SOUTH MIAMI BOOTCAMP | ***1/2
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTYClasses can be indoors or outdoors or both. On this day, we did plenty of field work -- running around the parking lot, over hurdles and hopping through rope ladders placed on the ground, upper-body work with a weighted bar, windmills, squats, lunges.After, we went into the community center's gym for abdominals. I was a bit surprised to see the return of old-fashioned sit-ups, which were proven to be less than effective. They also carry greater risk of injury to the neck and back. But more suitable crunches followed. There were even some yoga postures like downward dog.South Miami Bootcamp's turbo pace and constantly changing activities will have you sweating but trainer Ed Delatorre and his coaching staff don't treat this like the military. They -- and fellow classmates -- offer encouragement. Students said they all saw results and that they look forward to attending -- even at 7 a.m. Saturdays, Adam Lamnin said. ``You feel better about yourself.''FUN FACTORI wasn't 100 percent this particular morning, but when I am I'd love this class. You target various muscle groups and take advantage of the outdoors. There's a nostalgic kick to being on a open field -- like you're a kid again in P.E. class.TO DO ITSouth Miami Community Center, 5800 SW 66th St., South Miami; 305-613-9920; www.southmiamibootcamp.com (for other locations).When: on the hour, 60-minute sessions, 5 a.m.-9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. Saturday.Cost: $15 per class; $99 per month for unlimited classes.RATING SCALE: Zero (Worthless) to Four Stars (Outstanding)David Pearson, 75, likens Ed Delatorre's South Miami Bootcamp class to a little United Nations. ``It is by far the most integrated -- physically, socially, intellectually -- place of its type in Florida. The workout is terrific but it's almost like a spiritual lift when I leave here.''
Adam Lamnin, 44, once a Class of '82 Christopher Columbus High School jock, later a corporate executive with the body to prove it, says Bootcamp ''changed my life.'' When he started attending six months ago, he was 250 pounds and could not complete one lap around the field. ''It was brutal.'' Now, at 208, he (seemingly) effortlessly navigates through Delatorre and staff's myriad exercises, which can include running laps, squats with a weighted bar, calisthenics, sprints, crunches and an obstacle course.
For Tim Birrittella, 37, a well-placed flier did the trick. ''I couldn't find size 40 pants and there was a flier on my car [advertising South Miami Bootcamp.]'' The combination -- plus elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. -- convinced him to make Bootcamp his New Year's resolution. He goes three times a week, he's 42 pounds lighter and his other health stats have improved.
Finally, Delatorre, when asked to describe his class, said, ''It's like adult phys-ed -- but turbo speed.'' That worked for me. P.E. was a breeze. Of course, the last time I was in a physical education class I was 14 -- 30 years ago. Everything's easier at 14. Little did I know, battling a bit of a cold and staying up too late the night before, how difficult ''adult P.E.'' could be.
