Boot Camp with Jen

It’s my 3^rd year doing boot camp with Jen and I’m sore… but in a really good way. Jen makes every class different and fun so you actually look forward to working out. Usually bootcamp is at North Avenue Beach all Summer so you really couldn’t ask for a better location to work off a day sitting behind a desk. That said, Jen is also willing to come to you to help get you fit. My wife still raves about her personal training with Jen when she was working to get in pristine shape for our wedding 2 years ago. Jen uses hundreds of different exercises so that you are effectively working multiple muscle groups in one session. Class is never easy, but I guarantee you that you will feel GREAT when you head home. And if you’re the type of person who is better motivated by working out in a group setting this class is just what the doctor ordered.
I think the best part about class is Jen. She is energetic, enthusiastic, motivating and jacked. Seriously, she is cut up and could kick your ass if she wanted to. I am a member at a gym that has out of shape trainers? It’s like going to a dentist with yellow teeth. How can someone be motivated to work out by an individual who isn’t even in shape themselves? Jen was even in shape when she was PREGNANT. I thought she’d take it easy on us as a class that summer, but her passion for exercise and more importantly her desire to get her clients in shape made me realize that I was being presumptuous. You will not find a better workout anywhere in Chicago that takes only an hour. It’s like seeing a personal trainer but at a fraction of the cost. You should absolutely give Boot Camp with Jen a shot. You have nothing to lose other than inches off your waist line.

Well, its started again. Boot Camp with Jen. She always finds new ways to make the workouts challenging, unique and you will be tired and sore regardless of how often you do other workouts. What I love about Jen’s class is her enthusiasm for getting people moving and how she always tells us we shouldn’t cheat ourselves! I’ve been taking her class for more than 10 years and it keeps me coming back for more. At the end of another summer I will say, NO MORE STAIRS but you know what, by the end of winter I am waiting for those stairs to get me in shape! Come check out bootcamp by Jen! It will get you in the best shape!

I started taking this class in 2004. I weighed 270 pounds, and I wanted to lose some weight, but had no idea where to start. Gyms frightened me then, and the thought of a one-​on-​one personal trainer made me want to crawl into a ball and hide. So, a group class sounded like the perfect solution. And boy, was it ever. At first I thought the instructor would be like a drill sergeant, – throwing out orders and yelling at me because I wasn’t keeping up. But that was not the case. Don’t get me wrong, Jen does give orders and yells, but it’s never in a mean or irrational way. When she says do something, it’s because that’ the exercise we’re on, and if she yells, it’s more than likely because you are talking to the person next to you, not because you aren’t as fast as the person in front.
And for a very long time there was always someone in front of me. In fact, I was always the last one in. But, that didn’t matter because as Jen as said many, many times, «Do what you can.» With very thin, well-​muscled men and women passing me by time and time again, I held on to that statement. I did what I could. And eventually, I became stronger, faster and dropped over 100 pounds.
Jen is fabulous. No ifs, ands or buts about it. She knows how to fit in an awesome, total body workout in a single hour (okay, maybe an hour and 5 minutes some days). The class is a mixture of cardio (hills, stairs, laps), strength training (push-​ups, squats, lunges) and weights (hitting all the major muscles groups). And, it’s a great environment. Jen takes part in class, so she’s huffing and puffing along side us, all while correcting form and coming up with the next bit of torture (I mean exercise) we’ll do next.
As someone who started this class at a very low point, I can honestly say this class is for everyone. I’ve been in the back, middle and front of the pack, and at every turn it’s been fantastic. The hardest part is making it there. After that, you’re surrounded by a group of people who all have the same goal as you.
Classes are located in Lincoln Park by the statue of Grant on his horse (towards the south side of the LP Zoo parking lot). There is a set of stairs and a small hill (yes, Chicago does have a hill!) where we meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings plus Saturday mornings.
You can contact Jen at
or call her at 312.636.7068

Bootcamp with Jen is by far my favorite workout! My husband and I make special arrangements so we can make it as often as possible (up to 3x/​week!) because we both love it so much. It’s the best way to spend an hour working out. You get a full body workout using weights with tons of cardio while enjoying the Chicago summer weather. It’s a fun group of people who enjoy suffering… I mean, pushing through the workout together. The class is definitely tough, but that’s why it’s so great! We always meet back at the same spot so no one is ever left behind. I’m all about getting the most out of my time spent working out so this class is perfect!
Jen is the best trainer. She is very creative and her classes are always different. It is very motivating that she participates in the exercises with the group. Class is Monday & Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings this summer. It’s conveniently located by the zoo… and right by stairs & hills for lots of running, climbing & jumping!
I’ve been going to Bootcamp with Jen since 2007 and look forward to it every summer!
Contact Jen at

My legs ache, I’m exhausted, hungry, and got yelled at because apparently I need to squat lower. Why have I put myself thru such torture over the past 4 summers when I could be enjoying happy hour with friends instead? Cause it’s the best workout… like ever!
Nothing like running laps, hills, and stairs to kick your butt into shape. And combined with weight training Jen really makes sure to hit every part of your body.
It also happens to be the most reasonably priced workout in this city! While I have the option of getting my butt kicked 3 times a week (Tues and Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings) I go once a week, which is $ 48 for the month.
So yeah, it’s tough, but ya know what they say… No Pain, No Gain.

Through no fault of Jen’s, I’ve decided that this isn’t the class for me. At least, not yet anyways.
On the fitness scale, I’m in the middle. I would not call myself an athlete, but I’m not terribly out of shape either. I’ve done boot camp before, I’ve worked out with personal trainers. I exercise 5 days a week doing cardio (walking fast on an incline to get my heart rate up and sweat) and strength training. I like to push myself. But I was not prepared for the intensity of the class.
The issue for me was that I don’t run… ever. Well, not unless being chased. And even then there would be a lengthy internal debate about just how dangerous my pursuer appeared and if I was caught what the odds were that I could take him/​her/​it in a fight…
Well about 2 minutes into boot camp, we started running. And from then on, I just couldn’t catch my breath. I was okay with the weight lifting, but everytime we had to do a few laps, I felt like I was going to die — and not only from lack of breath but also from the emabrassment of always being the slowest person, doing less laps then everyone else, and being the last person in, wheezing.
Jen was really encouraging and told me that if I could only do 1 – 2 laps when everyone else did 3 – 4, that was fine. By the end of the workout I was exhausted and feeling naseous. I’ve heard of people throwing up from working out, but I have never come close to feeling that way until then. The next morning I actually wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be, but I was sore in places I had never been sore before. Going up the stairs didn’t hurt, but going down was excruciating. My abs weren’t sore, but my back was killing me. So it was definately a good workout, and hit places I normally don’t on my own.
I had signed up for going once a week for the month of May but when the second Saturday rolled around, I woke up with a feeling of dread. I wanted to be challenged, but still have fun. This was challenging, to the point of being overwhelming because of the running.
So I am going to start, slowly, working running into my workout routine. Once I think I can keep up with the group, I may try it again.
If you are in shape and want to be challenged and have a fun workout in the park, you’ll love this. But if, like me, you aren’t used to running, or if being the slowest in the group would discourage you, rather than motivate you, you might need to condition yourself a bit before attempting boot camp.

I was introduced to boot camp with Jen by Andrea. I must say I was a little nervous to go because of what I have heard, but have loved going! I have found myself rearranging my schedule so that I can make it at least once a week. It is probably the best workout that I have gotten in a long time. Jen really pushes you but provides great exercises that work the whole body. I would never do most of this stuff on my own, but Jen has given me a lot of ideas for when I do workout. I don’t know what I’ll do once the summer is over!

I’m not totally in shape yet, but I’m getting there and having some fun doing so at Boot Camp with Jen (I assume it will be more fun when I actually make it to the point of being in shape). What I’ve found that I really like about the classes are they are always different. She comes up with new and creative ways to work muscles I did not even know I had — probably some standard boot camp stuff, but the other day she came up with a «circuit» course that all 16 of us doing different strength varied with cardio exercises. Pretty cool. I could do without all the running of the stairs, but I think Jen would just tell me to suck it up if she heard me say that. (She’s positive, but she’ll keep you in line if you cheat!) Anyway, even though all the working out in groups-​training stuff is against my very nature, I am enjoying this experience and would recommend it to anyone.

Very very impressed with Jen. She is one cool, hard core chick! Very thorough — she works all parts of the body equally and checks to make sure you are doing the moves with proper form.
Bootcamp classes are offered 3 times a week, from May to September, each class is one hour. She concentrates on equal amounts of calisthenics and strength training. You can customize your frequency — you wanna go three times a week for the whole summer? Done. You want to go once a week for 2 months? No problem. You want to drop in periodically and pay as you go? You can do that too.
The good thing is the classes are really hard, but theres no screaming or berating like I have heard other boot camp classes can be. The bad thing is if you are not a runner, or have a hard time with cardio (like me) it will be tough to keep up.
Classes get harder as the summer goes on!
Get in shape, fool, summers here!

Jen is amazing. I have been going to bootcamp for two years now, as well as training with Jen over the winter and exercising has never been so fun! It is definitely a great workout, but as Andrea said, its calmer and Jen makes sure that everyone keeping up. Prices are affordable and all you need to bring is a pair of dumbbells.