Think back to the ‘Rocky' movies. No, not the part of him drinking down a dozen raw eggs or running up the steps to the Philadelphia museum, but the part where Rocky is getting punched in the stomach to build up his abs. Well, to Mr Balboa I say “you're a wus, a pansy”. If the Italian Stallion had turned up to this weekend's boot camp he would have come up short.When I read that this was the Manix weekend boot camp, and that it was going to be held in Dockyard, I wasn't sure if Manix was a place, person or thing. As it turned out, it was a person a boxing coach and prison officer. A man who could have given any Sergeant Major in the British Army a run for their money.The greeting from Manix came with a warning, “I will push you, I will be in your face and you will feel pain.” My reaction was “yeah, yeah bring it on Manix bring it on”. Do me a favour please? The next time I say that, give me a good kick in the tail. I think I went into this whole exercise cocky and over-confident. The warm-up exercises were done under the Clock Tower in Dockyard. The warm-up was different to say the least. It was done to the tale of taking a walk to the beach. Okay, I see the look. Let me explain. Manix starts out like this, “Right we are walking to the beach”, so we walk in place. “oh, you dropped your towel; so bend down to pick up the towel then. Oh, you dropped you water, pick up the water.” You're catching on now right? Well, it wasn't long before we were ducking under branches, jumping over logs, running from pit bulls, then going for a imaginary swim and trying to get away from Jaws. It was by far the most entertaining and imaginative warm-up exercise I've ever done.What followed next was a run around Dockyard, followed by push-ups, mountain climbs and burpies, with Manix carrying a log for a little motivation. It's amazing how you can reach inside and find that little bit more when you have a 230-pound man shouting in your ear carrying a piece of wood the size of a small child.I have never been able to use a skipping rope, and I knew one day I would have to in this 100-Day Challenge, and this was the day. Alright Skinner, give this a go. Well let this be a warning, if you give me a piece of rope I will hang myself and anyone else standing too close by. Even the intrepid camera people decided it was in their best interest for their own safety and the safety of their equipment to keep a safe distance. Sure, there were some that took pity on me and tried to mend my ways, but it wasn't long before even they gave up and left me to my own demise.So comes the core exercise. Now after working for many years in the newspaper business, you train your eyes and ears not to miss the tinniest nugget of information that you might come across. What I picked up next was Manix saying “Of course I won't be doing this to the women”. Do what? Hey, we are all in this together. Has no one told Manix about women's lib? I thought to myself, this can't be good, but hey, me and my testicular fortitude can handle anything. Umm, remember what I said about the kick in the rear, well now is the time.There we were working the core, laying on some concrete. I had my legs off the ground and was doing scissors when all of a sudden out of nowhere I felt a huge pressure on my stomach. I've been working my abs for nearly four months now, and have never felt this before. Well Skinner you wouldn't have, because you have never had a 230-pound man standing on your stomach. He jumps off to seek out the next person with male genitalia. Okay that was tough, but not unbearable.Now it's time for a little demonstration. “Right look this way, this is what I'm going to be doing next,” said a grinning Manix. He got into plank position basically hold up your body with your elbows and toes, with your mid-section left exposed and invited one of the guys to kick in the mid-section as hard as he could. After I saw it the first time I reminded myself to look for the contract I signed before starting the 100-Day contest to see if I had missed some small print about agreeing to getting the $#%^ kicked out of me for the viewers' enjoyment.The weird and worrying thing was nobody tried to make a break for it. I knew it was coming and in came one swift kick to the right side followed by a even better one to the left. That wasn't too bad. After the men finished their initiation ritual with the Adidas sneakers, we were then told that we would be having a 25-pound medicine ball thrown to the stomach area. Sure, easy enough, I knew this whole boot camp was coming to a end. I had survived the dealings of Manix. What else could he do to me? Yes, what else indeed? Well my boy Manix's aim was off by about 6 inches to the south of the stomach area to be more precise. I quickly forgot about the kicks to the abs and the standing on my stomach, and with a tear in my eye and my voice a few octaves higher than normal I returned the ball then thanked Manix for a most memorable Saturday morning.As I finish this weekly column it is with very mixed feelings. You see, I have come to the end of my journey on the 100-Day Challenge. I knew before I started that I would not be able to finish the challenge due to a prior personal commitment. But I have come away a much healthier and wiser person, thanks to my trainers Antoine Lee and Jenille Smith from Sea View Gym. They educated me on how to train my body and what foods to eat. At the risk of sounding like the Bowflex body commercial, “I'm 52 and I'm in better shape that I have ever been”. The weight I've lost unofficially is 24 pounds, so I'm pleased with that. I have also had the privilege to meet new friends who have decided to change their lives for the better and had the guts to do it in front of thousands of TV viewers. But none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for the organisers and sponsors of the challenge.Every Saturday morning boot camp was different and fun and everyone looked forward to them. I think it's been more than just a TV production to them. I think it's been more of a concern about the high incidence of obesity and diabetes in Bermuda very scary statistics. To them, I think Bermuda owes you a huge debt of gratitude.Personally I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read my column over the past weeks and making it one of the best-read pieces on The Royal Gazette website. I will be taking this knowledge that I have gained and putting it to good use and I will not be going back to my old lifestyle.To my team members, Team Sea View, I could have not done any of this without your support and encouragement. Thank you my friends and the best of luck with the rest of the challenge.