WORKING UP A
S.W.A.T. SWEAT Military-style drills offer challenging
workouts
Colleen Sparks
Singing cadences and maneuvering through obstacle courses might sound
like activities reserved for the military, but they are all part of a
morning work-out routine for participants in S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T., or Strength Wellness Athletic Training, LLC, is an
independent personal training company offering boot camp fitness
classes that take students through military-style drills to get in
shape.
Housed in Desert Fitness West, 4160 W. Ina Road, the company also
offers a host of other fitness services, such as personal training,
marathon training, Reebok core training, nutrition classes and body fat
analysis.
In the boot camp class, groups of eight to 40 students begin their
workout routine at 5 a.m. at Denny Dunn Park, located at North Old
Father Road and West Massingale Place.
They run in groups, singing cadences, then follow that with sit-ups,
push-ups and calisthenics, said RonHolland, S.W.A.T.
president.
Students also "walk" across the ground on all fours like crabs, and
crawl using their elbows and legs in a military manner - minus the
rifles. They do lunges and weight training, too.
The boot camp meets from 5 to 6 a.m. Mondays through Fridays for
four-week sessions. S.W.A.T. also provides special corporate boot camps
for corporations, geared around workers' schedules.
Unlike in the military, the S.W.A.T. instructors gently encourage and
motivate students, without yelling, said Holland, who is
retired from the Air Force, where he was a master sergeant, a SWAT
commander and a SWAT fitness instructor.
"It gives them a totally different type of workout," Holland
said. "People get bored at the gym."
Marana resident Julie Dimmick, 32, who has taken the boot camp class
three times, said it was more interesting than aerobics.
"It's just a challenge," Dimmick said. "I just felt like I could do
anything after that."
Working with a group is also a great motivator, she said.
Groups of participants also motivate each other through S.W.A.T.'s
Marathon Running Corps and Half Marathon Training Team. During these
sessions, groups of about eight to 25 people train for about 12 to 20
weeks, running together twice a week, anywhere from three to 22 miles
each day, Holland said.
Students are encouraged to run independently three times a week and
also do weight training to prepare for marathons. S.W.A.T. runners have
participated in Tucson's annual marathon, as well as marathons in Las
Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix, Holland said.
Novice and experienced runners in their 20s to 60s have taken part in
S.W.A.T.'s marathon training, he added.
S.W.AT. will host a free orientation/registration meeting to discuss
the next half-marathon training at 1 p.m. Saturday at Desert Fitness
West, 4160 W. Ina Road.
Fitness class sampler
S.W.A.T. (Strength Wellness Athletic Training), an independent personal
training company, offers several classes to get people in shape. Here's
a sampling:
* Boot Camp Fitness classes: Military-style exercises. The four-week
class costs $165.
* Marathon Running Corps and Half Marathon Training Team: Prepares
students for marathons over 12-20-week time periods. Cost is $125.
* Reebok Core Training Classes: Students use a 26-pound core board,
created by Reebok, to train their core muscles or their abdomen, the
body's center of power, S.W.A.T. President Ron Holland said. Classes
are held Mondays through Fridays and hours vary. The cost is $10 per
class with a $40 minimum.
* Transformations: A 12-week, one-on-one personal training program,
where students use free weights, medicine balls, resistance machines
and aerobic exercise machines to improve personal health. Cost is $40
an hour with package discounts.
* Nutritional Support Seminars: Students meet once a week for six weeks
to learn about healthy eating, cooking healthy meals, sticking to solid
nutrition plans, healthy lifestyle changes, speeding up their
metabolism, weight training and more. Cost is $100.
* Body Fat Analysis: During these 30-minute sessions, participants
discover their body fat content, the weight of their body fat, and
their lean body fat content. They also learn what is a normal fat
content for their age, height and weight. Cost is $45.
For more information about any of the above programs call
579-6791 or visit S.W.A.T. at www.swatfitness.com.
Photo by
Jim Davis / Staff: Personal fitness instructor Lorenzo Garza helps
Christine Howardson do pull-ups on the playground equipment at Denny
Dunn Park as Linda Breese, left, observes, and Mat Foy, right, awaits
his turn.
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