INUVIK
A twice-weekly bootcamp class is pushing participants to keep in shape in a comfortable environment.

Kylie English, closest to the front, holds a plank as Century Machinine looks up next to her, with the rest of the bootcampers doing different activities in the background. The twice-weekly bootcamp class puts participants through a circuit of stations exercising different parts of the body. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"I'm glad it's free," said Corrine Bullock before the start of a Thursday night class. "It takes away some of the excuse [to not exercise]," she laughed.

The classes use a circuit-training style of exercise, in which participants rotate through several different exercises for short, one-minute bursts at each exercise station. After each rotation is a brief walking break, and then it's back to the workout for another circuit.

Gail Raddi said she was enjoying it, too.

"When I joined they said you work at your own pace, but I was working with the instructor, so I found it intense because we had to keep up to her," she said. "It was good though. I really liked it."

Raddi has been recommending it to her friends.

"You find out you have muscles where you never knew you had muscles before," she laughed.

Natasha Kulikowski runs the class, which was started by MLA Alfred Moses.

Each exercise is quite basic, either planks, lunges, squats, jumping rope, running, weight work or otherwise.

"Anyone can do it, from a beginner to a very experienced fit person, because it's all [about] how hard you want to push," said Kulikowski. "There's no real pressure on you."

She calls out times to switch stations, but she doesn't yell at people like a military-style bootcamp.

"It's not my personality to be mean to people, but I can yell encouragingly," she said.

She helps by giving cues for breathing, making sure people are using proper form and reminding them what they put in is what they get out.

"Even if they don't work that hard, I'm just happy they're here and not on the couch," she said.

It's still early in the year, but Kulikowski has been seeing double-digit attendance and lots of beginners trying the class.

"It's really fun for them because they get to see themselves grow, and it's very motivating for me to watch other people make their gains and successes and the small things," she said.

"And then the big things, too, when they find out they lost 30 pounds because they started working out [and] watching what they're eating. All of a sudden they're having a physical change but it's giving them a mental change and a mental happiness, which is awesome."

For those shy about working out in front of others, Kulikowski emphasizes it is a judgement-free zone.

"If you are putting in the effort you feel you need to get a good workout, you don't have time to look at anybody else working out, and if you do look up, nobody else is looking at you because they're all concentrating on their workout, which is really nice," she said. "There's no judgement in our class, no feeling of, 'What if I do it wrong?'"

Kulikowski is a certified, accredited fitness leader, with liability insurance, so if anything were to happen, she knows how to deal with it.

People of all skill levels are welcome. All that is needed are a pair of shoes, comfortable clothes and a bottle of water.

The class runs Tuesday and Thursday nights at East Three School at 7 p.m.

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