Dad Bod Boot Camp is a Naperville Park District class aimed at helping men shed the unwanted pounds around the midsection. The class is offered three times a week at Fort Hill.
Dad Bod Boot Camp
Mike Kiselyk: “I’m a member here at the gym and got an email notification and it interested me. The reason I wanted to join the gym and became a member was to get in shape. I have young daughter and I’m out of shape. So I want to make sure I’m healthy and can do stuff with her because she’s already tiring me out.
Ahh… the Dad-Bod. Today’s term for describing a middle aged man’s body. It can be endearing to some… but the extra poundage is unwanted by others… and that’s why we’re here… at 6 AM on the day of a snow storm, at Fort Hill.
Mike Kiselyk: “It’s funny sure, but it’s also true. I’m a prime example of that. So it’s a good fitting and it’s more than that. It’s not just a bunch of dads trying to get rid of the dad bod, it’s getting in shape – getting healthy.
What is a Dad Bod
According to a 2015 Washington Post article, a dad-bod is considered to be a male ranging in age from 20 to 54 with a Body Mass Index between 25 and 29. BMI is calculated using an individual’s height and weight.
Mike Kiselyk is joined by four others in just the Park District’s second offering of Dad-Bod Boot Camp. And if really is a boot camp, well, then that makes Dave Schatz the drill sergeant.
Dave Schatz: “It’s designed for older gentlemen who are not happy with the shape of their body. We kind of called it the “dad bod”. We’re trying to recomp, or change, the physical appearance as well as the internal health of them in the most efficient and shortest time.
Schatz spent 28 years working for the City of Wheaton Police Department. He’s also a certified personal trainer and well versed in martial arts.
Mike Kiselyk:“It’s a lot of fun. Dave is not someone you want to mess around with. And he has that persona which fits well with the class. But he’s very easy going. He’s talking during class, giving feedback, making it enjoyable – but also he’s that good motivator that you don’t take lightly.
Throughout the class, Schatz gives encouragement, playing good cop… to his stopwatch’s bad cop.
Dave Schatz: “I think that’s very important. Because I want it to be light hearted, because it is an intense workout. But two, I like to build their confidence that they can give me critique back and let me know how things are going and to have fun, because if they’re not having fun they won’t want to do it.
The first circuit through the workouts takes about 15 minutes… the second circuit – about 30, with many of the exercises doubled in duration.
Dave Schatz: “I teach them what’s called MRT which is metabolic resistance training – it’s kind of like a cardiovascular workout but it does have weight resistance involved – whether it’s body weight or light weights. And we do it in a high intensity dynamic manner. And we also do weight training, we also cover a lot of nutritional aspects as well.
On this day, Schatz asks his five participants (the maximum number allowed by the class) to cut bread out of their diet. He also hands them homework. Because this class is designed to equip those who take it with the tools to construct their own workouts in the future.
Kiselyk gets a little workout every day thanks to his year and a half old daughter, Ryan… Especially on the weekends.
Mike Kiselyk: “We come here on Saturday, they have a little gym class here that I signed her up for. So I do it with her, we run around the gymnastics room. I’m just trying to get her as active as possible at a young age – getting her going with other kids. We spend a lot of time here.
But soon, Kiselyk will add a more rigorous regimen, looking to shed some weight… and the title… of dad bod.
Reporting for Sports Story Sunday, I’m Kevin Jackman
