FITNESS fans are being encouraged to sign up for a new beach boot camp - in a bid to address rising health problems.

Personal trainers Adam Taylor and Duncan Ward, who have both recently moved to Bournemouth, have started The Sandbanks Beach Club and are running free sessions until Thursday, June 8.

Although they expect participants to work hard, 30-year-old Adam insisted the beach boot camp was “not military”, but about “having fun with “like-minded people”.

“Our main aim with this beach boot camp is to get more people in the local community regularly participating in exercise,” Adam explained.

“This is due to the growing number of health-related issues that are occurring throughout the UK.

“Also, we aim to make the beach boot camp more of a social environment where like-minded people can come and train, have fun, and meet new people, which are all important factors in the long-term aim of getting people to commit to physical activity.”

As well as aerobic exercise, the boot camp will feature resistance training, boxing, and strength and conditioning exercises.

“It’s a full-packed hour,” Adam said, “But the sessions are open to any age range and a mixture of abilities. It could be someone’s first step into fitness and, hopefully, change their life.

“A previous client of mine lost 40kg in two years and eventually ran a marathon.”

He continued: “We’ll be working hard during the sessions, and every technique has got to be good so people are functional and flexible.

“However, we wanted to put a different spin on the military boot camps so that there is a social aspect. We’ve teamed up with a local café where we can meet and enjoy some ‘naughty’ food afterwards.”

The sessions take place on Tuesdays from 6.30pm-7.30pm and Thursdays from 7pm-8pm. Participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes beforehand to sign up.

The free sessions run until June 8. After that date, first sessions are free and cost £4 thereafter.

To find out more, visit facebook.com/thesandbanksbeachclub/