During one exercise, while sitting in a squat position, I lost my balance as a result of the vest and tipped over. Kind of funny.

The last 15 minutes of class we had to lie on or backs with our arms and legs in the air. It's a position called the "dead cockroach," and is absolutely miserable. Just try it. You'll see.

Tuesday

I was a little overconfident. After all the warnings and hype I had heard prior to my first day of boot camp, I actually thought Monday's workout was fairly easy.

But after getting my weight vest strapped on, I had to do 20 push-ups for not following instructions precisely. Then, after a brief warmup on the treadmill, Richins called me to the floor to do knee-taps — the beginning of some much-needed humility.

Try this: Stand with one leg on a weight bench with the other on the floor. Hold a weight ball in front of your body. Then, lift your leg that's on the ground and quickly tap it to the weight ball.

Easy? Well, do it with a weight vest. And then do another set. Then do squats.

At this point, I was starting to reassess my five-day commitment to boot camp. Did I really need five days in a row of an extreme workout? My muscles hurt. Instead of this, maybe I should have done a story about the "ooey, gooey, cheesy enchiladas" advertised for sale at a restaurant outside the gym. Yum!

Unlike Monday, I actually looked forward this day to the "dead cockroach." In that position, Richins leaves you alone.

Wednesday & Thursday

I wanted to forget Wednesday's class.

My legs were already sore as result of Tuesday's class, and Richins made us do another series of leg exercises, including one where we had to squat with an exercise ball and then jump up and out as far as we could.

I hate the exercise ball. Almost as badly as the weight vest.

Let's just say I came home from Wednesday's class sore and miserable. My sweet husband massaged my legs for about 30 minutes.

And I cried.

But come Thursday morning, I felt significantly better.

Because of a work conflict, I did a 7 a.m. class. Like my other class, there was also a new PT at this time.

Between various workouts, Richins quizzed us on the phrases and drills we were supposed to memorize, including the oft-repeated mantra of boot camp: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

We were told we would have to arrive for Friday's class at 5:50 a.m. Unlike the classes on Monday through Thursday, all Friday sessions are held at Hillcrest High School.

New trainees are required to attend. Experienced participants have the option to attend.

Friday

I arrived at Hillcrest at 5:30 a.m. and waited in the dark with another new PT. It was cold, but thankfully, it wasn't snowing.