Bootcamp: For Whom the Kettlebell Tolls

Editor's Note: Bootcamp is a column I'm writing based on my experiences at Burnsville's Beyond Personal Training. On April 4, I took advantage of a Groupon offering unlimited bootcamp sessions for a month. These are my stories.

Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls chronicles the story of an American man struggling through the brutality of civil war in Spain. After taking part in consecutive bootcamps with BPT trainer Jason Cameric, I feel as though I'm ready for battle.

Much different from my earlier camps, Wednesday morning was a cinch. We were guided through the circuits in what has become the usual fashion: 15 minutes of core work and then stations that offer a nice combination of strength and cardiovascular circuits. I finished the workout feeling strong and confident.  

Then I went back again Thursday morning. 

Thursday's class dynamic had shifted dramatically. Instead of a nice mixture of men and women, older and younger, athletic and average, Thursday's class consisted of just two thirty-something guys. 

Jason saw this as an opportunity. 

He told us he wanted to switch things up a bit. Rather than starting with core work we would start with weightlifting, then move to core work and then get our heart rates pumping with a cardio conclusion.

He started us on ten stations of weightlifting. We hit every major muscle group in one-minute increments with spots of rest weaved within. Based on Jason's powerful physique, this must be his personal favorite for quick fitness training.

Our core workout included a few unfamiliar exercises with varying degrees of complexity and difficulty. All in all, a great workout.

With abs burning and arms, legs and shoulders spent, Jason unveiled his "really special" cardio workout.

He handed us each a kettlebell and explained how to perform a squat thrust with each step as we walked down and back the length of the BPT gym. He called this a "tiger walk." We did it twice. 

As we lay exhausted with hearts-a-pounding, Jason tells us, "just wait til you see what I have for you next." 

Remember the wheelbarrow you used to do in grade school phy-ed class? Remember how easy it was? Remember how light everyone was back then? 

Well this is not grade school. The wheelbarrow is no longer easy. And if we ever were, neither myself nor my classmate are light anymore.

Again, down and back, boys.

Without being dramatic, the wheelbarrow was the most difficult exercise I've done since joining BPT at the beginning of April. If I ever do it again, it will be too soon. 

Apparently my classmate and I were a bit too effective at the wheelbarrow and thus finished five minutes early.

So, Jason had us put boxing gloves on and do 1-2 combinations until we couldn't feel our arms.

Jason Cameric's Reminder: "For every pound of lean muscle you have, your body burns 50 calories per day. For every pound of fat, it burns four calories."

Jason Cameric's Training Tip: "An active woman (working out 4-5 times per week) should consume 0.75 grams of protein for every pound of body weight per day. Active men should consume 1 gram of protein per pound."