Can you get in shape and drink beer? The couple behind Denver’s Brewery Boot Camp say yes! Lindsay and Paul Chavez opened this unique fitness idea a few years ago and now Colorado fitness buffs can enjoy a pulse pounding workout complete with weights, bands, and medicine balls and then sip a delicious Colorado craft beer afterwards. It’s an idea that makes us say, why didn’t we think of that?

The Chavez’ opened Brewery Boot Camp in 2015 when both wanted to do something different after working for a national fitness chain. What started as a way for friends and family to share workouts with the social element of a beer afterwards has grown into a full time business.

“We started holding, we called them weekend workouts, at parks and things,” says Lindsay. “Then half the time we’d finish the work out and I’d say, ‘Let’s go grab a beer!’ We figured why not combine the two.”

The duo held their first official Brewery Boot Camp at Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora the second week of December 2015. By February they had five breweries involved. Today they have 43 outlets including breweries in Golden, Littleton, and Highlands Ranch. A year ago February, they opened a permanent facility called BBC Headquarters in Centennial on the northeast corner of Colorado Boulevard and County Line Road. After the brewery classes, participants can enjoy a discount on their first beer.  

“We want to provide fitness to anyone and everyone,” Lindsay says. “Our motto is ‘You cannot be physically fit if you are not mentally fit’.”

In September the couple hosts a Brewery Boot Camp for Breast Cancer charity workout that has raised thousands of dollars for Drink for Pink, a local organization that funds cancer research here in Colorado.

“This is our third year doing the event and we raised over $7,500 [last] year,” she says proudly.

Both Colorado natives, the Chavez’ have degrees in Health and Exercise Science from CSU and are both certified personal trainers. Lindsay also provides certified nutrition coaching. Brewery Boot Camps are $10 per class at various locations and times. Not sure if boot camp is for you? Your first class is free to try. Registration and weekly schedules are available on the website. There are regular classes on Mondays at Lone Tree Brewing in Centennial and at Landlocked Ales in Lakewood on Tuesdays.

Photos by Carrie Dow