WHAT AND WHY Personal training-only gyms, kids' gyms, women's gyms, Pilates-only studios, and other facilities that deliver a narrow slice of fitness or exercise experience. Buoyed by the success of Curves, the 30-minute circuit-training centers for women, many operators are seeking to simplify, either to save themselves money (by investing less in space and equipment) or differentiate their businesses from the big clubs and community fitness centers.
BEST FOR Those who want to avoid the crowds and social milieu of big health clubs.
_____Live Discussions_____
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Transcript: Excessive Exercise: The Moving Crew will discuss revised dietary guidelines that recommend Americans should make time for 30 to 90 minutes of daily physical activity.
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Transcript: Post-Rehab Fitness: Sabrena Newton, fitness professional consultant was online to discuss getting back into the groove after physical therapy.
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DETAILS Many facilities are sanctuaries, offering customers a clutter-free, single-focus environment and close attention from instructors. Others are high-intensity, sculpting competitive athletes and encouraging over-achievers.
Somafit (www.somafit.com), located in the D.C.'s Glover Park neighborhood, is a prime example: It offers only personal training and exercise classes in a tony, semi-private environment. No membership is required; services are available to any cash customer.
"We have seen some of these [niche fitness centers] explode," says Bill Howland, spokesman for the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association. Express workout centers, he says, now account for more than a third of all commercial health clubs in the United States. Other growing formats: Kickboxing studios, sports training clubs and facilities for those 50 and older, he says.
TRYING IT BodySmith personal training at Logan Circle is a sleek two-story space and, because only three others are working out, not at all cramped. Weights are stacked neatly; machines are new and clean. Jesse Nolten, a young former U.S. Marine, provides an hour of full attention. Because I am new, he demonstrates each exercise to help ensure proper form. He includes core work in each session, he says, "To build your foundation, like with a house, before worrying about the aesthetics." I do body-weight squats, an elbow-and-toe-supported plank, squats with weight, a few conventional strength exercises and a punishing sequence of abdominal moves, including crunches in which I pass a stability ball repeatedly between my feet and hands. The workout feels much more catered than a personal training session in a crowded gym, where trainers get distracted, machines are often occupied and nosy patrons eavesdrop.
LOOK ELSEWHERE IF you prefer multiple exercise options. Some niche facilities require appointments, which won't work well for those whose free time is hard to predict.
WHERE TO FIND IT BodySmith (202-939-0800; www.bodysmithdc.com; packages start at $45 an hour). Down Dog Yoga (offering only Baptiste power vinyasa yoga, aptly described by studio owner Patty Ivey as "yoga with attitude"; 202-965-9642; www.downdogyoga.com); My Gym (children's only, ages 3 months to 9 years; numerous area locations; www.my-gym.com); Ladies Workout Express (several area locations, www.ladiesworkoutexpress.com); One to One Fitness Center (personal training-only; five area locations, www.1to1fitness.com).
-- John Briley
