Move it, move it, move it," shouts trainer Jason Kouvaras, as his fitness recruits sweat it out in and around the heart of downtown Cleveland.

Equal parts drill sergeant and master motivator, Kouvaras, director of personal training at The Club at Key Center in Cleveland, leads an intense, five-day, morning boot camp that has become a club ritual with a cult-like following since the first of three marine-like workouts was launched in 2003.

Before most folks have had their first cup of coffee, more than 30 club members — many of them downtown executives — are pounding the pavement ready to face a new challenge. At any moment, "Crazy Jason, the Greek," as he is sometimes affectionately called, may order his troops to hit the ground and crawl through the damp grass.

Throughout the morning, he pushes the men and women through a maze of drills, sprints, squats, stair steps and push-ups. The boot camp appeals to all fitness levels — hard bodies and those just off the couch eager to jump-start their fitness program. The workload gets harder and more competitive each day, building endurance and muscle strength along the way.

"It’s not always fun, but it’s the best workout you’ll ever have," Kouvaras assures.

Even so, high jinks do ensue. When member Tyson Moore got beat running stairs by a "girl" during one camp, his cohorts made him wear a pink cheerleading shirt. Moore, a senior financial adviser at Merrill Lynch in Cleveland, who admittedly was handicapped by a weighted vest, was a good sport about his defeat, and the jersey ultimately was passed on to other participants throughout the week. Teamwork in the form of human wheelbarrow races and drills adds to the fun and motivation within the group. This kind of festive camaraderie makes the boot camp special, says Moore, who participated in his first boot camp just six months after he joined the club.

"This is a great way to build relationships with people and feel comfortable inside and outside of the club," Moore says.

Kouvaras uses the outdoors to his advantage and he has plenty of scenery with which to work. Boot camp training grounds take members past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, up and down the steep ramps and stairs near Cleveland Browns Stadium, and throughout downtown parks. The class has brought more members back to the gym and offers a change of pace for the club’s regular gym rats.

Mother of two Angie Novak has participated in two boot camps at the club.

"Jason is definitely like a drill sergeant — pushing you to the limit," Novak says. "Yet, everyone is in it together. Sometimes I go in there and think, ‘Why am I doing this,’ but it feels so good after I do it."

BASIC TRAINING
Want to whip yourself into better shape? Set up your own boot camp. All you need to do is get back to the basics.

• Include a warm up and cool down in your workout.
• Take advantage of your surroundings. Use stadium stairs, ramps, benches, and parks to get fit.
• Use simple exercises that have survived the test of time: push-ups, lunges, jumping rope, brisk walking, and sprints.
• Build your boot camp around drill work that boosts cardiovascular conditioning and muscle strength. For instance,
jump rope for three minutes, then alternate sets of push-ups and crunches. Vary the speed and duration of running drills.
• Challenge yourself. Change up your workout so it gets more difficult as the week progresses.
• Workout with a friend. There is nothing like sprinting to the finish line with a pal.