Through taking the Intro to Bootcamp for Athletes Physical Education Course, Bryen Chen ’19, 6-2, found himself consistently pushing past his limits by setting and achieving new fitness goals. He admitted that this mindset even transferred into the world of MIT academics where he felt more able to persevere during the most difficult of weeks.
So, then: what is Intro to Bootcamp for Athletes?
“The class was fun and challenging, and as long as you put in the effort to participate and challenge yourself in class, your physical ability will increase by the end of the class,” Bryen shared. “Since it’s a combination of cardio and high-intensity circuits, it builds both stamina and power, and it’s a great workout for the hour.”
As the course has a fitness assessment on the first and last days of class, Bryen was proud to see improvement in his performance. “My favorite memory was on the last day of bootcamp when we did our post-test. I felt proud of myself when I saw that my results in both my cardio and physical strength improved dramatically,” Bryen shared.
Bryen explained that the in-class community and instructor made his experience possible: “The community was very supportive of each other and challenged each other to do better, which was a great community to have when you start to get tired from the workout or don’t feel motivated,” Bryen shared. “They allowed me to perform not only for myself, but to have something to compete against and strive to be better with each other.”
Before taking the Intro to Bootcamp for Athletes course, Bryen thought this kind of class would mirror his previous experiences with bootcamp-type classes. This time, he was pleasantly surprised: “I imagined the class would be boring because most classes that implement circuits and high-intensity training tended to not be fun in my past experience. Bootcamp, however, was actually a fun experience because of both the classmates and the teacher’s enthusiasm to help students.”
In addition to pouring into MIT academics, Bryen shared that the attitude he formed in Intro to Bootcamp for Athletes followed him into his other fitness hobbies. He now creates feasible fitness goals and pushes himself to achieve them as much as he can.
In his free time, Bryen swims, weight-lifts, and participates in competitive dance. His ultimate career goal revolves around helping society by programming for a company, co-founding a start-up, or working as an independent contractor.