NORTH BEND – It has all the fun of grade-school gym class, but without the drill sergeant-esque brow-beating by your mustachioed fourth-grade physical education teacher.

Kickball and dodgeball, among other school yard favorites, are part of John Colver’s AdventureX fitness class at Si View Community Center.

The Scottish former Ironman contestant has designed a unique exercise regimen that he believes is ideal for North Bend terrain with its extensive trail system. His three-pronged exercise philosophy includes adventure, fitness and community to fashion a workout that’s always fresh; combining lots of different games and activities to keep people from getting bored while still getting results.

“My experience is that you have to have all three. It’s pretty hard to fail if you have all three,” said Colver, who noted that getting people to enjoy exercise is key to getting them to reach their fitness goals. “I think there’s a million reasons to quit an exercise program. We’ve created an environment where people feel really welcome. It’s a strong group. That really stands out.”

Colver said, according to the American Council of Exercise, less than 10 percent of gym-goers achieve their goals.

“I think it’s just a fact of life; they start an exercise program and don’t continue it for one reason or another. We seem to get past a lot of those issues,” he said.

The class is a mix of cardio and strength work including some circuit training. Colver strives to put together a program that is non-threatening to all ranges of abilities. The classes have an equal number of men and women and a spectrum of participants from those who have never done any exercise to those who are in great shape. Ages range from 14 to 61.

“It really works to have that range of people in the class. A lot of people say it reminds them of PE. A lot of the exercise is very basic; team games, dodgeball, relays,” said Colver.

When weather allows, the class does something outside, such as hiking near Rattlesnake Lake or Mount Si. During bad weather the group takes refuge in the Si View “1930s gym,” which Colver thinks is “beautiful.”

Colver grew up in Scotland and was a soldier in the British military where he trained other soldiers – some of his exercises are even borrowed from the military. He has been living in the United States for 15 years now and visits Scotland about once a year. Colver lives in Seattle, where he teaches another class, but adores North Bend.

“It’s kind of a stand-alone community, not a suburb of Seattle. From the terrain perspective having mountains, trails and lakes, I think you have huge opportunities that you don’t find in a lot of communities around Seattle,” he said.

Colver said a successful exercise regime has three phases: preconditioning, the first two to three weeks that serve to get the body used to moving; adaptation through week six, where the body is adapting to new exercises; and build-up through week 10, where people get results.

To maintain fitness after that point it’s best to work out at least three hours a week, Colver said. But for those who want to make larger advances, they should shoot for seven hours a week.

“Do two 90-minute sessions then go for a walk or bike for a half hour on one or two of the other days, and then on the weekend hike or bike,” he said.

People get the biggest breakthroughs around the fourth and fifth weeks when they really feel strong and see a difference. “A big part of what I’m doing is nurturing people through those first few weeks; most quit after three,” Colver said.

“My clients say they hate going to the gym and this is really a strong alternative for them because they get results but don’t have to go through the gym experience,” Colver said. Unlike the solitary gym experience, AdventureX participants know others are counting on them to show up. “I think the community is important as well, because you’re more likely to show up if you’re part of a training team.”

About half the people in Colver’s class want to lose weight and most want to lose between 15-20 pounds; others have lost 50-60. “We have a high success record in that department,” said Colver, who tries to pair people who want to lose weight with those who have already done so for support. “I’ve looked at it backwards and asked why don’t people succeed. My theory is they try too much too soon and get discouraged. We start out gentle and as they start to enjoy the exercise, it gets to be a successful situation.”

AdventureX also covers basic nutrition, how to eat right and portion sizes. The class runs year round except for the month of July, and people can join at any time.

* For information on the class, call Si View at (425) 831-1900, or go to “fitness classes” on the Si View Web site at www.siviewpark.org.

Staff Writer Melissa Kruse can be contacted at (425) 888-2311 or by e-mail at melissa.kruse@valleyrecord.com.