Basic Training Academy

I am a HUGE fan of Groupon, I came across Basic Training Academy for a STEAL of $ 35 dollars, I was sold! I am currently in my 2^nd week of boot camp and I really cannot think of anything negative to say about the activity, instructors, or the people in the class. I will say, for being in a level 1, beginners, there seems to be a lot of physically fit people in this particular group. There is a handful of us that are all on the same page-​which makes it nice to not feel like people are constantly waiting for you, or that you are holding the whole group back. Before I purchased my Groupon for BTA, I snooped on the website, and emailed Vince, who I found out was the main trainer and organizer of the entire class. He was exceptionally nice, and encouraging, especially when I mentioned to him that my physical fit level was below average. The first classed kicked me pretty hard, but the trainers reminded us to ease into everything, because if we really killed ourselves first class, we would not be back! I love how every class is filled with different activities! I never feel like I am being stared at or laughed at for looking like a fool trying to do things my body is not used to doing.
Before taking this class, i did not consider myself too out of shape, from Dec 2008-​May 2010 I lost 100lbs with Nutrisystem and Leslie Sansone «Walk at Home» DVD’s. After that i signed up for the gym, and would consider myself a regular there. But It is different to have trainers by your side, being outdoors, and around others, to really push you beyond what you can ever push yourself on a treadmil. I realized I have a lot more strength then i used on the Eliptical, Bike or any other piece of gym equipment and that i just wasnt pushing myself. Vince and the other trainers are really good at pushing you, but also knowing your limits, and not being abrasive or mean if you cannot give anymore.
I look forward to the rest of this month-​pushing myself to do more and more each class, learning new excercises that I can use when it is over.
You do have to be dedicated, because it is 3 times a week, but after those classes, I really feel good about myself for not skipping, and actually following through. The area in which we have class is awesome, there are hills, a park, a track around a cute little lake, picnic areas-«Lumberyard» where you jump on, around, and all over the wooden picnic tables-​I will never see a picnic table the same haha. The only negative would be for me, that it is a bit far from my house, but i knew that when i signed up. Plus, the Forest Preserves in my area are funky, and not nearly as much to do. I really am enjoying BTA-​and I will write another review when the class is over-​hopefully i am skinnier too! haha I have a Florida vacation and 2 weddings I am in-​Thats my other motivation-​besides wanting to feel healthier/​stronger physically and mentally!
I would DEFINATELY reccommend BTA to ANYONE who wants to take step 1 into a healthy lifestyle.

I signed up for Basic Training Academy via a Groupon. It was an awesome deal, and the owner of BTA actually extended the «deal» for the month of March. For those who could attend, that made it a SUPER-​awesome deal!
I’m writing this review, admittedly, as a recent BTA dropout due to a combination of time constraints (work + school eat up most of my time) and concerns over certain exercises/​usage of «equipment.» I also admit that I’m not a fan of filtered reviews, nor of companies fishing for positive/​5-​star reviews. So, please consider this an honest and unbiased review.
The concept is good and I’ve always gotten a good workout. I’ve been sore after every bootcamp. No two classes I attended (I attended Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings) were the same. If you do not attend all classes (in my case it was 3 classes per week), you will not be familiar with some of the exercises. I ran into this on a few occasions, since I could not attend Tuesday evening classes. I signed up for the «Basic» (lowest, least experienced, most out-​of-​shape) level, but found that most of the people in my class were much more physically fit and had much more endurance than I did. The camaraderie was one of the best parts of BTA — even though almost everyone is a complete strangers, everyone encourages each other.
Aside from my hectic schedule impeding my ability to attend classes, I did grow concerned over the usage of some of the outdoor «equipment,» mainly using the rubber-​coated metal (or wood) picnic benches for things like crunches and jumps, as well as doing exercises (push-​ups) on the pavement/​sidewalk area. I found I ended up with aches (not from actual muscle usage or fatigue, but from impact) and bruises after doing such exercises. Being inexperienced, I know my form and my muscle tone is not necessarily up to par, so both could have been contributing factors. After the first time we did crunches off of the end of picnic tables, I noticed a classmate of mine brought a towel and used it underneath her body during the next class. The last time I went to BTA, we were doing a «Superman» exercise on the wooden benches. I swear I ended up with a bruised crotch. I don’t know how people (especially men!) can even do that «exercise.» Talking to a friend who is a Physical Therapist, apparently bootcamps are ripe for injuries. (He warned me to be careful, and said that he also picks and chooses what exercises he does in his bootcamp/​boxing combination class.) The combination of these factors really had me think twice about doing exercises on such rigid «equipment.»
Overall the trainers are nice, some are clearly experienced and are in good physical shape themselves, and will correct your form if they see something noticeably awry. The concept is good, and a lot of people are successful at it. If I were to attend bootcamp in the future, I would probably pick and choose which exercises I did, or after experiencing aches, discomfort, or bruising, ask for exercises to be modified. I’d recommend bootcamp, but also recommend you be experienced in exercise and know a thing or two about form.
I WAS torn between 3 and 4 stars for this review, but felt bad giving a 3-​star only considering I attended 4 or so times.