During the work day, Joanie Williams works a nice, quiet office job. But two mornings a week, she transforms into a boot camp drill sergeant.
With a self-described ‘sickness’ for fitness, Williams is one of the most recognizable faces at the Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA, where she teaches several classes, including the popular cardio-dance Zumba program.
But her latest project is to host a ‘Boot Camp’ at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for six weeks, in which she puts local men and women through the paces of a high-intensity, sports-training inspired workout.
“All of the exercises are based on training used by professional athletes,” Williams said. “You sweat a lot, you burn a lot of calories but best of all, it brings a level of fitness out of you that you didn’t have before.”
Each camp session is different and focuses on a different muscle group, with each two-minute station designed to challenge participants.
Some of the exercises include flipping large, heavy truck tires over and over, which engages the lower body and legs, core and upper body all the same time;  crawling commando-style under a rope net and carrying concrete cinder blocks over your head while sprinting.
“For people who are already fit, it pushes them over a weight loss plateau they might have hit because it’s high heart rate, high intensity,” Williams said. “Everything can be modified though. Everyone has a different starting point.”
The boot camp is also held two Saturdays a month, for a total of 14 sessions. The first boot camp was held in August and September, the next will be held Oct. 8 to Nov. 12. The cost is only $15 for YMCA members and $30 for non-members.
For more information, call the YMCA at 243-0508 or Williams at (229) 205-4331.