Fitness freaks are increasingly going outdoors in small groups in pursuit of “high-energy” workouts in order to seek an experience different from fitness sessions in air-conditioned gymnasiums and yoga classes.
Jatin Arora, who quit his two-decade-old job with a corporate company to pursue his interest in fitness, is running Bootcamp Yellow, an outdoor workout group, in Gurgaon.
“I quit my job to start this outdoor workout group in September 2013 with just two people. In less then two years, more than 150 people have joined the group. We do the outdoor workout at two locations in Gurgaon and have a staff of three trainers and one nutritionist. We conduct running sessions in the evenings every Tuesday and Thursday as part of the Reebok Running Squad. Its members mostly include office-goers and housewives, who cannot find time in the morning,” said Mr. Arora.
“We combine circuit training, traditional exercise and personal training to produce an intensive, addictive and fun way to exercise. We use no equipment, just the core strength of an individual, his body weight, speed and endurance. Each session is a new, hard hitting workout aimed at getting results,” said Mr. Arora, a qualified trainer with multiple courses in fitness.
The members of the group do not only get personal attention of the trainer, but also pay less. “You may need to pay Rs. 3,000-4,000 per month for a gym and cough up a few more thousands to take services of a personal trainer. Here one pays just Rs. 2,000 a month and works out under the guidance of a qualified trainer,” he said.
This trend is fast picking up and has even forced the well-established gym chains to take out their clients on outdoor workouts at least once a week.
“Now even popular gym chains take their clients out for outdoor workouts once or twice a week,” said Mr. Arora.
A private company has installed open air gym equipment in parks of Delhi, which is proving favourable among the citizens. It is now focusing in many other major cities like Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Mumbai and Chennai. These equipments are designed to be user-friendly for all age groups without supervision or guidance.
“I had to quit running because of constant backache before my wife introduced me to Bootcamp Yellow outdoor workout group. I am fully cured and have again taken up running. I find it really good and effective,” said Dinesh Madan, one of the members of the Bootcamp Yellow group.
