Fitness classes are now taking place in Irish parks where people enjoy working out with others in the fresh air, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON.
GO INTO any park across Dublin city and county most weekday evenings and you’ll see groups of adults working out. It’s an amazing spectacle – men and women of various ages and sizes skipping on the spot, doing press-ups, sit-ups or sprinting across the open green space.
Look closer and you’ll see that there two main types of these outdoor fitness clubs. Some are signed up to Bootcamp, an outdoor training club which has been on the go for over five years now.
This is the most talked about outdoor training regime, partly due to the military-style coaching. Often you’ll hear the coach before you see him and you’ll stand in awe at the drills the bootcampers are being put through.
But, in the past two years, a slightly gentler outdoor training club has set up in many of the same parks. Called Fitsquad, this was set up by Denis McCaul and Kate Ryan using much of the same philosophy as Bootcamp but with less emphasis on extreme measures.
“We use ex-army physical education instructors, just like Bootcamp, but we don’t allow them to train people in an army manner. We encourage a friendlier motivational style. I’d say our approach is more accessible to people of all fitness levels,” explains McCaul.
Lorraine Ho is the founder of Bootcamp Ireland. “I’d say it’s as tough as you want it to be. We have different fitness levels – advanced, intermediate and beginners – and the instructors are very good at spotting people who really want to be pushed really hard.” She says that weekend trips away, nutritional information and free physiotherapy clinics are newer additions that members enjoy.
Both clubs are popular and, as we do seem to be getting a good summer this year, you can expect to see even more people training in the parks on warm summer evenings. Fitsquad is still Dublin based while Bootcamp Ireland runs outdoor training in Dublin and Limerick. “The whole concept of outdoor training started in Australia and it’s really taking off here now,” says McCaul.
What many people who come to these outdoor training sessions have in common is a lapsed gym membership. Many more admit to the struggle to keep themselves motivated on a personal fitness programme.
“I was training in the gym on my own and once I got used to the programme, I found there was no incentive to improve,” says Gary Coglan who has been attending Fitsquad training sessions for 18 months now.
“I work in an office and, after training, I get a good night’s sleep and I’m much fresher the next day,” he adds. “I’ve also started doing runs. I’ll do a five- mile this month and am building up to the half marathon.”
Niall Forde says training with a group has been a key factor for him.
“I used to play team sports and recently I was running on my own. But I found I wouldn’t push myself to do more than half an hour on my own whereas here, I’ll do the hour with the group.
“The hardest thing is the effort to come here after work but once I’m here, I feel great for the evening.”
Marjorie Connolly is a new recruit to outdoor fitness training. “I saw a notice about it in The Irish Times and decided to give it a go,” she says. “I had been doing indoor circuits in a tennis club but I wanted to be outdoors in the fresh air. It’s great fun and I love the way the coaches encourage you.”
Alexis Mitchel decided when she turned 50 that it was time to get fit again. “I wanted to give up smoking too,” she says.
“I try to come three times a week and in the five months that I’ve been coming, I’ve lost half a stone without dieting. Also, it’s sociable and you can go at your own pace. I was useless when I started.”
Denis McCaul is keen to stress the holistic nature of fitness training. “We are building lean muscle. People come because they want to look fitter, tone up and lose weight. You feel alive again once you get fit and there’s less need to go to the pub,” he says.
The focus on the circuit training is purposeful, according to McCaul. “If you’re just running, you’re only building up aerobic fitness but if you’re doing circuit training, you are constantly changing the exercise so the body has to adapt. This helps the body deal better with food and burn off calories more efficiently,” he says.
“Also, people are unlikely to come back again and again if we just do running. The training is designed to entertain people as well as keep them fit. It’s like a school sports day for adults,” he adds.
“Overall, what’s happening is that people’s mindsets are changing. It used to be that people played team sports. Then the whole gym membership thing caught on.
“Now, people are becoming more open-minded about and looking at different ways of keeping fit,” says Lorraine Ho.
What price?
As the recession bites, many people are looking for new ways to keep fit without spending a fortune on annual gym membership. The organisers of outdoor training sessions in Dublin parks offer many different packages which work out at just over €5 per class.
Circuit training in groups will improve your fitness levels, increase your stamina, help you lose weight, reduce stress and improve your confidence and concentration. So, why aren’t we all at it?
Useful website addresses are: www.fitsquad.ie and www.bootcampireland.com
