Bootcamp Games

How to Play:

1: Have your participants run around in a circle.

2: As the instructor, yell out a number (e.g., "3").

3: All participants must quickly form groups of that number.

4: Any participants left without a group must go to the middle of the circle and perform 3 jumping jacks.

5: Once the "leftovers" complete the jumping jacks, everyone starts running around the circle again.

6: Repeat the process, changing the number you yell out each time.

Fun Tip: Spice things up by calling out fun criteria instead of numbers! For example, ask them to form groups based on the color of their tops or by their star signs. This keeps things unpredictable and encourages participants to engage in some friendly interaction.

Why It Works: This game combines cardio, quick thinking, and social interaction. It’s a great way to break the ice and keep participants moving without feeling like they're "working out."

How to Play:

1: Line up your participants, facing each other in pairs.

2: As the instructor, yell out "Scissors, Paper, Rock!

3: "Participants play the game at your pace, following your rhythm.

4: The partner who loses must perform 5 jumping jacks.

5: The partner who wins gets to relax while their opponent works.

6: If it’s a draw, both partners must do 5 jumping jacks.

7: After about 4-5 rounds, have participants switch partners and repeat.

Fun Tip: Start off at a normal speed, then gradually speed things up to challenge your participants’ reaction times!

Why It Works: This game adds a playful competition to the session while incorporating short bursts of exercise. It’s great for quick decision-making and gives participants a fun break from the usual drills.

How to Play:

Round 1

1: Line your bootcamp participants up in formation (e.g., 5 lines with 5 people in each line), ensuring everyone is spread out evenly (arms-width apart).

2: As the instructor, yell out a direction—either forward, backward, left, right, up, or down.

3: All participants must move in that direction without bumping into each other

4: If anyone bumps into another participant or moves in the wrong direction, the entire group must do 5 burpees.

Note: In Round 1, the goal is to get participants familiar with the game. Most will find it straightforward, but it’s a warm-up for Round 2.

Round 2:

1: Exactly the same as Round 1, except now participants must move in the opposite direction of what you call out.

2: For example, if you say "forward," the whole group must move "backward," and if you say "left," they must move "right."

3: If anyone bumps into each other or moves incorrectly, the whole team does 5 burpees.

Fun Tip: Start off slow in both rounds, but gradually speed things up to increase the challenge!

Why It Works: This game tests participants' reaction times and mental focus, adding a fun twist to a regular workout. The unpredictability keeps everyone on their toes, and the group accountability helps build team spirit.

How to Play:

1: Divide your participants into two teams: the Hills and the Hollows.

2: Set up a bunch of cones in the middle of the workout area—half of them right-side-up (hills) and the other half upside-down (hollows).

3: On your signal, both teams run to the center. The Hills team must flip the upside-down cones (hollows) so they’re right-side-up, while the Hollows team must flip the right-side-up cones (hills) upside-down.

4: Each player can only flip over ONE cone, they then ran back to their line, then run back the area with the cones and repeat.

5: After a set time (e.g., 1-2 minutes), blow the whistle, and whichever team has the most cones flipped in their direction (either hills or hollows) wins the round.

6: Play 3 rounds and try even up the teams (e.g. if one team won convincingly - give them an extra team member)

Fun Tip: For a 30sec period in game 3, you will turn your back and participants are able to "cheat" and turn over as many cones as they want without running back to their line. You won't, however 'announce' when you're turning around.

Why It Works: Hills vs. Hollows encourages speed, teamwork, and quick thinking. The fast-paced nature of the game pushes participants to react quickly, while the team dynamic helps foster camaraderie and friendly competition.

How to Play:

1: Divide participants into groups of 5. Each group forms a small circle

2: One person inside the circle places a towel loosely over their shoulder.

3: Another participant stands outside the circle and tries to grab the towel.

4: The circle participants work together to block and prevent the towel from being taken by shifting and moving in sync, without breaking the circle.

5: If the person on the outside manages to grab the towel, the entire group inside the circle must perform 5 burpees.

6: Rotate roles so everyone has a chance to be both the towel protector and the person trying to get it.

Fun Tip: Encourage the person on the outside to move quickly and be sneaky! The more intense they make it, the more fun and challenging it becomes for the circle participants.

Why It Works: This game is fantastic for developing quick reflexes, teamwork, and communication. It keeps participants on their toes and adds a playful element to the workout.

How to Play:

Round 1:

1: Set up four "nests" (marked areas, like small cones) in a large square formation, one in each corner of the workout area. Each nest belongs to a different team.

2: Place a pile of cones in the center of the square—this is the communal "nest."

3: Divide participants into four equal teams. Each team stands behind their assigned nest

4: On your signal, one person from each team runs to the center to grab one object from the communal nest and bring it back to their team's nest.

5: Whichever team has the most cones at the end win.

Round 2:

1: Once all objects from the center are gone, participants can start "robbing" objects from other teams' nests (only one object per person per turn).

Fun Tip: Add a fitness twist! Between each run to the center or another team’s nest, participants must do a quick exercise (e.g., 5 squats or push-ups) before they can grab another object.

Why It Works: Rob the Nest combines speed, strategy, and teamwork. It keeps participants moving constantly while also adding a competitive edge, making it perfect for high-energy group workouts.

How to Play

1: Line up participants facing the instructor, similar to how you would for a game of "Scissors, Paper, Rock."

2: Explain that each number (1, 2, or 3) corresponds to a specific exercise:1 = Squat2 = Plank3 = Jumping Jack

3: Start by calling out a single number. Participants must immediately perform the exercise associated with that number.

4: As they get comfortable, increase the difficulty by calling out combinations of numbers (e.g., "1, 2" means they perform a squat followed by a plank).

5: Gradually speed up the pace and increase the number of combinations to make it more challenging and fast-paced.

Fun Tip: Build up combinations as you go - the longer the harder e.g. 1, 1, 2, 3, 2

Why It Works: This game combines cardio, strength, and reaction time, keeping participants on their toes. The unpredictable nature of the numbers challenges them physically and mentally, making it an engaging way to incorporate different exercises into a single game.

How to Play

1: Have all participants lined up in the middle of the workout area, facing each other. One row of participants are the "cats" and the other row are the "mice"

2: The instructor will call out an exercise (e.g., squats, push-ups, planks) that everyone must perform continuously.

3: At any point during the exercise, the instructor will suddenly yell either "Cat" or "Mouse." If the instructor yells "Cat," all "cat" participants must run to their designated line or area on one side of the workout space. If the instructor yells "Mouse," the "mice" participants must run to their designated line or area on one side of the workout space

4: Anyone who runs in the wrong direction or is too slow must perform a penalty exercise (e.g., 5 burpees) before rejoining the group.

5: After each round, the group returns to the center to start a new exercise, repeating the process.

Fun Tip: Gradually increase the intensity of the exercises between calls (e.g., go from squats to burpees). You can also add misdirection by calling "Mouse" when participants are already expecting "Cat" to keep them on their toes.

Why It Works: This game is perfect for high-intensity intervals, reaction time, and cardio conditioning. The unexpected commands keep participants engaged and challenge their ability to react quickly while under physical stress.

How to Play

1: For every 5 participants, assign one person to start with a pool noodle. These people are "it." (e.g. if you have 20 participants in your bootcamp, you'll need 4 pool noodles)

2: The people holding the noodle must try to tag any participant who doesn’t have the noodle by lightly touching them with it (below the knees).

3: Once someone is tagged, they take the pool noodle and become "it," while the previous holder joins the others trying to avoid being tagged.

4: The game continues with the noodle passing between participants as they are tagged.

5: After a set amount of time (e.g., 2-3 minutes), whoever is holding the pool noodle when time runs out must complete a "punishment" exercise (e.g., 5 burpees or 10 push ups).

6: Reset the game and start with new people as "it" for another round.

Fun Tip: To keep the game moving quickly, set clear boundaries or a play area where participants must stay inside, and encourage faster tagging by limiting how long the noodle holder can chase someone before tagging.

Why It Works: Noodle Tag is a fun, high-energy game that builds cardio endurance, agility, and quick thinking. The constant movement and changing roles keep everyone engaged and laughing, while the punishment at the end adds a competitive edge.

How to Play

1: Divide participants into teams of 4-6 people. Each team lines up one behind the other in a straight line, standing with their legs wide apart to create a "tunnel."

2: The first person in line holds a ball (e.g., a soccer ball, or any appropriate size for the group).

3: On the instructor’s signal, the person at the front of the line rolls the ball backward through the legs of the team.

4: The last person in line retrieves the ball, runs to the front of the line, and repeats the process, rolling the ball through the tunnel again.

5: This continues until the team has completes a set number of rotations (e.g. 3)

6: The first team to finish wins, while the losing teams may have to perform a "punishment" exercise (e.g., 5 burpees or 10 squats)

Fun Tip: If one team is significantly faster, playfully slow them down by throwing their ball away

Why It Works: Tunnel Ball is a fantastic team-building game that also works on speed, coordination, and communication. It’s fast-paced and encourages participants to work together to move quickly and efficiently.

How to Play

1: Divide participants into two teams, each forming a straight line.

2: Place a "captain" for each team at the front of the line, facing their teammates. The captain holds a ball (e.g., a soccer ball, or any similar object).

3: On the instructor’s signal, the captain throws the ball to the first person in their team’s line.

4: The first person must catch the ball, then quickly throw it back to the captain. Once they throw it back, they sit down.

5: The captain then throws the ball to the next person in line, who catches it, throws it back, and sits down.

6: The process continues until the ball has been passed to and returned by every team member.

7: The first team to have all members sitting down wins. The losing team can be assigned a "punishment" exercise (e.g., 10 push-ups or 20 jumping jacks).

Fun Tip: If one team is significantly faster, playfully slow them down by throwing their ball away

Why It Works: Captain Ball encourages hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and communication. It’s a high-energy game that keeps everyone moving and working together toward a common goal.

How to Play:

1: Give each participant a playing card from a deck. The number on the card will determine how many push-ups they might have to do.

2: Everyone starts moving around the space, playing a game of tag.If a participant tags someone, they must immediately switch cards with the person they tagged.

3: The game continues for a set amount of time (e.g., 2-3 minutes).

4: When time is up, everyone must look at their final card. The number on the card represents how many push-ups they have to do. For example, if you have a 7, you do 7 push-ups.

5: The goal is to end the game with the lowest-numbered card to minimize your push-ups.

Fun Tip: Add jokers to the deck! If someone has a joker at the end, they get to skip the push-ups.

Why It Works: This game combines fitness with strategy, speed, and luck. It keeps everyone moving while adding an element of fun competition to avoid getting stuck with a high card!