Gyms in Fort Lauderdale

In 2013, Body Couture Pilates & Fitness was voted Best Pilates Studio by Local 10 thanks to its grasp on Joseph Pilates' workout technique. What's more impressive is that Body Couture Pilates & Fitness, a facility that isn?t overrun with treadmills and barbells, was also voted Best Gym. Instead, the staff relies on popular fitness classes such as TRX suspension training, Aerial Fly Gym, and Pilates/Barre combo classes, which utilize the Reformer to combine the two challenging workouts into one.

The consortium of professional instructors at Fred Astaire Dance Studios, which was cofounded by the legendary toe tapper himself, shepherds students of all ages and skill levels through lessons that span the style spectrum. Low-pressure private sessions allow enthusiastic teachers to fine-tune individual students' techniques and form, using their expert eyes and mechanical dancing shoes preprogrammed to do the Charleston. Patrons can learn how to cavort through classic waltz and fox-trot romps or swivel through the modern steps of salsa, swing, or samba. For dancers hoping to hoof it up in a social setting, the group practice parties provide a one-night extravaganza of instruction, demonstrations, and amateur firewalking.

The instructors at Kate Yoga encourage healthy bodies and peaceful minds by bending bodies into shape with a variety of yoga styles and classes for all ages. During one month of unlimited yoga classes, beginning yogis ease into common practices with Gentle Yoga, more experienced students learn to meditate and breathe serenely in Traditional Hatha yoga, and Cardio Boot Camp bumps blood flow up to speed-metal tempos. Members delve into as many styles as they like, and the schedule abounds with classes ideal for seniors, kids, and teens. Yogis happily obey class etiquette and bring along their own yoga mat, towel, and water. Beginners without supplies may rent mats for $2. Alternately, the studio's on-site boutique stocks a selection of mats, towels, and books to make an Ayurvedic guru launch into a fit of tantric jealousy.

Jazzercise is 60 minutes of cardio, strength training, and stretching that incorporates moves from hip-hop, yoga, Pilates, jazz dance, kickboxing, and resistance training with handheld weights. Just as varied as the workouts are the class formats themselves. There are special Jazzercises geared to sculpt your bod, cut your workout time in half, or literally make you slightly better at saxophone playing. There's even a junior Jazzercise and Jazzercise team dance at some locations, which let you work out with your kids and teenagers. As for the ittie-ditties, childcare is available during select times at many locations.

Alliette Chignoli understands how difficult it can be to get in shape. After suffering injuries to her foot and spine, she tried to become a “gym rat,” by “pounding the gym and eating like a bird.” But this combination did not help her lose weight and gain strength. Instead, she discovered that each body needs an individual balance of nutrition and exercise. Using this knowledge, she founded Physical Revolution, to evaluate bodies for fitness, nutrition, and exercise needs to improve overall health. Her personal-training workouts target a variety of muscle goals including flexibility, endurance, strength, and core conditioning. Kettlebell and TRX suspension training use props to help burn body fat and build muscle endurance, while body transformation workouts focus on reducing overall body fat through intense exercises. Physical Revolution also helps clients plan their nutritional intake with food-shopping courses, a home nutrition makeover, and a restaurant field trip to determine healthy menu options.

Most gyms strive to tone their customers. The Training Pit goes one step further. Its instructors try to build entire communities of healthy flexers that extend beyond the gym and into the streets. How they do it is easy?even if the exercise regiment isn't. CrossFit-certified coaches motivate all who enter, from athletes seeking bigger biceps to newbies with no-ceps, in an open, bare-bones atmosphere devoid of fancy machines but well-suited for bonding. During scalable CrossFit-training sessions, students endure running, weightlifting, and gymnastic drills typically designated for Olympic athletes and firemen, creating the chummy feeling that The Training Pit is sharing a secret with them. Adding to that community-building ethos, students share exercise goals together, rather than fight over a pile of meat, to help motivate each other toward success.