Exercising in Houston – Boot Camp

After about six months of working out at Houston Adventure Boot Camp and being fairly satisfied with the results, I thought the boot camp concept deserved a mention at neoHOUSTON. Not to be confused with Apple’s dual boot operating system software, which actually steals the first couple of results on google, boot camp basically refers to a group of people working out together on a regular schedule. I like to describe it as P.E. for adults, except that you typically have to pay about $200 a month for it.

Over the last 5-10 years, boot camps have popped up in cities all over the world and created some kind of website to promote their programs (I’m sure people have been doing this for hundreds of years but had no way to promote them other than word of mouth). Houston certainly has its fair share of boot camp classes, and a simple google search will turn up quite a few results all over the city. I have been attending one called Houston Adventure Boot Camp in Hermann Park off and on for the last 8 months or so, and I’ve been really happy with the results. Just to give an idea of what a typical morning at boot camp is like, here is an example schedule:

• 5:00am – wake up, hit snooze on the alarm
• 5:10am – wake up again, get dressed, put shoes on and head out the door
• 5:20am – drive down Montrose blvd. to Hermann Park and get stuck at every red light along the way (They really need to work on the timing of those lights that early in the morning, it’s a nightmare)
• 5:30am – Warm-up jog around the jogging path at Hermann Park
• 5:36am – Stretching routine (toe touches, jumping jacks, hip twists, more toe touches)
• 5:40am – Lunges, high kicks, side lunges
• 5:45am – Short sprints with 5-10 lb. weights in hand, random sit-up and arm exercises in between
• 5:55am – Sit-ups, crunches, leg lifts, push-ups, military presses, etc…
• 6:15am – Jump rope or elastic bands, more lunges
• 6:25am – Cool-down lap around the Hermann Park reflecting pond
• 6:29am – Leg stretches

Here is a quick Google Maps sketch to see where it all takes place:

The only equipment you need is an exercise mat, small dumbbell weights, water, and maybe a jump rope or some elastic bands. I understand it costs a lot of money, but it’s a great way to be deliberate about a regular exercise routine and to have 20 other people holding you accountable for showing up to every class. Here are some boot camps that come up on a google search for “boot camp houston” that happen every day all over the city:

• Houston Adventure Boot Camp – Hermann Park, Cypress, Spotts Park, Westchase, Midtown, etc… – $200/mo. for 12 sessions, $300/mo. for 20
• Texas Boot Camp LLC – Cy Fair, Copperfield Church ~$200 for the first month, and ~$100 for repeat customers
• The Train Station  Personal Training for Women – Poe Elementary – Women only, $210/mo. for 12 sessions, $275/mo. for 16
• Seal Physical Training Course – Memorial Park – $300 for two weeks, 10 sessions
• Josh One Fit Camp -Memorial Park and Downtown – ~$200/mo. for 20 sessions (discounts for repeat customers)
• Rummel Creek Fitness Boot Camp -Westchase – Women only, $90 for 3 months, 1 hour per day
• Core Houston – Not sure where this one is located because their website is awful.
• UPDATE: Weekley Family YMCA [pdf] – Stella Link – $140 for 8 weeks (this one is a great deal)
• More results on google

A lot of these camps could really benefit from a nicer website and clearer details on pricing in my opinion, and I think they could get a lot more repeat customers by offering discounts over time. I suppose there isn’t much in the way of intellectual property protection in this business though, so there’s really nothing stopping you from starting your own boot camp in your community or neighborhood. It could be even be a great side business for a stay at home mom or any exercise enthusiast. If you taught 2 classes per month that met 3 times a week (a time commitment of 24-30 hours per month) and had 20 people in each class, you could pull in $8,000 a month in revenue with almost no operating cost.

One last thought around the idea of running a business like this in a public space like Hermann Park, Memorial Park, or Spotts Park, should you have to pay some kind of licensing or permit fee? If so, how should the fee be structured, as a percentage of your revenue or a flat fee per student? I would say that if I’m making over $250 per hour doing something like this on public property, then I should be paying at least something to the city. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.