What Boot Camp Is REALLY About

What is BOOT CAMP really!?

Over the years, and if you watch "The Biggest Loser", then there is a chance you may have the wrong impression of what boot camp is really all about. As you look over this blog you will notice there are no pictures of me yelling, no screaming (except for the ladies maybe doing so at me) and no crazy exercises only professional athletes can tackle.

What you see are smiles. People having fun doing things they may have not done since grade school - today's kickball included. My approach to fitness is quite simple.....give people a great workout by allowing them to let loose while giving them the opportunity to have fun doing so.

Spending these past three 3 weeks with the 21 Rapid Fat Loss boot campers has opened my eyes for the need to change my approach with fitness. The same approach that found me success in the past is not the same thing that works today. We are all stressed and just want to have fun again. There was nothing more fun than going out for recess in school.

All week I get to hear about Gage's days outside. Matter of fact, every day I pick him up from school I will ask him how his day was and what he learned in school. Almost every time it's the same, "I don't remember, but guess what we did out at recess?"

These are the times that will stick with us forever.

Why, you ask?

Because they were fun. We were given the opportunity to be a kid and do what kids do.......play with a total disregard for what is safe and an almost reckless abandonment in order to live in the moment. This is my new approach to fitness.

CrossFit is the best methodology on this planet, but there are times when we need to go back to our childhood roots. Where yes the activity may suck because it is difficult, but we still do it because it's plain and simply....fun!

Yesterday the 9:00 a.m. class had a little plank hold competition. What happened was a true test of will power and a lot of cheering from her peers during her max hold attempt.

Shawn held that sucker for 6:08!!

That is the longest I've seen anyone hold that plank. Truly amazing!!

As boot camp progresses, you will notice several videos and pictures of what the ladies are doing. Always fun and most importantly result oriented. It won't be long before the copy cats starts copying boot camp just like they did with CrossFit. But it's always more fun leading the pack than trying to catch up. And that is the same approach I ask each all of my boot campers. To all of you in this first camp, you are all awesome!!

Enjoy the videos!!

Boot Camp and 21 Days

Tuesday marks the end of the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp and I can say that all the ladies involved have put in a lot of sweat and probably some tears in over the course of these 3 weeks. I often wonder how many of them realize how much they've improved over the course of a few short weeks. Not just in strength, but in confidence as well.

Some may not continue, but many will and to them I commend you for taking this step towards a healthier you. The media, infomercials included will lead you to believe you can reach your fat loss goals in as little as 30 days.

What they promote is not fat loss, nor over all health and fitness, but 20 pounds in 30 days. Considering the body can only metabolize about 1-1.5 pounds of fat a week, one has to ask where the other 28 or so lbs of weight loss will come from.

During the next few days we will be finding out the final numbers for all the campers who had pre-camp assessments. I can not wait to see how much they've improved.

Starting next Monday, October 4th we will be starting our full blown boot camps at Elkhart Sports Center. The 5:30 & 9:00 a.m. classes will be running 5 days a week for 4 weeks at a time.

During those same 4 weeks, Michiana Adventure Boot Camp will be running a referral contest and the lucky winner(s) from both the 5:30 & 9:00 will win 1 year free of boot camp.

Be sure to watch the below video for the details.



So here is how the Ultimate Referral Contest works:

First you have to register for the October 4th Boot Camp.

Once you are registered then you are entered into the contest.

For every person who you refer and comes on board to boot camp, you get half off your next boot camp. This goes for as many people as you refer.

Example: For every 1 person who joins equals 2 weeks of free boot camp.

The person who has the most referrals by the end of the 4 weeks will get 12 months of boot camp for free.

Make sure you book mark this post in order to refer back to it when you need a little refresher as to how the process works.

During boot camp I will have $100 gift cards for you to use to hand out to any friends, family members or coworkers as you refer them to boot camp. The $100 off is good towards both the 5 day and 3 day a week boot camps and is good for that 4 weeks.

When your referrers go online to register, you will notice a "How did you hear about us" box. There you simply type in the person who referred you and decide whether you are coming 5 days or 3 days a week.

Pick your payment option, hit submit and you're ready to rock and roll in boot camp.

Do not delay because I am looking to create a waiting list for boot camp.

As always,

Give your all!

Jim

There Are Those Who Can And.......

To paraphrase Henry Ford - 'There are those who think they can and those who think they can't, both are right; which are you?'

In a video of true dedication, this is proof that with a dream, a plan and a willingness to see it through no matter what, success will eventually come around. And sometimes it doesn't come around until you hit rock bottom.



Each and every one of us has our own definition of success. Whether it's to win a gold medal or to simply be the best parent we can be. Every ounce of success is accomplished when, and ONLY when action is taken.

"I wanna be in better shape", "I wanna make more money", I wanna take a trip to...."

My question is always, "How bad do you wanna.....?"

As you sit there and watch this video, think about what you want to accomplish in life. Then picture yourself achieving that goal and really feel what it would be like to have accomplished it. Cement that in your mind and begin to develop a plan to get there. Watch your progress and always have constant motion to that goal. And just as the individual in the video, you will be standing exactly where you want to be standing.

Never give in!

Jim

Never In My Life Have I Been So Hated and Loved.....

....in the same breath!

We are 14 days into the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp at Sports Center. This entire program for these 3 weeks was to give those who have not tried boot camp a chance to see what it was all about.

Whether their goal was fat loss, weight loss, or to fit in to those skinny jeans, everyone of the ladies involved with the 5:30 & 9:00 a.m. classes are kicking some serious butt!!!



After several years of meeting all the different personalities {and comments}, you would think I've seen/heard them all. I am happy to say that every morning is literally like an "Event"! All the different facial expressions on their faces after I explain what their about to do is priceless. And then the comments to follow......

......well I'll just say that I should start keeping a journal of all the funny things I hear over the course of a day while coaching fitness.

And as always they feel like they will never accomplish what I set out for them to do. What seems to be an insurmountable feet of human effort and ability turns into one of gratification and accomplishment as they realize they just completed the workout.



If your goal is to lose that extra fat weight, fit into those skinny jeans, build lasting friendships or learn about nutrition, then Michiana Boot Camp is for you. The 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss camp is just about finished and I cannot wait to see the results from their efforts.

The full blown Michiana Boot Camps will be starting October 4th at Sports Center and there will be some really great program incentives to help you take charge of your health for 2010 and 2011.

You can be one of the first to join the ranks of the fit for October by registering here.

Boot Camp Is In Full Swing

After a long drug out process of deciding where to take my outdoor boot camp program, it became obvious one day while driving down C.R. 17 in Elkhart. And after a couple of meetings with the owners of Sports Center, God provided me an opportunity to bring my boot camps indoors and to do so all year around.

Below is a little piece of what the ladies are doing in camp.



This new hybrid version of boot camp will allow me to have a greater impact on Michiana residents, and do so through year round boot camps. Now with having a permanent year round location I can take my boot camp game to the top level. Just as Malcolm Gladwell mentioned in the videos from a previous post, there is a phenomenon of success based around the 10,000 hour principal.

After much research he found out there was a common thread running through EVERY successful person. No matter if they were a high level athlete or a top level computer programmer, they all had the opportunity to practice and hone their craft(s) more than most of their peers.

And the magic number......10,000 hours of experience in what they mastered.

After reading this in his boot "Outliers", I put pen to paper and figured out after 4.5 years of coaching Boot Camps, CrossFit classes, personal training and nutrition classes I have racked up close to 4,000 hours as a Fitness Professional.

At first this looks to be a lot of time in my craft, but according to the success stories in Malcolm's book, I am not even half way to perfecting what I love to do for a living. And this takes me to my current position.

As of Tuesday the 14th we are 7 days into the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp. We have 36 ladies combined in the 5:30 camp and 9:00 a.m. classes. All are working their butts off because they want to feel better, look better and simply be better.

And boot camp has been exactly the platform to make that happen!

In the above video clip, you can see some of what they are doing in week 1. Now I will have to apologize for the music. Apparently my HD Flip does not work with my movie maker editing software. So you will notice there is some cheesy music called "Bouncin" the camera uses when editing a movie on its own.

Nonetheless, here is a teaser of what the ladies are doing in boot camp.

As for the next round, the open to the public boot camps start October 4th. There will be a 5:30 & 9:00 a.m. class running 5 days a week. To register and to find out what about the program you can visit the boot camp site. The one thing to keep in mind is that, unlike in the past, there are no stopping dates here. Boot camp enrollment is ongoing and you can start at any time. The $97 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp is closed, but enrollment for the first "regular" camp is going on now.

Register here.