Need A Workout? Feel The Burn (Boot Camp)!

Kathy Wasserman was looking for a new place to work out just as Burn Boot Camp was opening its doors in New Tampa for the first time roughly four years ago. She jumped on one of the grand opening offers and has been a member ever since.

“They offered a free 30 days, and, by the end of the 30 days, I was hooked,”  says Wasserman, a Tampa Palms resident. “Not only were the workout programs well thought out and varied, but the community of people is the nicest group of people I have ever worked out with.” 

Owner Tammy Henrici deserves some of that credit. When she took over Burn Boot Camp, located in the Big Bear Plaza off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. between BayCare and Mahana Fresh, in September 2021, Covid had sucked some of the life out of the gym.

Now, with new equipment and trainers and under her direction — Henrici even leads some of the 45-minute boot camps herself— the place is popping again.

“There’s increased energy and enthusiasm from the trainers,” Wasserman says. “I have never enjoyed working out more.”

Henrici is a self-described workout buff, who has been a member of many gyms over the years. She joined the Burn Boot Camp in New Tampa shortly after Wasserman did and found it just as satisfying. 

So, she decided to buy the New Tampa franchise.

“I was addicted. I was so excited about going the next morning I couldn’t sleep,” Henrici says. “I have been in the corporate world for 40 years and working out at Burn gave me the confidence to make a change in my life. When I saw how Burn can change people’s lives, I knew I had to own one to finally help other people realize their potential, too.”

Henrici used to work in IT for a major health company, and now focuses on fitness. She is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)- Certified Personal Trainer and also is a second-degree black belt in Krav Maga Martial Arts.

Burn New Tampa offers a combination of strength training and high intensity interval training (HIIT)  in each 45-minute camp. On Sundays, a protocol is released online and through an app explaining what lies ahead for the next week. No two workouts are the same, says Henrici, so no matter what days you come, the workouts will be targeting different parts of the body and range from strength to cardio.

Wasserman says she goes to 5-6 classes a week. There are other people like her, while others show up 2-3 times a week. There’s literally something for everyone, Henrici says, and anyone of any skill level can get something out of each boot camp.

“We meet each member at their level of fitness,” says Henrici. “We have some people who have never worked out before. We have some former collegiate athletes. We have moms and dads, people who are young and not so young anymore. No matter your background, we push everyone to do 1% better than the day before.”

Henrici says she has built a family atmosphere at Burn New Tampa, and Wasserman says that is probably what she likes most about it. 

“There is a level of inclusiveness and positivity you don’t normally see in gyms,” Wasserman says. “Everyone seems happy to see each other and work out next to each other. They high-five each other. There’s a positive, competitive nature I haven’t seen at other places.”

But, don’t mistake that camaraderie for being part of an easy workout. The workouts at Burn New Tampa are anything but, Henrici says. There are a variety of weights and resistance bands, along with foam jump boxes, a boxing bag and other equipment that keeps you moving from station to station.

For those who don’t work out due to creaky knees and sore joints, Burn has a floating floor which cushions the jumps and lessens the impact on your body. And, if you can’t jump, trainers can provide modified techniques.

“The floor was the initial physical thing that attracted me to the gym and it makes a big difference in a workout,” Henrici says.

Burn New Tampa offers camps six days of the week, with multiple camps — usually some in the morning and some in the early evening — each day of the week and two on Saturday morning. For four of the camps during the week, Burn New Tampa offers a complimentary “child watch” room (Burn is not a licensed day care provider, however). All the camps are open to both men and women, although Henrici says that her current members are predominately women.

The goal is to provide physical improvement via weight loss and muscle gain which, in turn, help decrease the need for a variety of medications you may be taking, as well as mental improvement by providing stress-reducing and endorphin-releasing workouts.

“That’s why so many members say this is their ‘happy place,’” Henrici says proudly.

About The Burn

Burn Boot Camp is a franchise with more than 330 locations across the U.S. All of its trainers are NASM CPTs (Certified Personal Trainers) and also have to be CPR-certified, including the four at Burn New Tampa. But, they also need to have the energy to run a boot camp and get to know each and every member’s needs.

“No one is a number, and we take pride in providing personal attention to every member,” Henrici says. “We can be giving Jane form correction while calling out to those at the next exercise to get three more reps in and addressing the entire camp about how much time is left, all at the same time.”

Burn New Tampa offers 6-, 12- and 18-month memberships, as well as month-to-month memberships. There are Camp Packs (5-8 camps per month) and Fit Cards, which are good for a year. Wasserman, who travels to visit her children in Nashville and Chicago, loves that Burn has universal memberships so her membership can be used at any Burn Boot Camp facility in the U.S.

If it all sounds too good to be true, Burn New Tampa is currently offering a 7-day complimentary trial for you to try it out and see for yourself.

With so many fitness options, Henrici thinks Burn New Tampa is the best choice because she says it is the total package.

“We provide unlimited 45-minute camps a week,” she says. “We offer 1:1 Focus Meetings with the trainer to set goals and monitor them. We also provide nutritional guidance. Members can also access daily virtual workouts when they can’t make it to the gym.”

The Focus Meeting is to help define what a member wants to get out of the boot camps. And while there are no certified nutritionists at Burn, the trainers do recognize the importance of a proper diet when it comes to being in shape and asks members to track their food intake in an app. They will suggest increases or decreases in their fat, carb, and protein intake. 

“We aren’t focused on the scale but rather on the inches, fat loss and muscle gain,” Henrici says.

The Burn Boot Camp app allows members to check in to camp for the child watch room, trainer and workout schedules for the week as well. And, the support from other members, Henrici says, is unrivaled.

“Your best friend may be here waiting for you.”

Burn Boot Camp New Tampa is located at 17512 Doña Michelle Dr., and is open Monday-Friday, 5:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m., and 4:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m.; and 7:45 a.m.-10 a.m. on Saturday. For more information, visit BurnBootCamp.com and check under “Locations” or call (813) 563-6700.