BOOT camp. The very phrase brings to mind a terrifying physical assault on your body, where you're pushed above and beyond what you're capable of.

Ask the vast majority of people what they envisage going through on a boot camp course and chances are thoughts of being made to go on endless runs until you're sick or pass out, while a deranged drill sergeant periodically bellows at you to drop and give him twenty, will go through their head.

Thankfully the reality is very different, and the perception isn't putting Bucks residents off wanting to test themselves.

In fact it's proving so popular that Maidenhead-based Trojan Training has just kicked off a second boot camp out of Beaconsfield Rugby Club after running sessions with great success for nearly three years.

Trojan's founder and director Chris Lee, a former army fitness instructor, admits the perception of boot camp can make people wary about what they're letting themselves in for.

But he said once people throw themselves into the thick of things they soon find they enjoy it.

He said: "The biggest thing we've found is everybody, without exception and regardless of their fitness, perceives themselves as not being fit enough to do it.

"There's this fear of the unknown. They think, 'I'm not ready for that - two hours is going to be full on and it's too much for me'. Once we've convinced them to try it and defused that fear, 100 per cent of the time people will say, 'I really enjoyed that'.

"People fear they are going to be doing a circuit for two hours, going round and round and round. What we do is small chunks of lots of different things, so the time goes really quickly.

"I think that's the biggest surprise for people, how quickly the time flies. You do lots of little things rather than one thing consistently, where you just get bored."

Jumping over tyres, running through rivers and boxing are some of the activities participants can expect while they're being put through their paces by Trojan's instructors, as well as intense aerobic workouts in weekday hour-long boot camps.

It's physically demanding but nothing to be fearful of - and that's the final word of advice from Chris for people who are still undecided about whether to take the plunge or not.

He said: "People will have that fear and think it's too difficult. Just turn up and ignore that fear that every single person has."

Top tips for getting into shape for summer

1. Set goals that are SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based.
2. Drink two litres of water a day.
3. Follow the eating plan of Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper, as your body needs more energy at the start of the day.
4. Reduce starchy carbs from breads, pasta and rice in your diet and get more carbs from green vegetable and salad.
5. Increase protein intake to stabilise blood sugar levels.
6. Try to be active or exercise every day, even if it's a 20 minute walk at lunch time.
7. Add resistance training to improve muscle toning and help you burn more calories when resting.
8. Exercise with friends.
9. Take yourself out of your comfort zone to achieve greater results.

For more details go to www.trojantraining.co.uk.