Cincinnati Adventure Boot Camp, Cincinnati

Students should bring: Mat, dumbbells, bottle of water, and towel
Average class length: 60 minutes
Number of Staff: 1–5
Class location: Mix of indoor and outdoor classes
Established: 2007
Registration required: Yes
Good for beginners: Yes
Guests allowed: Yes
Parking: Parking lot

Q&A with Brian Calkins, President/Owner

Exercise is challenging, and people frequently give up on their fitness routines. How do you keep clients motivated?
We believe that fitness should be fun and inspiring. We believe that every woman should be healthy and fit, full of energy and enthusiasm for life, and look and feel fantastic! We believe that in order to get fit and healthy, all you have to do is ask your body to do just a little bit more than what it’s accustomed to doing, regardless of your current shape, size, age or ability. Adventure Boot Camp provides workouts that foster fun, support, community, accountability, inspiration, and teaches women how to look, feel, and perform their best in life.

Do you believe in the maxim, "No pain, no gain”? Why or why not?
I do not. In fact, I think in the context of today’s “box” gyms, pushing intensity beyond capability, is completely stupid and entirely unnecessary. Does that mean exercise is easy? Of course not. Exercise must be smart in that it meets the participant at her level, and it progresses at her pace, based on her unique characteristics. Because the opposite is true too. The same ole routine, day in and day out, leads to stagnation, boredom, and no results. There’s a fine balance between exercise that is too hard, and workouts that are too easy in that they are a waste of time. Adventure Boot Camp has perfected that balance, we call the sweet spot in fitness.

Besides working out, what else can clients do to spend their time at your facility?
Clients come to our facility for workouts that are fun. They come to our facility for leading edge education on fitness, health, and nutrition. And they build lifetime relationships within our community.

Is there anything else you want to add that we didn't cover?
My approach to fitness has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and I have been honored as one of the nation’s top 50 personal trainers by the American Association of Personal Trainers. I have been a local media consultant in the area of health and fitness for the past 8 years.