All Boot Camps Are Not Created Equal
August 30th, 2007 by Karen Maleck-WhiteleyI thought I’d write a bit about my experience with Cheryl Broughton’s Fitness Edge Boot Camp in Santa Clarita, CA. After hearing Carol’s experience with the boot camp she tried, I thought, “Wow, I probably woulkd have felt out of place there too!” and then I thought, “Thank goodness I tried Fitness Edge first. ”
This boot camp is themed in the military fashion - we call first-timers “recruits”, and exercises have the expected “tough-sounding” names, but the way THIS program is run is the most supportive and nurturing place for ANYONE wanting to get fit and feel better about themselves. We have people join at every fitness level. When I started, I could not run a quarter mile, and there was a woman there who had a hip replacement who never ran, but came every session for two years. There are also people who are capable of running a challenging 6-mile mountain trail in 50 minutes, and their needs are met as well. The best part for me is that someone else thinks up all the workouts, they are varied and fun, and I do more and push myself farther than I would if I went to the gym because I am with a positive group of people. They also do some workouts purely for fun (but you do workout, too!) - like this morning, Instructor Rostad led the once-every-eight-week “doggy workout”, where everyone is invited to bring their dog on a leash and workout around the park with their dog.
The founder, Cheryl Broughton, is really good at designing workouts that are tailored by level, and the instructors modify exercises for individuals with injuries or particular needs or challenges. Best of all, everyone is encouraged, no matter where they are, and people make great improvements. I recently ran that same 6 mile trail in under 1.5 hours. Pretty good for someone who didn’t want to run to to the flag pole and back on day one.
Carol and I have featured some articles by Cheryl on our website WMWgroup.com (look under articles). Also, here is a link to her site in case you want more info about the Boot Camp. I think what she offers is different from most Boot Camps, and I can tell you it had made a huge difference for me. www.efitnessedge.com
Karen
August 30th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
I know that if Cheryl’s bootcamp were down here in Pasadena, it would have probably worked for me. But the one I attended was far too military without any modifications for people who were in less shape. I realized that the chance of injury was so high because they weren’t modifying the exercises. For example, having women do full body push-ups even when they were unable to keep form in the full body position.
When I was acting and working out and World and Gold’s Gym–I learned that doing a weight exercise—whether it is using your body weight or free weights or machines– without attention to form is dangerous and can actually do us more harm than good. It is important if you are doing these exercises with a trainer or in a group that the trainer is looking out for you. More important, there is a difference between pushing yourself to achieve a goal and pushing yourself in a way that can injure you. You need to listen to your body and know the difference.
Carol