Boot Camp in the ‘Burbs
It is 5:30 one sunny morning last week on the practice field next to Kinnelon High School, and Jeremie Guarderas is just warming up.
And so are his fitness clients. Literally. Half a dozen women stretch, then jump rope to get the blood flowing. Another half dozen straggle in and join the group. About 10 minutes later Guarderas leads them through an aerobics session, and the hard work has begun.
It’s Thunder Boot Camp, an outdoor exercise class Guarderas, an ISSA certified personal trainer and boxing instructor, conducts every weekday. The women are all different ages, of different shapes. Some are former college athletes. Others are new to exercise.
Guarderas says your fitness level when you start his four-week camp doesn’t matter — what counts is your fitness level when you finish.
“You can see your inches go down, specially in the abdominal area,” Guarderas says. “And you become stronger. One woman was telling me she was bending over to wash her kids in the tub and saw it was easier, because she was stronger. You notice it in little simple tasks like that.”
One thing for sure: it’s no cakewalk. Guardera’s clients sweat. Yet he is experienced enough to know how to motivate each person to work at her own level of fitness. Guardera’s philosophy is that no one will fall behind or feel left out.
“There’s no attitude, like guys being competitive and aggressive at a gym,” Guarderas says. “Here, women are supportive and encourage each other more.”
The schedule of each one-hour session varies, depending on the day. Throughout the week the women will do cardio kickboxing, strength conditioning, track work, and run through an obstacle course to develop agility.
Prices range from $189 to $349 for the four weeks, depending on whether you sign up for twice a week or five times.
Guarderas says his job helps him find “true happiness beyond money.”
“It’s watching people, hearing them say ‘thank you’ and knowing you had a role in making them fit, healthy persons,” he says.
Tags: fitness | exercise | Health
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