From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Best Military-Style Workout

September 21 2005

A.L.I. Boot Camp
Hollywood Broadwalk at Polk Street, Hollywood beach, 954/931-1112

Standing 6-foot-1 with 200-plus pounds of rippling muscle and a countenance so intense it could melt ice, Ali Witherspoon takes his job as drill instructor of this on-the-beach boot camp as seriously as a torn quadricep. For at least seven years, the professional bodybuilder and former college football player has been shaping up recruits who willingly pay him to push them and their aching bodies to the brink of exhaustion and then some. Broken down into beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, A.L.I. Boot Camp utilizes a challenging regimen of cardiovascular and muscle training modeled, as its name suggests, on basic-training workouts employed by the military. But Witherspoon is no sadist: He sincerely wants his recruits to get in shape and stay there. And though participants will grimace far more often than they smile during a typical training session, it is nonetheless a fun and rewarding way to work out. Classes meet at 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8:30 a.m. (beginner) and 9:30 a.m. (intermediate/advanced) Saturdays at Polk Street and the Hollywood Broadwalk. A single class costs $12 for beginners and $17 for an intermediate/advanced session, though multiple-class and couple discounts are available.