These Boots are Made for Sweating

Boot camp workouts take fitness out of the gym and into the outside world.

By Timothy R. Schulte
CTW Features

Stacy Berman will be the first to tell you that you don’t need a gym to workout – the certified fitness trainer from New York conducts most of her classes outside. But if you think a lack of treadmills and dumbbells might make working out outdoors a trifle difficult, you haven’t really looked at what’s out there.

Park benches, curbs, monkey bars, stairs, open areas and, most importantly, a body for weight and resistance, are some of the key components in Berman’s outdoor workout courses, inspiringly titled “Stacy’s Bootcamp.”

“We’re not using any fancy equipment; they’re using only what’s available in the park and their own body weight,” Berman says. “The reason I call it bootcamp is because it’s a lot of military-style exercises but without the yelling.”

While the outdoor routine negates the need for a gym membership, it also puts a focus on a more efficient workout. In gyms, says Berman, chatting up friends or focusing on the television sometimes can cause people to avoid their workout. Doing a focused workout outdoors works every body part, she says, increasing strength and endurance, tightening and toning muscles, and burning fat and calories.

As she conducted her outdoor program – think triceps exercises against a bench, calf raises on a curb or stairs, push-ups, sit-ups – Berman noticed many of her clients were getting in shape for their wedding, either solo or with their partner. Taking note of this, she has begun a couples’ workout program – think women sitting on their fiancés back during push-ups or being held piggyback-style for squats. Doubling up helps them stay more motivated and determined, says Berman.

“Men’s and women’s bodies have a lot of the same muscle groups, so a lot of the exercises we do would be the same,” she says.

The difference comes in strength levels. Women often want to focus on their abs, butt and legs, and men want to focus on the upper body. In these cases, exercises are modified: Women may not want to bulk up, so they can do a knee-supported pushup. Men that do can add weight – another person – to their backs. When adding the aforementioned squat weight, the women will also get a great inner thigh workout from squeezing their legs around their partner.

Berman, who’s classes are held in New York city parks, says anyone around the country can conduct their own outdoor workout. All they need to do is open their eyes to what’s available in their area. For the best total body workout, make sure you work at your highest intensity and in proper form. And, of course, she adds: Just do it.

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