Our glutes are on fire, but Isaac Boots would like us to extend our quivering legs even further behind us.

“Straighter!” he yells. “Just like my mother wanted me!”

Boots’ signature TORCHD workout—which he originally created as a warmup for himself while performing on Broadway in shows like West Side Story—is no joke, with heart-pumping dance moves, never-ending planks, and shake-inducing pulses. And yet, if you don’t find yourself giggling at Boots’ irreverent comments and R-rated jokes, you’ll probably at least have a hard time resisting bopping along to his playlists, which usually include a healthy mix of Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, and always—always—Madonna.

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Whether he’s teaching in person or his daily Instagram class, Boots has a way of making you feel like he’s your BFF—all while challenging you to push through the burn; to hold the plank just a few seconds longer. Perhaps that’s why the trainer has developed such a following, both from the masses who take his virtual classes and follow him around the country to his TORCHD residencies, and the celebs—from Faye Dunaway to Gwyneth Paltrow to Kelly Ripa to Lisa Rinna—who swear by Boots’ methodology. 

This summer, Boots is taking TORCHD on tour, starting with a residency at Wequassett Resort & Golf Club on Cape Cod until July 27 in partnership with his go-to sneaker and workout apparel brand NOBULL. I caught up with Boots during his residency to talk TORCHD, Madonna, and how he brings much-needed queer joy to the fitness space.

How’s your summer going? 

It’s going great, it’s really busy. I’m really happy to be on the Cape, it’s my second time here and I fell in love with it. 

What made your workout such a good fit to bring to Wequassett and the Cape?

I was looking to have experiences with my followers in different markets that I don’t normally go to. I fell in love with the people here, I fell in love with the beautiful landscape. The energy here is very calm, very grounded. I’m from Hawaii originally, so I love being by the water. I love meeting all these fabulous people who do my workout online, and shaking their hands and getting to know them a little bit more. I feel very welcomed here. 

What do you like to do here when you’re not teaching?

Provincetown! It was my first time in Provincetown last year—I feel badly saying that. It was so magical there. I love driving up and down the coast; I love the interesting bookstores here that aren’t so corporate. I found some really great first editions of Gore Vidal’s work, and Christoper Isherwood, that you can’t really get in every bookstore. 

And the pool at Wequassett is so beautiful. I think because my work is so physical, when I do have the rare time off, I like to jump in the pool or lay out by the beach and read a great book. It’s so idyllic and luxurious in a down-to-earth, New England way. 

After my shower, I do a full Joan Crawford ice facial; non-negotiable. It feels so good.

What are you reading right now?

It’s so funny that we’re doing this interview, because speaking of queerness, I’m reading Virginia Woolf’s Orlando. I love the film, but I’d never actually read it. It’s exquisite. What inspired me was that I went to American Ballet Theatre two weeks ago and saw Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works. It was extraordinary. 

Tell me about your transition from Broadway performer to fitness trainer, and how you bring that background to TORCHD. 

I’m still performing, baby. It’s all a performance. You know, it was a seamless transition. I created TORCHD when I was in West Side Story, and whenever I do it, I feel like I’m back in the Palace Theater. It’s part of my DNA as a dancer. It was about getting ready for the show, feeling vibrant, feeling alive, having all your muscles worked in a really specific and targeted way. It made me perform better. It was just a perk that your body looks so good afterward. 

Do you think that your approach as a performer is what draws so many people to you?

I think there’s an element of that. I think I just can’t pretend to be anyone else. It’s ingrained in me. I think what really draws people in is that I look at people, I want to meet people, and I want everyone to be in on it. If you’re rich and famous or not in the industry at all, whatever size, color, I want everybody there and I want everybody to do what they can. Our health shouldn’t be treated like a luxury, and there are basic ways that everyone can do something a little bit better for your body—we only have one. 

You’re super busy—how do you prioritize your own wellness? Any recommendations?  

Sleep is imperative. I require eight hours of sleep, I schedule it into my day. A lot of people depend on me, and I charge a lot of money, so I have to be present and on and give them more than their money’s worth. When I wake up, I do a 20 minute workout for myself. That’ll shift depending on how my body feels, whether it’s yoga, or pliés, or planks, or some days if I’m feeling revved up I’ll do 200 push-ups just to wake up. After my shower, I do a full Joan Crawford ice facial; non-negotiable. It feels so good, it gets rid of inflammation and wakes me up. I study Kabbalah. I have a spiritual guide I’ve been working with for 25 years. It’s good for my head; it keeps me on track. 

What about workout recs? I know you love NOBULL. 

I do. What drew me to them was that we have the same ethos. I love the idea of no bullshit. I always say in my classes, we love everybody, but we don’t tolerate assholes. And their products are chic, the quality is great, I feel good moving in it, you can use it working out or going to lunch. The shoes are so sleek and comfortable. There’s something very fashionable about the way they cut their clothes. There’s something almost European about it, and that’s my vibe. 

You’ve trained so many icons. What have you learned from working with women like Faye and Gwyneth who loom so large in our culture? 

I’m very lucky to be able to work with and get to know and create friendships with women who I idolize. I grew up watching Mommy Dearest with my grandmother over and over again, and Chinatown, and Bonnie and Clyde. I love old Hollywood, and Faye really bridges the gap between new and old Hollywood. So to work with people like that who I’m a huge fan of; I always have a sense of gratitude for it. I learn so much about how they approach taking care of themselves. I think there’s a correlation to longstanding success. It takes discipline, showing up when you’re tired, showing up on a movie set at five am, 18-hour film days. It ain’t easy, and neither is showing up to work out if you’re exhausted. 

I know you’re a huge Madonna fan.

Who isn’t? I actually don’t trust people who aren’t Madonna fans. 

That’s fair. Have you gotten to do your workout with her?

One day. The thing is, I’m much better front-row-center at Madonna’s concert. I prefer that, because my schedule is so insane. I can’t devote time to one client like I used to and I wouldn’t be able to give Madonna the consistency of time that she deserves. So I buy the records, and I go to the shows, and I applaud her not only for the music but for her humanitarian voice and her outspokenness her whole career. 

I feel like you bring this queer joy to the fitness industry in a way that’s really important. Is that something you think about?

I think I’ve always been clear and proud of who I am. I grew up in a very conservative, religious family, at a time when the climate was very different. I was born in 1980 in Hawaii. It was a difficult experience. I created this fantasy world and this really strong interior world of resilience at a young age. 

So I’m just bringing me. And if that inspires someone to be okay with who they are, and celebrate their body…it’s a vulnerable time, working out. A lot can come up. So I like to inject it with humor, inject it with a laugh, inject it with joy. And if that’s queer joy, then let’s have more of it. ♦

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