Burn Boot Camp Review

Today’s blog post is all about Burn Boot Camp!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know I’m a Burn Boot Camp super fan. I’ve been attending camps multiple times a week for years (I took my first camp in 2015) and don’t see my love for Burn fading anytime soon. I talk about Burn Boot Camp on this blog a lot but I still get questions about the workout via Instagram DMs, blog comments and emails, so I wanted to write a giant catchall blog post to include answers to the most popular questions I receive (what each protocol means, what to expect at focus meetings, pros/cons, etc.) and also include my personal review of Burn Boot Camp (what I like, don’t like, etc.).

An important disclaimer: My Burn Boot Camp membership fee was waived when they approached me because I was sharing so much about Burn and my love for the workout organically. I’ve never been required to share a single thing about Burn and only continue to share about it because it’s a workout I love so much.

Okay, now it’s time to dive in!

Burn Boot Camp Review

I first discovered Burn Boot Camp through Groupon years ago, if you can believe it. At the time I was new to the Charlotte area and researching local fitness classes, gyms and fitness studios. When I first began reading about Burn Boot Camp, it was primarily marketed to moms which is honestly why I held off trying it when I initially moved to the Charlotte area. After I gave birth to my first child and was ready to make working out a priority again, I knew I needed a gym with childcare which led me back to Burn!

What Is Burn Boot Camp?

Burn Boot Camp offers group fitness classes (aka “camps”) that focus on strength and conditioning. Workouts are never the same and challenge different areas of the body on different days. Camps are 45 minutes and begin with a 5-minute dynamic warm up. A trainer then demonstrates the workout of the day. And everyone completes the workout for the next 30(ish) minutes. Every camp ends with a “finisher” which is often the most challenging part of the workout created to push you out of your comfort zone before the workout is complete.

My Burn Boot Camp Review

Burn Boot Camp is my favorite group workout I’ve ever done. And attending Burn is something I’ve stuck to consistently for more than 8 years. I attribute this to a myriad of things but let’s break them down into a pro/con list for the sake of brevity:

Burn Boot Camp Pros: 

The workouts are 45 minutes and fly by.

This is a huge perk. In 60+ minute fitness classes, I inevitably start to get bored and look at the clock. I have never one time been bored during a Burn Boot Camp workout. The camps are fast-paced. And the way the workouts are broken up (warm up + main workout + finisher) always hold my interest.

Workouts are never the same.

Burn Boot Camp shares the workout plan for the week — what they refer to as a “protocol” — every Sunday. (You may read more about what each Burn Boot Camp protocol means below!) While workouts are often similar with similar exercises, you truly never know what to expect when you walk into Burn beyond what the protocol of the day says — i.e. you’ll be training your legs on leg day — and I LOVE this so much.

Workouts are scalable.

This is HUGE. While you can challenge yourself to the max at Burn Boot Camp, all workouts are scalable for varying fitness levels and trainers make sure to highlight how to modify each exercise (“mod up” or “mod down”) when they demonstrate the exercises before you begin your workout. I continued to go to Burn Boot Camp or stream Burn workouts online through my pregnancies with my second and third children. Trainers are also extremely helpful if you have injuries you’re working around. And can help you come up with alternate, safe exercises to do if a certain exercise doesn’t feel right for you.

The Burn community is amazing.

I met some of my closest friends through Burn and have found my local Burn community to be incredibly encouraging, motivating and supportive.

Focus meetings can help you achieve your goals.

Burn offers one-on-one meetings with trainers to discuss your specific goals and help with accountability, motivation and support. I’ve seen women achieve incredible results by utilizing this resource, especially those who are new to fitness and may have a lot to learn.

Free childcare is available and included with your membership.

This was what got me into Burn Boot Camp in the first place! Child watch is also what first led me to meeting other first-time moms who had babies the same age as Chase who became some of my best friends. We noticed we were always going to the same camps and putting our babies in child watch at the same time and that was that! (For anyone nervous about Burn childcare, I get it! I actually attended Burn twice without Chase to meet the child watch staff and get a feel for the place before I felt comfortable bringing him along with me.)

There is an overall focus on strength versus aesthetics.

This may seem small but it’s something I appreciate about Burn so much. They use real Burn clients in their marketing (not fitness models) and create fitness challenges that center around increasing your strength, challenging yourself to pick up heavier weights, etc. Of course there’s support through focus meetings and the Burn community if weight loss is your goal, but I’ve never felt like that’s been their primary focus.

Burn Boot Camp Cons: 

It can be intimidating.

I first attended Burn with a friend because I was intimidated and wanted someone by my side who knew what they were doing in case I had any questions. Now that I am a member, I better understand resources available that might help potential new members who feel this way. My number one tip: Arrive early and talk to a Burn Boot Camp trainer or a Burn Ambassador and tell them it’s your first camp. They’ll go out of their way to make sure you feel comfortable and can even demonstrate some of the exercises and give you a heads up about what to expect.

It can be expensive and membership prices are a little confusing.

Each gym creates its own pricing structure making it a little challenging to know what the cost will be upfront. Gyms frequently have free trials (a free day or even a free week sometimes) and promotions to get new people in the gym (my Burn location recently ran a 30 day special for $69) so keep an eye out for those! Like most gyms, membership costs vary depending on your membership level and when you join.

Focus meetings are led by personal trainers, NOT dietitians.

This one irks me because a personal trainer is not a dietitian. And therefore, in my opinion, not someone who should be giving nutrition advice. When I booked a focus meeting after I had Chase, I absolutely loved my trainer but I didn’t love having a personal trainer (whose credentials didn’t go beyond my own with a NASM certification) talk to me about tracking my food and counting macros. While I know there is huge value in both of these things, especially for clients hoping to lose weight and see physical results, I think it would be incredible if Burn Boot Camp locations teamed up with local registered dietitians for the nutrition part of focus meetings.

Worth noting: I haven’t scheduled a focus meeting in years so I am honestly not sure if macro tracking and nutritional advice is still a part of their focus meetings. Perhaps anyone who has gone to a more recent focus meeting can weigh in below in the comments section?

Burn Weekly Protocol

Understanding the Burn weekly protocol is one of those things that can be a little intimidating when you first begin at Burn. Once you learn the workouts and understand the protocol, it’s incredibly helpful and can also be a tool you use to select the workouts that might be the best fit for you during any given week. (For example, in the postpartum period of life, I avoided certain workouts like Burst Training because I knew it included a lot of jumping and while I could’ve modified the workout, I preferred to opt out in favor of walking or another at-home low impact option.)

What Does Each Day of the Burn Weekly Protocol Mean?

Let’s break down the most popular Burn weekly protocols! In addition to a brief description of each workout, I’ve also included examples of Burn Boot Camp workouts I’ve shared in the past from each weekly protocol.

• Athletic Conditioning

When you see the word “conditioning” think cardio! This is typically a fast-paced cardio workout that incorporates bodyweight exercises and some equipment and focuses on speed work, agility and balance. Expect exercises like power planks, high knee sprinters, burpees, etc.

• Upper Body Strength

A strength workout focusing on biceps, triceps, back, chest and shoulders. Expect exercises like pushups, low rows, biceps curls, triceps extensions, etc.

• Lower Body Strength

A strength workout focusing on the lower body including quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Expect exercises like squats, lunges, hip thrusters, step-ups, deadlifts etc.

• Core Conditioning

A combination of cardio and core exercises that elevates your heartrate and strengthens your core. Expect exercises like medicine ball slams, reverse crunches, planks, plank jacks, etc.

• Metabolic Conditioning

A cardio workout created to improve muscular endurance that typically incorporates weights and equipment. (This is my favorite cardio day!) Expect exercises like dumbbell gun slingers, weighted burpees, squat to overhead press, etc.

• Full Body Strength

A total-body strength workout typically focusing on compound exercises. Expect exercises like biceps curls to overhead press, kettlebell deadlift to upright row, etc.

• Push/Pull

Aka a chest and back strength training workout. Expect exercises like pullups, pushups, chest press, low rows, dumbbell pullovers, etc.

• Burst Training

Think HIIT (high intensity interval training)! This workout will push you to your cardio max in small bursts of 20-60 seconds of work followed by a brief rest. Expect exercises like tuck jumps, star jumps, burpees, mountain climbers, etc.

• Arm Day

A strength workout focusing on biceps, triceps and shoulders. Expect exercises like biceps curls, triceps pushups, lateral raises, etc.

And now that I’ve shared a million words about Burn Boot Camp, I think I’ve touched on the most popular questions I receive about the workout, but if I’ve missed anything, please let me know in the comments section of this post and I’ll be sure to get back to you!

Questions of the Day

Have you ever attended Burn Boot Camp? What did you think?

For any other Burn Boot Camp regulars, what protocol is your favorite? My favorite protocol is arm day without a doubt!

What group fitness class do you like best? Is there a group fitness class you’ve attended and loved for years? Please share! 

Related: WEEK OF WORKOUTS: JANUARY 2024