FORT RUCKER, Ala. (August 23, 2012) -- Beach season is coming to an end, but that's no reason for people hang up the towel when it comes to working out.
Fortenberry-Colton Physical Fitness Facility's 2012 Fall Boot Camp will begin Oct. 1 to help keep people motivated and on the right fitness track throughout the year, according to Kristina Rach, Fort Rucker fitness specialist and certified personal trainer.
"I want to get people into the program to get to a fitness level that they feel comfortable with and can continue for the rest of their lives," she said. "We push people to their own limitations.
"Sometimes people hit a ceiling and they don't want to go through it because they don't think they can, but one of the things I say is that there is no such thing as 'I can't,'" said Rach. "We work with people and try to push that barrier with them."
The boot camp is a six-week program with sign ups beginning after Labor Day, and will begin with orientations Sept. 28 at 6:30 and 8 a.m., which all who sign up are expected to attend one of the two, said the fitness specialist.
The program will feature a variety of workouts ranging from plyometrics, agility drills, running obstacle courses, cardio and endurance training, and strength training.
Rach said the majority of the workouts associated with the boot camp will take place outdoors to show people different ways to exercise.
"We like to do 99 percent of the classes outside because we want people to realize that you don't have to be in a gym to workout," she said. "We'll do a lot of running on the horse trails and bike trails, as well as doing some cross training."
There will also be days that the participants will spend training in a pool where people will not only swim laps, but also utilize the pool deck to do pushups, lunges and some weightlifting before getting back into the pool, said Rach.
The program also incorporates many fitness classes that are available at both Fortenberry-Colton PFF and the Fort Rucker PFF, and people that are signed up for the boot camp will have access to all the group fitness classes available during the six weeks of the program.
Many facilities on Fort Rucker have gotten involved with the boot camp to allow the participants to utilize facilities at Lake Tholocco, Beaver Lake, The Fort Rucker Riding Stables and even the NCO Academy, said the fitness specialist.
"The NCO Academy has been really helpful in the past year and we even got to use some of their facilities for the boot camp," she said. "The whole point of the program is to really get people out of their comfort zones."
Another benefit of the boot camp is that it gives participants the opportunity to network and make new friends to work out with, said Rach.
"People can get workout buddies and lots of people continue to work out together after the boot camp is over," she said, adding that once people sign up, they are granted access to a boot camp web page that they can post schedules of their workouts or simply ask people that are interested to join in a run.
The program will run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 9th in two sessions -- the 6:30-7:30 a.m. or the 8-9 a.m. session -- and the cost to sign up is $100 per participant. Payment must be presented during signup and spots are limited to 25 people per session, said Rach.
The cost of boot camp also includes weekly consultations to keep track of progress.
The program is available to anyone that has access to the fitness facilities, including active duty and their Families, retirees, Department of the Army civilians and contractors, said Rach.
"We have a huge variety of people that sign up and you have to have drive to do the boot camp," said Rach. "It's just a lot of fun … and we help push personal goals. We don't want people to focus on a weight number, we want them to focus on doing it to improve their overall health."
For more information, call 255-3794.
Social Sharing