Vancouver Bootcamps Rule and Mode Athletics Is (Now) Kicking My Ass
I begin this post with a warning: first off, you naysayers, go hump a
disease-infested yak's uncle's next-door-neighbour's milk man's wife's physical trainer's dentist's mother-in-law's handbag. What I am about to discuss is a sensitive topic to me and I am always made the butt of some joke when I attempt to get into "shape". This warning ends - now. (Klingon logo.)I am getting into shape. But not a pear kind of shape - real, man-like, not-so-much of the fat shape. A couple of weeks ago, I became very tired of the "stop and start" method of exercising (with the exception of swimming which, until the summer was very regular, stupid pool renovations). I was feeling a little bloated or fatter than usual and decided I needed some professional help.
Around the same time, some friends of mine in Victoria were reporting they had found boot camps to be the cat's ass for getting into shape. My friends continually filled me in on their progress and I was quickly being swayed that they had found something better than "going to the gym". I was also convinced that forcing myself out of my bubble and doing something crazy would kick start me back into regular exercise. I decided it was my time to sign myself up for something absolutely out of character - a 7:00am boot camp, three days a week, for a six week stint.
What I found to be disappointing about my decision was that boot camps appear to be dime a dozen in this Vancouver town I live in. They are everywhere. Yet, they appear to lack any kind of "standard" with which I could compare them. How am I to know what the better exercise methods are?
I searched around the web (when am I not searching the web) looking for some type of boot camp that appeared to fit with my requirements. I decided that the company had to:
- Look friendly.
- Write friendly.
- Be encouraging.
- Not appear to be a bunch of exercise wankers. (You know the type.)
- Not be an excuse to get me to run. I can run on my own. (Thanks, for demonstrating that one, Jen! You rock!)
- Be unique in some way, like, oh - being reasonably active bloggers or contribute to the community.
- Must look professional in their web appearance.
- Be close by and accessible.
After evaluating a couple of companies, only one boot camp really caught my eye - Mike Roulston of Mode Athletics. Mike shared the most information on line. He talks about who he was, what his philosophy is, posts a few photos, has an encouraging tone that is written in a more personal tone, and he also has a blog (which he needs to write more in but I didn't see any other blogs from any of the other companies, so, he is ahead of the game). Most of the other companies were "okay" but dates were not current, the information looked "tossed up" on the web, and there wasn't anything that screamed at me to come play with them. I am not saying that the other companies were not as good, but they didn't appear to me to take the time to work on their site enough to make me go "wow".Sure, this may sound like I am tooting a few too many horns, but when you are fighting weight with a side order of gennetics - you may get to the point too where you need to fight with a little crazy on the side. I will keep you posted on my progress. That is if I don't die first. (UPDATE: I have been to two sessions now and I haven't died yet. I will post a few more details once I have a week under my belt.)
Technorati Tags: mode athletics, vancouver bootcamp, exercise
