Punk Rock Boot Camp

Growing up, tag never seemed like much of a workout. Neither did crawling or a few jumping jacks or toe-touching.

That was then, friends. We're older now.

At personal trainer Brian Adoff's "Punk Rock Boot Camp," participants don't need heavy weights or fancy equipment to get a workout. They don't need to be "punk rock" either: Adoff isn't interpreting that as piercings and mohawks and ripped clothes and tattoos - although those are welcome, and a few participants have one or more of these things.

He's seeing it as more of an organic thing - "D.I.Y." is the term he most often uses.

"You don't need to rely on a consumer culture. You don't have to spend a lot of money on fancy equipment. I teach you how to do it yourself," said Adoff, 27, of Fishtown. "The punk rock ethic to me is 'do-it-yourself.' We're the kids who made our own music and put on our own shows and our own 'zines growing up."

That said, his playlist does include Bad Brains, Cro-Mags and Refused.

(Of course, if you're really into D.I.Y., you might just get a book or figure out your own workout on the Internet. But if you want a little professional guidance, Adoff's program may be for you).

Adoff began offering the classes - at Penn's Landing Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and at Penn Treaty Park on weekends - about two months ago, charging a bargain-basement $5 for a weekend class and $30 for a package of three during the work week. One participant soon sent him an e-mail saying the program was "bringing punk community's mutual support efforts into adulthood."

Adoff said he wants to appeal to that '80s, '90s music-loving crowd, now grown up, the "guys with tattoos and babies."

To do that, he's created a serious workout environment but one with a looser feel: The waiver form Adoff asks participants to sign notes that he shouldn't be sued because "He is a well dude, and any injury incurred will most likely be from me not listening to him and doing something stupid." Adoff is considering offering T-shirts that read, "I puked at Punk Rock Boot Camp," because at least two people have done just that. (One was hung over, Adoff said, and the other was incredibly overweight.)

Rich Fravel, a real estate agent who lives in Fishtown, said that the program's title was what made him think he might enjoy it.

"It just shows there might be a bit of fun there somewhere," he said, also noting, "I'll fall for any goofy marketing gimmick."

The growing popularity of group exercise classes is no surprise to Kristie Spalding, corporate communications director for the California-based American Council on Exercise.

"We predicted over the last few years that these classes are the trend," Spalding said. "It's just fun. People like to work out with their friends. They like being in group settings, and it is cheaper to work out with a group and one trainer."

Boot camps have also been steadily popular, she said, although the organization has not tracked them. What people are looking for, more and more, is "functional fitness," movements that strengthen your core muscles, making it easier to do routine things like lift groceries or carry children. A lot of boot camps incorporate those, she said.

Adoff's certainly does.

On a recent weekend, about a dozen participants ranging in age from their early 20s to late 30s worked out at Penn Treaty Park, with the Schuylkill River in front of them and the city's Fishtown neighborhood behind them. Despite the urban setting, the park was largely empty save for a fisherman and a woman repeatedly circling a worn track.

Athletic ability and commitment among the group varied, from Michele DiPompeo, who exercises every day, to her grade school friend Monica Weymouth, who said she only takes this class - and this was her second week.

After tag and some warm-up stretching, Adoff went right to the core. He had his crew doing side planks - "I hate these friggin' things," Weymouth said later, a sentiment echoed by Fravel - and a "prone Superman" and toe touches. He pushes them to crawl, joking they could build agility attempting to avoid dog detritus and drug debris. (Neither was actually spotted.)

After strength training - push-ups, squats, and the like - the hour ended with a jog around the park. If this is a boot camp, Adoff is the drill instructor, but this is not like An Officer and a Gentleman. (Or, for those born later, Jarhead.)

"The goal is quick, efficient, effective," Adoff said to his huffing, puffing students, walking among them and making small corrections in their form.

It might not seem like much. It was.

"Last time, I was sore until Thursday. It was gross," said Weymouth, 22, of West Philadelphia.

Still, she and DiPompeo came for a second week.

"It's fun. It's playing tag like you're little. It gets you out of the sterile confines of the gym," said Weymouth, who learned about the camp via a press release sent to the local publication where she works. Another bonus - "No hot girls at the gym staring you down. I hate the hot girls."

DiPompeo, 22, who lives in the Art Museum area, said the program allows the longtime friends to spend time together in a relaxed setting.

"I like to work out. She doesn't like to, but we both like this," DiPompeo said. "You don't fear that anyone's judging you. You just do your thing."

Jon Stothfang, 31, of Fairmount, heard about the program on a local message board. He's been coming steadily since the first week.

"I have a gym membership, but this is a lot more interesting, a lot more social," he said. "But at the same time, it's not socializing. We're here to work out."

Strothfang said he's noticed a difference in his strength and abilities, although he sometimes has a day of soreness after classes. He's also noticed that although his gym attendance has slackened, when he does go, he incorporates Adoff's moves into his routine.

And maybe this is more like the Marines than previously stated. When he works out, Stothfang said, "I hear Brian's voice in my head."

Here are some of the songs that Brian Adoff uses at Punk Rock boot camp:

Iron Cross - You're a Rebel

Bad Brains - Banned in D.C.

Cro-Mags - World Peace

Ink & Dagger - Changeling

Black Flag - Rise Above

Dillinger Four - Who Didn't Kill Bambi

Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster

The Explosion - No Revolution

Refused - New Noise

7 Seconds -

Walk Together, Rock Together

The Loved Ones - Breathe In

SS Decontrol - The Kids Will Have Their Say

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