COP THIS

WHO Magazine

Words: MELINDA ALDRIDGE

Even though she's just a pretend cop in TV's Blue Heelers, Caroline Craig knows the jobs pitfalls - she constantly has a bruise on her hip from carrying around a gun, radio, capsicum spray and cuffs. "I'm walking around all like the Michelin Man half the time," she says, but "it gives you a feeling of authority, so I love it."

Set the challenge of the extremely popular Original Bootcamp program - sessions are similar to Army and Marine training and are run in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide - Craig was pumped. "It's more fun if you can get into the group dynamic," says the NIDA graduate. "That's what the combat thing is all about, just doing it, no matter how much you want to stop."

Though Craig found the 75-minute session of hanging crunches (only for the extremely fit), high knee lifts, leopard crawling and push-ups in the water "punishing" Boot Camps founder, ex-infantry soldier James Brabon, was impressed. "I gave her a few of the more challenging activities which she handled very well," he says.

Craig is back for more 6 am starts, having enrolled in a month-long course with her boyfriend, engineer Tim Stephens, 32. "I have to do classes like this, otherwise I slack off," she says. Her favorite part? "Running on the sand. You feel like you're in Coolangatta Gold!" The sequel perhaps?