Berkeley Gyms and Fitness

Paul Wade, a Golden Gloves champion and experienced trainer, founded Third Street Boxing Gym in 2001 to pay homage to San Francisco's pugilistic past by training the city's next generation of great fighters. The facility's concrete walls, iron piping, and low ceilings host a family of aspiring amateurs and local professionals as they train in the authentic, old-school boxing gym’s two full-size rings or prepare for the ring with the gym’s speed bags, uppercut bags, heavy bags, treadmills or free weights.

Burgeoning boxers learn fundamentals such as hand wrapping, the basic stance, and simple punches during beginner classes, before taking newfound skills to group cardio boxing sessions—taught by current or former Golden Gloves champions—that put patrons through an intense, all-body workout in one hour. Four-week boxing boot camps put sweet science practitioners of all skill levels through a rigorous training regimen focused on cardiovascular exercises, strength training. After completing boxing boot camp, participants may feel equipped to tackle their first amateur bout during 3rd Street's Friday Night Fights events.

Tamalpais CrossFit's coaches are not content to teach the same curriculum day in, day out. Instead, the CrossFit specialists mix up their routines on a regular basis, linking innovative sequences of exercises that increase strength and prevent fitness plateaus. Whether leading students through deadlifts, pull-ups, or lunges, the trainers keep students on their muscle-bristled toes. In addition to leading training sessions at various levels, the gym's fitness experts dish nutritional advice for complete body-revamping programs.

A rainbow mosaic announces the entrance to Vida Fit's Alameda location, and leads up tiled stairs to a welcoming group fitness studio humming with music. The Alameda studio focuses on Zumba routines, Latin dance choreography set to world pop music, but Vida Fit's other locations host eight unique classes ranging from bootcamp to stretch-based workouts. Evincing a commitment to community, kids 10 and older are welcome at all classes attended by their parents, and certain location's "Mommy and Me" stroller sessions privy younger children to the sweat potlucks only known to adults. Vida Fit's instructors travel beyond their studio to bring the joy of movement to businesses, private residences, and stalled commuter trains.

Throughout her 15-year career, Bay City Bootcamp owner Jennie Marshall has helped clients rehabilitate their bodies while dropping pounds. Jennie draws on her experience as an athletic trainer, professional tap dancer, and physical-therapy aide to safely assist exercisers, fighting fat with an effective regimen of cardio, strength building, and intimidating shuffle ball changes. In addition to her ever-changing fitness camps, Jennie helps those with Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis to maintain their functionality through rehabilitative exercises.

The two personal trainers who run Five Points Fitness named their 17,000-square-foot facility after what they consider to be the five keys to fitness: strength, endurance, flexibility, stability, and nutrition. To help members achieve those essentials, they stock their gym with strength-training equipment and cardio machines, each of which are equipped with their own monitors. In addition to personal training, the staff leads group training sessions limited to two to five students, ensuring each one receives a dose of individual attention. Members also have access to group classes including yoga, cardio kickboxing, and Zumba—a high-energy dance workout that fuses Latin-inspired moves with club-worthy beats. The staff’s certified nutritionist helps members stick to healthy dietary plans by encouraging them to eat fewer butter sculptures, and onsite childcare Monday–Saturday mornings makes it easier for parents to hit the gym.

Adrienne Moore, a former nationally ranked All American swimmer, and her husband Stephen founded AquaTech Swim School to shepherd babies, children, and adults into the world of swimming. Their team of instructors spends 40 hours studying the Mattos method, named for Adrienne's maiden moniker, which combines swimming skills with child-psychology skills. The CPR-, AED-, and first-aid-certified teachers continue their education and hone their advanced Marco Polo calls throughout their time at the school. Private, semiprivate, and group classes for children range from 6-month-olds' Tadpole curriculum to the advanced, team-focused Orca course, and the eight levels of kids classes are nuanced to include both "nervous" and "comfortable" beginner levels. The instructors help grownups get kicking during 60- and 90-minute private classes.

The Concord location's brightly colored facilities include an 87-degree indoor pool that's 4 feet deep, pirate-free, and specially designed for classes. A lesson-viewing area includes bleachers and a play station, and free WiFi is available for visitors who would rather surf than swim.