Beauty and a beast
Outdoor training groups offer sweeping vistas and a hellacious (but effective) way to get in shape.

By Jon Maples

IT'S ABOUT 7 a.m. on a recent December morning, and I'm standing on the edge of Stow Lake, deep within the confines of Golden Gate Park. To the east, the leading traces of storm clouds are outlined by the rising sun. The sky suddenly bursts bright orange, as if it's been set ablaze. I try to take a moment to appreciate the sight, but it's hard to concentrate when you're gasping for air.

Along with 10 other members of my 6 a.m. class, I've just completed a four-days-a-week, six-week session of Boot Camp San Francisco, an outdoor training program. We finished this morning as black-blue dawn gave way to fire sunrise by running a mile and a half around the lake as fast as we could.

As my breath starts to normalize and the feeling of nausea that always accompanies hard runs begins to fade, I shout out encouragement to the other runners who are finishing up. I high-five some. Others – too fatigued to raise their hands – I pat on the back. Once we've all caught our breath, people talk about knocking minutes off the times they recorded six weeks ago; a couple dropped their times by as much as 20 percent – a testament to all of the hard work and dedication we've put in.

In the past month and a half, my compatriots and I have each executed approximately 240 pull-ups, 630 push-ups, 840 arm dips, 960 squats, and 1,200 abdominal exercises; run about 90 miles, including running hills, sprints, intervals, and stairs; and completed an assortment of more exotic sounding – but no less painful – tasks like bunny hops, ape walks, burpees, mountain climbers, and the mother of all exercises, the bear crawl.

Exercising out

As groups like Boot Camp S.F. have gained popularity throughout the Bay Area, outdoor training has taken hold as an alternative to the traditional gym program. What started as a handful of "military-style" workout programs consisting of push-ups and sit-ups – occasionally administered by former armed forces physical-aptitude instructors – has morphed into a full-blown trend. Now almost every local gym offers a high-impact, high-intensity workout. Several new groups, like Boot Camp, exclusively train outside.

Reasons for the growth in popularity are varied. Some participants say they're tired of their gym and are looking for a change of pace and routine. Others enjoy the workout in the great outdoors, which in these parts provides a stunning backdrop. Some believe group exercise provides a needed boost through peer encouragement. And some just like to push their physical limits by powering up the mile-long sand stairs at Baker Beach, squeezing out leg lunges for 100 yards, or holding a static sit-up position for a minute at a time.

Boot Camp S.F. cofounders Stevan Krstic and Keith Wohlwend met in the late '90s on the track field at San Francisco State University, where both were competitors – Krstic achieved All-America status in the hammer throw; Wohlwend earned All-America status in the shot put. After college, Wohlwend began working in human resources but remained interested in pursuing a physical-fitness project with Krstic.

When the two saw military-style programs popping up around town, they decided to build their own workout program from the ground up. Rather than adopting a military regimen, they based it on their preparation for athletic competition and experiences with personal training, although they did keep the moniker. "I hate the name 'boot camp.' "Krstic says. "I get calls from parents wanting to send me their sons to get them on the straight and narrow. I have to tell them that's not what we do." (Krstic says they kept the moniker because it has become synonymous with outdoor training.)

The trainers started by creating a program that, using simple tools like resistance bands, jump ropes, medicine balls, and – most important – body weight, promises marked improvement within about six weeks' time. A sample workout at Boot Camp S.F. includes brisk jogging, followed by push-ups, followed by abdomen work, followed by more jogging, followed by arm dips, followed by even more jogging – and no stopping long enough for your heart to adjust.

One of the first problems Krstic and Wohlwend had to solve was making their workouts appropriate for (and appealing to) people at varying levels of fitness. After all, they wanted to challenge participants, not cripple them – or leave them too discouraged to see the course through. Through word of mouth the trainers had signed up a group of seven folks of different shapes, sizes, and fitness levels for their first six-week session. After holding a few classes, Krstic says, "we quickly figured out that we needed to split them into two groups." Now entering their third year, the groups are broken up even further. Krstic and Wohlwend have brought on a third trainer, triathlon specialist Shannon Boughn, to instruct the more advanced level.

Krstic says the program they've developed over the past year is specifically designed to address what most people don't achieve at the gym. While many people are successful at putting on weight or doing cardio, Krstic says, it's rare for them to do both. "You see a lot of imbalanced bodies at the gym," he says. "Big upper bodies and skinny legs." And just because you work out, it doesn't mean you're healthy. "It's not unusual at all for lifetime body builders to die of strokes," Wohlwend points out.

The energy crisis

So why doesn't the gym work for everyone? "Working out at the gym doesn't tax all the energy systems," of which there are three, Krstic says. The aerobic system is exercised when you run slowly and steadily over a long period of time. A strong aerobic system is the key for any workout, and it's something Boot Camp S.F. emphasizes. "Our key is keeping it intense to raise heart rate and keep it there," Wohlwend says. "If you don't raise the heart rate, you're not going to make a change in your fitness level." The mileage varies depending on the level, but on average, participants run about three miles each class.

The second system, anaerobic, most often comes into play with resistance training such as weight lifting. Lacking access to weights outdoors, Boot Camp hits anaerobic work the old-fashioned way: push-ups, pull-ups, and arm dips, using body weight as the resistance and the ground or a playground jungle gym as the base. Therapy bands with various degrees of tension produce similar results. But instead of doing a set of 12, a typical number for the weight room, groups do multiple sets to tire the muscles. Even beginners can do as many as 150 push-ups a day.

The third type, and the hardest for most people to reach, is the nonaerobic system, which is taxed, for example, by sprints or a series of workouts called pylometrics – simple jumping exercises designed to help develop explosive power. Pylometrics are a staple of almost any track workout, so it's not surprising that Krstic and Wohlwend concentrate on them at Boot Camp S.F., considering the instructors' backgrounds. "If people want to admit it or not, we all want to look like athletes," Krstic says. "And to look like an athlete, you have to train like an athlete." It's not unusual for classes to resemble a track team going through its training paces – lunging, jumping rope, dancing through an agility ladder, jumping small hurdles, running a cone course, high-knee running, "butt-kicking," and power skipping.

Put all of these elements together and you've got a fairly challenging hour of exercise. Many participants talk of feeling totally wiped out after completing their first class. However, almost everyone sticks with the program through the full six-week session, and most participants come back for more. Elements of a workout that used to be challenging for some folks, like running, can become second nature. "The way they structure their workouts, the running almost seems like a break," says Mary Lee MacKichan, a veteran of one session. Yet the difficulty of the exercises is what makes Boot Camp so attractive to some. "I know that the workout is the hardest thing I'm going to do all day," says Ian Raikow, a member of the group since summer. "I feel like if I can get through it, I can make it through anything."

What the Boot Camp workout builds isn't exactly the physique of a marathon runner or the look of someone who could lift a truck. "Buff," MacKichan says. "I started seeing the effect the workouts had on a couple of my friends who were in the program." That's when she decided to give it a shot. "People who do the program for a while look strong, lean, and healthy." Krstic says. "It's not something you always see in the gym. I always tell people, 'If you want to put on muscle mass, don't come out [to the program]. You're wasting your time. You get strong, but you don't get huge.'"

Wohlwend is a perfect example of what the program can do for your physique and stamina. During his college career he bulked up for shot put by gaining muscle and extra weight. Before he and Krstic devised their program, he weighed around 285 pounds. "A lot of my weight was muscle, but I had no aerobic ability," he says. "When I started, it hurt to run a mile. My lungs were burning." By following a lean diet that Boot Camp now recommends to all of its clients, as well as doing the newly designed exercise program four times a week, Wohlwend dropped 40 pounds and improved almost every aspect of his fitness.

Form follows function

All of this work also loosely follows another trend in fitness: "functional training," in which you use your body weight, balance, and simple tools to replicate movements performed in everyday life, from picking up a bag of groceries to getting off the couch. Think about it this way: How often in your life are you going to perform the motions used while bench-pressing weights? Probably only when a car falls directly on top of you, at which point you'll need more than just a good bench number.

The goal of most strength training in the gym is to isolate and overload one muscle group, whereas functional training stresses using muscles in conjunction with one another to strengthen the core. So instead of incorporating, say, dumbbell curls, which basically only work the biceps, Boot Camp S.F. and other outdoor fitness groups stress exercises like the pull-up, which works the lats, biceps, shoulders, back, and abs – all at once.

Performing functional tasks, people often get strong more quickly than they would in the gym. And Krstic says that many of the folks who come out to the program just want to get in good enough shape to perform simple life tasks: "I had a client who came out, and all she wanted was to be able to pick up her daughter."

Sunrises, ocean views, and group therapy

Then there's the setting. Of course outdoor training wouldn't be nearly as attractive if we lived in, say, Tulsa. But the Bay Area has so many gorgeous vistas that it's almost a shame to exercise indoors. And many local group-exercise programs take advantage of that. Hit the Hill, a military-style workout program based in Marin, operates on Mount Tamalpais. Rock Solid Fitness, a Marina District-based group, holds its sessions at Crissy Field near St. Francis Yacht Club, with a view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Krstic and Wohlwend say they chose their venues, Baker Beach and Golden Gate Park, so their clients could enjoy working up a sweat outdoors.

"The whole point of working out is to feel alive and get in touch with your physical body, and when surrounded by nature, it's alive as well, so they go together," says Jeannette Gonzalez, a veteran of several Boot Camp S.F. sessions. "If you're working out inside a tin-box gym, it's just the opposite of that experience."

Many Boot Camp participants say the group environment adds to the enjoyment – and the work. "It's easier to judge your progress when you work out with other people," Raikow says. "You're running with people who are in much better shape." And the group can be a motivating factor, he says. "It's easy to slack off when no one is watching you exercise." Not so at Boot Camp. Occasionally participants encourage their classmates during difficult exercises, Wohlwend says. "And if you miss a session, they'll give you hell. We never say anything. It's all the peers."

Another motivational factor might be the good old-fashioned – and good-natured – trash talk that goes on after a particularly hard exercise. "People help motivate each other and push off each other," Wohlwend says. "There's a little competition. And it's not just a guy thing; women get competitive just as much as men do." He says that while their classes cater to both sexes, women generally make up a little more than half of the participants. Other groups specialize even more. Rock Solid Fitness offers all-female classes only, and several groups offer workouts for new mothers, including Marin-based Baby Boot Camp.

So what are the drawbacks of group-exercise programs like Boot Camp S.F.? Well, for one thing, they're not cheap. A session ranging from a month to eight weeks costs from $300 to $500, depending on who's offering it (see "Outdoor Ed"). Most perform detailed fitness evaluations and adapt their programs to each participant's level. Boot Camp also evaluates people's medical history and past injuries to identify risks and properly place everyone at the right level. Expense notwithstanding, several Boot Camp members have participated nonstop for more than a year, and Krstic says that 75 percent of his clients return for another session.

Injuries also occur. Krstic sees repetitive-stress injuries pop up from time to time, as well as turned ankles from running the trails. Occasionally a pulled muscle sidelines someone for part of a session. But both founders and almost everyone interviewed stressed that one of the most important elements of the program is learning how to identify, treat, and cope with injuries, as well as general exercise acumen. During workouts Wohlwend, a master's candidate in the exercise science program at UC San Francisco, has been known to drop knowledge on participants about muscle groups or the Kreb's cycle of energy transfer.

Krstic remains unabashedly proud that the program is difficult and maintains that that's why it works. "People thrive on challenge," he says. "When it comes down to it, people really like to work hard. There's a certain feeling when you just got done busting your ass for an hour that you cannot accomplish ... without busting your ass for an hour."

And there are other rewards. In the near dark during a recent evening class, Boughn led a small group on a warm-up run through Golden Gate Park. We reached the track that encircles the Polo Field, and she put us through an extensive interval-running workout that had us wheezing. Sweat poured down our faces, and steam rose from our overheated bodies. I moved beyond that "certain feeling" Krstic mentioned to the certain feeling I was being tortured.

But just when it felt like I couldn't go one step further, the moon broke out from behind the clouds. At fitness centers across the city, other people were climbing StairMasters, bathing in the electric glow emanating from a bank of TVs, their concentration held by closed captions. Here, the abandoned field lay illuminated in an ethereal blue light, providing a moment that made the extreme workout seem worth the effort.

Jon Maples is a San Francisco writer.

Outdoor ed
A guide to local fitness programs

Local outdoor fitness groups are similar in that they stress health and well-being and offer personalized training services. Beyond that, they vary. Most groups offer a free class and recommend that you try a sample workout before committing to a full session.

Baby Boot Camp's most recent four-times-a-week session started Jan. 6. The program allows new mothers to work out with the convenience of having their newborn along for the ride. Mill Valley, San Francisco, and San Rafael locations. 25 classes for $250; other plans available. (415) 290-2764, www.babybootcamp.net.

Boot Camp San Francisco's four-days-a-week, six-week winter session starts Jan. 27 at its Golden Gate Park location. $360 a session. (415) 921-8537, www.bootcampsf.com.

Community BootCamp, located at Stanford University and other sites in the South Bay, holds Monday-through-Friday five-week programs and one-week extreme-exercise programs. $250 new members, $200 returning members. (408) 996-9660, www.timeoutservices.com/communityBootCamp.htm.

Hit the Hill is run by the godfather of the boot-camp trend, former 82nd Airborne paratrooper Jim DiRuscio, who has been running his recruits up Mount Tamalpais since 1989. Each session features three-hour-plus classes three to four times a week. Participants must meet location and fitness requirements. $500 a month. (415) 897-9287, www.hitthehill.com.

OutFiT offers sessions in Kezar Stadium, Dolores Park, and locations in the Marina District and Berkeley. Aside from the regular sessions, there are also classes for new mothers, extreme classes, and "Fitness Vacations" in Costa Rica and Alaska. A five-days-a-week, six-week session started Jan. 6, but new members can join anytime. Costs range from $250 for the new-mothers class to $400 for first timers. (415) 441-4631, www.outfitfitness.com.

Rock Solid Fitness offers a women-only program and features classes overlooking the bay from Fort Mason. A new session starts Jan. 20. Five-times-a-week, eight-week program $650. (415) 759-1605, www.rocksolidsf.com.

Start Fitness is a San Francisco-based military-style boot camp led by Sgt. Ken Weichert. Advanced classes include hiking, land navigation and map reading, and in-door rock climbing. Five-days-a-week session $85 a month, $12 a day. (415) 225-5715, www.startfitness.com.

J.M. Boot camp at the gym

Although the classes don't take place outdoors, many local gyms feature "boot camp"-style group workouts. Below is a list of gyms that offer classes. Call your own gym for availability and schedule.

Gorilla Sports (415) 474-2699, www.gorillasports.com.

San Francisco Bay Club (415) 433-2200, www.sfbayclub.com.

Pinnacle Fitness (415) 495-1939, www.pinnaclefitness.com.

Embarcadero YMCA (415) 957-9622, www.embarcaderoymca.org.

J.M.