ViPR bootcamp

Sussex instructors Ben Davies and Steve Cork founded Sussex BootCamps in 2008, after they realised they shared an ambition to open a gym. When their finances wouldn’t stretch quite that far, however, they looked at outdoors options.

“We came up with this idea of outdoors training,” says Ben. “I knew that it was popular in America and it meant that we didn’t have to pay for studio space.” So they created Sussex BootCamps.

By 2011 the company has grown rapidly: six trainers, two admin staff and five locations. Ben and Steve have also been quick to capitalise on new training trends such as ViPR.

The business partners first encountered the functional fitness training tool at FitPro Spring Convention. “After we saw them being demonstrated we bought some straight away and started using them for ourselves,” adds Ben. “Then we went on a training course in London and learnt more moves and different way to use it before we incorporated it into our PT and bootcamp sessions.

“The cost of buying the ViPRs was paid back to us within months. They’d been featured in the national press in recent months, so there was already a buzz. New clients were asking about them and we had people sign up as a direct results of the press converge and wanting to be coached how to use them.”

Old as well as new customers have also been impressed:“It’s gone down really well with the customers that have been with us for a long time because it is a new challenge and gets the heart rate going, and it’s also great for customers that are new to us who think that the only way to exercise is to run or go to gyms and sit on machines. It’s great for them to do exercises with their own body weight mixed in with ViPR exercises and many clients find it much more enjoyable than just going through the motions of basic exercise.”

The PTs generally uses ViPR as part of a mobility warm-up before moving onto three or four different exercises to provide variety for clients and to shock their muscles by performing new movements.

“They’re a brilliant tool for using outside as and I can’t see them breaking or us needing to replace them anytime soon. We’ve used them in the rain and it’s been fine. But my favourite thing is the versatility, there are thousands of exercises that you can do for the whole body,” says Ben. “It is really simple to use and there are just so many moves you can do. You think of something, and it’s very easy to apply it into a move.”

Ben believes that all personal trainers should be looking to expand their target market, to increase the different demographics they train to order to grow their businesses. There are opportunities available for PTs who don’t just stick with one-on-one sessions and Ben actually describes their sessions as, “like personal training, but in a group environment,” and emphasises how all their trainers are held accountable for the results of their clients.

Steve and Ben are looking to expand their bootcamp business by adding more locations and trainers, but haven’t forgotten their initial dream of owning their own gym. They are currently on course to achieve this ambition by the end of year and they’ve already compiled a list of all the different bits of kit they will require –no prizes for guessing what’s top of the list.