Bootcamp
Twelve on the grass, three levels.
Every session is forty-five minutes on the lawns by the lake (or under the trees), twelve people at most, a circuit where each station has an easier and a harder version, and a trainer walking it. The month's programme is published on the first. Book by 9pm the night before so we can cap it; cancel by 9pm and it is credited. The first one is free.
This week
The timetable, and the spaces.
Updated every evening at nine when the bookings close. "The big one" on Saturday is an hour; the running group is on this page because half of it also comes to bootcamp.
| Day | Time | Session | Level | Trainer | Spaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 6:30am | Strength and conditioning | All levels | Gethin | 3 spaces |
| Monday | 7:30am | Strength and conditioning | All levels | Hanna | 5 spaces |
| Tuesday | 6:30am | Kettlebells and the hill | All levels | Gethin | 2 spaces |
| Tuesday | 7:30am | Kettlebells and the hill | All levels | Hanna | 4 spaces |
| Tuesday | 6:00pm | Strength and conditioning | All levels | Gethin | 6 spaces |
| Wednesday | 6:30am | Circuits by the lake | All levels | Hanna | 1 space |
| Wednesday | 7:30am | Circuits by the lake | Beginners welcome | Gethin | 7 spaces |
| Wednesday | 6:30pm | The running group | Walk-run to 10k | Both | 4 spaces |
| Thursday | 6:30am | Strength and conditioning | All levels | Gethin | Full, waiting list |
| Thursday | 7:30am | Strength and conditioning | All levels | Hanna | 3 spaces |
| Thursday | 6:00pm | Ropes, sleds and shuttles | All levels | Hanna | 5 spaces |
| Friday | 6:30am | Kettlebells and the hill | All levels | Gethin | 2 spaces |
| Friday | 7:30am | Mobility and strength | Beginners welcome | Hanna | 8 spaces |
| Saturday | 7:30am | The big one | All levels | Both | Full, waiting list |
| Saturday | 9:00am | Parkrun support | The running group | Hanna | 9 spaces |
| Sunday | 9:00am | The running group, long run | Walk-run to 10k | Both | 6 spaces |
Meet at the boathouse bench on the promenade; the running group at the lighthouse. In rain, under the big trees by the conservatory. Bank holidays run as Saturdays.
Every session
The shape of forty-five minutes.
Warm up along the water
Five minutes of walking or jogging the promenade and some mobility on the grass. Late? Join at the first station; nobody minds.
Strength
Kettlebell squats and swings, press-ups to a bench or the floor, rows on the bands, carries. Three versions of each; you pick, the trainer nudges.
Conditioning
The ropes, the sled on the grass, shuttles, the lighthouse steps. Timed on effort, not against each other. The bit people dread and then like.
Stretch by the lake
Five minutes on the mats looking at the water, the plan for the rest of the day, and the kiosk if it is open. Then work.
Paying
Three ways, no contract.
Drop in
A session£12
Pay as you come. Your first one is free, and we mean the first one, not a trial week with a card on file.
Ten sessions
Any time in three months£90 (£9 each)
For two-a-weekers and shift workers. Shareable with a partner.
Unlimited
A month, rolling£59 a month
As many as you like, including the running group. Pays for itself at five. Stops with a text.
Bootcamp questions
What do I wear?
Trainers you do not mind getting wet, layers you can take off, and a jacket in winter. Gloves from November; the kettlebells are cold.
Can I come with a friend who is much fitter than me?
Yes, and that is most pairs who come. Every station has three levels and you each pick your own. You will warm up and stretch together and do different things in the middle.
What about the dark?
The promenade is lit and we train on the lawn beside it from October to March with head torches for the stations. It is one of the nicest things about winter here.
Is there a toilet?
By the conservatory, open from 7am; the 6:30 crowd use the ones at the kiosk, which the owner unlocks for us. We would not run a 6:30 otherwise.
The first session is free. Come and stand by the lake.
Tell us what you are after and roughly when you can train, and we reply within the hour between sessions with a time for a free first session: a walk round the lake, a look at how you move, and an honest answer about what it will take. Or just turn up to a bootcamp, the first one is free too.