Reporting To Bootcamp, Sir!

Fitness fads come and go-from the shake weight to sauna suits and pole dancing. Fitness bootcamps, though, seem to have staying power, as people are willing to pay to have someone whip them into shape. The group fitness workouts mix cardio, strength and stretching exercises with accountability (coaches email or call if you don't show up) and surprise (two workouts are rarely the same). New Hampshire is home to nearly a dozen bootcamp businesses-many of which started around 2008-and they continue to increase membership and revenues.
 
Get Fit NH Bootcamp in Concord, which offers indoor bootcamp workouts, has about 275 participants and annual revenue approaching the $500,000 mark, says Owner Dean Carlson. Get Fit NH grew memberships 75 percent between 2010 and 2011 and has handed out more than $5,000 in $50 rewards bonuses for participants who brought in new clientele.

At NLP Fitness Bootcamp in Manchester, Owner Joel Bergeron runs 40 classes a week, has about 200 participants a month and is near the point of setting up a wait list. And at Cross Fit NH in Manchester, the group fitness program has outgrown its 1,500-square-foot space in the Waumbec Mill and is moving to a new 8,000-square-foot space nearby. Started with 12 members in 2009, it now has 130.

High End/High Impact Workouts

The word bootcamp often brings to mind military style drills led by a sergeant with a whistle. This could not be farther from the reality of these bootcamps, where motivational signs hang on the walls and coaches are constantly praising participants. Exercises are adjusted for individuals based on ability. From jumping-jacks and pushups to weight curls and medicine ball tosses, coaches offer encouragement and tips on form.

Bootcamps generally attract people in their 30s or older, many of whom have a few extra pounds they are trying to work off. The workouts aren't cheap, and that is purposeful. While gym memberships run from $100 to $600 or more annually, bootcamp workouts average $10 to $15 a session-equating to more than $200 a month. Many offer discounts for multiple sessions, but the price, they say, is part of the commitment.

Bootcamps test weight loss and muscle gain through periodic health assessments that include weigh-ins, body composition and strength testing. At Get Fit NH, success stories with before and after photos hang on the walls. Bergeron sends results to participants via email and reviews what they mean. He is also in the process of creating a web app that will let people enter their age, gender and average number of days per week they work out, and see the expected health results.

Ellen Shannon, owner and coach of Ossipee Adventure Bootcamp, offers outdoor bootcamps in Ossipee and Center Harbor, provided the temperature is at least 20 degrees. Her most popular class, at 5:30 a.m., is a women-only class that attracts 15 to 25 participants year-round. They just show up and work hard and don't have to think about it, she says.

The result, coaches say, is fewer injuries, more weight loss, and happy customers. Bootcamp coaches all reported retention rates of 80 percent and higher for sessions, which usually run three-to-five days a week for up to three months per session. At NLP Fitness Bootcamp, Bergeron won't let new members sign up for more than three months at a time. From a business [perspective], it's a waste if they don't show up, says Bergeron as his staff gives personal attention to all participants and doesn't want someone paying who doesn't show up and takes a spot that someone else wants.

Carlson of Get Fit NH Bootcamp agrees. I don't just want their money. I want them to reach their goals, he says.

Motivating Behavior

Christine Sjolshagen runs Wicked Strong Fitness Bootcamp in Manchester, a coached circuit-training workout. Sjolshagen took over the four-year-old business, formerly called Perfect Fit, in January and went from student to teacher. She jumped at the chance to own the business because she thrived in small group workouts and wanted to help other people improve their fitness and healthy living habits.

She offers four 45-50-minute classes a day plus a supplemental high-intensity class and has 30 students in total. On a recent morning, seven people were moving through a timed circuit workout including pushing a sled uphill, pushups, weights and a plank hold. People periodically called out support to each other while Sjolshagen checked for form and adjusted weights at certain stations. It's very focused on the customer experience, she says. I want them to be able to come in and work out and leave with a smile on their face and feel like they've accomplished something for the day.

To even out different fitness levels, bootcamp exercises are often for a set amount of time, not repetitions. This means that whether you do 10 sit-ups or 100 sit-ups in a minute, everyone works at their own intensity without feeling faster or slower. Everyone will finish together, no one is waiting for someone else, says Shannon of Ossipee Adventure Bootcamp.