causes muscle loss and results in unwanted fat gain in trouble spot areas.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), anabolic, muscle-building hormones like testosterone are maximized in about a 30-minute high-intensity workout window. It is at about the 45-minute mark that anabolic hormones begin to fall as their catabolic counterparts, mainly cortisol, simultaneously begin to rise.

THE FIX: Shorter, more focused and intense workouts produce better results than one hour plus marathon sessions. If you have to workout for longer than 30-45 minutes to feel satisfied than you probably weren’t working hard enough in the first place or you were committing some form of the other deadly workout sins.

Deadly Workout Sin#3- Using single-joint isolation exercises that address only one plane of movement

When we discussed Deadly Workout Sin#1, we mentioned the disgraceful practice of training each muscle group one time per week. Well, to make the matter even worse, lots of fitness enthusiasts will comprise these body part workouts with useless single-joint isolation exercises that often take place in only one plane of movement.

Single-joint, isolation exercises involve the use of only one joint at a time. Classic examples are leg extensions and leg curls (only involve the knee joint) and biceps curls and triceps extensions (only involve the elbow joint). Though these single-joint, isolation exercises may result in a better “pump” or “burn” in a specific muscle that makes it feel more effective, it doesn’t mean that they are providing the optimal muscle-building stimulus when compared to their multi-joint, compound counterparts.

Multi-joint, compound exercises involve functional movement patterns that occur in the real world across multiple joints at the same time thus resulting in greater total muscle activation and heavier loading and subsequently greater calorie burning, fat loss, and muscle growth. For our purposes, there are six foundational movement patterns that comprise the ultimate total body metabolic workout:

Hip-Dominant: Any exercise that primarily targets your posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors) and involves the flexion, extension, rotation, adduction, and abduction of the hips. In addition, lower body exercises where your torso is bent forward more than 45-degrees are best classified as hip-dominant. The exception to this rule is for any exercise where the upper body is NOT actively involved like a hip extension. Classic hip-dominant exercises include deadlift, step-up, hip extension, and swings.

Push: Any exercise that primarily targets your chest, anterior and medial shoulders, and triceps and involves a pushing pattern in either the horizontal or vertical plane. Horizontal pushing exercises involve pushing a load away from your torso as if your torso was upright while performing them. Classic examples include push-up and chest press variations. Vertical pushing exercises involve pushing a load in an upward or downward direction relative to an upright torso. Classic examples include dip, vertical push-up or overhead press variations.

Knee-Dominant: Any exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps and involves the flexion and extension of your knees. In addition, lower body exercises that actively involve your upper body and where your torso is vertical or bent forward less than 45-degrees are best classified as knee-dominant. Classic knee-dominant exercises include squat and lunge variations.

Pull/Scapulothoracic: Any exercise that primarily targets your lats, posterior shoulders, upper and mid back, scapulothoracic joint, biceps and forearms and involves a pulling pattern in either the horizontal or vertical plane. Horizontal pulling exercises involve pulling a load towards your torso as if your torso was upright while performing them. Classic examples include rowing and Y, T, W, L, I raise variations. Vertical pulling exercises involve pulling a load in an upward or downward direction relative to an upright torso. Classic examples include pull-up, pull-down, high pull, and bicep curl variations.

Pillar- Integrated Shoulders, Hips, and Core: Any exercise that primarily targets your shoulders, hips, and core. The primary objective is to train spinal stabilization in all 3 planes of movement including anti-flexion, anti-extension, anti-lateral flexion, and anti-rotation. Classic examples include front, side, and back pillar or plank variations. Pillar movements also include functional, ground-based rotational exercises like chopping variations.

Total Body: Any exercise that integrates any combination of the aforementioned movement patterns or simultaneously calls upon your upper and lower body. The total body nature of these exercises also results in maximum heart rate elevation and the optimal fat-burning, muscle-building stimulus. Classic examples include squat to presses, swings, and explosive olympic lifting variations like cleans, snatches, jerks, etc. In addition, traditional cardiovascular locomotive and plyometric exercises like running, leaping, hopping, skipping, bounding, jumping, shuffling, etc. also fit under this category.

In a study at Ball State University, researchers determined that additional isolation exercises for the arms had no additional benefit in terms of arm strength and hypertophy (muscle growth). One group did four compound upper body exercises (like presses and rows) in each workout while the other group did the same four exercises plus some extra biceps curls and triceps extensions. Since they both achieved the same results it appears that single-joint, isolation exercises have minimal if any benefit.

So now that we know the importance of training movement patterns (not body parts) with multi-joint, compound exercises, let’s not forget about the importance of incorporating exercises that occur across multiple planes of movement.

Too often people perform exercises in only one plane of movement, typically the sagittal plane that encompasses movement up and down and front to back and divides the body into left and right halves. The classic exercises that fit the bill here are bench presses and squats.

However, movement in life and athletics occurs in three planes of motion: sagittal, frontal, and transverse. Frontal plane movements occur side-to-side and divide the body into front and back halves. Transverse plane movements occur in a rotational manner and divide the body into upper and lower halves.

Let’s use the lunge as an example. A forward lunge takes place in the sagittal plane, where a lateral lunge takes place in the frontal plane, where a rotational lunge takes place in the transverse plane. Performing lunge variations in all three planes of movements best ensures optimal strength, functional carryover, muscle gain, and proper muscular balance. This in turn improves posture and injury reduction.

I should add that performing exercises in free space is ideal (also termed “free weights”). Machines limit movement to a fixed path and do not properly engage your body’s key stabilizers, particularly your hip, spinal, and scapular stabilizers, which will put you at a much greater risk of injury outside of the gym.

THE FIX: Employ functional multi-joint, compound movement patterns that address all three planes of movement for maximum muscle growth, fat loss, and metabolic spikes.

Deadly Workout Sin#4- Using low-intensity work periods lasting 2 minutes or longer to burn fat

This one is mainly for all of the ladies out there- and I’m not about to sing a Michael Bolton or Marvin Gaye song here… unless of course, the price is right.

Women have the relentless tendency to perform endless hours of cardio and if they do use weights they tend use loads that are so light that they might as well not even bother—so small that they can barely be seen by the naked eye.

Heck, most guys out there have a hard enough time gaining muscle. Now factor in that women have 15-20 times less testosterone than men do and the answer is clear. In other words, women never have to worry about gaining too much muscle– it would require freakish genetics and loads of drugs to even come close. Using heavier loads will just result in greater calorie burning, a faster metabolic rate, and a tighter, more toned and athletic physique.

One of the biggest myths in fitness is the concept of the fat-burning zone. It all started in 1993 when researchers at the University of Texas determined that lower to moderate intensity activity burnt the greatest amount of fat for fuel. In addition, peak fat oxidation (burning) appeared to occur at 65% of aerobic capacity. This is basically the exercise equivalent of conversational cardio or a power walk or slow jog.

However, we’ve already established that aerobic training has zero effect on weight loss over dieting alone, so we know that a power walk or slow jog will just not cut it.

Furthermore, though lower intensity exercise burns proportionately more fat than high-intensity exercise, high-intensity exercise burns more total calories per minute and thus still results in a similar amount of total fat burnt during exercise as its lower to moderate intensity counterpart.

The fact of the matter is that high-intensity exercise is scientifically proven to burn nine times more body fat than ordinary exercise per unit of effort. Plus, it’s not about how much fat your burn during your workout that’s important. The harder you exercise the more sugar you burn for fuel and this allows you to burn more fat during rest periods and in the hours and days between your workouts for maximum total body fat burning.

For the best real world example of which style of training is best for lean muscle gain and fat loss, just look at the body of sprinter versus the body of an endurance athlete. Sprinters are not only more muscular but actually have a significantly lower body fat percentage than endurance athletes. Though I’ve seen lots of overweight distance runners and walkers in my day, I have never seen an overweight sprinter. That has to count for something and again the science supports this anecdotal evidence.

In the Gibala Study, researchers collected a bunch of college students who were in good health but not participating in any athletics. One group rode a bike at a sustainable pace for 90-120 minutes. The other group performed 20-30 seconds of cycling at maximum effort followed by four minutes of full recovery and they repeated this sequence up to four to six times for a total of 18-27 minutes. Each group exercised three times per week for two total weeks. In the end, they discovered that both groups achieved identical improvements in endurance even though the high-intensity group had only exercised for six to nine minutes while it took the low-intensity group five hours to achieve those same results! I know, crazy, right?

What’s even crazier is the fact that the high-intensity group had greater weight loss than their low-intensity counterparts. According to the head researcher Martin Gibala the “rate of energy expenditure remains higher longer into recovery” from high-intensity interval training.

There’s just something special about high-intensity anaerobic (without oxygen) work periods of 30-60 seconds. First of all, they are glycolytic in nature meaning that they burn muscle glycogen, or the sugar stores in your muscles, at optimal rates. The more sugar you burn during your workouts the more body fat you will burn in the hours and days between your workouts.

Second of all, it is generally accepted among fitness experts that maximum hypertrophy, or muscle growth, occurs when performing exercises with heavy loading and a time-under-tension lasting 30-40 seconds. At a rep speed of two to three seconds per rep that comes down to the classic bodybuilding rep range of eight to 15 reps per set. More muscle gain means greater metabolism which means more rapid and lasting weight loss.

Lastly, high-intensity anaerobic work periods of 30-60 seconds also create the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss by releasing hormones knows as catecholamines (mainly adrenaline). This surge of adrenaline mobilizes body fat, particular in the stubborn areas like the abs and lower back for men and the hips and thighs for women.

Interestingly enough, resorting to shorter and even higher-intensity work periods of 20 seconds or less actually causes a greater catecholamine release that leads to even greater fat mobilization during the workout. On the other hand, not as much glycogen will be depleted with these shorter work periods thus resulting in less fat being burnt at all other times of day. However, employing shorter, more intense work periods with incomplete rest periods will deplete your phosphagen stores (ATP-CP) and force your body to start using more sugar for fuel (this is beyond the scope of this article).

In general, I believe it’s a fair trade off. Plus, I’m a firm believer that the best interval training protocol is the one you haven’t done in a while, if ever. In other words, I recommend incorporating a wide variety of work periods ranging between 30-60 seconds or less for maximum fat blasting and metabolic disturbance and to keep your body guessing.

The bottom line is that intensity is the only thing that truly makes your body change. If you take one thing away from this article, I hope it is this!

THE FIX: To burn fat and skyrocket metabolism 24-7-365, employ high-intensity work periods lasting 30-60 seconds or less to deplete muscle glycogen stores during your workouts in order to burn more fat fuel when resting and at all other times of the day.

Deadly Workout Sin#5- Performing straight sets of a single exercise

It takes about three to five minutes following intensive exertion for your body to completely recover and get ready for another bout of maximum effort without any significant decreases in performance. In traditional weight training, if you’re performing three sets of 10 reps, that means that it would take a minimum of 10-15 minutes to complete your first exercise in your workout putting you on track for one of those one hour plus marathon sessions that we already know is not optimal.

However, there is a very simple way that we can maintain peak intensity while allowing for full recovery: perform alternating sets of non-competitive exercises. My preferred method of alternating sets for metabolic acceleration is circuit training.

Typically it takes a trainee about 30 seconds to complete 10 reps of a given exercise at a controlled tempo of three seconds per rep. Previously we outlined that there are six basic movement patterns that make up any sound training plan with each movement pattern emphasizing a different region(s) of the body. So let’s build ourselves a killer six-exercise metabolic circuit where we allow for about 15 seconds of rest and transition between exercises and a 60-second rest and transition at the end of the circuit to re-group, grab a swig of water, and say a quick prayer to the fitness Gods begging for mercy:

1- Hip-Dominant Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

2- Pushing Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

3- Knee-Dominant Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

4- Pulling Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

5- Pillar Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

6- Total Body Exercise @ 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off

Let’s examine the beauty of what we just did here:

- In approximately five minutes, the circuit format allowed us to perform all six exercises that comprise a whole body workout where in the straight sets format it took us the same amount of time to complete one set of a single exercise

- By alternating between non-competitive exercises in a circuit format, we are able to achieve maximum intensity while allowing for a full 5-minute recovery by the next time we repeat that same exercise

- In only 20 minutes, we can complete four rounds of this whole body circuit and be done for the day while we’d just be starting our second set of the second exercise in straight set format

Clearly the circuit training format is by far the most time-efficient approach and it also has many other of the key variables for proper metabolic training in place such as high-intensity work periods, quick and focused 20-minute workouts, short rest periods, total body workout, etc.

I believe circuit training is the foundation of any solid metabolic workout. Let’s take a look at two breakthrough scientific studies that support what I’ve seen in the real world:

Burn over 500 calories in 20 minutes: In a recent study by the University of Southern Maine, researchers discovered a more accurate method of estimating calorie burn from weight training than had been used previously. They discovered that a weight training circuit burned 71% more calories than previously thought. In fact, an eight minute circuit burned somewhere between 159 and 233 calories which breaks down to about 20-28 calories per minute!

Elevate metabolism for up to 38+ hours post-workout: In a study by the European Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers determined that a 31-minute circuit training protocol of three compound, multi-joint movements significantly elevated metabolism for 38 hours post-workout– at which point they decided to stop tracking. This metabolic afterburn was due to a couple of factors. The first is due to increased tissue turnover due to the need to build and repair muscle microtrauma after high-intensity training. The second is due to increased Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) due to the oxygen debt created by high-intensity anaerobic exercise.

From a personal standpoint, when I was a young and stupid football player I used to workout for two to three hours at a time using the straight set format. It was always incredibly mentally draining to know that half of my day would be eaten up every time I worked out. However, I had all of the time in the world to workout then so I took advantage of that. Strangely enough, I had a lot of extra body fat for someone who was working out for several hours a day— that’s weird, right?

Now that I’m not as young and a little less stupid (I think) and I am the owner of several fitness companies, both online and offline, the only workouts I currently have time for are metabolic workouts that have me in and out in 30 minutes and on with my busy, hectic days. Today I maintain a single-digit body fat percentage and it’s all due to these circuits and a sound diet that emphasizes protein, produce, and water every couple of hours.

The choice is yours– get better results in less than half the time or take hours of your precious time to get nowhere and fast. Well, I guess it’s not much a choice after all.

THE FIX: If your goal is maximum results in minimal time, employ alternating sets of non-competitive exercises each and every time you workout. Metabolic circuit training is by far the best way to get into the best shape of your life in 30 minutes or less so you can get on with your very busy day.

Deadly Workout Sin#6- Using long rest periods of 2 minutes or more between exercises

How many times have you seen this happen in the gym:

A big, burly, meathead of a man lays down to grunt out a couple reps of heavy benches presses where the bar bounces off of his chest like a basketball while his ass leaps off of the bench with his lower back resembling the Arc de Triomphe.

Then he racks the weight and goes and grabs a swig of water or chugs a vat of protein.

A couple minutes pass and now he’s watching some highlights on Sports Center with a few of his meathead buddies.

A couple more minutes pass and now he’s molesting some good-looking cardio queen with his eyes.

Finally, five to seven minutes after he completed his last rep on the bench press, he’s ready start his next set.

More likely than not, this guy will take several hours to complete his workout at this pace. Clearly, this is not the most efficient way to exercise.

Now, if your goal is maximum strength and power, then three to five minute complete recovery periods have their place.

But chances are, if you’re like most of the general population, you could care less about how much you can bench or squat and are more focused on having the lean, muscular build of a Men’s or Women’s Health model.\

In other words, most people can afford to lose some fat and gain some muscle and the key to doing so is to maximize training density. Density describes the amount of work completed per unit of time. Density also happens to be the biggest primer for fat loss because the more work you can complete in the same amount of time or less the leaner and more muscular you will be.

How do we accomplish this? We do so by reducing our rest periods between exercises. According to the NSCA, shorter rest periods lasting 30-60 seconds or less resulted in the greatest growth hormone response. Growth hormone is one of the most powerful fat-burning and muscle-building hormones in your body.

Look no further than the world famous Tabata Study for the fat-burning, metabolic-boosting benefits of high-intensity work periods combined with short rest periods. In this groundbreaking cycling study, researchers discovered that only four minutes of a 20-10 interval protocol (20 seconds of maximum effort followed by 10 seconds of rest) provided greater fat loss and conditioning than 60 minutes of steady state cardio.

Now one of the problems with this study is that in the real world most people aren’t able to perform multiple bouts of max effort for the same exercise with short rest periods (in fact, most of the elite cyclists in the study couldn’t complete all four minutes of the 20-10 protocol because it was too intense).

However, by employing a circuit training format where you perform alternating sets of non-competitive exercises, we can maintain the high-intensity work periods in conjunction with the short rest periods as in the Tabata study.

Furthermore, I have personally found this 2:1 negative work to rest ratio (in this case of Tabatas, 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) to be unreal for rapidly improving fat loss and fitness for my campers and for my own personal workouts.

THE FIX: Employ short rest periods of 30-60 seconds or less between exercises in order to maximize training density and the growth hormone response from exercise for maximum fat loss and metabolic acceleration.

Deadly Workout Sin#7- Performing the same fitness routine for six weeks or more

This one is pretty straight forward- if you perform the same workout routine day in and day out, week in and week out, your body will stop changing and you will hit a dreaded plateau.

The classic example of this can be seen in any run of the mill gym or health club. On day one, after your sign a contract where you pay money to use somebody else’s equipment, you’ll meet with a “personal trainer” who probably is wearing some cute little jacket that says “personal trainer” on it (I’m convinced the reason for this is because some personal trainers may actually forget what they do for a living– too much protein on the brain). Then he or she will teach you how to use all of the machines (don’t get me started on machines) and will then recommend doing a circuit of three sets of 10 reps for each body part every time you workout.

Now keep in mind that if you are sedentary and haven’t exercised in years (if ever), absolutely anything you do in the gym will elicit a positive response.

If you exercise with heavier loads, your body will respond by gaining more muscle to accommodate the new training demands.

If you employ shorter rest periods between sets while maintaining the same total work output, your body will respond by improving conditioning and melting unwanted body fat.

If you perform a new exercise altogether that challenges your body in a very unique way, your nervous system will quickly figure out how to master this movement resulting in increased performance.

The human body is a smart and efficient machine and will quickly adapt to any training plan that you throw its way. Within the first two to three weeks of any new training program you will notice the biggest improvements in your performance and physique. However, the human body is constantly striving for homeostasis and efficiency and after performing the same program for about four weeks there are diminishing returns.

That’s why it’s critical to change-up your fitness routine every month. By simply tweaking a couple of variables in your training plan, like your exercise selection, exercise order, work periods and rest periods, etc., you provide a new stimulus that will force your body to change and prevent dreaded physique and performance plateaus.

Now, don’t get me wrong here– we always perform the same movement patterns in every training program because they are foundational. However, there are lots of different exercises that fall under the same movement pattern category that we can cycle between. New exercises require more mental and physical energy to perform thus burning more calories and causing a greater metabolic disturbance and this is exactly the type of stimulus your body needs to break out of any fitness rut.

The best example for this is the push-up since there are literally hundreds of push-up variations. We pretty much do some sort of push-up variation every workout, but by constantly switching up the type of push-up we’re using there is always a new stimulus that keeps the body changing. Plus, the better you get at one type of push-up, the better you get at all of the others and visa versa.

In addition, let’s not forget about the mental component here. The brain needs variety and performing the same routine for extended periods of time will not only decrease performance but will also lower your motivation to workout. So you’ll start skipping training sessions here and there and then all of a sudden you’ll find yourself back at square one—sitting on your butt, twiddling your thumbs while watching an infomercial about this incredible new waist belt that will give you the flat tummy of your dreams… all for only four easy payments of $19.95 so it can sit under your bed and collect dust before your dog uses it a new chew toy.

I have personally programmed for thousands of people online and I have worked with hundreds of campers in the trenches for many years. What I’ve discovered is that if I simply swap in new exercises and move to a different interval training protocol every three to four weeks I can constantly keep their bodies changing and performance continues to improve. Not to mention the fact that their motivation to workout remains sky high with every new challenge I throw their way.

Also, my camps operate on a three weeks on, one week off schedule– I’ve found this to be the sweet spot for the typical busy person looking for general fitness in their 20’s through 50’s. We work very hard for three weeks trying to keep pushing the envelope each subsequent week by using a gradual progressive overload. Then we employ an active recovery week to allow for mental and physical regeneration, prevent overtraining, and reduce the risk of injury. Then we start a new program altogether and we wash and repeat like clockwork. The results have been simply amazing.

THE FIX: Change-up up your fitness up your fitness routine each and every month to prevent dreaded weight loss and performance plateaus. Employ new exercises and different work and rest periods (or interval protocols) to constantly provide a new stimulus that your body must learn how to adapt to.

How “Metabolic” is Your Workout?

Please reference the chart below to assess the current metabolic status of your fitness routine. If your main goal is to improve your body composition (burn body fat and build lean muscle) and revamp metabolism then you absolutely must structure your workouts to fall under the metabolic breakthrough column.

Putting It All Together

Now that we’ve outlined the seven keys to metabolic breakthrough, let’s put it all together in a readily usable metabolic training program so you can start cranking it today!

A Metabolic Workout features a total body workout that employs high-intensity work periods with short rest periods in an alternating set or circuit format that combines the muscle-building benefits of resistance training with the fat-burning benefits of interval training. The result is a killer bootcamp-style workout that will supercharge metabolism for up to 48 hours post-workout, tone and tighten your whole body, blast stubborn fat, and get you into the best shape of your life with only three 30-minute express workouts per week.

If you recall from the Gibala study, it was determined that 30-second maximum effort work periods followed by four minutes of rest for 20 straight minutes resulted in identical fitness improvements and greater weight loss than 90-120 minutes of aerobic training. By building a circuit of non-competitive exercises we can allow for this same full recovery, and thus peak intensity, by the next time we return to the original exercise.

Furthermore, we demonstrated that 30-second max effort work periods provide both a big-time metabolic boosting muscle-building stimulus plus deplete your body’s sugar stores at optimal rates forcing it to burn more fat during recovery period and in the hours and days between workouts.

In addition, I outlined the Tabata study which found that a 2:1 negative work to rest ratio found in a 20-seconds on, 10-seconds four-minute high-intensity interval training protocol resulted in greater fat loss and conditioning than 60-minutes of steady state cardio. Short rest periods increase training density and produce a growth hormone response that boosts whole body fat-burning and lean muscle gain.

However, I have found that for most de-conditioned beginners, 20-second work periods do not allow for a sufficient amount of time to adequately perform enough muscular contractions for optimal results and that 30-second work periods are a much better time frame to best accommodate people of all fitness levels. Using this 2:1 negative work to rest ratio for 30-second work periods means that we would employ a 30-15 interval protocol with 15 seconds of rest between exercises.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, below is what I’ve discovered to be the ultimate metabolic experience…

30-15 Six-Exercise Metabolic Circuit- 20 Minutes: Alternate between 30 seconds of work and 15 seconds of rest for each exercise in the following 6-exercise circuit followed by a 60-second rest and transition between circuits. Perform up to 4 total rounds for a 20-minute total body workout.

For ONLY $67, get instant access to a done-for-you fitness bootcamp training system based on the aforementioned metabolic breakthrough protocols!

http://bootcampinnercircle.workoutmuse.com/music/mission-metabolism-for-fitness-professionals

This program comes complete with custom interval training workout music mp3 soundtracks that tell your clients and campers exactly what to do and custom instructional workout mp4 videos showing you how to teach the proper exercise progress to accommodate people of all fitness levels- just press play and crank that metabolism through the roof!

All downloads can be uploaded to your iPod (or mp3 player) and iPhone (or smartphone) for global accessibility!!

Click the link below (or copy and paste it into your browser) to learn more and to listen and view audio and video samples:

http://bootcampinnercircle.workoutmuse.com/music/mission-metabolism-for-fitness-professionals

Any trainer who has ever run a bootcamp before knows how grueling it can be. Not just from the physical standpoint, but the mental as well. Coming up with new exercises…lugging the equipment from place to place, watching each attendee to ensure proper form, then packing up and doing it all over again at the next one! There is no question that every trainer wants the best out of bootcamp attendees, but of course they wouldn’t mind it if their job were a little easier at the same time. This is where extreme bodyweight training comes into play…

Ok, so most of us have relied on bodyweight training at least to SOME degree during our workouts, but what if you took it to the next level? Forget about equipment of ANY kind and try a bootcamp that requires only a body and a piece of ground. The fact is, an individual can get as intense a workout as they could EVER get at a gym just by utilizing bodyweight training correctly. Run your attendees through the following circuits and they might just think twice about the need to EVER pick up a weight again…

Burpees-A Crossfit staple, burpees can provide a solid warm-up for any bootcamp or even provide a foundation for an entire workout which sees the attendees doing sets of burpees in and among other exercises. To perform, simply jump up in the air and upon landing, immediately going into a squat thrust, then repeat. It will gas folks quicker than you can say…BURPEE!

Jump Squats-Jump squats are just as they sound…the participant jumps of the ground from a squatting position and upon landing, squats, recoils and jumps again. These incredibly simple to perform jumps will burn serious calories and provide a hardcore workout for the entire lower body as well as the core.

Pistols-Pistols are incredible leg strength builders. To perform, simply stand up tall, hold one foot slightly off the ground, and then squat down on only one leg. Sounds simply…it ain’t. These are often performed holding a kettlebell or dumbbell in front of the body for stability but can be performed with no weight as well. As a trainer, you will certainly want to be cautious of form and make sure participants are keeping those knees behind their toes. This exercise is meant for intermediate trainers and beginners should stick to regular bodyweight squats.

By now, depending on how you set your rep count with the above exercises, your bootcamp attendees will be gassing…their lower bodies will be getting weak and they will KNOW they have been working out. But, what about the upper body?

Pushups w/clap-In keeping with the explosive plyometric moves above, we continue by getting our bodies off the ground with clap pushups. Again, a seemingly simply exercise, doing a pushup and coming off the ground and clapping requires significant power from your upper body and core. Performing multiple sets of multiple reps of this one will give your chest, shoulders, triceps and forearms all the muscular workout they need. In addition, because of the explosive intensity of the movement, your attendees will burn some serious calories on this one as well.

The above represent just SOME of the many varieties of bodyweight exercises you can incorporate into your regular bootcamps to keep things simple, but EXTREMELY effective. Varying reps and sets is often all that is required to keep folks training for weeks and months doing just the simplest of exercises using nothing but their own bodies.

Want 510 Fitness Bootcamp Workouts? Get the Sure Results:The Ultimate Book Of Boot Camp Workouts Special Edition http://fitnessbootcampworkout.com

About the Author:

Georgette Pann: owner of NutriFitness LLC. http://thenutrifitness.com She has 20+ years experience in the Health and Fitness field with expertise in fitness bootcamps.She is author and creator of the best selling “Sure Victory Fitness Bootcamp Kit” at http://thefitnessbootcamp.com and The Fitness Bootcamp Inner Circle community for fitness bootcamp trainers at http://thefitnessbootcampinnercircle.com

And is  co creator of Sure Results:The Ultimate Book Of Boot Camp Workouts http://fitnessbootcampworkout.com and Customized Fitness Bootcamp Marketing Materials at http://fitnessbootcampmarketing.com

Inside this special report… Greg Justice shares key information that defines the critical differentiation necessary to set you apart from other wanna-be trainers and lifts you to heights that will take your fitness business straight to a new 5 figure corporate account and profit center.

Business Leaders talk to each other

They are the movers and shakers in your community who know all the other movers and shakers – their word of approval and their referrals carry a lot of weight.   Learn how to maneuver among them.

Business Leaders understand and respect leadership

Become the Business to Business Wellness/Fitness Leader in your community.  Here’s how…

Business Leaders belong to groups that support and increase their business

Learn how to identify these groups, network with them, and stand out as an expert and leader to trust.  The old cliché is true: “it’s not what you know, but who you know”.

Why the time for on-site workplace fitness is NOW

Times are always changing, nothing stays static for long.  From dire headlines about chronic illness to changes in health care awareness, the response from our industry is crucial to the health of the world now.

The major differences between corporate boot camps & regular boot camps

These major differences make all the difference in keeping or losing your corporate accounts.

The benefits of joining Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System

Greg’s step by step guidance to your 5 figure corporate accounts is only the beginning of what he offers.

Do YOU have the right stuff to become the Business to Business Wellness/Fitness Leader in your community?  Discover how to join the ranks of the business leaders and experts in your community, then decide if you want what Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System offers you.

Business Leaders talk to each other

Successful business leaders don’t just fall from the sky and they aren’t born that way.  They have put in the time and money, the blood, sweat, and tears to get where they are today.  At times they have succeeded massively and at other times failed miserably.  They have paid a price for their efforts that most people in the world prefer not to pay.

They are not content to sit on their laurels of past successes.  They always have another project, another goal, another vision, another purpose, another thought, or another opportunity.  “Big” and “Next” are a way of life for successful business leaders.  It’s part of who they are and how they got where they are.  Most people in the world don’t comprehend “Big” and “Next” anywhere near the capacity of a business leader.

It’s easy to identify business leaders in a community.  They are the ones with the busiest schedules who seem to always have a few minutes to share with others who think alike, or not, and want to run something by them.  They are the ones active behind all the scenes and in front of only a few.  They are the ones who give their word and keep it, even if only through delegation.  They empower, motivate, and coach.

They live and die by long term planning and split second decisions, sometimes simultaneously.  They know where they are going, even in the dark.  They know without a doubt that they can scale the highest mountain and survive the deepest, darkest ravines.

They are surrounded by people who have bought into their vision for their company and are working toward both common and uncommon goals.  All paths in their lives are leading the same direction, though coming from different directions and orchestrated to merge (hopefully) successfully at a pre-determined finish line.

Business leaders move in the same circles within their communities locally and their industries globally. Their lives become intertwined in many areas such as philanthropy, public relations, joint ventures, events and fundraisers, even in politics, church, and school.  They meet each other at these events and share their thoughts, get feedback and recommendations.  They talk to each other about things and people that work for them, and that haven’t worked for them.  They live their reality, they set examples and standards.

Business leaders are first and foremost human beings, with human bodies that need regular exercise, stress reduction, and proper nutrition just the same as the rest of us.  The one really big difference is that they are in a position to provide this wellness package to a large group of people.  When they provide this service to their employees, they also help their business grow. 

They know “wellness” is a hot topic, a necessary business expense that will help them save money and increase profits.  Most of them don’t include on-site exercise in their wellness programs, and many don’t make the time for wellness in their own lives.  When you show them how and help them succeed, they will recommend you.  No doubt there!

Business Leaders understand and respect leadership

Business leaders are also surrounded by flesh-eating, fire-breathing competition, many of whom know and respect each other, even if at a distance!  They watch to see what works, what doesn’t, what helps, what doesn’t.  They are always learning and growing.

Not all business leaders lead the same way.  Not all business leaders lead well.  But all business leaders are leading someone and something.  And all business leaders have the opportunity to do things differently each and every day.  They must be nimble and quick to respond.

The process of leadership is not an easy task for some and it comes very naturally to others.  By definition, leadership is the process by which a person influences, guides, or directs others to accomplish an objective or a common goal.  Leaders are nurtured by mentors and nurture others.

If you are a leader in your chosen field and you lead well, you will automatically have a certain level of respect from others who are leaders in their chosen fields and lead well.  They understand what it takes to attain that level of leadership and maintain a leadership role.  They respect that drive, perseverance, and the moxie it takes.  They know that they know what they know and most of them know that they don’t know what you know.

What they want to know is how ‘what you know’ can benefit them and their business.  They want to know that you can do what you say you can do.  They want to believe in you.  If you deliver the goods, you win their respect.

To become a Business to Business Wellness/Fitness Leader you need education, practical experience, and the tools necessary to add to your already vast repertoire of Personal Training skills.  Then you must build your business, increase your following, and develop your niche to its maximum.  You can do all of these within the framework of your community…and with Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System.

Business Leaders belong to groups that support & increase their business

From the Chamber of Commerce to Industry Trade Associations, to fraternities and clubs, committees and board of directors, business leaders are involved and sought out at every turn.  When you become a part of key groups in your community you increase your business and personal exposure and multiply the opportunities available to you.

If you want honey, go where the bees are…or to a place that got the honey where the bees are.

 Success is contagious – you’ve got to be around people who have it to get it.  Go where they go and do what they do.  It’s called networking.  It works.

Why the time for on-site workplace fitness is NOW

Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System offers THE VERY BEST approach and implementation to Corporate Wellness success.  This #1 on-site workplace fitness program removes all barriers to exercise and generates motivation and participation by working people who would otherwise not meet their body’s daily exercise requirements.

Regular exercise is one of the body’s most primary needs, the lack of which contributes to 70% of the deaths each day in America.  It is one of the most misunderstood and taken-for-granted activities in the world.  You know this, but you must communicate it…70% of deaths each day could be prevented.

As the Corporate Boot Camp becomes more common in the workplace, a definite shift in preventable deaths will be noticeable in all data, across all categories.  With the headlines screaming daily about the sorry state of health in America, the move away from managed care of preventable chronic illness to proactive prevention will include on-site workplace fitness programs for these simple reasons:

On-Site Workplace Fitness…

Overcomes the Three Most Common Barriers to Exercise – Time, Money and Location

Timely – No time taken from work, family, or social life, removing the #1 barrier/excuse for exercise.

Convenient – 30 minute full body workout sessions fit into everybody’s schedule, during the work day, no travel required, no workplace interruption.

Motivating – Peer support, group enthusiasm, and healthy peer competition energize the employees to participate consistently and finish strong every day.

Scientific Evidence-Based – Creating muscle confusion at each individual’s maximum intensity with the added psychological benefit of audio interval cuing, and using high intensity interval training in circuits that progress the moves, healthy results are guaranteed.

Effective at Every Fitness Level – From de-conditioned novice to fit athlete, Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System moves the Corporate Wellness program into overdrive with participation and results.

Workplace Wellness Involvement – Providing the opportunity for involvement along with education and information increases the likelihood of participation, this, in turn increases healthy results for both employees and businesses.

When combined with proper nutrition, the on-site workplace exercise program completes the two key elements to a successful rate of return on investment which every business that implements a wellness program is seeking.   It is fun, and it works.

The major differences between corporate boot camps & regular boot camps

The Paying Client

- Regular boot camp clients pay from their own pockets. They have to budget and assess the value of what they are getting and what else they want. Sometimes your boot camp is competing with mortgage payments and utility bills, sometimes with vacations and family member needs. The personal budget is usually a lot tighter than a corporate budget.

- The corporate client who values wellness will pay part or all of the boot camp fees.  They have a budget for employee programs and benefits.    The corporate client has some government and insurance perks that they can realize if they establish a program.  A tipping point for the corporate client is how well you show the value, in bottom line dollars that corporations reap from their boot camps.

- Most of our corporate accounts have an agreement where the company will pay for the program when the employee achieves measurable results – if the employee doesn’t achieve measurable results, or doesn’t show up, the employee must pay for it.

The Exercising Client

 - Regular boot camp clients are just exercising for themselves, usually. They know what they want to achieve and they are working toward a fitness goal. They made the decision to join your boot camp based on their individual needs and their knowledge of those needs, as well as their desire to meet those needs.

 - The corporate exercising client on the other hand, has usually been given a choice. If they join the boot camp, there is usually a reduction in their insurance premiums or co-pay.  They realize that their company values a healthy workforce, and they may feel that they have in a sense, been given an implied ultimatum. The company they work for is aware of poor lifestyle choices and poor health, and this company wants change.

- The company has taken a stand in favor of a healthier workplace and healthier employees. The employee has the choice to participate. If they see everyone else around them getting in better shape, having better health, better attendance, less tardiness, and more productivity… they may feel that they won’t “fit in” anymore, and they may even perceive their chance of promotion fading if they don’t get with the program.

- There is definitely more pressure for the corporate exerciser to participate than a regular boot camper. Their reasons for participating are different than regular boot campers. There are front line workers, management personnel, telemarketers, sales people, and janitors…all working together. It’s more personal than a regular boot camp because they see each other more frequently outside the boot camp setting.  They develop deeper relationships of camaraderie, friendly competition, enthusiasm and support for their fellow boot campers.

The Environment

- Regular boot camp clients can be as noisy as they want. There’s lots of whooping and hollering and a more boisterous atmosphere. They may wander in 15 minutes early and stay another 15 minutes or a half hour longer, talking with others or with you. These programs run 45 minutes, and hour, sometimes they last 2 hours. These people are more in a social frame of mind.

- Corporate boot camps must be quieter because others are still working, concentrating, talking on the phone just around the corner. These clients need to be in and out in a half hour. They usually have one hour for lunch – a half hour to workout and 15 minutes to get cleaned up and changed and 15 minutes to eat, and get back to their work station. Some sessions are held immediately after work and they want to get home to their family and dinner.  They do still have fun, yet they have a purpose and a time frame.

The Motivation

- Regular boot camp clients do need motivation. They came to you for a concrete reason. They want to lose a certain number of pounds. Or they want to get in shape or build more muscle tone, or lower their blood pressure and cholesterol. They know what they want. You just have to deliver it and keep them on track with their goals. They want you to deliver it. They expect you to deliver it.

- The corporate boot camp client (the business) also knows what they want in their employee’s health and performance and they expect you to deliver it. The corporate boot camp exerciser (employee) may or may not know what they want or need. Some will feel pressured and just want to get thru the time without expending much effort. Others will be aware of what their health issues are and know what they want their bodies to look and feel like. Those individuals will be more like regular boot campers. The pressured individuals will have to be helped along and encouraged a bit more.

Another factor in motivation – there may be less motivation when the thing you are doing is not being paid out of your own pocket and the employee must view the corporate boot camp as an employee benefit.

The Perseverance

- The regular boot camp client may not know many of the people participating in their boot camp. They may build bonds and friendships during the boot camp, some will not. They leave afterwards and all go their separate ways, back into their lives.

- The corporate boot camp client knows who almost everyone is that they are exercising with. They are more conscious of their body, their effort and/or strain, their abilities. They see these people on an almost daily basis. When they are seeing good progress they will gain more confidence. Peers at work tend to support and encourage each other, applaud the efforts, and build stronger working relationships. They are all in this boat together with more, or less, a common goal – keeping their boss happy and showing definitive results and positive changes in their health and their bodies. They all go back to work together, after their program.

The Pay Off

- The regular boot camp client reaches their goal – the reason they came to boot camp in the first place. Now you can set another goal with them to help them reach higher. You can reinforce the value of what they received.

 - The corporate boot camp client who shows results usually gets more than just the benefits of the results. Their insurance premiums or co-pays may decrease; any bonuses or other perks that have been established by the company are theirs. The feeling of better job security is tangible because they are more productive and have more energy. They have more confidence and stature with their peers, bosses, employees, at work. They have achieved in more areas than regular boot campers, usually without having to pay for it.
The benefits of Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System 

As our world suffers the ill effects of sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition, and a heavy reliance on medical management of chronic illness, Personal Trainers are in a perfect position to capture and grow a sustaining business profit center with Greg Justice’s Corporate Boot Camp System. 

You are invited to participate in this ground breaking, barrier busting corporate wellness reform and become the wellness leader in your community.

Join today, start today. Click here: CorpBootcampSystem

Here’s an awesome game (workout) that we played this morning.

It’s called “Suicide Baseball” and all you need are some cones and some cards.

To view video just click this link:  http://www.screencast.com/t/NDY3ZWEwN

note – if you have problems viewing the video, try using Firefox or Internet Explorer.  Google Chrome sometimes does not work.  Turn up  your speakers to hear the audio!

Have fun! 

   And speaking of fun, you gotta  try the games and workout games in “Fitness Games” , you’ll kick yourself for not having bought it sooner.

When you add up all of the games and valuable bonuses (like the incredible JOINT VENTURE LETTER) and what they can do for your boot camp business, you’ll realize that for a fraction of what you probably charge for 1 person to attend your boot camp – it’s a must have!

Get it at http://georgettepann.com/fitgames

If you love bodyweight workouts and bootcamp programs, I’m going to
give you a NO-equipment, bodyweight-only 5 minute circuit you can do
anytime, literally anywhere. It’s perfect for your bootcamp classes.

It’s perfect and doesn’t require you to haul around any bulky
equipment around to your sessions.

- Do each exercise for 30 seconds.
- Do NOT rest between exercises.
- At the end of the circuit, rest 30 seconds before repeating one
more time.

1A) Spiderman Climb or Spiderman Pushup
1B) Side Plank (30 seconds per side)
1C) Cross-Body Mountain Climber

Keep those abs “braced” and have FUN!

And don’t forget, if you are running bootcamps, make it FUN and
always, always, ALWAYS “Bring the Energy!”.

For more NO-equipment, bodyweight only ab circuits and bootcamp
workouts, grab the Complete TT Trainer Package here =>
http://georgettepann.com/TTCompleteTrainerPack

Avoid these 8 Mistakes to Ensure Satisfied Customers and Maximum Profits

Everyone wants their fitness boot camp to be successful and profitable. But there are some mistakes frequently made by trainers that sap the life and profit from an otherwise excellent program. Avoid these eight mistakes to make the most out of your boot camp:

 When you are thinking of starting a camp or group training you must plan well enough in advance.Even though you may have the best bootcamp starter kit on the planet,like Sure Victory 8-)  http://thefitnessbootcamp.com  you still need to do your own planning…here are the specifics:

Who -who are you targeting? woman?,athletes? baby boomers? etc
Where- where are you holding your camp? indoors? outdoors? You need to find a place!
If its a park…do you have permission from local parks and recreation?

If it’s indoor have you secured a spot?-yoga studio,gymnastic center,martial arts studio,church basement,your back yard..etc

When- what times are your camps and what days are your camps. Are they 3 x’s a week? 2 x’s a week? Are they 6 AM or 6 PM?
How Much- what are you going to charge? you must charge enough to be profitable and competitive in your area.

Do you have your workouts planned? See number 2 below
Now you can start marketing…and putting your business model or bootcamp kit into practice.

2. Not planning your next session before your current one starts

Do you have your workouts planned? This is my suggestion -plan at least a month of workouts in advance if not two months,written out ..meaning on paper.:) Do not wing it.

If you run your boot camps in sessions, like a four-week boot camp for example, you should have the next month session scheduled and planned before the current one starts. This way your bootcampers know what to look forward to, which increases retention rates.But more importantly,You will also feel more prepared and ready especially if you are new to group training. I recommend new trainers to have a month or two of workouts pre written even just to use as a guide. http://fitnessbootcampworkout.com

3.. Failure to promote your boot camp often and regularly and far enough in advance

Running your ad once or only a week ahead of your next boot camp or sending out one round of flyers or postcards is not marketing. It is a waste of money. Your prospects need to see your promotions three to five times before they begin to notice you. Send out marketing regularly and often. Start marketing four to six weeks before your boot camp begins.

4. No back-up plan

What happens when your outdoor boot camp gets cancelled by inclement weather? What if you’re too sick to show up yourself? Do you have a back-up location? Can you get someone else to run your camp? Do you have a plan to make up cancelled classes? How do you contact bootcampers to let them know what’s going on?

5. Failing to evaluate customers’ fitness and help them set goals and objectives

If you can’t show customers how their fitness and health have improved by attending your boot camps, retention rates will be low. Measure customer fitness at least once a month and help them establish fitness goals so you can show them the success they’re experiencing.

6. Not having a niche or Unique Selling Proposition that makes your boot camp stand out in marketing

Give your boot camp a personality that is memorable or specialize in a certain type of exercise, like TRX system workouts or circuit training. Or specialize in boot camps for certain goals or sports, like a bridal boot camp or runners’ boot camp. Find a way to differentiate your program from other fitness programs and stand out.

7. Nothing to sell satisfied customers besides the next session

There’s no bigger waste than a satisfied customer with nothing else to buy. Always have something else to sell besides the next session. Here are some suggestions:

• T-shirts, water bottles and related items with your logo and boot camp name
• Books or journals—either your own, even if it’s a hardcopy of your eBook, or some you recommend (but be sure you buy them at wholesale prices).Blank journals are
  another excellent choice at low cost.
• Training gear, like TRX systems or exercise mats or resistance bands, they can use at home
• Individualized personal training sessions that “fit” the customer’s goals better
• Bottled water and meal replacement bars for use during or after class

If your boot camps are at your personal studio or gym, have a store or table of items for sale. If your boot camps take place in a park or other outdoor setting, take along a crate of merchandise and let customers know what’s available.

8. Not locking in your location for at least a year

If you don’t hold boot camps in your own gym or studio, make sure your location is available and dedicated to your boot camps for at least a year. Having to move your boot camp because the location is being used by someone else is unprofessional and will diminish your reputation among customers.

Bottom line is know matter what bootcamp business model you have or purchase ..If YOU don’t plan ..you will fail. No bootcamp product or workout program or any other magic will get your camps running and packed….if you do not plan ahead.

About the Author

Georgette Pann: owner of NutriFitness LLC. http://thenutrifitness.com She has 20+ years experience in the Health and Fitness field with expertise in fitness bootcamps.She is author and creator of the best selling “Sure Victory Fitness Bootcamp Kit” at http://thefitnessbootcamp.com and The Fitness Bootcamp Inner Circle community for fitness bootcamp trainers at http://thefitnessbootcampinnercircle.com

Ans co creator of Sure Results:The Ultimate Book Of Boot Camp Workouts http://fitnessbootcampworkout.com and Customized Fitness Bootcamp Marketing Materials at http://fitnessbootcampmarketing.com

Turbulence Training Bodyweight Cardio 3

This no-equipment, anywhere, anytime workout system has already
helped thousands of other men and women to burn fat and sculpt their
bodies.

In this program, you’ll get:

- 4 challenging, ZERO equipment workouts that will tone your body in
ALL the right places

- NEW exercises GUARANTEED to burn more calories all day long

- Fun workouts you can get done quickly

- Fat-blasting workouts you can SUBSTITUTE for interval training
and cardio workouts

- PLUS, you’ll get the never-seen-before 5-Round “fat burning fight”
workout that will ignite your fat-burning hormones

One of the most critical elements to your fat loss success is
finding a workout program that fits into your lifestyle, and with
the flexibility of Turbulence Training Bodyweight Cardio 3, things
just got a whole lot easier.

http://georgettepann.com/BWCardio3
Try some of these for your Bootcamps.

Grab the whole program here http://georgettepann.com/BWCardio3

If you’ve been getting my emails this week, you’ll know that I’m giving the program my full endorsement and will be helping Kaiser promote it.  About the promotion, Kaiser is having a limited run printed, and is including the PLATINUM UPGRADE to the program at not cost.  The promotion ends Friday, and there’s only a total of 100 copies, so if you want to make sure you get yours, you can check it out here.

For you guys and gals, I sent over some questions to Kaiser about the program, just so we could get some more information about what’s in it and how it applies specifically to bootcamp operators.

Here they are:

Kaiser, who is the SIX-FIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM for?

This program is specifically for trainers that have had difficulty consistently pulling in a six-figure income on their own terms.  By their own terms, what I mean is a business where they’re not on their feet all day, but are instead creating a practice that is ready for further growth and income potential.  There’s a big difference between just adding more clients and bootcamp hours so you can make more money, and setting up your business so that you can spend your time on the business and marketing tasks (to reach more people and change more live), while teaching other trainers your techniques so they can administer the training for you.  This program is built to help trainers make that shift.  To not only establish consistency and a high  income now, but set them up for the future.  If you read the detailed product description on the sales site, you’ll see that’s what it was created to do.

My readers are primarily bootcamp operators – will this program be useful to them?

I’m sure you noticed when you went through your copy of the program Georgette, that I mention very clearly several times that the fitness industry is headed towards group training.  That’s one of the major focuses of this program – to show fit pros how to build high income group training sessions.  Now the difference is I’m a believer in high priced group training sessions, and a lot of time is spent in the program teaching how to sell and administer them.

I consider bootcamps discounted group training sessions, which are the easiest to sell, market, and administer.  If you can grasp and apply what I’m talking about in the program, holding and filling up bootcamps is like shooting fish in a barrel.

There seems to be a new business model or business in a box program coming out every week in fitness.  How is this different?

This isn’t a simple tactical program, full of things you can do to maybe get some more clients (although there are tactics in here).  This program is a complete paradigm shift.  It’s a new way of looking at the world and seeing the business.  That’s some of the feedback you gave me, about what a shift in thinking it is.  And I think that’s the most critical part in all of this.  You can’t put a band-aid on a broken approach.  But with a new approach, a new game plan that really exploits the opportunities in fitness, the results almost take care of themselves.  I know that sounds a little hypey, but that’s the key difference I’ve noticed from the trainers that do exceedingly well from the majority of trainers who are struggling to get by – they are approaching this business in a completely different way.

What makes you qualified to put out a program like this?

That’s a pretty interesting question, because I’ve probably made more mistakes than anyone in this biz!  But I’ve learned from all of them.  While I was still relatively new in fitness, one of my first big successes was that I operated the widest reaching training business New York City has ever seen.  My business was in 42 locations all over the city, and I had just under 20 trainers working for me, plus a staff of four more people.  The reason I call that a mistake is because I was burning myself out trying to manage so many customers, clients, and responsibilities.

What that made me realize is that even if hundreds of thousands in sales are being racked up, what matters most is your lifestyle.  Whether you enjoy your work, whether your business is sustainable, and you can actually spend time away from it; if anyone is honest at all, they will admit that’s the purpose of any business.

So this experience made me re-evaluate what I valued.  And although I still valued a high income, I also valued my independence, being able to do what I want, and having a business that was sustainable and could experience growth without my direct involvement.

I educated myself on cutting edge marketing techniques, time management techniques, and people management techniques; I networked aggressively with nearly every top person in this industry; and I applied everything I learned myself in my own business.  I condensed my training business to just one location, which became the top training business in a town of 2.5 million people.  I made clients come to me, instead of having locations everywhere.  I learned how to charge the absolute highest rates in the industry.  I learned how to make group sessions the only form of training, while simultaneously raising prices.  I learned how to make the sales process automatic so I didn’t have to do it.  And when it came time to launch a discounted bootcamp, I had more than 30 paying customers from day one.  In total, this more efficient business model is way more profitable than my original one, and earns more than when I had all of those employees and locations.  That’s why I think I’m qualified to teach trainers about this – because I feel I’ve cracked the code, in proving it’s not the size and number of employees you have that makes your business.  It’s how well it runs, how easy it is for you to run, and what your role is in it.  Now, my involvement in the business is by choice.  And the marketing, teaching, and communication skills this process taught me is what has allowed me to create a program like this.

I know you’re planning to put out a free platinum upgrade for my readers – can you offer anything else to them?

Sure Georgette – for anyone of your readers that gets the program, I’ll give them a 15 minute jump start speed coaching session.  I do not offer coaching or sell my time in any way, but would be happy to help any of your readers get the most out of this program.

There you have it – here’s where you can get the program again:

THE SIX-FIGURE TRAINER PROGRAM

If you have any questions, contact Kaiser at support[at]super-trainer.com or leave your comments below.

A special guest post by Super-Trainer.com editor Kaiser Serajuddin

Training is easy and fun; there are just a few things that suck about it. Here are a few of them: clients getting flaky in their session scheduling, clients not sticking to their programs, tracking and processing payments, and possibly the worst of all is this one …

Being stuck in day to day, hourly training when you’ve reached a point in your career when you’re ready to take a leadership role in the business, and teach other trainers to do the training for you. All of that sucks, but there’s one magic bullet that can help you with every one. There’s only on catch: it’s not for trainers still stuck in an employee, servant, or timid mind-set …

It’s automated billing. Automated billing, also known as EFT, is something talked about frequently in the personal training industry today, but I think that most independent trainers aren’t doing enough of it or doing it right. For that reason, I think it deserves a whole article, not just going into the how to implement it more effectively, but also to talk about why.

The way most people think of EFT is just splitting up a large six or twelve-month training program into smaller monthly payments, kind of the way we all did when we had to do our hard time working at a big box health club. But EFT can be something completely different. Do you know the continuity programs you hear about in the online world? Well fitness services are the ultimate continuity product. Once you get clients started, as any experienced trainer will tell you, it’s hard to get them to stop. Automating the billing process is the last step in systemizing the income side of it, and the benefits of doing it are tremendous.

Whether it’s personal training or boot camps, EFT can be a way to stabilize your month to month income, increase your gross revenue per client, and increase clients’ adherence to their work-out programs. It’s a win for everyone, but best of all it’s a win for you. Your profit, which is what every small business owner should be focused on but rarely is, are what’s going to determine everything that happens to you, and EFT will up that significantly, guaranteed.

EFT is best and easiest to sell when it’s sold as part of a program, not just breaking up a large training package as most trainers use it. Here is how to get a client started: say that in the client consultation, you and your client have decided that their goal is to lose 30 pounds in as short a time as possible. If you talk to them about the expectation of how long it will take to lose that weight, an absolute best case scenario is it taking anywhere from12-15 weeks. This type of sale fits directly into the buying behavior of the population when it comes to health and fitness services.

You can tell the client that they can try your 12-session-a-month program, which is the best program to help achieve that goal, at say a cost of $847 a month. What you’ll do is put them on your automated billing program, and at the end of 10 weeks, you can assess whether or not they achieved their goal. If they did, you can put them on a maintenance routine, and if they didn’t, they can continue on the current program without any interruption to their work-out regimen.

Here’s where the continuity part kicks in: as we all know, clients very rarely follow our instructions strictly and usually don’t achieve their goals on time.  That’s fine; that’s just the way the world is, and if you’re planning to be in this business for a long time, you can’t let that bring you down.  The good news is that clients will rarely blame you for it.  Hey, if your clients were completely self-motivated and self-starters, they wouldn’t need you to begin with.  The result is the client gets to effortlessly maintain the vital fitness services which by this point they have begun to greatly enjoy, and you never have to give a thought to re-closing this client ever again.

The result is the client gets to effortlessly maintain the vital fitness services which by this point they have begun to greatly enjoy, and you never have to give a thought to re-closing this client ever again.
Another reason why automated billing is because it sets higher expectation and some accountability on the number of times they need to come in for per month. We all know that client cancellations will cut anywhere from 25% to 50% of your expected income. This system will stabilize your monthly income, and put the onus on the client to perform, and make them the one that suffers if they don’t. Sure a client may need to miss a session every now and then, and with advance notice, they can get those sessions rolled over into the next month. But if they stop showing up, they lose out. Being demanding of you clients in this way is the hallmark of a top consultant that values his/her work. It’s a sign of when you’ve made the move from being a servant and salesman in the big gym environment and have become the leader in your business. And especially once you’ve progressed to the owner/leadership role, it will create a way for you stabilize your revenue, bringing consistency to your employees as well.

However, not everything is so simple. Being demanding and forcing your client to adhere to your policy automated billing policy takes some balls. A lot of people don’t have these balls. They’ll let the client walk all over them and pay on whatever terms they want and come in however many times they want. It’s the courage to define the rules of playing the game that will separate the fitness business owner from every other independent trainer.

Another result of enrolling clients in an automated billing cycle is that it is a much easier sale to make. It takes personal training sales from the nerve wracking, flip them over, tie them down, used cars salesman type sales process that’s used to sell large 12 month packages, into a very smooth and easy enrollment that can be done through a simple consultation or after a small introductory training package. Buyer’s resistance is lessened because they can see the end of the tunnel by you talking about the workout program, and it plays directly into their psychology of seeking immediate and fast results. If you’re doing your job as a trainer, you know that once a client gets started, personal training becomes a part of their life and they tend to stay indefinitely.

If you question whether or not a client will stay on a high priced automated billing program month after month, realize that all of us is paying at least 6 to 12 automated billing payments every month for different expenses. Everything from your cell phone, your electric bill, your car payment, your insurance, your health insurance, your mortgage or rent; all involve unavoidable monthly payments of varying size. So once your client realizes the value of their training program and they get used to making the monthly payments, they just view them as another expense. This is assuming that you continue to deliver an outstanding training experience.
This is was just my pep talk to the many trainers who know of the value of EFT, but have still been on the fence about implementing it. But I know this for sure: once you do put it in place, you’ll never go back, and be kicking yourself for why you didn’t do it sooner.

Kaiser Serajuddin is the owner of GoHard! Personal Training in Queens New York. After operating the widest reaching training business in New York City’s history (with a full 42 locations), he consolidated his practice to run a smaller but highly profitable training business serving the most affluent residents of Queens New York. Kaiser is also the editor of the Online Fitness Business Magazine, Super-Trainer.com.

 by Ben London

With the relentless over exposure different fitness industry training courses offer in the commercial media advertising how “easy” it is to own your own business in the industry, the general public could assume that you became accredited by simply attending an eight week course and voila, you’re a personal trainer or group fitness instructor.

You and I both know that statement couldn’t be farther from the truth, however it’s up to you to let your potential and existing clients understand that you are a fitness professional and not just another ‘qualified’ fitness instructor.

If you’re like most instructors, you’re constantly increasing your knowledge through workshops, books, seminars and other types of formal training.

You yourself are or were an athlete of some description or in the very least an avid gym goer. You are always up to date with new fitness equipment coming out, the latest fad diets and exercises via the internet, TV and magazines and you have probably tried most of the sports supplements on the market. So why should your personal training clients know that you do this?

Your clients are what we describe as general population and they see the same things on TV and hear the same things on the radio that we do. However most of the times don’t question it or at worst, they buy into it, even though the new ‘secret’ may be contradictory to their specific goals. You may even find that your clients, even though you have prepared a plan for them are sneaking these ‘magic pills’ that come around every other week.

How do you keep your personal training clients informed by what you’re doing?

Prepare a monthly newsletter for your clients detailing what you have done, observed or leared over the past period and explain how this could benefit or not benefit them. For example; you took a personal training workshop on core exercise.

This is going to benefit your clients this way because you are going to initiate some of the exercises into their revised programs. Or, you saw a new easy results promising product in the supermarket and after some research this is why it won’t or could be of assistance to your clients. The newsletter doesn’t have to be a full colour glossy publication, just a short, point form information sheet.

Whether they read it or not is up to them, though I guarantee it will improve your value, your business and you will stand out from your competition.

Something so simple to produce, with information you will already have floating around your head, keeps your personal training clients involved, informed and most importantly, coming back.

Ben

Ben London is the author of the popular personal training and fitness marketing blog; My Business Is Fitness.com. Ben specializes in innovative marketing and promotion ideas as well as offering effective solutions for utilizing social media to develop fitness businesses based on 15 years experience within the industry.http://mybusinessisfitness.com

For your FREE fitness business assessment and consultation, contact
Ben@My BusinessIsFitness.com