Bootcamp: Begging For Mercy

Editor's Note: Bootcamp is a column I'm writing based on my experiences at Burnsville's Beyond Personal Training. On April 4, I took advantage of a Groupon offering unlimited bootcamp sessions for a month. These are my stories.

As soon as a I walked inside Beyond Personal Training (BPT) for this morning's 10 a.m. class something seemed amiss. 

Personal trainer Jason Camerlic was running through final drills with his 9 a.m. class and although they were pulling a sled filled with weights from one end of the gym to the other, that was not the problem. 

The distinct lack of any other classmates was the issue. Uh oh, I thought. 

When the 9 a.m. class finished, Jason told me that the direction of today's workout was going to be decided by me. He put the reigns firmly in my hands and gave me several options. Did I prefer kickboxing, strength training, a core-killing session or a cardiovascular workout, he asked.

Just as I was about to decide, she walked in. A classmate that was going to save me from the constant scrutiny of being the sole participant— and allow me an occassional rest—had arrived.    

I thought having a second classmate there would make for a lighter, easier, Sunday-style workout. I was mistaken. Sadly mistaken.

I am not sure what my classmate does for a living but if she is anything other than one of those female American Gladiators, she's in the wrong business. She's an incredible athlete that seems to feed on the toughest techniques. 

So, after Jason repeated the options for us to choose from for this morning's workout, I knew I was in trouble when her only answer was, "Yep, that sounds good."

The clock seemed to be ticking backward as I checked after what seemed like an endless core workout to find 45 minutes left in class.

After that, we moved on to circuit training. A word to the wise: Circuit training is a lot less fun with two people. It seems the trainers just subtract all the easy stations to try to maximize the workout. As if fewer participants somehow translates into working harder.  

So with core and circuit training out of the way, we moved on to strength training.

Push-ups, pull-ups, planks and plyometric jumps were next. Traditional boxing, kickboxing, jogging, burpies and a bizarre rubber-band-based MC Hammer dance were still yet to come. 

 At the beginning of class, Jason threw down the gauntlet. He literally told us that we would get to choose the method of muscular mayhem he would inflict on us.

As my fantastically fit classmate bounded through each exercise with renewed vigor, it was clear she answered Jason's call. I, on the other hand, did not.

For next week's classes, I can only hope for rested muscles, more members and a bit of mercy.  

Jason Camerlic's Training Tip: "After weight lifting, make sure you give large muscle groups at least 72 hours of rest. For cardiovascular workouts there isn't really a limitation but with weights and even core work, you've got to give your muscles a break."