Bonnie Reding

It doesn't take a corps of buglers playing "Reveille" to shake these local women out of bed. They don't want to miss their morning workout. At the Belleville Family Sportsplex, Bangin' Body Bootcamp is providing members a challenging workout that is tailored to all fitness levels.

This isn't your grandma's jazzercise class, although there are plenty of grandmas in the crowd. Bootcamp is a combination of strength training and cardiovascular training designed to push your body to places you didn't know it could go.

"I see this look of surprise on women's faces, especially when I am pushing them, of 'I cannot believe I am doing this!'" said Shawnta Kinmon, bootcamp's lead trainer. "They are so proud of themselves. They will try things because the person next to them is doing it and they are surprised at what they can do."

There are over 50 members signed up for bootcamp. These women (and a few men too) come from all over the Metro East, are young and old, marathon runners and fitness novices. No two are alike, yet everyone seems to have the same goals.

"They are trying to be better," Kinmon said. "It isn't always about losing weight. They want to have more energy so they can be better in other aspects of their life, taking care of their families, playing with their kids, going to school, being consistent at something. Bootcamp helps with that."

A few weeks into the session, the results are clear. There wasn't much talk about the often maligned scale, instead there were other triumphs: fitting into pre-pregnancy pants, being able to do "real" pushups, wearing a two-piece bathing suit on vacation, finishing a 5k race. The encouragement and camaraderie within this group was overwhelming. Newcomers are welcomed in this family-like atmosphere.

"It's hard for people to understand the draw," said Barbie Reif. "It's like Notre Dame, it's not just the school but the spirit around the school. It's not just a workout, it's the camaraderie, and it's the common bond. We all have sweat dripping off of us and everyone is encouraging you and pushing you...it's a family."

This atmosphere makes all of the members accountable to each other and not just to the trainer, Kinmon said. It is harder to fall off of the wagon and skip your workouts if you know there are people who expect you to show up. Members frequently use facebook and text messages to offer each other encouragement and support.

This same camaraderie allows the members to challenge one another to push themselves farther. Even during routine drills, you see women racing each other or daring one another to squat lower, jump higher or hold a yoga pose longer.

Experts and novices alike will get a good workout. Each exercise is broken down by the trainer into levels. Level one for beginners up to level five to challenge the experts.

"I will meet you where you are and get you to where you want to be. I am a teacher first," Kinmon said. "I wouldn't ask someone to read a 10th grade book if they were reading at a third grade level. I can't ask you to do 100 pushups if you can only do five, but I can ask you to do those five plus one and then we'll build on that.

The Bangin' Body Bootcamp motto is "Be the best me I can be" and Kinmon said this slogan helps women to keep their body goals in perspective. Women put too much pressure on themselves to look a certain way, and because of genetics those goals aren't always attainable.

"People might say, 'oh I want her legs!' You aren't going to have her legs but you can have the best legs we can get for you," Kinmon said. "We need to do the best we can do, and that's all we can do. But if you're not giving your best...that's different."

Dawn Woodall of Waterloo has definitely been giving her best at bootcamp. During her first eight week session of bootcamp, in late 2009, she lost ten percent of her body weight. This accomplishment made her the "biggest loser" in bootcamp which earned her a free spot in the winter 2010 session. Woodall said bootcamp has been a wonderful stress reliever and confidence builder.

"I love our boot camp. The people are absolutely amazing," Woodall said. "The minute you walk through the door, you feel welcomed. Everyone is so supportive. When I am giving it my all and don't think I can go any further someone will yell 'you can do it Dawn!' and those words of encouragement push me even harder. It's a great group of people and our trainers are the best! I live in Waterloo and get up at 4:20 a.m. to get to boot camp by 5:15 and I am not a morning person, but I have made this my lifestyle and I am really enjoying it."

The next eight week session starts on April 6th and costs $180. Bangin' Body Bootcamp meets at the Family Sportsplex in Belleville Monday through Friday 5:15 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. and Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Members may choose to attend as many classes as they like. For more information about registration, contact Shawnta Kinmon at 618.520.6679 or shawnta2bfit@aol.com.