Inside a church gym on a recent Friday morning, 15 people grunted and sweated as instructor Randy Brown pushed them through the last class of their first week of fitness boot camp.
The session began at 5:30 a.m. and a half-hour into it, the students were struggling to perform pushups, leg lifts and squats.
Brown launched Mindful Fitness with friend Tammie Dunn last spring. Their goal is to help others get their "power back" through a mind, body and spirit approach that incorporates optimum fitness and nutritional guidance, Brown said.
Brown's Boot Camp, the company's initial program, was first held on the basketball courts at Cross Middle School, 1000 W. Chapala Drive.
Almost a year later, the four-week sessions are held at five northwest-side locations: Resurrection Lutheran Church, 1175 N. First Ave.; Wildlife Ridge Park, 12250 N. Woodburne Ave.; Ironwood Ridge High School, 2475 W. Naranja Drive; Cañada del Oro Riverfront Park, 551 W. Lambert Lane; and Mountain View High School, 6901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
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"Four years ago, a friend of mine talked me into going to a boot camp," said Brown, 38. "It helped me believe in myself again by building my confidence and boosting my self-esteem."
His fitness expertise ranges from certified professional trainer to power yoga instructor. For several years he conducted private boot camps and worked as a personal trainer. About a year ago, Brown's mother encouraged him to start his own business and provided financial support.
Armed with fliers and business cards, Brown hit the streets on his mountain bike to find students for his boot camp. He talked to hikers, walkers, police officers and firefighters. He engaged people in stores, restaurants and hair salons. After about a month, he had more than 25 people signed up.
Co-owner Tammie Dunn, 42, is a certified personal trainer and a self-employed medical transcriptionist. She signed up for one of Brown's Boot Camps and said the regime stepped up her fitness level.
"I've been exercising for so many years," she said. "I'm in better shape than I've ever been."
Dunn takes care of the office work and Web site and runs a boot camp at Catalina Foothills High School, 4300 E Sunrise Drive.
"It's not about the money with us. Our clients and their fitness is our top priority," Dunn said.
Back at the gym, participants' muscles strained to keep up with the workout as exhaustion set in at about 6:15 a.m. Brown used military cadences, encouragement and water breaks to keep people motivated. He challenged one person to work harder and checked on a second person to see if she was doing OK. Students shouted out encouragements to each other.
Mindy Garretson, 40, signed up for her first boot camp last June and became an instructor for Brown this month.
"I was extremely out of shape and overweight. I tried to quit after the first week," Garretson said. "He (Brown) convinced me not to give up on myself."
Six months and several boot camps later, Christopher Valles has lost 50 pounds and found a job.
"I lost my job at the beginning of summer," said Valles, 35. "I gained a lot of confidence. I had three job offers."
Heather Shallenberger, 34, chose the boot-camp program to get back into shape and said Brown actually cares about his students.
"It's probably one of the harder workouts, but it's one of the best," Shallenberger said. "He's relentless. He doesn't let you slide."
After bear crawls, crab walks and sprints across the gym, the group cooled down. At 6:45 a.m. the session ended when Brown pulled his students into a circle. He offered words of encouragement and the group split up after a round of applause.
Mindful Fitness also conducts a Brown's Boot Camp in Sahuarita at North Santa Cruz Park, 14455 S. Rancho Sahuarita Blvd.
Reboot your fitness
What: Mindful Fitness LLC.
More info online: http://brownsbootcamp.com/ locations.html
Next boot camp: Sunday; orientation is Saturday.
Phone: 339-8878.
Cost: $12.45 an hour.
Contact news assistant Joyce Bertschy at bertschy@azstarnet.com or 573-4332.
