Corporate Sponsors NewSouth, Printmasters, Rocks and Ropes, SC Telcon, SunCom,Sisterfish, Trivergent, Upstate Nissan.   Individual Sponsors Cole and Pitts Powell, Tara Currin, Deborah Faulkner, Rhett and Sam Outten, LeeAnn Carroll, Chelle Kelaher, Mary Hassett; In Honor of son, Josh Walton, Bob Howard; In honor of Edvard Tchivzel, Greenville Symphony and The Fitness Boot Camp Alumni     Fitness Boot Camp, Inc. appreciates and cherishes the warm hospitality of the City of Greenville, South Carolina Parks and Recreation Department.  A very special thanks to Paul Ellis!   The Fitness Trail Stations At Station 1, you'll see the Fitness Trail sign. Greenville has added some handout boxes containing a map and the exercise instructions for each station:     Station 1: Push–up Bars The higher bar is for beginners, the lower bar for advanced. Place your hands on the bar in push–up position toes on the ground, body straight, abdominals in—don't arch your back or raise your back–side. Slowly lower your chest toward the bar as you bend your elbows and return to start position. Perform at least 2 sets of 10.   Station 2: Bench Dips This station works your triceps (the back of your upper arms). Grasp the bars with both hands while in a seated position, your legs bent (for beginners or straight out for advanced) in front of you, keeping your backside suspended above the grid platform. Slowly lower your body as you bend your elbows, flexing the triceps, then push your body upward as your straighten your arms, contracting the triceps. Repeat. Perform at least 2–3 sets of 10–15.   Station 3: Parallel Bars Parallel bars are great for performing military–style bar dips to strengthen the triceps (back of upper arms) and the chest. Grasping both bars, lift your feet off the ground, knees bent, and cross your ankles. Slowly lower and lift your body in a dipping motion, bending your elbows as you lower and contracting your triceps as you lift. Do as many as you can, and try to do one or two more with each training session. You can also perform hand walks by grasping both bars, feet off the ground, walk your hands down the length of the bars until you come to the end. Repeat.   Station 4: Rope Climb The rope climb is for building upper body strength. Everyone has their own method for climbing the rope, but typically, you grasp the rope with both hands, and either position it between your feet, or wrap it around one ankle to help you creep up the rope. Go hand–over–hand, pulling your body upward, inching your feet up the rope as you go. Then slide down, or reach over to the second rope and slide down. This drill also requires practice for improvement in your strength, skill and speed.   Station 5: Body Curl This station targets your abdominals. Lying on your back on the bench, grip the bar above your head with both hands. Keeping your legs together, raise your feet until your body makes a 90º angle and the bottoms of your shoes are facing the sky. Slowly lower your legs until your feet hover above the base of the platform, then slowly return to start position.   If your lower back is weak, utilize a smaller range of motion. As you become stronger, work on lowering your feet further. Do at least 3 sets of as many repetitions as possible. You can also perform elevator crunches with this station. Get in the same position as above, but keep your feet up. Contracting the abdominal muscles, raise your backside off the bench as you raise the bottoms of your feet skyward. Return to start position and repeat. Do at least 3 sets of as many repetitions as possible.   Station 6: Chin-up/Pull-up Bars Pull–ups target the muscles of the back and the biceps (the fronts of your upper arms). Notice there are three levels. Beginners should use the lowest level, as this will allow you to use the support of your feet as you pull up on the bar—this is called a bent–knee incline pull–up. As you become more advanced, work your way up to the tallest bar, where you can perform dead hang pull–ups, also called full body-–eight pull–ups.   You can also use a partner to hold your feet as your knees are bent. They can provide a little added lift as you pull upward. These are called assisted pull–ups. You can position your hands in either palms facing toward you or palms facing away from you. Grasp the bar, arms fully extended with body in the lowered position. Using your upper back muscles, pull your body upward until chin is level with the bar. Then slowly lower your body until the arms are once again fully extended. Repeat. Do as many pull–ups as you can, trying to add one or two more with every training session.   Station 7: Leg Raise Leg Raises work the lower portion of your abdominals and the hip flexors. Stand with your back to the bar. Reach overhead and grasp the triangle bar with both hands. Lift your feet off the ground until your body is suspended. With knees bent and together, raise your legs in front of you up to waist level, lower, and repeat. If you are advanced, you can perform straight leg raises. Do 2–3 sets of as many repetitions as you can.   Station 8: Squat & Stretch Squats are to condition the buttocks and thighs. Standing on one of the four side bars, feet shoulder–width apart, grasp the center pole for balance. Keeping your abdominals contracted, bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position—imagine sitting down in a chair. Be careful to keep your knees safely behind your toes to prevent knee strain. Keep your chin up—if you look down, you will misalign the spine. Return to upright position and repeat. Do 2–3 sets of as many repetitions as possible.   This station is also a great place to stretch your lower body muscles. For instance, you can stretch your hamstrings (the backs of your thighs) by placing one foot on one of the four side–bars, the other foot firmly on the ground, knee slightly bent. Lean your upper body comfortably toward the foot of the leg you are stretching and feel the stretch in the back of your thigh. Repeat for the other leg.   Station 9: Horizontal Ladder This is great for the kid in you. Think back to school recess and you'll know what to do. Swing from bar to bar like a monkey or do old-fashioned pull–ups.   Station 10:Step-Up Step–ups are to condition and tone your thighs and buttocks. Standing, grasp the center bar with one hand. Place one foot on one of the 'mushroom stools.' Beginners start with the lowest level; advanced use the higher levels. Pressing your foot firmly into the stool, step up and contract your quadricep (the muscles of your front thigh). Also, squeeze the muscles in your buttocks at the top of the contraction. Then slowly lower and repeat. Do 2–3 sets of at least 10–12 repetitions for each leg. You can perform using one leg at a time or alternate your step-ups.   Station 11: Scaling Wall This wall is for adding a little obstacle course fun to your run / walk. As you run / walk off the paved trail, pick up a little speed. As you come to the wall, lightly grasp the top of the wall and hurdle your body over it sideways. Then run up the hill and get back on the paved trail, continuing your run / walk to the next station. In the Fall, be careful of dry leaves as you come off the paved trail toward the wall—they're slippery!   Station 12: Log Hop The four logs of the Log Hop are for performing plyometric training. Plyometric exercises include hopping, leaping, jumping and bounding. With knees slightly bent, use your arms to lift your body as you jump over each log. You can jump from log to log, or jump forward then backward. You can jump with both feet simultaneously, or jump on one leg. You can also jump from side to side. Careful with those knees.   Station 13: Balance Beam This station is for improving your balance. Think gymnast on the balance beam: standing straight, chin up, arms out to the side, one foot over the other.   Station 14: Vault Bar Again, another obstacle, just like the scaling wall. Pick up a little steam and hurdle your body over the bar.   Station 15: Handring Bridge A variation of the horizontal ladder. Swing from ring to ring, do pull–ups, or create your own upper body conditioning drill.   Station 16: Sit-up Bench This station is for performing abdominal crunches. Sitting down on the grid, hook your feet under the bar at the end, knees bent. Place your hands behind your head, fingers lightly touching the sides of your head-don't lock your fingers or pull on your neck. Slowly contract your abdominals in a crunching motion, lifting your shoulders slightly off the bench. Think of squeezing your stomach, not jerking your body up. Return to start position and repeat. Do at least 3 sets of 15–20 reps.