With their wedding days fast approaching, many brides feel the need to take a walk on a treadmill before they take a walk down the aisle.

Maybe you’ve always been a little self-conscious of your ‘flabby’ upper arms, or maybe the stress of planning and sampling the items on every catering menu on the Island have led to a few extra pounds around your midsection and now the perfect dress is a little too snug.

“Everyone should look great on that ‘special day’,” says Steve Burgess, owner and trainer for the Bridal Bootcamp.

The Bridal Bootcamp provides a regimented fitness programme which is “fun, yet challenging”. It is targeted towards brides and their bridal party, as well as any family and friends looking to offer a little moral support or who want to blast away those unsightly love handles themselves. Since March, 2006, they have had 70 participants in their Bridal Bootcamp programme.

After setting a Bermuda national record of one minute 47 seconds for 800 meters, the University of Georgia graduate became a personal trainer/International Association of Athletics Federation level one coach for national team development in 1989.

“As assistant coach at the University of Georgia, I realised a passion for helping others succeed in athletics,” he explains of his decision to become a personal trainer. “Upon that foundation we built a personal training fitness company which now has boot camps as one of the programmes.”

The team is rounded out by Victoria Fiddick who heads up the “Back to Basics” Corporate Fitness Training programme, and Tony Bean, a former junior athlete whom Burgess helped train. After returning to Bermuda, Bean came on board as a fitness/nutrition consultant and now assists urges with the boot camps, doing everything from training to developing and advising Burgess’ clients of proper nutrition plans — his university speciality.

According to Burgess, most women are just looking to slim down for their big day: “With toning of the arms and abs a high priority.”

The sessions, held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for an hour, and every Saturday morning for two hours, incorporate all types of exercises, from hill climbs to callisthenics.

“Presently, the group size is six to nine persons,” Burgess says. “Occasionally we will get a call for a private, one on one class. One bride had only private sessions for her programme. Another trained alone on her wedding day at 7 a.m., before her hair appointment. Unbelievable! She had the day planned to the minute!”

A Bootcamp session will run you about $100 per person, per month, while a personal training session can range from $65 to $100 per hour.

Burgess attributes the success of the programme to the motto he lives his life by — “strive for excellence”.

“I’ve imparted that to the thousands of people we’ve trained,” he explains. “I care for every athlete on an individual basis. I fully realise that exercise can be challenging and I believe that if you provide the effort, I’ll be there to guide and support you.”

His advice to soon-to-be-brides looking to lose a few extra pounds before taking that slow walk down the aisle:

“Develop a plan and schedule. Allocate a certain time for fitness in amongst you daily routine and activities.

“It is amazing how, as the pressure and stress builds towards the ‘big day’, how fitness will serve to be your best friend. It will allow you to escape for a moment and recharge your batteries,” he notes. “If you have a trainer or are in Bootcamp, this will be your outlet.”