Doha’s only got one hill and I’ve grown to loathe it. Yes, it looks lush and green, children love rolling down it… but when I’m ordered to run up it several times in succession, I know it’s a truly evil hill. I blame boot camp for my newfound hill loathing, but then I’d also have to blame boot camp for my improved stamina, increased energy and rather impressive, even if I say so myself, biceps (but we’re not talking Madonna meets Iggy Pop, honest). Boot camp is a military-lite exercise club, which meets in parks around Doha and on the Corniche. It’s led by UK fitness trainer Graeme Pattison, who’s been in Doha for three years. ‘The idea has been around a long time in the UK, but in Doha it’s taken a while because there was a lack of suitable places – there was only the Corniche. But, when the new park opened by Villaggio Mall, it gave us the incentive.’

As someone who is generally fairly idle and finds gyms utterly tedious, boot camp delivers a most useful kick up the backside – that’s metaphorical, Graeme hasn’t yet resorted to physical chastisement, but he has been known to shout. An assessment before you start the course ensures Graeme knows what you’re capable of – so when he shouts ‘Come on Fi, faster, you can do better than that’ – he’s usually right. But at least he resists adding: ‘You horrible little oik.’

I’ve never been a fan of large exercise classes for two reasons: I have zero co-ordination (aerobics-type classes make me weep) and if I can hide in the lycra-clad crowd, I make less effort. But at boot camp, it’s more like circuit training with no ‘grapevines’ or tricksy dance steps; the numbers are limited and for larger groups, there are often two instructors. ‘Nobody gets lost in the crowd,’ says Graeme. ‘We know where everyone is at, we know when they need pushing and we know how to encourage them. Some people need to be constantly encouraged and, it’s strange, but some people do seem to like being shouted at.’

And as well as the poor co-ordination and idleness I’ll also ’fess up to an extremely low boredom threshold. But the ever-changing nature of boot camp keeps me on my toes in more ways than one. Each session brings new fiendish but fun combinations from Graeme: sprinting races; hopping; commando crawling; boxing (pads, not noses); skipping; throwing heavy medicine balls at, sorry, to, each other; sit ups. . .

Paul Austin, a British project manager with Qatar Gas, has been going to boot camp’s evening sessions since May to tackle the dreaded Doha stone (he gamely admits to three). ‘I went there for weight loss’ he says. ‘I’ve always been one of these people who couldn’t do much on my own. I’d go to the gym, but after about 20 minutes I got bored. I found Graeme and the other instructors easy to work with – I thought with the name boot camp it might be a bit pushy, but it’s not. There’s motivation there, but not an army type thing where you must do 50 press ups. They let you go at your own pace.’

So far, Paul has lost a stone and a half and says he is able to do a lot more in the classes than when he started. ‘The fitness tests are good, I can really see how I’ve come on,’ he says.

Exercising with a team of other people is pretty motivating too, and while there is some competition – ‘yes, I beat her and she’s 10 years younger than me, hah’ – there is mainly harmonious, if sweaty, co-operation.

There are sessions in several venues in Doha, including a new one at Education City. You can come over all mysterious and tell friends you are going on ‘Night Ops’ (the evening boot camp session) or ‘Dawn Patrol’ (you can figure that one out . . .). There’s also a post school run women-only ‘GI Jane’ session. They are all outside, apart from the Janes, who are using an indoor gym hall until it cools down a bit.

For me, exercising in the fresh, albeit sometimes slightly dusty, air is much more enjoyable than being stuck in a gym with MTV blaring out. However, groups of people exercising outside with a trainer, is a relatively new sight in Qatar and we have attracted some curious onlookers: locals have been known to park themselves on a bench centre stage and gawp in amused wonder at these red-faced, sweaty figures running around like overgrown, and rather wobbly children. But, give me a little public indignity over the mind-numbing tedium of a gym treadmill, any day.
More info at the website, www.bootcampqatar.com, or call Graeme on 685 4556.