Karissa Hurley joined her local Burn Boot Camp when she was in her mid-20s. She was attracted to the company’s sense of community, something she said makes it stand out from other gyms in her area.
“They are just all people-focused and the brand is just supportive and loving, and they do a lot for the community,” Karissa said.
Burn Boot Camp, located at the intersection of Bloomingdale Avenue and John Moore Road, offers group workouts that combine strength and cardio training without relying on machines.
Instead, the 45-minute camps focus on body and free weights to challenge participants.
“You develop those relationships with workout partners and people you work out with all the time, or maybe you see them a few times, but they’re side by side next to you working it, sweating it, the same thing,” she said.
Karissa eventually became a trainer and a franchise owner, opening Brandon’s location in 2023 with Eric Hurley, Katie Chalupsky and Dillon Chalupsky.
Every camp is led by an instructor, which Karissa said is nice when you just want to show up and not have to come up with your own workout. It also has a floating floor, which Karissa said is better on joints.
She also said one of the features that attracted her to Burn Boot Camp was the child care she could rely on after she had her son.
“It was nice to know that somebody could watch him while I had 45 minutes to myself to; you know, work on my own goals and just clear my head after having a baby,” Karissa said.
If someone is hesitant to try it out, Karissa said they should come anyway to experience the community and challenge themselves.
“I would say that the hardest part is walking through the doors,” she said. “Self-doubt is a real thing, [but] you can do more than your mind leads you to believe.”
Burn Boot Camp also hosts member competitions in several different categories that people can train for over time.
You can find out more about Burn Boot Camp and its upcoming workouts at https://locations.burnbootcamp.com/locations/brandon-fl/.
