INUVIK - You couldn't blame Judy Symes for being out of breath, not after the workout she and about 14 others had just put themselves through on Thursday evening.

They spent 30 minutes at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School's gym sprinting, skipping rope, doing push ups, walls sits, triceps dips, and the list goes on.

Circuit training instructor Alfred Moses, front, does some challenging ab crunches with participant Leonard Debastien at last Thursday's session at the Sir Alexander Mackenzie School gym. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

It's part of a free circuit training program offered every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. that combines high-intensity aerobics with resistance training.

So far so good for Symes, who has been coming out for the last four weeks.

"I just wanted to try something different from the normal gym routine," said Symes, who's a nurse at the hospital. "It was better than what I expected. I feel great."

Alfred Moses is the ringleader. He sets up the exercise stations around the gym. He also brings along a stereo with music to keep everyone pumped up.

He doesn't stand on the sidelines. Moses is there with everyone moving from one exercise station to another while offering shouts of encouragement, direction and making sure there's no cheating.

He's good at his job, said Judy.

"He really motivates us to push harder," she said. She said without a doubt she'll be a regular for the foreseeable future.

As a co-ed workout open to all ages, it's about getting people off the couch and engaged in a diverse workout, said Moses. Now in its sixth week, more and more people are showing up.

"The amount of calories you burn, depending on your workout, is probably equal to an hour on the bike or an hour on the treadmill," said Moses.

"I like pushing myself. I like seeing people progress. You try to get everyone to push really hard from station to station. Then you notice them doing more push ups; you see more people skipping more efficiently. They get stronger, lose weight. They're healthier."

As part of his former job with Diavik Diamond Mines, he was responsible for creating programs to keep his colleagues in shape. That's where circuit training came in. He got back into it recently and when he realized he needed to use the gym to do some exercises, he thought of getting others to join him.

Scott Lundrigan, 30, spent most of his time visiting the fitness centre to get in shape, until he saw the advertisement there for circuit training. He said he has seen results almost immediately and swears by the workout.

"You get a lot out of a little bit of time. You really, really sweat," said Lundrigan. "It's better than I expected it to be. After my second week I felt better and a lot stronger. The effects come a lot quicker than the gym. It's good to have someone yelling at you and motivating you."