University Recreation is getting students into shape this semester with a series of intense exercises and drills.Two boot camps are being offered by University Recreation this semester — Back to Basics Bootcamp and Xtreme Bootcamp.Bryn Duplechain, biological sciences sophomore, teaches one of the boot camps and said she draws from her experience of teaching daily Group X classes.”I am really excited to see all the different people that wanted to sign up for it,” Duplechain said. “I hope I can teach them traditional as well as nontraditional exercises now and show them how to continue on their own without me by being creative and safe.”Cameron Sharpe, chemical engineering freshman, said the classes are fun and informative. “It’s definitely not what I expected,” Sharpe said. “I was thinking that it would be like the ROTC physical training class, with military instructors.”Patrick Carrier, biological sciences senior, also said the boot camp wasn’t what he expected and he stands out in a class of mostly women. Carrier said the instructor assessed their physical fitness level during the first day of class with push ups, sit-ups, a mile-long run and intense field drills.”It all helps build resistance,” Carrier said. “I would encourage anyone to do the boot camp because these exercises are good for anybody to try out.”Duplechain said she doesn’t have a specific outline for the classes, but the boot camps consist mostly of outdoor and group activities versus normal gym routines. A day could consist of drills similar to an actual boot camp’s crawling on the fields and an Indian run around the lake with intervals of resistance.To make class fun, Duplechain said she incorporates “fun days” centered on stability, such as dodgeball and wheelbarrow races. Every class focuses on interval training that combines cardiovascular and muscular endurance workouts and has a warm up and cool down period.  Amy Kokemor, University Recreation coordinator of healthy lifestyles, said the classes are a good way for students to alleviate boredom, create confidence and offer a chance to have a support group and meet new people. Duplechain said her biggest hope as an instructor is for everyone to feel better about themselves and realize the real reason for exercise, even if they don’t drop one pound.  Kokemor said the Back to Basics Bootcamp is adequate for any fitness level, whereas the Xtreme Bootcamp offers more of a challenge for participants who have an advanced physical activity level.   Both boot camps improve muscular strength, cardiovascular fitness and strengthen form and technique for major and minor muscle groups, Kokemor said. The instructors are either personal trainers or students getting their personal trainer certification.  “The boot camps are over three years old,” said Kokemor. “It has always been a popular trend with great demand.”Kokemor said the Back to Basics Bootcamp is divided into four sessions — two for the first half of the semester and two for the second half. The Xtreme Bootcamp has only two sessions, one for February through March and one for March through April. Each morning and afternoon class is an hour long and is held outdoors if the weather permits. All students, UREC members and non-UREC members can register for boot camps, Kokemor said. “It’s cheaper here to take the boot camp, rather than people going elsewhere,” Kokemor said.  Each class has a maximum of 30 students. Classes began last week with good student turnout, Kokemor said.—-Contact Ashton Martin at [email protected]