If you’ve ever entered the Grand Army Plaza
end of Prospect Park at the crack of dawn, you may have asked
yourself: Who are those 20 red-shirts shouting out reps of jumping
jacks in unison and crawling in the mud under a tarp?
The answer: Members of Boot Camp Fitness Brooklyn N.Y.C., the
brainchild of personal trainer Darren Taylor.
Spring, summer and fall, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, this
early morning, outdoor exercise program lets civilians experience
a workout regimen shaped by Taylor’s four years in the U.S. Army
while simultaneously enjoying the splendors of the sprawling
green space. Accordingly, participants do everything from cross-country
runs incorporating the steps behind the Quaker cemetery to strength-building
lunges in the rolling fields of the Long Meadow.
Throughout, Taylor stresses the three D’s of discipline, determination
and dedication.
"My drill sergeant used to plug that constantly," the
former Army private says with a laugh.
A genial motivator, Taylor doesn’t bark out commands like a crew-cut
corporal in need of anger management. To the contrary, the "Shut
Up And Run" decals on the back of each matching jersey are
tongue-in-cheek.
"We’re not big, buff guys," he says of himself and
his assistant, Jeffrey Sidnez; instead, their shared philosophy
is more can-do than must-do.
"If you can get up at 6 in the morning for this, even if
it’s raining," Taylor states, "then there’s nothing
you can’t accomplish."
In keeping with Taylor’s focus on empowerment, self-motivation
is at the heart of his cohort Sidnez’s own transformation from
homebody to health nut. A self-taught trainer accredited by both
the American Council on Exercise and the East Coast Alliance,
Sidnez understands first-hand the effort required to lose weight.
Personally, he’s dropped from 275 pounds to 190. Now, he hopes
his message of self-care and wellness "reaches at least
a million people."
With projects like last year’s Lighten Up Brooklyn, Borough President
Marty Markowitz’s weight loss drive for which Taylor was the
official personal trainer, the two may be on their way.
Taylor quips of his program, "It’s like the ’get yourself
up’ of coffee through exercise," with adrenaline replacing
the caffeine.
Leaving the dumbbells, treadmills and pulley machines behind
at the gym, Taylor and Sanchez put intensity in their workouts
with quirkily named routines like "Chase the rabbit"
and "Front, back and roll." The former involves getting
down on all fours and then running in place with your hands on
the ground; the latter consists of dropping to the ground for
a push-up, flipping onto your back for a sit-up, then high stepping
in place.
Boot Camp’s equipment-free techniques have amassed their share
of successful weight reduction testimonials – Cassandra Metz
of Prospect Heights was able to shed 12 pounds postpartum – but
most current boot campers extol benefits that extend beyond the
T-shirt and knapsack you get in the beginning, the fat burned
and the muscles built during six weeks, and the dog-tag and certificate
awarded at the end.
Banking on its ability to attract repeat customers (which consistently
total 50 percent during any given session), the three-year-old
program will add a second location come August in Fort Greene
Park. That location, with its "Rocky"-like three-tiered
staircases near the Prison Ship Martyr’s Monument, promises its
own unique set of physical challenges.
Park Slope resident Tom Buffolano has been with the program from
the start. On staff with the newly opened Track & Field Hall
of Fame in upper Manhattan, Buffolano is, naturally enough, a
runner. But he was attracted to Taylor’s Boot Camp because he
recognized that as you grow older "your body isn’t as able
to absorb the shock and the pounding" that comes with hitting
the pavement. Taking a holistic approach, he sought to "increase
core strength" as a way to prolong his running career. And
while nowadays the "challenge first and foremost is to keep
with the schedule," he has found a training partner in his
wife, Patti, who’s been with the program almost as long. ("She’s
become a workout fiend," he says.)
Similarly, Dr. Tanya Jones, an administrator at Medgar Evers
College, professes that Boot Camp has had a direct influence
on improving her endurance and increasing her upper body strength.
"Definitely, I can run faster and I can run up hills better,"
she said. "I’m also less likely to avoid some of the incline
stuff I would have stayed away from in the past." But she
seems equally enthused about the ancillary perks like how the
drilled routines have introduced her to "places in the park
that I never knew existed," including Prospect Park’s waterfall.
Part tour guide, part trainer, Taylor counts community builder
among his duties as well. Drawing again on his time as a truck-driving
soldier in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Taylor aims to foster a team
spirit for group exercise that’s patterned on the camaraderie
formed by a cohesive military platoon.
"You have a battle buddy. You learn to look out for the
person next to you."
Buffolano echoes the sentiment more simply.
"You really bond with people who you’re with three times
a week, and you know are serious about their health."
Boot Camp Fitness Brooklyn N.Y.C. meets
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 6 am to 7 am, in Prospect
Park. The class fee is $325 for six weeks. Beginning Aug. 2,
Boot Camp expands to Fort Greene Park. The introductory price
is $150 for six weeks of classes which meet Tuesdays and Thursdays,
from 6 am to 7 am, and Saturdays, from 9 am to 10 am. To register,
call (718) 495-8249. For more information, the Web site www.bootcampfitnessbk.com
will be launched later in July.
