Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Boot Camp Class Challenges Participants

By Courtney Westlake

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Actually attending boot camp doesn't sound like much fun, but performing some of the drills definitely serves as a great workout.

The TRAC is offering a group fitness class called Boot Camp this semester that takes place on Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 9:15 p.m. and Friday from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

The boot camp class consists of short drills like plyometrics, short runs, pushups and pullups and other exercises you might see at an actual boot camp.

"It's a really good class, it burns a lot of calories, the students really seem to like it, and we have good instructors that teach it," said Amanda Jillson, assistant director of fitness and instructional programs at the TRAC.

Jillson said she also teaches a kickboxing class and has begun to "throw in a little bit of boot camp to that class, too," calling the class KickMix now.

The group fitness classes were offered some last semester, but this semester is the first time the classes are free to TRAC members, Jillson said. She encouraged all students and even staff and faculty to come check out the classes.

"It's never intimidating, and it's 'go at your own pace,' so it's only competing against yourself," she said. "So we do encourage all students to participate."

During Boot Camp, participants exercise to upbeat music and rotate between various stations during short intervals so that each muscle group gets a workout.

"With the running we do, you use a lot of lower body, but we also do pushups, which uses the arms, shoulders, back and abs. We do drills from punching on the bag to squats with a weighted ball," Jillson said. "It's a real mixture of a class, and the participation's been really good so far. Every class is never the same; we're always going to be doing something different."

To see a schedule of group fitness classes, click here.