Need ideas for low-impact bootcamp classes

[Aunt Famous]

Hey, friends.

In addition to my regular job, I am a fitness instructor. I teach spin classes, and lately, with more frequency, I have been called to sub bootcamp classes. Since my gym has an older population, these classes have exercisers ranging in age from 40s to 70s -- and on the older end of the range, Silver Sneakers is too tame. I try to be mindful of everyone's joints, the age differences, the fitness disparities, and I give plenty of modifications.

I have designed workouts with different stations, different themes (sections with med balls/BOSU/chairs), time intervals (five minutes on/one minute off), alternating (one min cardio/one min UB/one min cardio/one min LB). But I think one of the real difficulties with this type of class is my fear that I am really am doing the same exercisers over and over (and over) again.

To compound matters, I rarely do bootcamp workouts on my own time, preferring instead Pilates/fusion/barre/dance/walking. (I don't mind teaching those types of workouts, but it's not like I continually expose myself to them in all my vidiotic glory.)

With all of this intro, here are my questions (AT LAST).

What are your favorite low impact bootcamp-style exercises?

What are your favorite bootcamp workout types (whether DVD or general style)?

Thanks so much.

AF

Check out my blog at www.typeALC.com

[Kitten]

I found this months ago when looking for burpee substitutions:
http://fatlossaccelerators.com/site/...es-to-burpees/

I did #2. Easy on my knees, still got my heart rate up.

[desie]

Hi, I have a few suggestions that keep the heart rate up. I don't do boot camp either but that is the style where I work:

Lower Body
Ball slam (pick up a med ball, raise overhead and throw it at the floor, repeat)
If that’s too loud, can do a sumo squat with a kettlebell
Walking lunges
Step up onto box, do all reps on one leg before switching, hold kettlebell in one hand
Belly and ups – from standing, kneel down on floor and lean forward onto hands, touch belly/chest to floor, and then push yourself back onto your feet and stand up
Side squats with band (fire walkers)
Suicides – touch the floor, run to the other side of the room, touch the floor, repeat
Strap squats with a little jump each time (using the trx suspension straps)
Kettlebell swings

Upper Body
Farmer’s carry
Walking with a plate overhead or waiter’s carry
Dumbbell push-press
Rows (use trx straps)
Resistance tubing/band exercises
Handstand at the wall or down dog
Bar hang (feet can be grounded, just squat down while hanging on)

Core
Plank variations
Mountain climbers
Russian twists with a ball or kettlebell
Double leg lifts or single leg lifts from lying on back
Yoga boat pose
Supermans, or swimming (back extensions)

[Chomper]

For low impact drill style cardio moves, some of my favorites are low impact squat thrusts (you step back rather than jump back, and you can build up a good speed doing these), side lunging touching down, kick forward and lunge back touching down, really any kick and lunge combo, DB skier swings and regular swings, moving planks (like in plank moving forward or sideways), crab walking and other animal movements. Now these are assuming good range of motion, but the rom can be shortened if people have limitations. If you add a step, there are a lot of squatting or lunging off the side of the step or straddle steps, etc.

My preference for boot camp strength stuff is compound exercises, but it seems a lot of people like isolation work given their prevalence in DVDs I see.

I tend to want no particular exercise to last more than a minute, because I get bored.

[Breezy Trousers]

That sounds like fun! What an honor!

For some reason, I can't remember where I placed my reading glasses 5 minutes ago but I remember that you really liked Kristi Molinaro's 30-60-90 workout a few years back .... Molinaro's workout was one of those rare bootcamp-style workouts that worked for all levels due to its modifications. Do you still have it?

I'm looking forward to doing my first bootcamp-style workout in months: Bob Harper's Beginners Weight Loss Transformation. It's probably more circuit than bootcamp, but I like the fact that Beginners Transformation doesn't go crazy with weight-bearing exercises like planks, push-ups, mountain climbers, burpees, etc. The weight-bearing exercises are certainly there, but all are reasonably paced and can be easily modified. Too often, boot camp workouts place excessive emphasis on weight-bearing exercises, making the workout inaccessible for those with wrist issues.

I imagine people with knee, back or shoulder challenges have their own set of concerns. Maybe others can chime in?

Come to think of it, I wish you the best of luck, AF!

[Jeanne Marie]

How cool! That is so awesome that you're leading a boot camp!

I don't lead my boot camp class, but help the instructor (my BFF) design and set up the classes every day, twice a day, and during the class help her correct form and guide the participants. We also have all ages and fitness levels. Just a run down of things we do that are low impact...

TRX suspension trainer (so many different moves you can do with these straps)
Step ups with three different levels... the plyo box, the step and a lower step
Battle ropes
Punching bag
spin bike
kettlebell swings
Squat and press or clean/squat/press with different weight choices
push ups
planks
mountain climbers
Jacob's ladder
rowing machine
ski erg machine
squat machine
bicep curls
shoulder press
pull ups
slam ball
left and right snatch with different dumbbell weight levels
Steel mace (we hit a huge tractor tire)

PS: Noticed that someone recommended slamming a medicine ball. Be very careful. Medicine balls bounce much more than a traditional slam ball, and if you're leaning over into it like you should with a slam ball, you'll get hit in the face. Also, a slam ball gives you more core work since you reach all the way to the ground to pick the slam ball back up. Just FYI... most here probably already know this, but I've seen someone slam a medicine ball and get hurt.

[desie]

Sorry, probably used the wrong word calling it a medicine ball. There are all sorts of heavy balls at my gym, I don't know their name differences. Most of them just splat when they hit the ground.

[Aunt Famous]

Thanks, everybody! I REALLY appreciate all of the good ideas (and would welcome more, if you've got them).

And Breezy T, I learned a valuable lesson: NEVER trade anything. I traded 30-60-90 for something at some point, and it's very clearly biting me in the butt now. Palm to face!

AF

Check out my blog at www.typeALC.com

[TinierTina]

I may have shared these links before. They have helped this old lady (both injured and arthritic):

Squat Modifications

Lunge Modifications

Mountain Climber Modifcations in a Small Group Class

Note that I do not avoid all flexion or impact; but I must avoid knee torsion as much as possible ... if I can, I call on whatever core strength I have and move as much from the hip as possible for those moves ...

[Jeanne Marie]

Thought of more that we do....

The Bosu! Love it!

We stand on the flat side and do squats. We also do push ups with hands balancing on the flat side and also feet balancing on the flat side. It's excellent for helping with our balance as we age, especially if you're doing it very fast in an interval of 20/30/40 seconds and having 10 seconds to move onto and off of very quickly.

Slosh pipe lunges.

You can do all sorts of moves with the slosh pipe, but we mainly do lunges with a side twist in the lunge position.

We made our own slosh pipes. Just google it and you can easily make one pretty economically.