Barry’s Bootcamp is certainly not a misleading name. Upon walking into the West Hollywood gym, clients are instantly bombarded with everything camouflage, including larger-than-life Barry Jay himself, a personality not to be trifled with.

Barry’s Bootcamp is small in size but what it lacks in space, it makes up for in delivery – this is where you go to get in shape the no-holds-barred, ready-to-work way.  There are no machines here other than the treadmills that line the walls. There are no fancy classes. This is a program geared around the basics: running or walking, free weights and using the body’s own resistance. But don’t be fooled, you will absolutely walk out of a one hour class full of endorphins and potentially more sore than you have ever been.

Barry’s Bootcamp operates around a simple formula working every part of the body at least one day a week coupled with 20-30 minutes of intense cardio. Mondays are devoted to arms, Tuesdays are for your lower half, Wednesdays focus on the chest and abdominals and so on.  All of this is done at a quick pace, working each portion within the 60 minute time period allotted allowing clients to get the maximum workout in the most efficient time period. All the while Barry (or any one of the other thirteen instructors at the WeHo location) is barking orders like a drill sergeant – a jovial one, of course, but a dictator none-the-less.

“People come here counting on me to kick their butt,” said Barry. “There is no lock on the door. It is my way or the highway.”  

And indeed you will see this put into practice between the endless squats, lunges and steps Barry has his students doing, interacting and engaging each 100 percent correcting incorrect form or perhaps increasing resistance, maybe even using his own body weight. “Bootcamp will change your body at a good pace. It will have will have you working a lot harder than you would normally on your own,” said Barry. “I see great results. At the end of the day, it is just a matter of doing it right.”

Barry’s Bootcamp offers something more intimate, using personal relationships as a key component of the workout experience. “Accountability is huge,” said Barry. “I want people to feel like it matters if they are not here.” Barry makes an effort to learn everyone’s name and does not hesitate to call out an individual if they are not exerting their fullest effort, possibly sending them to run stairs or, in other cases, running to The Standard hotel, being sure to bring back evidence of the trip. Yes, that’s a jog up steep La Cienega Blvd.

But people love it and they come back for more.

“People refer to it as a community and I think that is true,” said John Mumford, a third of the Barry’s Bootcamp partnership. His wife, Rachel, is the other piece of the pie. “People love what he does and stay with it.”

Since opening Barry’s Bootcamp in 1998, the store has expanded to include two other locations (Sherman Oaks and the newly minted San Diego store), DVDs and an infomerical.

But Bootcamp is more than just a way to get fit. Barry credits it with “saving his life,” a way to face sobriety and stay on track with a healthy lifestyle. Many members of Barry’s Bootcamp also use his classes as a tool to cope and as support.

Friendships are made here and relationships fostered, with people building lifelong connections. Just be sure to abide by the one simple rule: don’t do your own thing.

Barry’s Bootcamp is located at 1106 N. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 104. Drop-in classes are $20 with packages starting at $55 for 3 and upwards. For more information and class schedules, visit www.barrysbootcamp.net or call 310-360-6262.