St. Louis Fitness Boot Camp's head of operations and head trainer, CJ Thomas, knows how hard it can be to start working out. Enormous corporate gyms seem designed to intimidate the new exerciser, and the workout genies trapped inside at-home DVDs can only offer motivation after they’ve been put in the player. That’s why he made it his mission to design an exercise program geared toward beginners, providing a low-stakes introduction to training and plenty of positive motivation. Once participants learn the ropes at St. Louis Fitness Boot Camp, CJ and his fellow trainers help to customize workouts to ensure continued fitness development.

A friendly atmosphere helps to separate St. Louis Fitness Boot Camp, as the staff puts care into making every participant feel welcome by fostering a community environment with no yelling, intimidation, or judgment. Once members get comfortable, CJ constructs easy-to-follow circuit training routines that alternate between working the lower body, core, and upper body, relying on the combination of exercises over time to whip bodies into peak shape. His small groups of trainees often encourage one another and help keep one other accountable to exerting their maximum effort during routines. Within the climate-controlled facility, exercisers shed sweat and pounds. To supplement the workouts, he and the trainers provide nutritional counseling and even emotional counseling, gently reminding each student why they chose to start working out.