If you haven’t checked out Drew’s amazing juicing information, click here to learn from the best when it comes to juicing fruits and vegetables.

Drew focuses on high end coaching where he will come to your house and live with you for a couple days and keep tabs on you for a 6 month body transformation.  As you can tell he focuses heavily on the mindset and nutrition.  The fee for this service is $25,000, if you are interest, leave a comment in the section below and I can forward that to Drew.

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Do each exercise for 10-12 reps and 2 sets of each, alternating between an upperbody and lowerbody exercise.

The exercises we did were:

-Push up rows

-Squat to shoulder press

-Lunge to bicep curl

-Bent Row

-Single leg deadlift

I hope you enjoyed this short but intense fat burning workout!

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1.  Walrus:  This is great for core, back, and triceps.  It is also great to have your kids do if you want your floors to be cleaned.  :)

2. Killer leg hops:  This shows that I neglect my legs a little too much.  But you don’t have to have rings to do this one, just jump in and out or for your kids draw circles in chalk on your driveway.

3.  Alligator Crawls:  These are pretty hard and advanced, but to make it easier don’t bend your arms as much.  Whenever I go to schools to teach bootcamps to kids I always have them do this exercise and they have a blast doing it.

4.  Hamstring Falls:  This is one of my favorite exercises I have my personal training clients do.  I haven’t found another exercise that gets the hamstrings as well as this one does!  Fit Fun Bootcampers, don’t be surprised to be seeing this one soon!

5.  Burpees with weighted med ball throw:  This one gets the heart rate up like very few other exercises.  I realize this isn’t very practical if you are trying to do this at home.  A ball like the one I was using probably costs $60 and most don’t have a wall that is tough enough to throw against.  But you could do this with a partner and do a chest pass to them, or use a basketball.

If you have enjoyed these exercises that you can do at home with little or no equipment, I encourage you to check out my partner workout DVDs called Ultimate Buddy Bootcamp, or my Buns Guns Back and Shoulders DVDs.

Click the image to learn more about the Buns Guns Back and Shoulder DVDs

Click the image to learn more about The Ultimate Buddy Bootcamp DVDs

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It seemed like an uncomfortably warm night last night. My wife and I watched the movie Tales of the Crypt (1972), not to be confused with the HBO series, before heading to bed. I love old ’70′s B-movies from my youth. They used to show them at the local drive-in but I suppose now they are direct to video. However, I digress. The warm air or humidity didn’t make for great sleeping weather so we were up for a bit. When I finally fell asleep I knew it would only be a short time until 4:30 am came along.

When the alarm went off I turned over and grudgingly got out of bed. Immediately I felt a soreness and stiffness in my legs. I taught a body sculpt class the previous day and the ladies in that class love to work the legs. I was feeling the results of that now though. Maybe I should skip  bootcamp today, I thought. But I knew that was a really poor excuse so I got dressed and off I went.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at Elver Park, Dustin made the announcement that today was a testing day. Oh no, I groaned to myself. If you haven’t had the opportunity to go to Dustin’s bootcamp, testing day is when we get tested on our progress in four different areas. We have a timed wall sit, 90 seconds to do as many burpees as we can, unlimited time to do as many push-ups as we can, and a timed run all the way to the top of Elver Hill and back. Sore, tired legs and arms are not really conducive to a successful testing day but I figured I’d give it my best shot.

We did the run first. There are many of us in bootcamp this summer so Dustin told the faster people to line up in front and the slower to line up behind. I lined up in the back. My goal today was to just make it all the way up and down without walking. I knew this was going to be tough today and I didn’t want to be in anybody’s way. Well Dustin said go and away we went. I didn’t do too badly. I was able to maneuver myself around some people and Ashton, another of Dustin’s trainers, was midway up the hill cheering us on. I got all the way to the top without stopping and turned around and ran back down. I lost a little time here because I tend to slow down for fear of falling. For some reason I also move way over to the side which means I have more ground to make up on the way back. Still, when I got back to flat ground I was surprised to find I still had some juice left. I didn’t finish with the kind of time I would have liked but it wasn’t bad.

The next test was the wall sit. I knew this would be the hardest for me and it was. Hit my quads pretty quickly and I didn’t get too far. Angie, another participant, sat for over 4 minutes! We moved on to the next test and she was still sitting. Way to go Angie! This test was followed by the push-up test and then the burpee test. I did what I could. I stopped my push-ups probably earlier than I should have. At one point I went to the up position and kind of dropped. I didn’t know if I could keep going or if I was supposed to stop, so I stopped. I was breathing pretty heavy by the time we got to the burpees. This one is tough all over. Tough on the legs, tough as cardio, tough on the arms, just tough all over. I did what I could in the allotted time and then the testing was over. I gave a deep sigh of relief.

Ashton took us through the strength part of the workout. We did some lunges, tricep dips, rows while our legs were resting on the bench, walking planks, and finally a kind of V-sit. I could see cars arriving now and thought camp was done. But it wasn’t. Dustin had one more cardio activity for us. We picked partners and then went to the tennis courts. One partner did a stationary squat while the other sprinted across the tennis court and back. Dustin said he didn’t want to see us jog, he wanted to see us sprint since we only had to do it once. Okay, I thought, if it’s only once I can do this. So I sprinted as hard as I could. I didn’t realize we had different definitions of the word once. We had to do it again. And again. For 4 minutes. I did try to keep sprinting though. I promise you I left nothing on that tennis court.

After class, I looked for my original testing form. Except for the wall sit, I improved in all areas. I was very impressed because I knew Dustin, Ryan, Ashton, and Becky must really be pushing me to challenge myself if I was able to show improvement while my body was as tired as I was. And that’s why I’m here after all.

On a side not, my poor wife Sharon is out for at least another 6 weeks. Doctor told her that stress fractures usually take at least 3 months to heal. She is very unhappy as she looked forward to moving outdoors for bootcamp for months. I’ll just have to take up the slack and work for both of us.

Have a good one.

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Married 20 years strong..

Posted by Roger, a contributor to this blog.

The alarm goes off at 4:30 and my wife tells me it is time to get up for boot camp. Luckily I already have my gym bag packed and workout clothes laid out so I can move a little bit slowly. I get out of bed and get dressed while she goes back to sleep for another 20 minutes. Then, still slightly bleary-eyed, I head out alone, both of us disappointed that she still isn’t physically ready to return to class.

Sharon and I actually met in a stereotypical ’80′s story, that of the aerobic instructor and the class participant. The only twist to this story is that I was the instructor and she was the participant. Must have been those ’80′s short shorts. Anyways, it was this early dedication to physical well-being that brought us together and it is something that we continue to share to this day.

As a married couple, working out together has been an excellent way to keep ourselves on track. We help keep each other accountable. When one person is tired and just doesn’t seem to have it that day, the other can help push them. Or when we both feel tired, guilt often gets the best of one of us, which works just as well.

“Dang, so tired tonight. Maybe we can skip working out.”

“Me too, let’s just take it easy and we’ll go tomorrow.”

“Uh, we really should just go. We’ll feel better after.”

“Ok, if you say so. Let’s go.” Sometimes that is all the motivation you need.

Sharon and I have also found that working out together is a very nice way to support each other. Whether it is helping each other with food choices, encouraging each other as we reach little benchmarks, or sharing new tips or techniques that we have discovered, we encourage, inspire and learn together.

As the years go by in a marriage, children often come along and they often tend to dominate your conversations. We are no different in that respect. Our children are our primary focus, as we believe they should be, but we also need other outlets. One of our children is a special needs child so we often have additional stress to deal with. Exercising is a good outlet for that stress. When we go to boot camp we find that on our way we discuss what might be happening that day (chariots or hill anybody?) and on the way home we discuss what we did, usually with the windows wide open since I am a stinky mess by that time. It gives us something else to think and talk about other than children and work.  It’s fun to talk about how we did after each session as we often have very different experiences. Since we are often paired with someone of similar abilities, it is highly unlikely we went through class together. This summer there seem to be many more couples which I am very happy to see.

As I drive to boot camp alone, I am hoping Sharon can return soon. I tell her all about class but it is obviously not the same as being there. I know she misses the challenges boot camp provides as well as the camaraderie of the other campers. Mostly, though, after 20 plus years of working out together, we both miss the benefits that working out together has provided us.

Have a good one.

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I woke up pretty rested today. The television said it was 44 degrees out so I figured that’s not too bad. A hoodie and sweatpants should do the job. Ok workout, I thought, here I come!

We arrived at boot camp at about 5:25.  Hooray!  No extra push-ups today for being late.  I was amazed at the number of people there. I don’t even have an estimate but there were plenty!  It’s impressive and inspiring to see so many new people joining and committing themselves to Dustin’s program. It is especially exciting to see so many more men joining and realizing this is one tough program! Now that we are outdoors again, I remember to bring my 20 lb weights, but that means  I hobble more than walk over to the shelter.

On my way over, I decided that this would actually be the beginning of my summer training. On Monday we took our first fit test. This established our baseline. From here on out, I’m trying to see how much I can improve by the time we move back indoors. I did do better on my tests than I did last year at this time in all areas except one. So I took that as a positive.

When we were ready Dustin told us to bring our mats, weights, and water over to the hill. Today we would do much of our work there and we would become one with the hill. Fat chance of that, I thought. By the way that hill chews me up and spits me out ,  I don’t think it has any intention of becoming one with me! Also, I knew with all that equipment there was no way I was running over to the hill. Like I said earlier, it was more of a hobble, albeit a quick one. By the time I got to where everyone was warming up they had passed me by. Luckily I just joined in at the end and when we switched directions, I was at the head of the line.

When we began our workout, we were going to be divided into groups by how fast we got up the hill. We only had to run to where the hill kind of flattens out. Now, I thought, I have done this before. I wind up in the fast group and then I have to work extra hard so this time, I told myself, I would slow down some so that I would be in the slow group. They work hard too but sometimes they seem to get a (very) little break. Well, of course this is where I learned my first lesson. No matter the age (or circumstance) my darn competitiveness is going to kick in. Once Dustin said go,  I started. I didn’t go full tilt at first but then I found myself wanting to see  how far up I could go and how many people I could pass. I knew I waited too late to catch the really fast people but I could make a good showing for myself. It was only when Dustin said to stop that I realized I was probably in trouble. He told us that he was dividing us into 3 groups, not 2. Group A was the group closest to the top, B the middle section, and C the lower section. I was in Group A. What was I thinking? Now we got to play a little game of chase. Group C went back down the hill a little ways, group B went down a little further, and group A? All the way back down. When Dustin said go, we had to run again to the top of the hill trying to catch the people in the groups above us. No comment on how I did there.

Once we got back to the top of the hill we partnered up for exercises.  My partner was a woman I had never met before. She usually attended the afternoon classes but had a schedule change today. She was very nice and encouraging. We both tried to push each other as hard as we could. We started with partner push-ups ( which I was still too winded to do effectively), then we did wheelbarrows (or bear crawls), and finished with back to back wall sits. I am terrible at these. I’m not sure why. I can’t get the form right or something but more than anything I think it is lack of confidence or trust. Lesson 2. Trust your partner. They are there to help and encourage you but will also accept your limitations.

Next, one more time back down the hill in groups. I must not have been listening as well as I thought because I didn’t hear Dustin say we would be running back up again. But when he said go, I was doing ok. I didn’t feel particularly tired in my legs and thought, “I’ve got this”. However, lesson 3, focus on what you are doing and don’t worry about others. I was doing fine, great actually, but then I looked over and saw a couple people walking. So I tell myself that it’s okay if I’m a little tired. I can walk. So I started to walk. When I thought I could run again, I started again. But once you quit like that, it is awfully hard to get started again (a lesson I already knew but refuse to let sink in). So I walked/slow jogged it the rest of the way up. Lesson 3 here. Why I prefer group exercise to working out alone. The group was very encouraging, cheering me to completion. It’s nice to have a large group of people on your side. Although I suspect there may have been a couple wanting me to finish slowly so they could have an extra minute to catch their breath.

After we came down the hill for the final time we worked on the core. We did V-sits with a deltoid press, swimmers and squirms, front and side planks (with a weight), rowers, and the exercise where we swing our weights out in front, focusing on the glutes and hamstrings. I had to go to a lighter weight for the side plank as the 20 lb weight made me fall over. I could also only use 1 20 lbs weight for the hamstring exercise as two did not allow for good form.

By this time, I could see the new arrivals which meant it was time to be done for today. I could also see the news van there, ready to film the next class for a morning report which led to Lesson 4. If you attend the 5:30 am class, you won’t have to be on TV!

Have a good one!

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 Post by Katie C., blog contributor

Before I started bootcamp, if I only had 30 minutes to work out (or even if I had more time), my default activity would be running.  Now that I’ve been doing bootcamp for almost a year, I’ve learned the importance of incorporating strength activities and am a fan of circuit workouts. Here’s a 30 minute circuit workout that I’ve adapted from iVillage.  It’s a great way to get in a good workout anywhere without any equipment.

1.  Warm up with 8 minutes of cardio (running, jumping jacks, etc)

2.  Do one minute of jungle squats 

3.  Do one minute of push ups

4.  Do one minute of reverse V lunges

5.  Do one minute of modified chair dips

6.  Do two minutes of cardio (any combination of jogging in place, butt kickers, squat jumps, snowboard jumps, etc.)

7.   Do one minute of ab exercises (any combination of front planks, bicycles, Russian twists, etc.)

8.  Take a 30 second break, then repeat steps 2 through 8 two more times.  Your 30 minute intense workout will be done before you know it!

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Jenny Before Bootcamp

I would like to share with you a story about a bootcamper who came, not in bad shape.  She was pretty healthy, weight was within normal healthy range and she wasn’t experiencing many negative things with her body.  But like many that come to Fit Fun Bootcamp or do the Fit Moms For Life DVD, they are looking for more.  They aren’t just content with being in decent shape.  They want to see what they are capable of, and through that process learn a lot about themselves.  I would say this describes at least half of the clients that I work with.

I also like Jenny’s story because it shows how changing your body composition, ie gaining muscle and losing fat can really show in the before and after pic. Keep in mind, Jenny only lost 10 lbs, but I bet it is closer to 15-18 lbs of fat loss.  I am proud of you Jenny, keep up the great work!

Enjoy!

I started Fit Fun Bootcamp in May 2010 after deciding I had settled for being in “okay” shape for too long. At the time I was pretty active and ate what I considered to be a mostly healthy diet, but I was definitely not pushing myself to be as healthy as possible, even though I did have the time and resources to do so. I realized I really had no excuse for NOT being in excellent shape and determined that I needed to change that. Soon after this realization, I saw Dustin on the local TV morning news and was compelled to check out the website. Reading all the inspiring testimonials is what sold me on trying Bootcamp.

The first class was definitely an eye-opener for me. I learned that I was nowhere near as fit as I’d previously thought—while I could run a mile or two with relative ease, I discovered I couldn’t do a single push-up on my toes, and more than 10- 15 seconds of burpees or mountain climbers made me significantly winded. Even though that first class was very challenging, I didn’t hate it and recognized that it provided the extra intensity and “push” I needed and was looking for.

After completing the first month of Bootcamp, I could see tangible changes in my muscle tone, strength, and overall fitness, but the scale had not budged at all. This was disappointing, as I felt I’d been working really hard. However, I really had not changed my eating habits at all (I’d naively thought I wouldn’t need to). Acknowledging this was likely impeding my progress, I started really paying attention to what I ate and trying my best to eat clean (no refined carbs, a lot fewer processed foods, primarily low-sugar fruits and veggies, and a lot more protein). After just one week of doing this, I lost four pounds! This was the proof and motivation I needed to continue the healthy eating, and by August 1, I had lost 10 pounds and a couple inches from each measurement, and had also gone down about two sizes in clothing.

I continue to see positive changes in my body now, even though my weight has been consistent for awhile. I may not be losing weight, but clothes seem to fit me better and better with each month that passes, and I’ve had to purchase a lot of new clothing since the summer to replace the old stuff that is now too big. Recently I even bought a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of jeggings, two things I certainly would never have purchased prior to doing Bootcamp!

Jenny Now (left)

Jenny currently (left)

I’m most happy about the dramatic improvement I’ve seen in my physical fitness, though. There’s no doubt my strength and stamina have increased significantly,and I am no longer intimidated by physical challenges that previously I may not have even attempted. I’m proud to report that on a recent trip to Hawaii, I was able to complete an intense hike consisting of 1050 steps (the jumping photo is our celebration upon reaching the top) in less than 30 minutes. I was also able to maintain my weight while on vacation for eight days, which I credit to the conditioning and healthy eating habits I’ve acquired from Bootcamp.

Had someone told me at this time last year that I’d soon start a bootcamp class and not only stick with it, but also enjoy it (enough to wish I was able to do it 5 days a week), I would have laughed. However, it’s true! I’m so happy to have found Fit Fun Bootcamp, and I’m grateful to Dustin, Abby, Amber & Ryan for making it enjoyable as well as extremely effective. I am definitely the most healthy I’ve ever been and I’m excited to continue Bootcamp in order to keep working at being the most healthy me I can be!

-Jenny

### Dustin here again.  Here are my top 5 tips to losing the last 10 lbs which are definitely the toughest to get off.

1.  Decrease your carb intake and increase your protein.

2.  Find a support partner that will keep you accountably and encourage you.

3.  Find that little extra and give it each and every workout.  Challenge yourself just a little bit more.

4.  Drink a gallon of water per day and stop drinking, soda, diet soda, juice, sports drinks, energy drinks, or sugared teas.

5.  Get at least 7 hours of sleep to decrease your cortisol levels.

Question of the day: If you have lost your last 10 lbs, how did you do it?

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Me, after my first day back!

It’s been a while but I’m finally back at fitness boot camp. As some of you may remember I had a rather inauspicious beginning to 2011.  Well, after finally getting my car situation resolved and my back settling down I was all ready to return and then…I got sick. Was out of work for 3 1/2 days. Looking on the bright side, I did miss two of my heavier class loads.

One thing that was definitely reinforced during this time was that one cannot always trust the scale.During the 3 plus weeks I didn’t attend boot camp I gained maybe a pound. I did work out maybe 3 times during this period so I know that really didn’t make a difference. However, while my weight didn’t really move I could tell I gained. My loose pants became tighter, and the parts of me that had become tighter were looser! Just goes to show you definitely cannot measure gains solely on the scale. I also felt my emotional well being suffered. I lacked energy, was short tempered and anxious. Working out during trying times always helps to alleviate these conditions.

I must admit I was worried about returning to camp. It had been a while and I remembered how tough that first class could be. Yet I also remembered that Dustin always says you can be in any shape and participate in boot camp. Having attended fitness boot camp since last June I knew this to be true. I did get in a light work out a couple days before my return to class, hoping this would help prevent some soreness (and nausea!)

One of the most difficult moments I faced that first day happened before I even left the house. It was the alarm. Ugh, it went off at 4:15 a.m. which is, of course, when it has to go off if I am going to avoid doing those 5 extra push-ups for every minute late to class. I had gotten used to sleeping in until 6:15 so I knew that getting up  at roughly 4:30, 3 times a week again would initially pose a challenge. It did but I got up and even arrived to class a few minutes early. It was great to see familiar faces and so many new people ready to take the fit camp experience.

We started off with a warm-up. Butt kickers, reaching down to the floor on one leg (gotta get back to work on that balance), some stretching and high knee runs. Then we partnered up. My wife and I stayed partnered as we both knew that we had much work to do and didn’t want to hold anyone back. We worked first on strength training using our weights. I brought my 20 lb weights and used them. This wasn’t so bad on the bicep curls but on the deltoid work, ouch. The second set of deltoid work I toyed with switching to the 15 lb weights but thought better of it. I figured I would just challenge myself to do as many I could. Besides, I knew Dustin would probably bust me on it so what was the point? We then switched to the kettle ball weights. These were new to me and took a little getting used to. It took me a minute to figure out how to change hands at the top of my extension but I finally got it.

After a water break we moved to cardio. We did wheelbarrows across the floor which my wife and I had to change to bear crawls. I’m a little heavy for my wife but she was able to push me much further than any time before but couldn’t quite make it across the room. Then we got to run sprints, which always bring out the competitive juices so I enjoyed those. The same with hopping across the floor on one foot. Who would have ever guessed those “Simon Says” moves would be so good for you?

We finished the workout with some core exercises. This is where I could tell I had really lost much of my gains. I felt like I had gone back to step one in so many ways. Luckily, people tell me it doesn’t take that long to make it up. I sure hope not!

So now, I’m back and at it again. The journey continues…

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Build a pyramid with one minute of active recovery (walk or slow jog) after each work portion.  Keep in mind that the work portions should push you to the point that you would have trouble carrying a conversation.  Start with a 5-10 minute walk. Then,

30 seconds hike at 3.5  mph, 5% incline, recover

1 minute jog or sprint, recover

1.5 minutes hike at 3.5 mph,  5% incline, recover

2 minutes jog or sprint, recover

2.5 minutes hike at 3.5 mph, 5% incline, recover

3 minutes jog or sprint , recover

then go “down” the pyramid

2.5 minutes jog or sprint, etc.

Follow it up a 10 minute slow walk, some pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and plank holds and you have fit in a quick, effective workout!  Please let me know if you have questions or want some more advice on heart rates for each level.

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