St. Paul Metro Lofts Snap Fitness

Diary of a Boot Camp survivor

After six weeks of intense Boot Camp, one member lives to tell 

My Snap Fitness club offers a Boot Camp group fitness package - three one hour sessions per week for six weeks. I've noticed it fills quickly, so this time I pushed myself to sign up. What do I have to lose? (Besides 20 pounds, I mean.)

I hoped Boot Camp would keep me motivated and accountable for getting to the club on a regular basis. Plus, working with a Fit Pro could really help me see results.

Getting started

On day one, in walks our Fit Pro, J.R., dressed in camouflage, a headband, dark sunglasses, carrying a bull horn. What have I got myself into?

We started with 6 minute drills; a minute each of jumping jacks, push ups, leg kicks, squat jumps, ab crunches and lunges. My heart was pumping hard. I barely made it through the first set, and then J.R. shouted, "Again!"

For a while, I was a walking statue of sore muscles! It was the good kind of pain-when you know you worked so hard it just has to make a difference.

Early on, J.R. spent a few minutes of class talking about nutrition. He stressed that we wouldn't get much out of the class if we weren't doing the right things outside of class. He kept it simple. "These are my top ten foods. Eat these foods and you'll be on the right track," he said. J.R.'s list included chicken, fish, eggs, bananas, cottage cheese, asparagus, broccoli, oatmeal, whey protein, and water. After this session, I headed to the store to stock up. It's been oatmeal with asparagus scrambled eggs for breakfast ever since.

In full swing

The best part about Boot Camp is the variety. No two classes have been the same. We worked out inside and outside, free weights and machines. There were so many different combinations, I never knew what to expect!

J.R. taught us about the different muscle groups and types of exercises. We focused a lot on plyometrics, which in basic terms are exercises that incorporate fast leaping, jumping, or skipping, moves that require both strength and power.

As the days went on, I found myself actually looking forward to Boot Camp. Sweating, hard breathing, muscle pain-and I'm looking forward to it? After every class I noticed a huge improvement in my energy and my spirit. And the fun group of people made it great too.

Wrapping up

As Boot Camp came to a close I was shocked how fast six weeks went by. There wasn't a second of boredom. There were times I thought I might not make it-hold a plank for two minutes, 20 death jumps, 52 push ups in two minutes, and that's just the beginning. Who knew I had the strength?

Having the direction of a Fit Pro and the motivation from the group is indescribable. Boot Camp gave me the confidence, knowledge and ability to break through to a new level of fitness.

Overall, I lost six pounds and 3% body fat. Of course I wish it was even better, but I know success is not all a numbers game. My clothes fit better and my strength and cardiovascular ability have obviously improved greatly.

The bottom line

Boot Camp is the most challenging workout experience I've ever had-and surprisingly the most fun. I'm hooked! I can't wait to sign up for the next session. How about you? Contact your club to find out when the next Boot Camp starts.

What's your Boot Camp story? Share it here.