Armone's Core Connection, San Diego

Armone Sullivan has spent a lifetime researching how different workouts affect body composition. A former competitive cyclist and classically trained dancer, Sullivan fell in love with Pilates after discovering that it could slim down her bulky muscles. After training with three Pilates gurus across the country, including one of Joseph Pilates' first students, she realized her dream of opening her own gym.

Now, Sullivan and her fellow certified instructors (among them, a martial artist, a massage therapist, and a nutritionist) pump up clients' self-confidence through results-driven fitness programs and boast more than 100 years of combined experience. Pilates, kickboxing, and cycling classes boost muscle definition, balance, and flexibility. Trainers develop personalized fitness programs for competitive athletes, and help women fend off attackers with self-defense classes. In addition to teaching gym-goers, Sullivan and her crew mint new Pilates instructors. The studio's 7-month, 500-hour Pilates certification program covers traditional and modern forms as well as anatomy.