The Warm Up with Kyle Wood - Bootcamp Ideas

kyle-wood_1_04-15-2025_093641: Hey
trainers, it's Kyle here In today's

episode is inspired by two of the
Bootcamp Ideas newsletter readers, Sarah

and Ginger, who both mentioned feeling
stuck when it came to workout variety.

Sarah says she finds self leaning
on circuits a lot as kind of a

default mode for our sessions.

And Ginger shared about how after
10 years with the same group.

She's finding it hard to find
ways to keep things fresh.

So today I want to talk
about the humble circuit.

You are all familiar with it, you know,
60 seconds of this station, 60 seconds,

the next station, working your way around.

It's classic for a reason.

It's very easy to keep everyone
moving at the same pace.

it's really easy to set up.

You don't need a lot of equipment,
but if it's the only thing

you're doing with your classes.

You are missing out on a lot more
creative ways of doing workouts.

So in this episode, I'm gonna walk you
through how to break out of just falling

back on circuits all the time, and show
you how to bring more variety, progression

and connection into your workouts.

And if you have a group who's like.

I love circuits.

I find anything else too confusing.

Don't worry.

I'm gonna show you how you can just, make
little tweaks to your circuits to make

them more fun, so that your clients will
keep coming back, especially new clients.

So let's get into it.

So let's first talk about what do we think
about when we think of a bootcamp circuit?

For me, I think of probably like eight
to 10 stations, maybe a different

piece of equipment on each station.

one person, or if you've got
more, you might have two or

three people on a station.

They're doing the exercise,
they go on to the next one.

I remember one place I trained at, they'd
have like 20 exercises in their circuit.

and you would just get through one
lap of the circuit because it was

like two, three minutes per station.

and yeah, it was pretty boring.

I went to like a couple of the classes,
but 'cause the exercises didn't really,

it was in a gym, so they were using
some of the gym equipment and he did

the same piece of, did the same exercise
with that piece of equipment each time.

Um, yeah, it was kind of boring.

It was like, I, I didn't.

See the point in adding this,
like what, what benefit I already

was training with weights.

What benefit was this circuit
adding to my, my workouts?

So, yeah, I wanna point out
that it can, it's pretty boring.

It's a pretty boring format.

And even if you go, oh,
I'm gonna switch up.

We'll do 45 seconds intervals
and then 15 seconds rest.

Or we'll do a workout where
we just use kettlebells.

If you've got enough, we'll do a workout
where we just use body weight, like.

Yes, it will help, but long term
it is going to be pretty boring,

for your clients and for you.

Like it's boring standing there
looking at your phone or the shop

watch or the, the clock on the wall
and being like, okay, time swap.

Okay, time swap.

Like literally an app.

Now most fitness apps do do that for you.

So like you.

That role of you has been replaced.

a machine can quite happily tell
people when time is up and they can go

onto the next station and it can even
show them a video of the exercise.

So what we as trainers need to be thinking
about, and one of the things that's,

it's worked for long before, this stuff,
you know, technology and AI came along.

So it's not a reason to
be scared, but it's just.

We as trainers need to start using our
creativity in order to create something

different for our clients each time.

And that's why people are
gonna want to train with us.

you're probably not targeting high
level athletes who are looking for every

aspect of their workout to be optimized.

No.

who you're probably training are
people who just want to turn up.

They don't want to think about.

In advance what they need
to do for their workout.

They just wanna rock up to the workout,
do a workout that's engaging, that feels

interesting, that feels like it has a
sense of purpose and accomplishment.

and then they wanna finish that
feeling, that feeling great after

that workout and go home and be
like, wow, that was really cool.

We did something completely different.

That's what you want your bootcamp to be.

So even if you are like, I still
really like circuit training.

I want to have circuits in my workout.

In My weekly plan, like maybe you
have it like once a week, but you

wouldn't rely on every single workout.

so what's the solution?

Let's look at your circuits and we'll
look at how we can make little tweaks

to them to make them more interesting.

Then I'm not gonna go into a lot
of detail today on how to do like

something completely different,
but you do want enough in there

to keep clients on their toes.

And that can be as simple as, I'll go
through some examples that could be as

simple as like, after they finish one
round of the circuit, which maybe is

just like a typical strength circuit.

They've then gotta do this like three or
four minute high intensity interval drill.

that's like very cardio based.

So it's like, whoa, what's happening now?

Like, I've just been doing all this
other stuff and now my heart rate's up

and I'm moving and oh, I gotta do this.

And maybe there's a partner
element or a team element to it.

So it just breaks things
up from working out.

By themselves doing the same circuit.

and by making these tweaks to your
circuits, what they end up doing is they

end up creating a bit of a gateway to
even more interesting types of workouts.

Especially again, I know some
people, they don't have an

issue with this, their clients.

This was my case.

My clients loved doing all
sorts of different things, all

sorts of different workouts.

But I know there are trainers
who email me and say, look, my

clients just won't do that stuff.

So what you can do though, is you can
start making tweaks of their circuits,

which opens their eyes to like, ah, if
I train outside my comfort zone a little

bit, I can actually have a lot of fun
and feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Now what I'm gonna share with you today,
as best I can through this audio, and

for some of you who'll be watching the
video for this format, is I'm gonna

share with you some different ways to

change up your,

alright, so you might
be now going, Hey Kyle.

Keep telling us about like, we can make
this little tweaks and things, but.

What are they?

Well, that's what I'm
gonna share with you now.

I've got 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

We've got five ways that I'm gonna
share how you can make little tweaks

to your circuits, make little changes
and keep clients really engaged.

the first one I actually just mentioned
it, and this one comes from an article

I'm gonna link to, which has been one of
the most popular articles on the website

and it's called Circuit Breakdown.

And in it one of the bootcamp ideas,
writers, Liz, she breaks down three

different ways that she makes, keeps her
circuits interesting and keeps 'em going.

And I'm gonna mention Liz again 'cause
she's got another cool circuit idea that

I adapted, which I, I highly recommend.

So, yeah, this method that she recommends
is do your typical eight station strength

circuit, and then at the end of that.

Run a shorter four to five station
high intensity interval circuit.

So it's like, it's quick, it's fast,
they're getting their heart rate up.

it's like a mini finisher
at the end of each circuit.

So that's the first way you can do that.

or you could, instead of doing
a high intensity thing, you

can make it skills based.

So maybe at the end of each circuit they
do something that you are working on.

So maybe it's, maybe you've got a
lot of clients wanting to build up

their upper body strength, wanting
to build up their pushup strength.

So maybe they do this combination of
very slow or isometric pushup exercises

to finish off that round of the circuit.

Again, just adding that
something different.

Now they're all doing it together.

Everyone's in it together.

They're not separated on their stations.

chatting away that, that's something
I didn't mention earlier is like, how

bad is it when you get too chatty?

Kathy's on the same.

Station and they're just chatting
away instead of exercising.

And you've gotta like separate them and be
like, right, you go over to the opposite

side of the circuit and you go here.

So working out ways that you can mix
things up so that, of course you want

your clients to get along with each
other and chat with each other, but so it

doesn't become, disruptive to the class.

The next way, can we stop your
circuits, is to do mini circuits

or three person circuits.

So mini circuits, I've got a YouTube
video, explaining mini circuits.

So it's four stations,
and it's very quick.

and you'll do three rounds at the station.

So it's like 12 sets total.

So three sets on each exercise,
and you'll mix up the timing

each time and exercise each time.

But yeah, it's very quick, very, fast.

You're only teaching four exercises,
so you don't have that delay.

Of the eight station circuit where
you've gotta demonstrate eight

different exercises, you're just gonna
demonstrate four, get into it, go.

Then while they're having a rest, you can
demonstrate another four exercises and go.

and then the other one I mentioned
was three person circuits.

And I learned this from a group called
Motivate to Train, who used to run really

fantastic bootcamp, instructor workshops
here in Melbourne or all around Australia.

They, have this great thing
called a three person circuit.

So this is where you will split
your group into teams of three,

and you want like a mixed level
of fitness levels on each of them.

Okay.

I've got another article and actually
have, I'm gonna do another podcast

episode on how to divide your clients up.

so you wanna mix your groups into
groups of three with a mixed variety

of fitness levels in the group, you
are then going to have three stations.

and you set them up in row.

So you have like a baseline
that's gonna be your active rest.

Then the next one up that's
gonna be, maybe more your.

An isometric or a cardio exercise,
and then you'll have your third

line, and that's going to be
your main strength exercise.

Okay?

So you might do like ones
that are like pushup variety.

So you might have, let's say your
baseline, the active rest might be

holding a plank just for as long as
people can, resting as they need.

Then level two, which is gonna
be our isometric or our cardio,

so might do cardio, upper body.

so they might be doing,
let's say, jumping jacks.

Then level three will be our pushup
variation, so that they're doing,

and so in their teams I'll have
one person who starts on that, the

baseline on that, the active risk.

One person is on the cardio, the
jumping jacks, and one person

is on the pushup variation.

When the person on the pushup variation
does say like 10, 15 reps, they'll then

run back to the start, tag their teammate,
who's on the active rest, who will run up

to the jumping jacks and tag that person
who'll run up and do another 15 pushups.

And they keep rotating like that.

And you can do that for time,
like an amrap or you can.

do three rounds or four rounds.

It's so everyone's doing like
four lots of pushups and then

when three or four teams finish,
everyone's gonna wrap up and finish.

And that way the sort of fitter clients
can really push themselves to be one

of those teams to finish, and everyone
else can just go at their own pace

and get as much as they can get done.

That's your three person circuit.

Next.

My favorite, and maybe there's a
different name for this, but I've

always called them drill circuits.

So a drill circuit works like a regular
circuit, except as the name implies,

instead of just having an exercise at
each station, you've got a whole drill.

And so what do I mean by a drill?

I mean like a drill is a game or an
activity or a series of exercises

that need to be completed, so makes
for a great team workout where

you'll split your group into teams.

And they've gotta work their way
around the circuit, completing

different activities at each station.

So one station might be like a card, you
know, a deck of cards based exercise.

Maybe they have to do 10, pull
10 cards off the top of this deck

and do the corresponding exercises
and reps, you know, make it up.

Another station might be, there's a
hill there, they've gotta like run up

and down this hill a bunch of times.

Another station, might have a bunch
of kettlebells and they've gotta do

a kettlebell circuit at that station.

So, you know, there's might
be three exercises there.

They've gotta do three round
of that circuit, then they're

on to the next station.

Love doing drill circuits.

Just a great way to, if you're
outdoors or even if you're indoors,

to use your space and use different
features inside your space.

You might have benches set up, you
might have a wall where you can do

a bunch of wall based exercises.

Just a really fun way
to spread things out.

And, yeah, I highly recommend you give,
give that one a go and I will, I'll

link in the show notes as well to like
a really good drill circuit that I like.

so you can get an idea of that
spinning off before I go to the

next one before I go to number four.

There's another, it's
sort of a drill circuit.

It's called, I call it Five Rounds Fit
and it's based again, I mentioned that

I would mention Liz again 'cause Liz
sending this workout called the 5 10, 15.

And basically the way this workout worked
is that you had a little circuit, a

little amrap circuit, of three exercises.

the first exercise might be jump squats
for five reps, Then it might be, regular

squats for 10 reps, and then fast
feet or mountain climb for 15 reps.

So you'd have these three exercises.

The hardest one for five reps,
the next hardest one for 10

reps, the third hardest one 15.

And you keep doing that workout
amwraps, that circuit Amrap

style until five minutes is up.

Then you get one minute to rest.

Then you're onto the next station where
there's a new set of 5, 10, 15 exercises.

So I took that and that's
what I love about the

collaborativeness of the internet.

what if we did.

All kinds of different drills
or little mini things that you

have to do within five minutes.

one station will be, we're gonna
do something with Kettlebells and

they're gonna do the 5, 10, 15 little
circuit, but then the next station

is gonna be an e mop, and I'm gonna
make them do something like 10

burpees every minute on the minute.

I wouldn't actually make
people do 10 burpees.

I don't really like burpees, but I'm
on the spot here, so I'm going to.

or like one session I slowed down.

So I had them do one Turkish
get up on each arm with a

challenging weight every minute.

they just did five reps for the five
minutes, but it was pretty challenging.

Then in another station,
I might have them do,

then another, another station.

It might be, I go, you go.

So on this one they're gonna
partner up with someone.

Their partner's going to do 10 reps
or 15 or 20 reps of an exercise.

Then they're gonna do 20 reps of an
exercise and they're gonna go back

and forth until the exercise is done.

Great.

One, maybe you've got deadlifts,
you've got some trap bars, you wanna

do some deadlifts, so you might
have to work in a group of three.

And they do five reps each.

with the trap bar.

So these are the kind of
things you can think about.

and I've got a ton of examples.

we ended up filling out a whole
section of the site on boot craft,

because it's just such a great
template, the five rounds fit template.

So yeah, that kind of
shuffles in with the,

so that kind of shuffles in
with the drill circuits now.

Number four.

I mentioned this just
now in five round fits.

But another way you can mix up your
circuits is to use, I go, you go.

So I go, you go is where you
take it in turns with a partner.

So you might have one person go for 20
seconds and then the other person go

for 20 seconds and then back and forth.

So they're getting 20 seconds
rest after each set of 20

seconds while their partner goes.

It gets people interacting, gets
people cheering each other on so it's

a normal circuit otherwise, and perhaps
we're still doing 60 seconds of work,

but we're doing it over two minutes
and taking turns without partner.

another way you might do
it is instead of time.

You might have a target number of reps.

Maybe they've gotta do a hundred reps
on each station, but they have to do it.

They can only do 10 reps at a time,
and then their partner's gotta do 10.

Keep going until they've
done 10 sets of 10.

and then the last way.

It doesn't even, this is the way for
those clients who are like, no, don't

make me count reps or do anything complex.

But here's a way you can work
something a little bit sneaky, and

this is in this method, is you might
do three rounds of a circuit as per

normal, but you're going to mix up.

Or you're going to increase or
decrease how long they spend

on each station, each round.

the first round, they might only
do 20 seconds on each station.

Then the next round they're gonna
do 40 seconds, and then the final

round they're gonna do 60 seconds.

Or you might go the other way.

You might go 60 seconds
and make it sort of easier.

that way clients feel like, oh,
the hardest round's out of the way.

Now it's sort of down, I'm kind of going
downhill versus the other one where

it's like, ooh, it kind of starts easy.

but you are gonna be
dying by the last round.

Okay, so to go back through those, the
five different things you can try at

the first one is to do little mini.

hit circuits or skill-based circuits
in between each of your main circuit.

then there was the using mini
circuits, so small, four station

circuits or three person circuits.

Then I talked about drill circuits,
so like having a drill at each

station that they complete.

Uh, that's always gonna take longer.

Sometimes I didn't mention that,
like a drill circuit, they might

only complete one lap of the
circuit in the whole workout 'cause.

Each station might take
five to 10 minutes.

That's all right.

then you've got the I go, you go.

So like working in pairs or in
threes with one person exercising

while the other person rests.

and then lastly, there was changing up
at least changing the interval timing

so you're not always doing 60 seconds.

Experiment with some different times.

Do some.

Circuits with shorter
intervals and some with longer.

Do some workouts where you
increase, where you decrease,

where you increase, then decrease.

Play around with it.

So before I sign off,
why is this important?

Why is it so important that
we mix up our circuits?

If you are just getting
started out, you might be like,

what's wrong with the circuit?

Like we, we are hitting everything.

I'm getting to include all my exercises.

It's because you want to start
thinking about your workouts

bigger than the individual workout.

You want to zoom out and think about
what is like a month, what is six weeks?

What does 12 weeks of
my workouts look like?

And you want to be working
towards your client's goals across

all those different workouts.

And that means training them
in a variety of different ways.

and then of course there's the like,
just keeping things interesting

aspect for you as a trainer as well.

Like I got really bored doing the
same workouts over and over again,

which is why I started coming up
with different workouts and started

seeking out other trainers who were
coming up with interesting workouts.

Yes, you can look at what is the most
scientifically best way to train people,

and you can just do that every session.

And that's what I'm seeing, like a lot
of the big franchises and things doing.

But to be honest, it's pretty boring.

And that's not for everyone.

It's for those clients who love seeing,

Track every metric and every step and
have everything tracked on my phone.

Yes, they'll love it, but there's
still a huge group of people out

there who just want to move their
bodies more and doing something like

that just doesn't interest them.

They need classes that are interesting.

They need classes, fitness options that
are fun, that are engaging, where they

get to chat to the other people, where
they get to have a laugh, where they get

to do something a little bit silly, where
they get to try something new, where they

get to feel a sense of accomplishment.

All of these things are things you can
give your clients with good session plan.

And I do talk about this in my
master class, how to plan workouts

fast without sacrificing quality.

I talk about how you like,
might structure that out.

And then I go into even more detail in.

Group flow, which I'm running the next
round of that soon, which is a live

course where I show you how to like,
package up your sessions into something,

that's much more marketable and have,
how to have a bit of like, flow in your

business, a bit of ebb and flow, a bit
of time for promotion, time to just

focus on training rather than feeling
like you're marketing all of the time.

So if you're interested in either
of those, I'll include the links,

in the show notes here as well.

And I mean, really the ultimate goal
with this stuff is to get our clients

results and also to keep them coming back.

And I think if you are always looking at
ways to how can you improve your sessions?

How can you bring something
new into your sessions?

How can you keep your sessions
fresh and interesting for you?

Your clients will feel that enthusiasm
and they'll want to try stuff too.

Finally, last thing before I go, I
want to challenge you to take one

of the things I spoke about today.

if you go to my website and find
this podcast on bootcamp ideas.com,

I'll have a little reference
summary that you can go back to.

I want to challenge you to try
one of these things in your week.

If you always run your circuits 60 seconds
each, or you find yourself falling back

and doing the same kind of circuits a lot.

Try one of these other circuits.

Try a drill circuit, try some igo.

You go thrown in there.

Try changing up and using a
different interval timing than

what you would normally do.

And I think you'll find that
not only will you like it, but

your clients will like it too.

And that's it for the
warmup for this week.

I hope you feel warmed up and
invigorated and excited to get into

planning your sessions this week.

I'm looking forward to doing a
few more episodes like this on

session planning, on workout ideas,

Yeah, as I mentioned at the start, they
asked for some help on these topics,

but there was a few of you who asked
for help on different workout topics.

So I hope you guys enjoy that
and I'll chat to you next week.