JCF Boot Camp

There is no indoor facility. Some trainers are not legally certified to be trainers. If classes are cancelled (sometimes with no notice) there is no where else to go. Classes are held in Grace Church which has barely any ventilation. Your money can get you so so much more. Just shop around JC and you will find a better program very easily.

If you’re a slacker don’t bother joining because Daris Wilson will hold you accountable, that is what I truly love about him. You can give up on yourself if you’d like to but he won’t and he’ll remind you but he won’t babysit you either, he already has two children. You can never get bored of his workouts, you’ll see results shortly after you feel them, and you will feel them! He’s encouraging, motivating, and determined on helping you get right with your fitness and nutrition.
He’ll leave you with some tweetable moments… those thought provoking phrases that’ll leave his mouth ever so often… such as «call it a treat day, not a cheat day. We don’t cheat on the things we love, honor, and respect»…I hold dear to that one with my life as a whole, not just with nutrition.
JCF is more of a second/​third family. It’s a community of women with the same goal and that’s refreshing. I’ll tell you one thing, I wish I met him sooner. years ago. As a matter of fact, I wish he was a family member. He’s the type of positive person you’ll want on your team forever!
I have and will always encourage people to join the JCF team because I’m certain it’ll be one of the best life decisions one can make!

One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was joining JCF! The workouts are great and every day is different.

So I’m one of those people who signs up for a gym, goes for about a week and a half, then pays for it for about 6 mos to a year before canceling. I always have the intention «I’ll go tomorrow» or «I’ll start next week» but I never do. I was looking for something that would hold me accountable and had a community I could be a part of. Thank goodness I found JCF!
There are ladies of all fitness levels, so no need to be intimidated. The trainers Daris and Cara really care about you. They do a great job of pushing and encouraging you, but never yell or make you feel bad if you are doing an exercise incorrectly. I really love the way they approach each new client; you have a one on one with Daris to talk about your eating habits, workout habits, and sleep habits, etc. and how that affects your overall health and fitness. They really care about you and want you to meet your goals, as opposed to many other places which just want your $$$. I appreciate that they hold you accountable– I get emails, texts, and the old «haven’t seen you in awhile!!» once I get back to class. I really need that motivation and accountability to keep me going!
Classes are most weekdays at 5:45, 6:45am and 7pm. The 5:45am are brutal but so worth it! I’ve had to mix it up recently due to my work schedule and the 7pm class is great too! In the winter months, the classes are at Grace Van Vorst Church and in the summer at Exchange Place.
Each class is a little different, from a circuit, to a team challenge, to a partner workout. I love that I never know what I am going to get. The focus is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) where you burn fat and gain muscle.
I am an avid runner, but was looking to add some strength training and upper body muscle. After about 2 mos, I have just that! My husband says I look better than I have ever looked, and just this weekend I ran my fastest 10k! I don’t think I have lost any weight, and I didn’t intend to, but my clothes definitely fit differently and I feel much more confident!
I promise if you put in the time, JCF will reward you!

I don’t normally give 5 stars but this program is amazing! I was reserved at first because I thought this was a one-​time program, but it is not it is year around. Talk about motivation kick every day, the JCF team gives you the motivation, drive and energy to keep coming back; it is like a chocolate addiction. Very comfortable environment, open to anyone at all levels. I have learned so much about nutrition, health and training, great bang for your buck. I am one who has had personal trainers, been a member at almost every gym in Jersey City, Hoboken and groupon’d/Living social to yoga, Pilates, gyms and all kind of programs… This is the total package! It is local, fun and you never can predict the workout, talk about never being bored! It provides a full body workout every session. Every day is something different, and your endurance gets stronger the program gets stronger so you always advance and challenge yourself. The motivation is turned up to 11 without being too much, just enough to make you keep coming back. The workouts range from playing games, drills, circuits and other interesting activities you never would have thought of. If you really want to get in shape, improve your health or endurance this is «The One».

Can’t say enough good things about JCF. Daris, the trainer, is the best I’ve worked with – he knows his stuff and each class is challenging but fun! I love seeing familiar faces in the group and it makes me get up and go because I KNOW that people are expecting me to go! I had the best results I’ve ever had with any program ever when I was going consistently over the summer. Now I travel frequently for work and cannot go as often.
It’s up to you to go consistently and practice good nutrition on your own (he will help educate you and coach you on this too), but if you do that, you’ll definitely see great results.
I looked super fit for my wedding and got many compliments from family members about how toned I was. There are a variety of fitness levels (from newbies to super fit) and this class is challenging for all of them based on the way they are structured. If you’re wondering whether this could be for you, I suggest you try it. I love it!

The best way to work out ever. It is a total body work out that changes every time, it is never boring. This is the first time I don’t look at my watch, I am so happy to go each time even at 5:45am (I wake up before the alarm clock !) I highly recommend to give it a try… you will get hooked right away ! Daris is a great trainer that puts you in front of your responsibilities in the right way !
If you want to add a little nutrition watch to it, join the rock my skinny challenge when it is on ! Big rewards if you follow the program.
All day everyday !

So great! The perfect balance of kicking your butt and letting you work it out if it gets a little beyond you. I always feel and look better after I go. Yeah Daris!

I’m a HUGE fan of JCF Boot Camp! It is the ONE AND ONLY thing I find motivating. Granted I’ve taken some breaks in between cycles before and really that’s just because I get distracted with work and life and get lazy. I think what Daris and the rest of JCF Boot Camp provide to the women of Jersey City and beyond is amazing. There is nothing like it out there, and I couldn’t give it a negative review if I tried.
One of the best things about it is Spring and Summer and getting outside in the morning as the sun comes up. It’s my favorite time of day!
I also love how Daris has gotten to know ME and pays attention to me. He KNOWS when I’m slacking and when I need that little push. You don’t get that in a gym or other high volume group classes. He cares and that makes a huge difference.
It’s nice to be back and you’ll see me from here on out! Woo hoooo!
ALL DAY EVERY DAY! ;)

The trainer was not certified when I joined. He may be certified now (I stopped going around March) but at the time, we were basically working out with an uncertified trainer. When I learned this, myself and a few others had to really rethink this.
To give you further perspective, I won a weight loss/​fitness challenge, I was given 3 free months, when I asked if I could use them at any time (because they had no expiration date) I was told yes, of course.
A few months later when I went to use them, the owner told me no way, I had to pay the full price. Oh well. What can ya do? THIS is what was the final straw for me. Proving once again that he was all about the money and putting on a front for the students.
It is the principal of the matter. Any «business owner» that has a contest and then decides not to follow through on the prizes? That’s not someone I want to do business with and it’s illegal.
Both Crossfit of Hoboken & Hoboken Boot Camps is cheaper… look into alternatives. =)

It’s winter. I feel like eating piles of nachos and fries more than I feel like working out. My muscles are looking sad and jiggly and my waning ability to bound up the WTC PATH station stairs has me looking around for the nearest defibrillator by the time I make it to the top. Last night I had a nightmare that it took me 4 hours to finish a 5K.
I need inspiration, dammit!!!
And then it occurred to me – the one thing that is missing in my life is JCF Bootcamp. Time to head over to Grace Van Vorst for some early a.m. session’s with Daris and the rest of the awesome bootcamp ladies!
I did boot camp from March til November of this year — both indoors and out. Nothing but great things to say about boot camp. Daris is supportive, effective and encouraging. Oh, and fun! He holds you accountable and encourages you to keep going even when you feel like if you do one more mountain climber, you’re going to collapse on your yoga mat. Some milestones: I went from 5 lb dumbbells to 8 lbs to considering going up to 10 lbs by the end of the last cycle. I ran 4 miles pretty painlessly and decreased my mile time by 2 minutes. My muscles were toned and holy crap! I actually put on a bikini this summer at the shore (don’t go crazy with your imagination — I was definitely not some chiseled Victoria’s Secret Model!)
Yes, I could achieve all of that at the gym, through eating healthy and through a lengthy P90X session but let’s face it. That lasts for about 1 week before I’m off the wagon and back to the nachos. I needed camaraderie, expertise, and inspiration to get me back on my fitness track and JCF Bootcamp was just that.
Highly recommend it if you like the group/​team aspect, meeting new people and having fun working out in a support environment. Word on the street is that there is going to be a running group in the spring, which is awesome because a bunch of boot campers particapted in a super fun mud run last summer and I want to be in great shape for the next one!
Only drawback — early a.m.‘s are brutal but SO worth it! Not to mention, during the summer you get a pretty killer view of the sunrise over the Manhattan Skyline at the Exchange Place location, which makes it worth it all on its own.
Watch out beer belly, I’m already looking forward to my next boot camp cycle.

I’m writing this review after completing one session of bootcamp with Daris indoors at Grace Van Vorst Church. This bootcamp is worth the time and money you commit to it, because Daris is committed to getting you to a place where you can see results. The rest is up to you to put the work in and get the most out of it.
Session times and locations vary.
Hoboken has its own new location at Hoboken EDGE.
If you’ve always wanted to try something like this, buy yourself a flex pass to be able to try out a few classes without any further commitment. For me, I wanted to be accountable to showing up on a regular schedule, so I went for a 3-​day per week schedule.
At first I was very scared of joining this group, but the social aspect of it was intriguing to me and I figured it might be motivating more so than trying to drag myself to the gym alone. It was a smart move, because now I am getting to the point where I am addicted to it and I’ve signed up for the next round… without the least bit of a hesitation. This is worth so much more than a gym membership to me and I will tell you why I think its worth it…
First of all, you start off the boot camp cycle by taking a baseline fitness test to measure your personal ability to do a maximum number of pushups within one minute, max number of situps within one minute, and how long you can hold a plank position. (They are planning on adding cardio measurements next, and have an eye toward a nutrition and weigh in accountability soon as well.) You are not in competition with anyone else but yourself.
Secondly, there are women here of all fitness levels. One person is training for a triathlon and others haven’t worked out since the days of watching the clock tick down in gym class, wondering when it would be over. The JCF Bootcamp program was able to meet every person at their level.
I would consider myself the least out of shape of all of the participants this cycle and yet I still felt comfortable getting started despite that overwhelming feeling. Daris will listen to you to understand how to modify exercises to fit your personal fitness level… but still keep you challenged. There are no excuses, there is no missing class, and you must perform to the best of your ability. Daris will call you out if you are slacking but he’ll also make you feel very proud when you have good form and complete something challenging.
The trainers and staff took a lot of personal time to get to know me and my goals, sharing opinions about my nutrition questions and personal fears. I feel like the amount of time and effort JCF Bootcamp has built into these sessions is worth the participants’ cost because despite running a class full of motivated athletes, he pays attention to each person and really pushes them to do more than they would on their own. As a team we support each other and its neat to see people progressively improve their fitness ability.
From this first cycle I have lost more weight in four weeks than I’ve been able to do on my own in one year. I have strengthened in a few areas that were holding me back from trying new and harder activities and I have gained a lot of confidence in my ability to work hard.
I would encourage any of my family and friends to give this an honest try and I certainly recommend to anyone in Jersey City or Hoboken who is looking for motivation, and not just access to workout equipment.

This is the best fitness investment you can make for yourself. Daris is motivating, respectful, fun, and educated in all aspects of health, nutrition and exercise. I have not yet had the opportunity to work with his fellow trainer but I hear he is just as great.
This bootcamp made me stronger physically and mentally. Pushups? Pullups? Rugged Maniac? nothing I ever imagined doing before joining JCF.
I was able to run faster and work harder than I ever thought I could after only two cycles. A few months later and I am a walking success story. The women I met and worked out with everyday early in the morning at Lincoln Park have become friends for life.
Fitness really is a way of life and this program helped me soar out of my comfort zone and push myself further than I ever thought possible. Once you get past your mental hurdles, anything is possible.
Thanks JCF!

I was diagnosed as hyperthyroid a few months after getting married and quickly became resigned about my weight gain and sluggish metabolism. It seemed that no amount of working out helped. So I quit working out but kept on paying for my gym membership, hoping one day to get back on the horse (while at the same time sinking deeper into a «workout depression»). A year after, I came across the JCF website and Daris offered me a free session to try it out. That was last August and I have not stopped going back since. I continue to ger stronger and healthier. Last week I even ran my first 5K and will be running my second one in a few weeks!
The workouts are always challenging and never boring. Even on those days I don’t want to go, I drag myself there and come back home feeling great and happy to have gone.
I know my weight will always be something I have to work a little harder at. But seeing how much I have accomplished keeps me motivated and inspired to continue working hard and best of all make healthy lifestyle choices. My clothes fit better and I feel great, not to mention proud of myself. I am addicted!

I will keep coming back and encouraging others to join JCF to improve their fitness ability. Why would I ever want to return to a boring GYM with TV’s when I have Daris (the instructor) to help motivate me and push me, AND!!! The view of NYC in the background is breathtaking.
If you are Woman enough to step up and commit, and if you are willing to push yourself to go harder than you ever thought you could, than this is for you!

Its a no joke workout, but talk about feeling good after!
Daris and Grace keep you motivated all week to stay healthy and strong. so no matter if you just want to feel stronger or if you want to drop some lbs– this workout keeps you feeling motivated all day to make healthier decisions! Daris pushing you to keep going using a spirited tone, never harsh or mean — and the energy he has is down right contagious! Best thing I did for myself was to sign up!