Fitness boot camp is a dynamic group exercise class that focuses on building strength, endurance, and agility. Participants will also notice improvements in balance and flexibility.

Because our class takes place in our facility we are able to offer the class year round. We recommend doing the class at least twice a week and to give it three months to determine its effectiveness.

In the workouts we emphasize functional movements rather than specific muscles. Functional movements are the simple movements performed in normal work and play. This training makes everyday activities easier and reduces the likelihood of injury by strengthening the body’s core muscles and joints. The goal is to achieve a well rounded fitness.

Fitness by Design boot camp classes incorporate two training styles: interval training and strength training. On Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday the class utilizes functional interval training. Tuesdays and Fridays are dedicated to strength training.

Body weight exercises and calisthenics make up the majority of movements used in the workouts. Additionally, we will use jump ropes, dumbbells, medicine balls, kettle bells, and other simple tools. [see examples of some of the exercises]

A group setting offers an alternative to the lonely exercise routine, and provides additional encouragement and motivation. The presence of a qualified instructor allows for the benefit of coaching without the cost of a private training session.

Our expert instructors are able to scale workouts and movements to individual ability levels. Advanced athletes will be challenged, and beginners will be able to participate right from the start.

Fitness boot camp is an effective workout that provides both aerobic and anaerobic benefits. It is a great way to breakup the boredom of treadmills and weight machines. When combined with proper nutrition, participants can expect to build muscle and lose fat.

See what others have to say.

Our youth fitness program is going really well. First class is full but we’re starting others. Great way to help your kids improve their fitness. Especially helpful for those involved in club sports like soccer and basketball.

Boot Camp has been my focus during 2009. It has been a good year. The class has continued to evolve and we’ve added more tools along the way.

FBD Boot Campers Working Hard

Lots of great people have worked their asses off this year. Those who have stayed committed to the classes would probably say they’re in better shape than they’ve every been in.

People have experienced increases in their strength, endurance, and energy, as well as the way they move. Some made the critical connection between nutrition and working out which helped them reach significant weight loss goals. Most would say their overall quality of life is better.

Throughout the year we saw a lot of new faces in the boot camp. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are not with us now. In truth, this workout is not for everybody. For some people it’s too much hard work. People may like the idea of being fit but when it came down to it they weren’t really serious. They may have been looking for something that was easy, comes in a pill, calls itself pilates, or only requires 30 minutes on a treadmill or elliptical.

I’m not looking for just anybody to be a part of my boot camp classes. Though I’m not necessarily looking for athletes, I am looking for people who are physical and mentally strong and willing to work their ass off. They commit to the process, and then they show up!  They try to do their best every time.  They have a strong work ethic without whining or complaining.

The people who stick with our Boot Camp are people that enjoy working their asses off.  They come into the room knowing they will be challenged beyond what they would do to themselves, and that is what they want. Even though they may not know what the day’s workout will be, they do know it will be different than the one the day before and they will be pushed.

Fitness by Design boot campers feed off each others’ energy.  Ellen probably said it best when she described that if the person next to her could finish the round going strong, then so could she.  We push ourselves to our limit, and then sometimes beyond, just so we don’t quit before that damn buzzer rings.

If you want to act like a kid again in a workout, this is where you want to be. We do things in our boot camp room that most adults would never consider doing again.  Hand stands, bear crawls, rope climbs, burpees, traveling broad jumps, jumping on boxes, crawling with a wheel attached to your feet, the list goes on. Just think about all the things you can do better now than you could do last January.  You can jump rope faster, you can do chin-ups without assistance, you can do more push-ups, you can sprint faster and longer distances, you can bench press more weight or rack squat more weight…you can jump on a higher plyo box, you can climb the rope, you can power wheel crawl more yards! And you can row 500 meters faster.

You may not think you are an athlete, but we do.   Your body is built to be athletic, and we will train you that way.

We are gearing up for 2010 and are looking forward to seeing more people changing their lives and bodies. As you’ve come to expect, we’ll be adding new tools and testing methods to help you improve your physical performance in addition to your appearance. If you have any friends with the right attitude and commitment level that would inspire you, please send them to me…I’ll be gentle with them the first day.  Well…maybe I won’t.

bootcamp workout whiteboard at Fitness By Design

According to my wife, this workout from Thursday morning was brutal. One of our personal trainers, Steve Smith, agreed that it was tough.

Scalability is a great aspect to the boot camp classes. By that I mean, the workouts can be challenging to people at any fitness level. Our classes have people with varying degrees of fitness.

To get the most out of the workout people simply have to push themselves. Of course, I’m there to help with that part.

Couple more testing tools have arrived for the boot camp room. These will help measure vertical jump and standing broad jump.

Measuring jump distance isn’t typical for the non-athlete but I’m all about performance measurement. The moderately fit, 42 yr old guy (We’ll call him ‘Bill’) knows he isn’t going to impress any of his basketball buddies with his vertical. That’s OK. It isn’t the point. Truth is, he’s probably jumping as high as he has in years but the point is progress. Is he jumping higher than he was 2 months ago? Is he running faster, farther, and longer?

Over the years of doing personal training and being around health clubs I’ve seen the people who simply go through the motions. They hop on the treadmill for half an hour and push some weights around for a few minutes. They probably want to burn some calories. Some just want to be able to say they work out. They DO NOT intend to improve their performance.

Improving appearance is important to a lot of people. I don’t want to downplay it. It’s a motivating goal for some, just not for me. I am constantly working to be more fit; to be stronger,faster, and leaner. Each workout is a competition, not so much with anyone else, though I have fun competing with Greg Storen, but with myself. I am competing against the old version of me, and against the me I don’t want to become (slower, weaker, fatter, etc…)

I still think of myself as an athlete. People sell short by not thinking of themselves as athletes. For people to achieve fitness they have to develop a different mental picture. How much difference would it make for a lot of people if the simply changed that mindset? What would it mean to think of yourself as active?

As I get closer to the big 50 I’m not settling for slowing down. I want to work and play harder than ever. I want to be an exuberant animal, as Frank Forencich calls it.

Performance measurement is a component of the boot camp classes that I will continue to emphasize and improve. If you’re in my class, I’m going to assume you intend to progress and I’m going to help you do that.