Healthy Hoboken: Boot Camp

Sore. That's how felt when my alarm went off Tuesday morning. Why? I went to my first Hoboken Boot Camps class on Monday night. HBC is a full-body fitness program offered five days a week by trainer David Cabral. New students are welcome to join classes for free for the first week.

The truly devoted rise and shine for a 5:50 a.m. class. My schedule doesn't require early mornings, so I opted for a 7 p.m. class on Monday night. The thought of waking up at 5 a.m. on a Monday was simply preposterous for me. 

So I found myself approaching the warehouse style Monroe Center at 720 Monroe Street on Monday night, with no idea what I was walking into. I have heard from friends that these boot camp-style classes are intense, with instructors constantly belittling people into working harder. I hate being yelled at, no matter what the reason, so I was nervous.

Turns out I had nothing to be scared of. Cabral is an encouraging coach, not at all a military-style drill sergeant. He does yell, but only to inspire, and not in a harsh tone. More like a loud speech.

He stresses patience as the key to his method. There were plenty of students who lagged behind, but he did not make examples of them. He follows the philosophy that you will take from a class what you put into it; he knows which students want to be pushed, which are just happy to be there putting in some effort. If someone chooses to be lazy, they will realize it when they do not see results. But he does not force anything on anyone. I liked his style.

The class started out with 10 minutes of cardio drills, including squat jumps, jogging around the room, hopping on one foot, and other calisthenics. From there we moved on to muscle-training stations. Using medicine balls, kettle bells, ropes and a step, we worked just about every muscle group through five different stations. The final segment of the class was suicide sprints. We were broken into pairs, and whoever was not sprinting was either doing tricep dips or wall sits. The exercises change everyday, but the major muscle groups are always worked, and Cabral always incorporates endurance and aerobics. 

The key to seeing results is repetition. Thirty-five minutes a day, four days a week, will produce results using just about any fitness regime. Cabral's style has proven effective: over the past six months, he has helped one student drop 27 pounds. "She couldn't jog when she first walked in here," he says, "and last week she completed a 30-mile bike race."

I planned on going every day this week, but ran into scheduling issues. I'm a big proponent of letting your muscles recover after an intense workout—I don't think working out twice within a 12-hour period is necessarily beneficial. 

There is no Tuesday evening class, so I considered foregoing adequate rest and going to one of the early morning sessions. Cabral allows his boot campers to mix-and-match their class times based on personal schedules.

When I asked him about the early classes, he said they are more intense than the evening classes because most class members are in peak shape. (What else would you expect from people who are willing to get up an hour or more earlier than necessary to get in a morning workout before work?)

When my alarm went off at 5 a.m. Tuesday, there was no way I was going to boot camp. I could feel the soreness setting in. I hit snooze and went for an afternoon run along the waterfront instead. I'm aiming to go Wednesday and Thursday night, schedule permitting. 

As someone who works out often, I think I would enjoy the increased intensity of an early morning class. If you are a beginner, you might prefer the night sessions or the 9 a.m. session. Either way, Cabral's supportive style helps bring students back for more. The name is deceiving, as there is nothing militaristic about this boot camp. 

Check out the HBC website for a full schedule, prices and answers to FAQs.