The trendiest way to work out and a bodyweight boot-camp workout

Do you know what the number-one trend in fitness is expected to be for 2015 according to fitness professionals surveyed worldwide? Bodyweight training. Yes, that’s right. Working out using nothing but your own bodyweight.

For the past nine years, the ACSM Health & Fitness Journal has conducted an official survey to see what the trends are in fitness around the globe. In 2014, bodyweight training was number two on the list, and it jumped up to number one for 2015. This is a relatively new trend, and it’s only been on the list since 2013. High-intensity interval training came in second for next year, falling from the top spot this year, and certified fitness professionals was third on the list for 2015, confirming that the market is hot for those who are skilled and trained with fitness certifications.

That being said, because bodyweight training is oh-so trendy, I’ve got some bodyweight workouts to share with you. One is for instructors to reference when creating bootcamp classes, and one is for everybody to do at your leisure. Or not, of course. 

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. This weekend, I taught my first ever outdoor bootcamp to a big group in a park. Although I’ve been teaching group fitness in the studio setting for many years, this was my first time creating my own group program and leading people through it. The stipulations were this: It needed to be an hour long and participants could not use any equipment. Okay. Easy enough. I looked around online for resources and ideas for a while, and quite frankly, there was nothing good to be found. Therefore, I started from scratch and created my very own format, which ended up working out perfectly, so I thought I’d share it in case anyone ends up my position in the future …

For instructors: One-hour bodyweight outdoor bootcamp

For those of you who are in the fitness industry and may one day teach an outdoor bootcamp, this format is shown below just to get your juices flowing. It’s fast-paced, goes by quickly and offers a total-body workout for participants utilizing strength training, cardio and even plyometric movements. I demoed the low and non-impact options, and advised those who didn’t want to run that they could powerwalk or march anytime the group was running.

One-hour bodyweight no equipment bootcamp via A Lady Goes West

It was a good time. I wasn’t quite sure if everything would play out as I planned with a big group of people with varied levels of fitness outdoors, but it was just the right amount of intensity with built-in interactive partner work and recovery. Some of the participants said the partner work was their favorite portion, and it may have helped that I instructed everyone to find a partner that they didn’t already know and introduce themselves. People seem to bond easily over hard work and sweating.

For everyone: 20-minute no-equipment bodyweight workout

And because you don’t always get to work out in a big group, I thought I’d modify the bootcamp for use at-home in your living room, or wherever you choose to work out. You don’t need anything but a small area and some motivation to complete this total-body strength and cardio killer. This is just a small serving of the bootcamp above.

* Disclaimer: Even though I’m a certified personal trainer, I’m not your certified personal trainer. So please ask your doctor before beginning a new workout program and proceed at your own risk.

20-minute no-equipment bodyweight workout via A Lady Goes West

These moves cover all planes of motion and all parts of the body in a flash. Bonus points if you massage out your muscles using a lacrosse ball after cooling down too.

Why did I choose to cut this workout down from one-hour to 20 minutes? Because I’ve now heard from a few mommy readers, who’ve said that 20 minutes is the perfect duration for a workout they can safely fit in while their little one is napping. Being childless, I never intended that to be a benefit of a short workout, but I’m glad it’s been helpful. And everybody likes to be efficient, so 20 minutes it is.

Now for a few exercise demo videos, which I’ve researched and vetted from across the web to explain some of the moves in the workout above, see these:

If you have any questions on any other moves, please let me know in the comments. And if you don’t want to be on-trend with bodyweight training and have some dumbbells laying around, please see these other routines or check out my Fitness page:

And that’s it for today! If you’re not in the market for these workout posts, don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow with pictures of food and some other fun stuff this week. Have a fabulous Tuesday! 

Questions of the day

Do you like to work out outside?

Do you agree that bodyweight training is a trend for 2015?

What’s the ideal duration for your workout?

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22 Comments

  1. Awesome, so glad your first bootcamp class went well. I’d probably like that sort of thing since you’re constantly doing something different and you don’t have time to get bored. My ideal workout is probably 45 minutes long. Long enough to get a good sweat on but not too long. I find myself looking at the clock in some classes or when I’m trying to do cardio on my own. That said, a great instructor who leads a fun class can make 60 or even 90 minutes fly by. Happy Tuesday!

    1. Hi Diane! Yes, my workouts alone are much shorter than when I’m in the class setting, because music, group energy and a good instructor can really makes things go by quickly. Thanks!!

  2. Great workouts! Thanks for sharing!

    I’ve already seen a huge rise in the popularity of strength training in general, so I can definitely see how body weight workouts could be the trendiest upcoming way to workout. Some body weight exercises are SO beneficial and challenging too!

    1. Hi Ashley! They sure are. We only use bodyweight in BODYATTACK, and boy that workout can be a killer. I really like the ideal of the minimalism of bodyweight training — that go anywhere, do it anywhere mentality.

    1. Hi Megan! I know! And CrossFit seems to be sticking around too. I feel like bodyweight exercises has some longevity too. Glad you’re on board with them. Have a great afternoon!

  3. Can’t wait to try this one! I have really enjoyed the other two workouts you posted! 20 minutes is the perfect amount of time for me, I take a “lunch/workout” break around the afternoon slump time of 2:30 or 3 in my companies gym on site. I love to combine a brief cardio session with some strength work, this looks like it will cover all on short time days!

    1. Hi Jessie! That makes my day, so glad you’re enjoying the workouts. And yes, I totally agree that efficiency is key. That’s pretty cool your company has a gym on site!

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