ACKFIT: The Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp

ACKfit participants running across Jetties Beach during the Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp.
A multigenerational group of ACKfit campers wearing blue shirts on Jetties Beach in Nantucket.
Starting back in 1998 and set against the picturesque backdrop of Jetties Beach on Nantucket, ACKfit is unique in its simplicity: internationally-recognized exercise physiologist Tom Holland, a handful of colored cones, four flags and more than 30 years of experience teaching group fitness. Every workout is designed to challenge everyone, from beginners to elite athletes, because each exercise can be scaled to any ability or fitness level. Throughout the camp, Tom teaches practical lessons about fitness, nutrition, and motivation, answers questions and even brings back a fiercely competitive adult version of Sharks and Minnows. But ACKfit is about more than exercise. It teaches the power of showing up every day and Tom’s philosophy of “Excessive Moderation” - doing a little, a lot. What began with just a few people eventually grew to nearly 100 campers, many of whom return year after year and have formed lifelong friendships along the way.
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A vintage ACKfit oval bumper sticker
Two ACKfit participants wearing matching blue camp shirts on Jetties Beach.
A woman doing walking lunges in the sand during an ACKfit workout on Nantucket.
2024 ACKfit Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp oversand exercise permit for Jetties Beach.
Tom Holland speaking with smiling ACKfit participants wearing blue camp shirts on Jetties Beach.
A long line of ACKfit campers performing the Rope Plyometric Drill on Jetties Beach.
  • FOX TV
    Andrea Metcalf, host of Better on FOX, travels to Nantucket to experience ACKfit firsthand.
    PLUM TV (2008)
    Gordon McGregor from PLUM TV tries the camp out for himself.
An ACKfit participant performing a forward lunge in the sand on Jetties Beach.
Black-and-white photograph of ACKfit campers completing a group exercise drill on the beach.
An ACKfit participant performing a bodyweight squat during a beach workout.
Father & son participants at the ACKfit Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp.
A large group of ACKfit campers celebrating the end of another great workout on Jetties Beach in Nantucket.
ACKfit founder Tom Holland appearing on television as a fitness expert.

Tom Holland MS, CSCS, CISSN

Tom Holland brings a rare combination of education, experience and real-world achievement to ACKfit. He holds a master’s degree in exercise science and sport psychology, is an adjunct professor, a certified sports nutritionist, the author of seven books and a nationally recognized fitness expert who has served as an expert witness in numerous fitness-related lawsuits. He is also an elite endurance athlete who has completed 28 Ironman triathlons and more than 80 marathons and ultramarathons. Yet what truly separates Tom is how he applies that knowledge: creating workouts that challenge people while minimizing risk, making every exercise scalable and ensuring that fitness remains safe, effective and, most importantly, fun
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2024 Father & son campers after an ACKfit workout on Jetties Beach.
Two mothers with their daughters wearing 2021 ACKfit shirts on Jetties Beach.
Vintage ACKfit Gear!

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GREENWICH TIME

In August 2002, ACKfit received its first major press when the Greenwich Time featured the Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp on its front page. The story, “Shaping Up by the Shore,” captured what made the camp special from the beginning: challenging workouts for all abilities, an unforgettable beach setting and a community that made getting fit fun - even while on vacation.
The 2002 Greenwich Time front page feature “Shaping Up by the Shore” about Tom Holland’s Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp.
First page of the Nantucket Life Magazine feature about Tom Holland and the Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp.
Second page of the Nantucket Life Magazine feature about Tom Holland’s fitness career and training philosophy.
Third page of the Nantucket Life Magazine feature about Tom Holland and his Nantucket fitness camp.

NantuCket LIFE Magazine

A large group of ACKfit participants gathered on the beach after a Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp Workout.
Campers sprinting during an ACKfit workout on Jetties Beach.
ACKfit campers doing burpees on the sand.
An ACKfit camper wearing a blue ACKfit T-shirt during the Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp.
Mother and daughter doing boxing drills during an ACKfit beach workout.
Father and son ACKfit camper on Jetties Beach.
A group of ACKfit campers warming up by running in place on the sand.
Vogue.com coverage mentioning Tom Holland’s annual Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp.
I fled New York City every Friday in July and headed to Nantucket, where, in between feasting on the island cuisine (21 Federal, Galley Beach, and Lo La 41), I managed to cobble together my own more relaxed version of triathlon training. For starters, I covered almost every inch of the fifteen-mile-wide island on a vintage turquoise-and-white Schwinn rented from Cook’s Cycle Shop. (Young’s and Nantucket Bike Shop are also great.)... I heard rumors of sunrise yoga at Jetties but I never got up that early; if you don’t mind working out indoors, I recommend Shadow Yoga at YogaSmith and spinning, Pilates, and sculpting classes at the Nantucket Health Club.) I replaced running with speed walking, and made a quick dash to town (don’t miss the Capri-inspired sandal company Il Sandalo and Lady Bird Lingerie). I rounded out my training with beach walks and dune climbs on Surfside, Cisco, or Ladies (with stops for handstands and cartwheels) . The eleventh annual Nantucket Beach Fitness Camp—cardio drills, plyometric and agility stations, and team relays—organized by fitness expert Tom Holland will take place this week and next (spots are still open). Sadly, I will miss it as I’m spending my next two weekends on Lake Placid and the North Fork of Long Island where I look forward to discovering new ways to keep moving.
ACKfit participants doing skaters in the sand during the stations portion of the workout on Jetties Beach.
ACKfit founder Tom Holland with a journalist who participated in a session on Jetties Beach.
Brothers who participated in both weeks of ACKfit.

More Than a Workout

ACKfit is a proven outdoor fitness program built from more than 30 years of group-fitness experience and over two decades of real-world success on Nantucket. Interested in bringing the ACKfit experience to your own community? Visit the Start An ACKfit Camp page to learn more.