Bootcamp queen Karolina keeps people on their toes

City Lives –  Bernie Ní Fhlatharta meets Polish-born Karolina Piskorz, who’s made Galway her home

It’s hard to believe that Karolina Piskorz, the woman who keeps dozens of men and women on their toes with her bootcamp keep-fit sessions, is shy.

This is the woman who drives her keep-fit enthusiasts hard because she doesn’t believe in doing anything by halves.

Her instructions are delivered in a firm, staccato tone and she goes around the class to ensure that everyone is doing the moves the right way. She is a perfectionist after all.

Karolina is just 32 but she could easily pass for a woman in her twenties. She keeps to a strict daily keep-fit regime, but that’s out of necessity to overcome a condition she was diagnosed with in her native Poland when she was just a teenager.

She was told she has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine and kyphosis, an over-curvature of the upper spine which could lead to a hunched back.

Karolina was advised to exercise to overcome the medical condition. Once she started she decided to explore further and went on to qualify as a keep-fit instructor in Poland and when she came to Dublin on an internship for one month to learn English eight years ago and decided to stay in Ireland, she re-qualified so that she could work as a gym instructor in her adopted country.

She ended up living in Dublin for six years working at different things before coming to live in Claregalway, where she was part of the Big Loser weight-loss challenge, of which the Connacht Tribune group was a media partner. Two years later she moved to the city; being a city girl at heart, she missed the urban life.

Karolina runs her keep fit classes in the Castlegar GAA clubhouse where she has developed a keen following.

“I think people like the way I mix different fitness trends like boxercise, yoga moves, pilates, aerobics and functional training. And I do a good bootcamp. If people are serious about getting fit, then they come to my bootcamp. I don’t make it easy but boot camp isn’t supposed to be easy,” she says in her lovely Polish accent. She is not smiling and she is not being sardonic. She means exactly what she says.

That’s probably what’s unique about Karolina. She calls it as it is but she does it with genuine care. She listens to her clients and gives them individual attention when required.

“What I do is body balance. People go to the gym but they may not always be doing the right exercises for them, or might not be doing them the right way. I have to set hard goals but I like that people achieve them in their own comfort zone.”

She assures that she only gives instructions she knows people can achieve. The beginners are set different routines to the intermediates and advanced and music is an integral part of the class, to help people stay focused.

“It’s always the same exercises but adjusted depending on the individual. I loved working with The Biggest Loser as personal trainer. People had goals and I helped them achieve them. That was great.

“For myself, if I can say, the most important is to show that all my adventure with the fitness industry started from my spine condition and when fitness was ‘prescribed’ it just became my passion. I love teaching classes, and I love being there with and for people.  My boot camps are not only about proper posture but of course about getting fit and getting that healthy shape.”

She stresses that there are a number of benefits to regular training and she always promotes this aspect. To her, training is part of life and believes everyone should include it in their routine to keep healthy.

Anything she introduces to her classes, whether new fitness trends or tips on nutrition, she has tried herself first.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.