MILITARY MANEUVERS YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SOLDIER TO WORK OUT LIKE ONE.

Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer

Nobody loafs at Barry's Bootcamp in Sherman Oaks, where bodies and treadmills take a pounding. The aerobic portion of the class simulates hilly terrain on the treadmill, with instructor Mark Harari barking orders to alter speed and incline - mostly up and up.

At the peak, the class sprints at what feels like a 60-degree incline. The two 15-minute blocks on the treadmill are broken up by intense strength training and resistance work. Quads are soon burning from squats and lunges. By the time Harari announces the final set of ab-killing contortions, the water bottles are empty and the towels are drenched with sweat.

Yet people like 26-year-old Jessica Friedman keep coming back for more.

``Initially I thought, 'Oh my God, I don't know if I can do this,'' says the Tarzana resident. ``It's addictive. You never plateau. You never feel like you're not gaining.''

Barry's Bootcamp opened in West Hollywood five years ago and expanded to a second studio in Sherman Oaks last August. As if the hourlong boot camp class wasn't hard-core enough, Barry's offers a four-week military-style academy class, where recruits pay for each others transgressions. Don't show up? The rest of the class does extra push-ups. Hop off the treadmill instead of slowing to a stop? The person on the next treadmill drops and gives the instructor 20.

``It's what they use in the Army,'' says co-owner Rachel Mumford.

In the regular boot camp class, Harari pushes but doesn't punish. Not everybody hits the speed and incline numbers that he calls out. That's OK as long as they're trying.

``Motivation is a huge thing, both from the instructors and the people around you,'' Harari says. ``We have people in great shape, and we have quite a few who haven't worked out in a long time.''

The beauty of boot camp is that it's built around basics - running and strength training. Newcomers don't have to learn any particular moves or skills. They don't have to be adrenalin junkies. They just have to be willing to sweat.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Barry's Bootcamp is at 14622 Ventura Blvd., Suite 201, in Sherman Oaks. Call [phone] or visit www.barrysbootcamp.com for more information.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) On the cover: Brandy McKay sweats her way through a session at Barry's Bootcamp in Sherman Oaks.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

(2 -- 3) Haidi Harrison stretches a rubber resistance band with her feet and then does some ab work along with the rest of her Barry's Bootcamp class in Sherman Oaks. Left, she keeps a dumbbell in the air during one portion of the boot camp session, where motivation from instructors and fellow classmates helps push participants to work harder.

(4) It's not all push-ups and sit-ups in the boot camp workout, which includes plenty of cardio.

(5) For those who need a figurative kick in the pants, boot camp classes may be the next best thing to actually enlisting in the military.