Their journey started 14 months ago. 

And now, Julie McKenna, a graduate of Pilgrim High School in Warwick, and Tory Brody Holmes, a graduate of Cranston High School East, have finished what they call their “passion project,” which is a brand new fitness location on Bald Hill Road.

“Burn Boot Camp” is where they’ll be doing machine-less 45 minute intensive fitness “camps” starting with their grand opening sign-up day this Sunday, Oct. 21.

Balancing the process of creating this new fitness location – all with their own money, as despite it being a franchise they were not given any financial help by corporate, they said – with their own full-time jobs and families, has made their lives extra busy during these last fourteen months.

But their passion for working out — McKenna said they both did sports growing up, and competed in college sports as well, and fitness has always been important to them and their families — and for creating the first Burn Boot Camp in Rhode Island has kept them going, and has paid off with the completion of the location in the same plaza as Staples, across from Target on Bald Hill Road. 

McKenna said they first learned about Burn Boot Camp through a college friend of Holmes, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Tori’s friend kept posting on Facebook about this amazing workout,” she said.  “We traveled down to North Carolina, went to nine locations in the area, and fell in love with the philosophy and the workouts.  We decided we needed to bring this to Rhode Island.”

Holmes said that this “philosophy” was to create a strong community of people who want to help other people.

“It was such a nice community,” she said.  “Nowadays there’s such a lack of community and this was community without being cheesy or hokey, actually nice people cheering each other on and being supportive.”

She said they checked out the corporate headquarters, which is in Charlotte as well, looked at the nine locations, took part in camps, and decided it was the “vibe” they wanted.

“We jived with their philosophy,” Holmes said.

They then began searching for the right location in Rhode Island, and came upon Warwick because it was centrally located, and McKenna said that they “know the people in Warwick,” having lived in and around the city their whole lives (aside from college).  She thought they could truly carry out their vision of creating a community out of their Burn Boot Camp.

Holmes said that the process of creating the facility has been challenging, but their “awesome families, really great husbands, parents, and siblings,” allowed them to put in the work and get it done, though McKenna said “if you were in two weeks ago, you would have never thought we’d be ready.”

“It’s a passion project,” McKenna added.  “You make time for what’s most important to you in life.  And this is what recharges our batteries.”

Now that the setup work has done though, the two are ready to begin their camps, which starts with their head trainer, Erica Dimanna, who McKenna calls their “Tom Brady” because she “quarterbacks” all of the training sessions.

Dimanna said that the camps, which happen in 7 45-minute stints per day, two of which are co-ed and five of which are only for women, focus on “functional fitness.”

“We don’t use any machines,” she said.  “Everything’s done with the body.  Dumbbells, kettlebells, ropes, suspension training.  Every day it’s going to be different – you’re never going to get the same workout twice.”

She said that every Sunday the trainers would come out with a new plan for the coming week, with a focus on different parts of the body each day.  She said that the workouts are intensive, but can be modified depending on each trainee’s fitness level, and she’s even seen pregnant women or women in postpartum doing the workouts.

Holmes added that her friend’s 68 year-old mom works out at a Burn Boot Camp, and the target audience for the camps is “20-something to whatever.”

McKenna said that in additional to Dimanna, there are one or two support trainers who will train “a few camps a week,” and assist in the workouts.  In addition, there are two “Burn ambassadors” who will be the “face of the gym” to communicate with any customers who have questions, and to market Burn’s additional products, like their nutritional supplements, which Holmes said are all “whole food” and health-focused.

A unique facet of the place is their childcare room, which goes with their focus on reaching women.  McKenna said there are three employees hired specifically to work with children while their moms – or dads – are in their boot camps.

In terms of membership prices, they said that the first 30 days after signup are free, beginning with their opening day signup on Oct. 21. McKenna said people can come completely free for the first thirty days, which will include free child watch, free focus meetings, and free nutritional classes.  During that time period, she said corporate analyzes how well the location does, and will decide on membership prices then.

Holmes and McKenna both stressed how much they want to create a community of people through this, and be a positive force in that community.  McKenna said they’ve already been getting out through sponsoring 5K races/golf tournaments, setting up tables at local stores, and going into schools to entice teachers into working out. 

 “We want to empower people in this negative climate,” Holmes said.  “It’s nice to have a positive place to go where you build each other up and it can be a safe place.  We want to make it a destination.”