Xtreme Boot Camp: All-Inclusive Fitness & Weight Loss Retreat in the Cotswolds and Spain

A typical day starts early. You're up for a pre-breakfast session — often a military circuit or HIIT on the training fields, or a strength and conditioning block in the gym — then breakfast, then straight back into a second workout before lunch. Sessions rotate through boxing, circuit training, Tabata, AMRAP, PHA, kettlebell work, weight training, powerlifting, running and swimming, so no two days are identical. The afternoons are where this camp differs from a standard fat camp: you might be out on the lake kayaking or paddleboarding, climbing, doing a mountain hike, or working through fitness games and team challenges. There's also 1-2-1 coaching built in, so the team can correct technique and set you up with a plan.

Recovery is taken as seriously as the training. Hot tubs and plunge pools are on site at both venues, and the schedule includes massages, yoga, and stretching and mobility sessions. Evenings usually include a seminar — exercise, nutrition, meal planning, nutrition calculation or running — which is the education side of the camp. The whole point is that you leave knowing how to eat and train, not just having burned calories for a week.

The programme runs across two venues. In the UK it's a property in the heart of the Cotswolds, with training fields, lakes, a fully equipped gym and comfy lounges with desk space. In Spain it's a villa near the beaches at Reus, so you get sea, sun and outdoor training alongside the same gym and recovery setup. Both run the same core programme, and you can book one, two or three weeks.

What makes this different from most weight-loss camps is the no-diet stance and the lack of shouting. There's no calorie-restricted menu and no drill sergeant routine — James and the team coach hard but stay motivating, and food is designed to be sustainable after you leave. That combination, plus the adventure element (climbing, kayaking, hiking) and the fact that most of the group are repeat clients, gives it a more sociable, team-driven feel than a clinical boot camp.

James Evans leads the operation, with a training team that has been delivering these camps since 2013. The programme is world-class in scope — 18 different workout formats plus outdoor activity and recovery — but the delivery is personal, with sessions scaled to each client's level and condition. If you're fit, you'll be challenged; if you're starting from scratch, you won't be left behind or made to feel like a burden.

What's included

- 1 to 3 week residential stay in a luxury ensuite bedroom - All meals, built around sustainable nutrition rather than restrictive diets - Daily training sessions, typically multiple per day - Gym access with fully equipped training facilities - Outdoor activities: kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, climbing, hiking - Recovery sessions: hot tubs, plunge pools, massages - Yoga, stretching and mobility sessions - Exercise, nutrition, meal planning and running seminars - 1-2-1 coaching - Use of comfy lounges and desk space

What's not included

- Travel to and from the camp venue - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Optional extra treatments beyond those scheduled