Camp Fit with Carl 

Camp Fit with Carl
Camp Fit with Carl

Throughout this lockdown period cabaret artists and entertainers have had to diversify in order to adapt to losing their stages and bookings overnight. Many have turned their focus to leading virtual exercise classes. One of those is the habitually happy, string vest wearing Carl Harrison. QX’s Jason Reid found out more…  

Camp Fit looks like a lot of fun! Was it a totally lockdown inspired idea? 

Yes it was a lockdown idea only. I think the idea came about from wanting to do some exercise, teach some exercise, but also really missing having a night out. Trying to find a way to bring some of those disco tunes into the world of exercise. And obviously I’m a big fan of the likes of Jane Fonda and Mr Motivator – absolute camp icons. So I thought I’d try to follow in their footsteps. 

How has it been received? 

The response has been overwhelmingly positive which I really wasn’t expecting. Lots of people seem to really love it. A lot of people who don’t exercise anymore, or have given up on exercise, have come back to it. The demographic is gays and mums, I’d say. I get a lot of women from that exercise era when legs, bums and tums was their thing. Then obviously the guys like it for the tunes and the lack of clothing. So win-win.

Who can take part? 

The class is available to everybody as it’s free, and it’s on Facebook live. It’s go-at-your-own-pace, but it isn’t easy, there’s a lot of repetition, however you can just do some of it and modify almost all the steps to suit the kind of ability that you’re at. I’m finding ways to make it more disabled inclusive and also for the visually and hearing-impaired. At the moment I haven’t got to that part of it but it is something I’m looking at. Each class is a lot fun, so I suppose just watching it feels like a workout. 

Have you always been a fitness fanatic?

I am a professional dancer and I’m also a qualified yoga teacher. In recent years I’ve kind of got more into the cabaret circuit, doing numbers and showtunes. So it feels like a nice mix of bringing all those things together in one place. I think that’s kind of how I arrived at it. It’s a way of bringing that camp into the world of exercising. 

What’s do you think will be the enduring message you’ll take away from this lockdown? 

I think slowing down seems to be good for everybody. It seems to have made everybody a lot nicer. So, do a lot less… and it’s been a good time to put things into perspective. One of the the main things I’ve learned is that I need to improve my Wi-Fi and broadband provider. 

Camp Fit broadcasts on Facebook Live every Weds, Thurs, Fri at 10am and Sat at noon. 

Camp Fit
Camp Fit
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