Vanessa Herrmann was in pretty good shape when she got engaged in January 2010. But when she envisioned herself walking down the aisle in her mermaid-style strapless wedding gown, pretty good just wasn't good enough.

"I hadn't been working out consistently, and I knew I had to put on this wedding dress," says Herrmann, 28. "I really wanted to feel better and tone up. It's having that one day that you want to look awesome."

Tired of the monotony of the gym and looking for a new challenge, Herrmann joined Adventure Boot Camp for Women of Westchase and Pinellas, at www.bootcamprocks.com, five months before her wedding.

She woke up before dawn five days a week to take part in the hour-long exercise class in the parking lot of Westchase Elementary School. Herrmann says on her wedding day, Feb. 26, she saw noticeable improvements.

"I definitely lost several pounds, I tightened up and people actually noticed the results," says Herrmann enthusiastically. She rejoined the boot camp right after her wedding. "It was wonderful. And overall, for the planning of the wedding, it really helped me from a stress management standpoint."

There's nothing quite like saying "I do" to motivate women to get in shape.

Adventure Boot Camp for Women is for brides-to-be who want to get buff and women who are looking for an alternative to the gym setting, who want to feel healthier or who just want to jumpstart their fitness program.

The boot camp features intense interval training, with exercises that focus on strength, endurance, cardio and core. It also targets areas of the body most brides want to emphasize on their wedding day: the arms, back and shoulders.

"Many ladies have dreamed of this day for a long time," says owner John Kent, 42. "They have a picture in their mind of their wedding day and how they will look. When they slip into that dress, I want them to feel confident and beautiful."

Kent says many of his clientele in their 30s are brides to be, while women in their 40s and older are mainly looking to lose weight and get healthier. Before camp starts, each woman's medical history is reviewed, and her weight and body measurements are taken.

Kent says he and his instructors don't behave like drill sergeants during workouts. They prefer to encourage attendees and make the workouts fun.

"We don't need to break anybody down,' says Kent, who seems to have boundless energy. "I don't expect perfection, I only expect progression. Our job is to inspire them and get them going in the right direction."

It's still dark outside when the women arrive with their dumbbells, a mat and water, ready to work out.

Instructor Beau Beauchamp leads them through a series of exercises that include sprints, jumping jacks, pushups, planks and a series of arm exercises using dumbbells. Then it's on to his "toys," which include medicine balls, hula-hoops and "battle ropes," thick, heavy ropes the women take turns lifting in the air and slamming to the ground.

"Stand up nice and tall, ladies. Keep that chin up, chest up and shoulders back," Beauchamp says. "Core is nice and activated; looking good, ladies. Looking strong,"

"I never pushed myself this hard," says Lisa Matricardi, 45, a stay-at-home mom who recently joined the boot camp to get in better shape. "I've exercised all my life and I always felt like 'thank goodness it's over (when finished). But for the most part, this is over before you know it. And you push yourself a little harder each time."

Participants can expect to lose 8 to 12 pounds; one to two dress sizes, and 3 percent to 5 percent body fat during a four-week program, which also includes an eating plan.

The boot camp runs for four weeks, five days a week or three days a week for one hour a day.

"(Four weeks) is a long enough time to see results, but a short enough time to pay attention," Kent says. "Everybody needs an exact start point and end point if they are going to perform at a high level."