Thirteen women joined me this summer for the second year of Sweat Camp. Overall, this experience was rewarding because the women enjoyed the workout program, created a supportive community and focused on their health this summer.
Sweat Camp is an outdoor bootcamp for all women (open to non-members) hosted at Evolve Fitness. The goal of the program is to build healthy habits and reach your individual fitness goals, whether it’s to lose fat, tone your body or to simply feel your best.
During the first week, I asked participants to define their fitness goals. Then I followed-up with them through one-on-one check-ins to further customize their experience. One participant identified that “the 1:1 sessions were great to discuss goals and set new ones.”
Throughout the 10 weeks together, I helped women build a consistent exercise routine. I increased this timeframe from last year because it usually takes 2-3 months to build a new habit. The participants valued this timeframe, and some even wished we worked together longer.
The weekly group workouts are fun and often include unique equipment, like tires, battle ropes and chains. Bootcamp style workouts are different from a fitness class or personal training; the relationship-building workouts often include working in partners, engaging games and competitive races. One participant “liked the layout of the workouts with warm up, exercises and ending with a game.” Sweat Camp is also a great way to get to know new people!
Outside of the group workouts, participants had the opportunity to complete two additional workouts per week on their own time. Sweat Camp’s comprehensive program provides you all the tools you need to be successful in your fitness journey.
Although the workouts are a big piece of Sweat Camp, I also wanted to help women build habits outside of the gym. So, I hosted weekly challenges to promote overall wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle. The women agreed that “the weekly challenges were fun to get to know others and work on developing new healthy habits.” Some of my favorite weekly challenges included getting a full night of sleep, hitting a protein goal and meditation for stress relief.
I also implemented new technology this year. I used an app to deliver the additional workouts, track the progress of participants and to communicate with the group. The participants “liked the app as a central communication tool.” It built a community where everyone kept each other accountable to their goals.
Everyone is motivated in different ways. So for my competitive ladies, I held four fun competitions throughout Sweat Camp:
- Inbody Scan Competition: GNC’s Inbody Scan measured participants’ body fat and muscle mass at the beginning and end of Sweat Camp. The winner was identified by the biggest loss of body fat. Measuring body fat instead of weight promotes competition relative to your own individual body instead of comparing against others.
- MyZone Competition: I measured the effort the participants put in their workouts during Sweat Camp and rewarded the person with the most MEPs.
- Perfect Attendance Competition: Sweat Camp is a commitment, so I rewarded one winner for their dedication to showing up to workouts week-after-week.
- Bootcamp Baddie Award: Also known as the spirit award, our Bootcamp Baddie was identified as someone who participated and engaged in all of the weekly challenges.
Here is what some of the participants had to say:
“Sophie puts a lot into planning, guiding and supporting individuals throughout the different sessions. I love the variety of each session and the different games keeps it fun too! I really enjoy Sweat Camp and look forward to it again next year!” – Laura
“It was a awesome experience” – Jill
“It was another great year of sweat camp.” – Molly
“I loved this sweat camp! This has helped me become more confident in the gym on my own and a great foundation to build upon!” – Kari
“Best sweat camp yet! I like the pace. Things started off a little slower, in a good way, focusing on form, etc. And then it picked up, getting my heart rate up, which I love, and pushing me further! Looking forward to next year!” – Heather
From our post-camp survey, 100% of women would recommend Sweat Camp. Are you interested in reserving your spot for next year? Fill out this form with your contact information and I’ll reach out to you when enrollment opens.
Sophie Baum, Certified Personal Trainer