CAT Burke's Fitness Bootcamp is not Jazzercise

There’s not a sign on the door of CAT Burke’s gym that reads “It’s not jazzercise, it’s bootcamp.” But maybe there should be.

GETCATFIT Fitness, conveniently located at 939 Chalmer Drive just off Bald Eagle, is a modern, well-equipped and super clean gym, run by a quartet of fit, positive and energetic fitness leaders. Think high end and you begin to get the idea about GETCATFIT.

 “We try to make it a community-based fitness,” said gym owner CAT Burke, who also coaches cross country at Marco Island Charter Middle School. "We do have people who are training for stuff like marathons or ironman competitions. But they’re not specifically coming here for that reason."

“I’m training for life,” said Jen Alsokary, an instructor at GETCATFIT. "That’s why I come here. I like the camaraderie. I moved to the island less than two years ago and I’ve met so many people through CAT. She was my kids' middle school track coach.”

Training for life is what GETCATFIT delivers in a bootcamp format.

“It’s a fitness bootcamp,” CAT Burke emphasizes, "we design the workout, we put them together. We usually post them, and people can look at them. And when they’re working out, we’re making sure their form is correct. We’re teaching them how to do things, then we incorporate those things into future workouts. Then they start understanding the language of the bootcamp. I say we are “able-ing them, instead of enabling them. We’re not just standing up here leading a workout that they’re following, we are teaching them. This is where you need to go, get a little bit of that self-motivation. But we’re also designing the workout to make sure it’s effective for them and give them a really hard workout. Make sure they’re accomplishing their goals."

Molly Green has experienced CAT Burke’s work.

“After some time off,” Green said, "I was getting back into working out more regularly. I just fell in love with the format of CAT’s workouts. Just the way she runs her classes. And her bootcamp-style, there’s nothing like that around here. It was exactly what I was looking for. A higher intensity workout. For me it was a great thing for me to get back into exercising.”

Alsokary appreciates that GETCATFIT is located on Marco Island.

“You can’t beat the commute,” Alsokary said, “We all live on the island. So, it’s a mile and a half, at most.”

Paul Burke is satisfied when he sees the friendships that have built among their clients.

"It’s like a tribe here,” Paul Burke said. "It’s hard to build friendships as an adult. You’re not only meeting new people, these people are becoming friends and getting to know each other. We’ve been seeing that take place outside of the gym now, too.”

Green and Alsokary like the accountability CAT Burke demands.

 “It keeps you accountable,” Green said. "I’m not a super self-motivated person. I need a group, I need to sign up and have that accountability. So, I think that helps you."

"CAT will stalk you if she hasn’t seen you in a few days,” Alsokary jokes. "‘Jen, where are you? I missed you in class.’  She checks up on all of us.”

CAT Burke agrees with her fellow-instructors.

“It’s accountability,” CAT Burke said. "People are coming here, they’re paying to workout. I’m making sure they’re getting what they want out of their workouts. We’re more of a high-end type fitness facility. The equipment is sturdy. It’s tough. All of the cardio equipment is self-moved, or self-powered. It’s not plugged in. So, you’re using your own body weight, your own speed, and agility. It’s definitely better than turning on a machine. You have total control over what you’re doing.

CAT Burke competes as a bodybuilder. She knows how to help people reach their full potential. Burke was twice named Miss Upstate New York in figure and master bikini pro.

"I actually am a pro figure competitor,” CAT Burke said, "I used to promote bodybuilding shows. This is my passion, being in this setting with people, working with people. I still do pose coaching and judging for natural bodybuilding. I’ll be competing a little bit later in the year.”

GETCATFIT is hosting a launch party coming up on March 5, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. 

"It’s a community event,” CAT Burke said. "We’re going to be running mini-bootcamps. We’ll have the coaches in, so everyone can meet them. Prizes, music, games. We’re really looking forward to getting out in the community. We hosted a CPR class in conjunction with the firefighters a couple of weeks ago."  

GETCATFIT is located off Bald Eagle Drive near Joey D's at the Rizzi building, 939 Chalmer Drive, Suite One, Marco Island, Florida, 34145.For more information website: getcatfit.com.