Agawam Gyms and Fitness

Kerrie Bodendorf, the face behind Balance, has always been a fitness enthusiast, whether running in a 5K, achieving her CrossFit certification, or working out at the YMCA. Despite her healthy living, she noticed that she always had chronic pain in her wrists, shoulder, lower back, and neck. Eager to alleviate the pain, Kerrie tried working out with the Melt Method in her home, and soon found herself in New York studying with Sue Hitzman, the creator of the Melt Method.

After using Melt to reduce her own pain, Kerrie started sharing it with others at Balance via intro workshops, classes, and private sessions. Like screaming advice at a mirror, the sessions emulate manual therapy, using foam rollers and rubber balls to activate bones and tissue with precision point compression and other techniques. The techniques help hydrate connective tissue and free it of built-up stress, which can lead to improvements in mobility and decreased pain.

Berkshire Bike and Board stables a crew of bicycle-savvy mechanics, who assemble shipped parts from brands such as Giant, Scott, and Felt into road-worthy cycles. Sales staff call on their own riding passions to help customers peruse the stock of hybrid, mountain, road, and children's bikes and select the vessel most suited to their needs. Patrons can then take their preferred model on a test ride to ensure that the bike is a good fit and harbors no ill feelings toward the family automobile. A lifetime of free tune-ups accompanies each of the shop’s cycles, and an array of aerodynamic gear can keep bikers safe and comfortable. Temporary cyclists can also borrow from an onsite rental fleet. Men’s and women’s snowboards and snowshoes round out the selection to help customers conquer the mountains in any season.

Since 1998, Universal Health & Fitness has stood by its name, welcoming guests from all walks of life to a venue where "every body fits in." The handicap-accessible gym covers aspirations from muscle toning to rehabilitation with rows of equipment, certified personal trainers, and programming for all ages. Group classes encourage social bonding between Pilates stretches and Zumba twirls, and chiropractic and massage services realign spines with deft hands rather than scaring them straight with urban legends about the babysitter with bad posture. A team of convivial staff members oversees each amenity, sharing smiles with adult visitors and the youngsters in the childcare center.

After fighting her way back to a size four following the birth of her third child, Debi Condon earned her personal-training-and-nutrition certification and founded Evolution Fitness. Debi and her crew lead mostly female groups of all ages and fitness levels through indoor and outdoor boot camps, TRX-suspension classes and personal-training sessions. Interval routines leverage mats, free weights, and nearby playground equipment to build up endurance against fatigue and cooties. With an emphasis on supportive motivation rather than drill-sergeant tactics or endless scrimmages against fast-food mascots, trainers strive to build accountability among their students through friendships and unlimited email support.

You won’t find many people grunting their way through solo workouts at The Aerobics and Fitness Studio, where invigorating group fitness classes are the focus. The studio’s instructors build their all-day fitness schedule around two popular Les Mills classes: BodyPump, which tones muscles with strength training, and BodyStep, which charges up aerobic movements with energizing music. Aside from these two pillars, the studio offers its members the chance to shimmy, shake, and stretch through Zumba dance workouts and meditative Zinyasa yoga poses. As they work through these and other classes, students can check their form in the studio’s wall-to-wall mirror or attempt to psyche out their reflection in the gleaming hardwood floor.

There is, however, more to The Aerobics and Fitness Studio than group fitness classes. The studio’s team of certified trainers helps members climb past fitness plateaus during personal training sessions and teaches valuable lessons in safety during CPR and AED training classes.

It’s said that the human mind has problems visualizing large numbers. So it might be hard to conjure an image of the 700,000 athletes Athletic Republic Clifton Park has trained in their 22-year history. Or even the 2,500 of their students who went on to compete professionally. Instead, it's probably easier to think about the proprietary equipment that fills Athletic Republic’s red-walled gym. There's the super treadmill, which reaches speeds of 28 mph in less than three seconds and inclines up to 40 degrees. There’s a hockey treadmill that angles blades up a slope, boosting skaters' power and agility. And there are conditioning cords that add resistance to common moves from many sports, including baseball, golf, and soccer.

This innovative approach to athletic training has its roots in John Frappier’s time with the US National Team during the 1986 Goodwill Games. After losing repeatedly to the Soviet Union athletes, he discovered the need to improve his team’s training methods, including the machines they worked out on. The technology he developed is still used by Athletic Republic’s certified trainers in group camps and classes, one-on-one training sessions, and carefully synchronized treadmill dances.