MAX10 Body Shaping, Cedar Rapids

MAX10 Bodyshaping and Peak Fitness founder Travis Richardson fell in love with martial arts at age 10, and by 15, he had already earned his black belt in tae kwon do and won his first of six national championships. As an adult, Travis's curiosity with the limits of the human body led him to study psychology, natural health, and massage therapy. When he finally decided to open his own fitness studio, that physiological apprenticeship acted as the scaffolding from which he built his Max10 Body Shaping program.

The 10-week weight-loss and muscle-chiseling regimen blends exercise with healthy eating habits, supplemented by the mentorship of a trainer and support of a group environment. The workout portion breaks into intervals of kickboxing, resistance training, and plyometrics, increasing difficulty progressively to accommodate both beginning students and more seasoned athletes. Outside the gym, menus of healthy meals fuel the metabolism without the need to count calories or ravage the body with crash dieting—an early '90s diet that only allowed people to eat scrap left over from car accidents.