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Getting in shape
North Pinellas boot camp offers options for women

Article published on Thursday, May 10, 2012

PALM HARBOR – Newly enlisted recruits are traditionally whipped into shape at military boot camps through basic training programs, preparing them for life in the armed forces.

Boot camps, however, are not just for soldiers anymore – fitness boot camps now offer people from all walks of life a popular way to shed pounds in a fun, team-oriented environment.

Palm Harbor resident Tracy Scheffler joined the North Pinellas Adventure Boot Camp for Women a year ago in the hopes of losing the 40 pounds she had added on over the years. Scheffler, 50, was not happy with the extra weight on her 5-foot, 1-inch frame and over the course of the year, Scheffler lost the 40 pounds at the boot camp, exercising an hour a day, five days a week.

Scheffler, who is an independent contractor, works at home, alone. She said the camaraderie of others makes the boot camp enjoyable.

“It’s a good way to meet people with the same interests,” she said.

Certified professional trainer Kevin Carrier, 43, started the outdoor boot camp in October 2009. He coaches and directs women on how to condition their bodies through exercise by using a mix of dynamic stretching, resistance and interval training.

“If it’s not fun, people are going to poop out,” Carrier said. “I’m not very militant. I’m more of a motivator.”

Carrier, a Dunedin resident, said there are many different types of boot camps across the country. They vary greatly and are instructor driven. He said a boot camp usually takes on the personality of the instructor.

“Some of the trainers can be demeaning,” he said. “Not cool.”

Carrier was a stage performer for 16 years. In 2003, he became a certified personal trainer.

“I learned a lot back then on how to train, be in shape, engage and make things fun,” he said.

His mother and sisters raised Carrier. Now, a husband and father himself, Carrier has three daughters, ages 11, 7 and 5. His only son is 2.

Carrier said trainers should know their market. They should know with whom they empathize, care about and really want to help.

“When I was a personal trainer, my clients were 85 to 95 percent all female,” he said. “I feel more encouraging to women.”

The majority of women, who come to the boot camp, are between the ages of 30 and 50. Some are in their 60s. Attendance can run over 100 participants a day.

The boot camp is held outdoors at Brooker Creek Elementary School and John Chesnut Sr. Park, 2200 East Lake Road. Some classes are held inside a local skating rink during summer months. Fitness programs run three or five days a week for a total of three weeks. Classes are offered at 5:30 a.m., 9 a.m. or 7 p.m. A discount program is available for participants who repeat consecutive boot camps.

The boot camp has three certified professional trainers: Carrier, Brandon Miles, 46, and a third co-trainer.

Exercises are designed for efficiency and target the whole body in a short period of time, so that participants do not get bored. A combination of metabolic training is used in conjunction with obstacle courses, relays and games. Resistance training is used to stimulate and strengthen the small structural muscles in the body that hold joints together.

“The whole point is to wrap science in fun,” Carrier said. “Life takes energy. If you’re out of gas, then life is a major hassle.”

A class begins with the same warm-ups that a professional athlete does before a football or baseball game – Frankenstein walks, grapevine steps, side shuffles, over and under fence drills – along with light jogging or running. Some days, exercise drills are traded out for a game day.

In the Amazing Race, women are paired on a team whereby each team strategically executes the highest number of events in the allotted hour.

Blanket Junkyard is a game that includes a search and find mission. Upon locating and retrieving toys from nearby woods, participants perform correlating exercises back at base camp.

“It energizes me,” Carrier said. “I love it that I get to create games and fun stuff.”

Participants learn how to start and maintain good habits in relation to diet and exercise. Those habits in turn create daily rituals for healthy living: eat a lean protein with each meal, eat more vegetables, reduce grains, take omega-three fatty acids (fish oil) to burn fat, and take a multi-vitamin.

A nutritional seminar and grocery store visit are included in the program.

“We need to get a little more educated on what we’re feeding ourselves,” he said. “I walk the ladies around the store inside ground zero where all the decisions are made.”

Regular exercise and outdoor activities can help regulate sleeping patterns, joint and hormone problems. Carrier said that before coming to boot camp, many participants have lived in quiet desperation, day after day.

“They’ll train and have a welling up, an emotional release,” he said.

Carrier said as he gets older, he realizes more and more the wisdom of his father, a preacher who died when Carrier was 12. His interests for the future include a faith-based coaching program for weight loss.

“I’m just really fortunate that I get to do something that I love to do,” Carrier said.

To learn more about the programs at the North Pinellas Adventure Boot Camp for Women, visit www.bootcamprocks.com.

Article published on Thursday, May 10, 2012

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