When I Google Search the phrase "boot camp", I see photos of people playing hopscotch. I also see people who don't sweat much, never get dirty and don't seem to leave their mats. HitTheHill is real boot camp training in the San Francisco Bay Area for men and women of all fitness levels. I've been training a small group of people for 20 years, and I'm relaunching the camp now to a wider audience.

I learned techniques from the US Army, 82nd Airborne Division, but the concepts are actually much older than the army and more complex than you might think. A true boot camp environment pits people against environmental challenges in a team dynamic, so that people who may not even know each other come to depend upon each other.

HitTheHill is unique and genuinely grounded in the classic techniques of outdoor team training.

The routines combine all facets of conditioning: strength and balance, speed and agility, coordination and mental accuity.

I am an expert boot camp instructor. When I was in the 82nd Airborne, I held the fitness record for the division.

The (locations) I use to train people are perfect. They are as beautiful as they are challenging.

There are (programs) for all fitness levels, and on advanced courses, you can burn up to 2,800 calories in a single work-out.

Women have proven to be amazingly successful on my courses. I quit being surprised by women about 19 years ago.

I continue to hear from people who went through my camp years ago, and they tell me that it was a life-changing experience for them, that they're still talking about it, trying to explain it to other people and having trouble finding the words.

HitTheHill makes for an amazing story of human interest and human potential. The visuals can be very arresting as people strain to overcome obstacles they never imagined, on beaches and headlands, in magnificent forests and on inspiring summits.

For more information or to participate in and document a HitTheHill program, (click here) to email your inquiry or call: 415.897.9287.

- Jim DiRuscio
- HitTheHill Boot Camp