Picture of Health: Scott McKay and Shelly Hawk McKay

Scott McKay and Shelly Hawk McKay are the ultimate workout warriors.

The couple met online in 2014 through Plenty of Fish, and while working out was a common interest, it wasn’t a bonding point for them until a year into the relationship. That's when they entered a Savage Race, a mud obstacle course, in Dade City. They had such a fun time, they entered more and more races of its ilk.

Now, Scott said, their bedroom is filled with prizes from these events, which are usually strange — pig skulls and battle swords among them.

In April 2017, Scott began attending an F3 — Fitness, Fellowship and Faith — bootcamp on Saturday mornings. He would come home exhausted, but feeling great, he said, and tell Shelly about the class. She was happy for him, she said, but also felt left out. Saturday mornings used to be the time the couple worked out together, holding makeshift circuit training sessions with a handful of friends and then, sometimes, running a duathlon as a couple.

“I finally said to him, ‘What happened to our thing?’” Shelly said.

As a compromise, they decided to start doing a similar workout together. The problem? No outdoor classes offered what they were looking for, they said. The outdoor part is important: Shelly and Scott believe it vital to practice where you compete, and you don’t run races indoors. Shelly said they think learning to handle the heat is part of their “upper edge.”

So, they decided to start their own mixed-gender group, called F5 Community Bootcamp. Held at Lakewood Ranch’s Greenbrook Adventure Park, the class’ circuits vary slightly, but can include anything from traditional bicep curls to sledgehammer slams and pulling massive tires. Shelly said she burns between 800-1,200 calories a session.

The “Community” part of the name is recently added, in part because Scott and Shelly want the workouts to be a way to form friendships as well as muscles. Participants are given class nicknames based on personal hobbies or their careers, including “Turbulence,” “Cayenne” and “Etsy.” The camaraderie on display makes people stick around. The class started with five participants, and now is up to 20-35 a session.

The class is free, and always will be free. They have been blessed in life, they said, so offering this group setting for people to exercise is a form of giving back. Shelly was a single mom before meeting Scott, she said. She knows that finances can be a challenge.

All experience levels are welcome at F5. For beginners wanting to try this or any other group, Scott said the trick is forcing yourself to come session after session. The group makes an effort to make everyone feel comfortable, encouraging newcomers to do less reps if they get tired.

“Just because you can’t keep up doesn’t mean you can’t show up,” Scott said, reading a motivational quote off a social media site. “I like that idea a lot.”

The class is held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at both 7 and 9 a.m., and Saturdays at 9 a.m.