April 2016 and my first ever JW Bootcamp, as I filled out the starter form the first thing Jake wanted to know was what was I looking to achieve through training at Bootcamp? At the time I couldn’t really think of anything specific; in my head I was an ageing ex-rugby player just looking to get fit, which I then found out wasn’t really good enough for Jake, I had to have goals. So I started to think of some sensible targets only for Jake to add “don’t forget a goal without a plan is only a wish”.
Having set out what I felt was some reasonably ambitious targets for the rest of the year and an outline of how to do it, I ran them past Jake to get his input on training plans, diet etc. Goals that started out as simply running 10k and getting a better time around Jakes bespoke hill fit test run, have now been pushed to, aiming for a new Marathon PB, bettering my deadlift max and completing the Ride Britain Land’s End to John O’Groats race.
I’ve now known Jake almost 4 years and seen him develop a part-time outdoor Bootcamp into a fully-fledged Personal Training Business combining a mix of outdoor circuit/running Bootcamp’s, indoor strength orientated “Cave Bootcamp’s” and one to one PT Sessions.
Now I’ve reached a landmark 500 JWPT Sessions what is it that makes me and many others want to set and plan new targets every year and to not only train regularly with Jake but to carry on training beyond that and to do it indoors and outdoors all year round in any weather?
The answer; it is a combination of the magical ability Jake has to motivate people of all abilities and ages to want to better themselves and then to keep on improving, linked to the real togetherness he creates within Bootcamp’s and Cave’s that is way beyond any normal gym environment. The genuine team atmosphere is exemplified by the number of “Bootcamper’s” that go to Jake planned events such as Tough Mudder and Survival of the Fittest but also that get together to organiseteams to go to other events ranging from local park runs through Half and Full Marathons to full weekends away at Rat Race Coast to Coast and Man V Series; all with the added value of a good night out afterwards to celebrate.
And at the end of every year the question returns “what are the new goals for next year and what’s the plan to achieve them?”
There is a famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson “Life is a Journey not a Destination” that is often amended in running quotes to “a Marathon is a Journey not a Destination”. When I signed up to my first Marathon I distinctly saw it is a destination, PT training with Jake totally changed that perception to where I saw it as just one stop on a continuing training journey.
So for anyone that wants to embark on a Training Journey in a great atmosphere, I can’t recommend JWPT highly enough. Just make sure you have that goal and an outline plan ready for day 1!
