If you’ve been looking at bootcamp classes for weight loss as the answer to stubborn weight gain, you’re not alone. Many women think signing up to an intense camp workout will finally get the scales moving.
After all, boot camps promise calorie burn, sweaty sessions, and a full-body workout that should shift fat fast.
But if you’re in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, you may already know the truth: no matter how much effort you put into fitness classes, spin sessions, or running, the weight just doesn’t shift like it used to.
In fact, sometimes it even goes up.
The reason has nothing to do with your willpower. It’s because your body works differently during menopause. And while boot camps might feel like the right answer, they are often the exact opposite of what your body actually needs.
What Are Bootcamp Workouts?
Bootcamp workouts are designed to push you hard. They’re usually group sessions filled with circuits, drills, sprints, burpees, push-ups, squat jumps, and a lot of shouting encouragement from the trainer.
The idea is simple: work harder, burn more calories, and lose weight. And in your 20s or 30s, that might have worked brilliantly. You could cut calories, do a few high-intensity classes, and see results within weeks.
But after 40, your hormones shift, stress tolerance changes, and recovery slows down. What once melted fat now often leads to sore joints, stalled scales, and crushing frustration.
“Before I started Trinity my weight had gradually crept up to nearly 80kg. I was thickening around my middle, and buying bigger sizes in clothing 14-16. Even my family had commented on my weight gain! Yet I felt I was relatively fit- an active member of 2 gyms doing regular classes like body attack, body pump, HITT step, balance, yoga/ Pilates going at 6.45am and often after work too. I walked quite a bit and did at least 5k steps a day. In just over a year with Trinity, weight wise I have lost 13kg, and size wise I have lost 12cm from my waist and 10cm from my bust. Clothes wise, I have dropped 1-2 dress sizes. I’ve had lots of comments about how well I look.”
– Helen Huntington (57). Trinity Client
Why Bootcamp Workouts Aren’t Effective For Women Over 40
The biggest problem with bootcamp classes is that they aren’t designed with menopausal women in mind. They spike stress hormones, overload your joints, and don’t build the muscle you need to keep your metabolism firing.
High intensity exercise raises cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone. During menopause, your sensitivity to cortisol increases. That means your body reacts more strongly to stress from work, family life, or exercise.
Too much cortisol makes it harder to lose weight, especially around the middle, and often triggers cravings and fatigue.
Boot camps also rely on a lot of high-impact moves. Every jump, sprint, or burpee sends shock through your knees, hips, and lower back. If you’re carrying extra weight, the load is even greater.
This can quickly lead to injury or soreness that makes it impossible to stay consistent.
And finally, most boot camps focus heavily on cardio. You’ll sweat and feel exhausted, but you won’t build enough muscle to actually reshape your body.
Without muscle, your metabolism slows down, and weight loss gets harder with every year that passes.
This is why so many women put in the effort, go to classes several times a week, but see no changes in their clothes or the mirror. But it’s just simply the wrong type of training for this stage of life.
What To Do Instead Of Bootcamp Workouts In Menopause
If bootcamp classes for weight loss don’t work, what does? The key is to focus on workouts that lower stress, protect your joints, and build muscle. The most effective of all is Low Impact Strength Training (LIST).
But LIST isn’t the only useful option. By combining it with a few simple lifestyle-based exercises, you can create a routine that works with your body—not against it.
1. Strength Training
Strength training is the single most powerful way to lose weight and reshape your body after 40. Unlike cardio-based workouts, strength training focuses on slow, controlled movements that challenge your muscles without overloading your joints.
The benefits are huge. Building muscle speeds up your metabolism, meaning you burn more calories even while resting.
Muscle also reshapes your body, so you notice your clothes fitting better and problem areas like the stomach, arms, and hips becoming firmer and leaner.
To start incorporating strength training, you don’t need a gym or heavy equipment. Begin with two or three sessions per week at home, using resistance bands, dumbbells, or even bodyweight movements.
Keep each session around 40 minutes and focus on controlled, steady reps rather than rushing. With the right plan, this alone can help you lose 15–25 pounds in just 12 weeks.
2. Walking
Walking is one of the most underrated tools for weight loss. It’s gentle on your joints, helps reduce stress, and supports fat loss without spiking cortisol. It’s also something you can easily fit into your daily life.
If you want to start incorporating walking, don’t overcomplicate it. Aim for 20–30 minutes a day at a steady pace.
This could mean a morning walk before work, a lunchtime stroll, or an evening walk with your partner or a friend. The consistency matters more than speed or distance.
Even if you’re doing strength training, daily walking adds a layer of steady movement that keeps your body in fat-burning mode without pushing it into stress.
3. Yoga Or Pilates
During menopause, joint stiffness and tightness become more common. That’s where yoga or Pilates can help. Both improve flexibility, mobility, and balance. They also reduce stress, which is key to supporting weight loss.
If you’re new, start with a beginner’s class once or twice a week. You don’t need to do intense or “power” sessions, gentle yoga or restorative Pilates will give you the benefits without overloading your body.
Many women find it helps with aches, pains, and even sleep.
Adding yoga or Pilates into your week can also make strength training more effective, as it improves your posture, core strength, and range of motion.
4. Swimming Or Gentle Cardio
Swimming and other low-impact cardio like cycling can be enjoyable extras. They’re great for mental health and cardiovascular fitness. The trick is to keep them short and moderate.
Long, intense cardio sessions can eat away at muscle and leave you feeling drained.
If you enjoy swimming or cycling, fit in one or two 20–30 minute sessions per week. Think of these as an add-on for health and enjoyment, not your main tool for weight loss.
Your primary focus should still be on strength training.
How To Start Bringing This Into Your Daily Life
Shifting away from bootcamp classes for weight loss doesn’t mean you have to spend hours every day exercising. In fact, the best routines for women over 40 are short, simple, and consistent.
Here’s how you can start building this into your week:
- Set aside three slots in your calendar for strength training. These can be at home, lasting just 40 minutes each. Treat them like important appointments you can’t skip.
- Walk daily, even if it’s only 20 minutes. Build it into your routine gradually, walk the dog, take the stairs, or use your lunch break for a quick stroll.
- Add one or two yoga or Pilates sessions to support mobility and reduce stress. This could be an online class at home, or a local studio.
- If you enjoy swimming, cycling, or another gentle activity, include it once a week as something fun rather than as your main workout.
The important thing is to be build up consistency. A simple, realistic plan that you can stick to will always beat a gruelling camp workout that leaves you too sore or tired to continue.
Watch How Jo Lost 22 Kg With Trinity
How Trinity Can Help You Finally See Results
We’ve worked with thousands of women who’ve told us the same story: they tried everything yet nothing worked once they hit their 40s. After all that effort, stepping on the scales and seeing no change is soul-destroying.
That’s why at Trinity, we designed the Fit Over 40 program specifically for women in menopause. We’ve helped over 7,000 women lose weight, drop 1–2 dress sizes, and feel confident again, with a 97% success rate.
Here’s what makes our approach different:
- We don’t rely on generic boot camps, fad diets, or weight loss jabs.
- We use low impact strength training, tailored nutrition, and 1-to-1 coaching to match your body’s needs during menopause.
- We focus on long-term, sustainable results so you can keep the weight off for life.
Most women who join see visible changes within a few weeks. By 12 weeks, it’s common to lose 15–25 pounds, tone your body, and feel like yourself again.
So if you’re tired of punishing camp workouts that don’t deliver, and you want a plan designed for your body, we can help.
Ready To Take The First Step?
Picture yourself in three months’ time. You slip into your favourite jeans, and they fit comfortably. You walk on the beach without worrying about covering up. You feel confident, energised, and proud of your body again.
That’s what’s possible when you train the right way for your stage of life.
If you’d like to find out how, join our free training today or explore the Fit Over 40 program. We’ll show you step by step how to lose weight, reshape your body, and feel amazing, without punishing camp workouts or fad diets.
