Gahanna Gyms and Fitness

The certified instructors at Team Edge Performance and Fitness attack sedentary lifestyles head on with more than 16 years of experience and an array of personally tailored workout sessions for athletes and civilians of all abilities and levels. The spacious gym facility encourages exercise with Hammer Strength circuit-training machines, heavy bags, ropes that challenge a variety of muscle groups, and Life Fitness cardio equipment, replete with heart-rate monitors that help keep to increase difficulty or detect tin men. Personal and group training sessions cater to each individual's needs and goals to provide an effective and safe workout, and classes such as kids' jiu-jitsu and CrossFit challenge trainees of all ages and skill levels.

The encouraging shouts of Nathan Jordan and his band of fellow certified trainers echo off the bright-green walls of the Jackhammer Strength Training studio, overpowering the clatter of weights and the huff of exercisers. Pulling from their own unique styles and approaches to exercise, each of the five seasoned instructors lead boot camp and personal-training sessions, guiding students of all fitness levels as they grapple with free weights, kettlebells, and suspension straps. The trainers encourage healthy lifestyle beyond the studio by teaching students tricks for improving their diets, such as which low-calorie snacks are most filling, and which greens can make you punch through walls.

CrossFit Future's high-ceilinged, 4,750-square-foot facility is anchored by kettlebell areas, ring stations, and deadlift bars waiting to be hoisted high. Trainers—each with a CrossFit Level 1 certification or better—fuel 60-minute group or one-on-one workouts with calls of encouragement. The seven-strong staff unites backgrounds as diverse as a mechanical-engineering degree, a fireman, and a seventh-place finish in the breaststroke in the 1996 Olympics. Using up to date equipment, the team motivates students to sprint up and down the back alley, drag sleds, or toss medicine balls into giant pill bottles.

When Carrie Rezabek Dorr launched her first Pure Barre studio in 2001, she didn't have a sign or a single client. Today, she rules a fitness empire with her scepter of choice: a wooden ballet barre. Informed by Carrie's background as a dancer and Pilates instructor, each workout brims with ballet-inspired stretches and small isometric movements designed to lengthen the limbs and sculpt the abs, thighs, and backside. Many sessions begin with light weightlifting, then progress to mat-bound ab work and barre-based bends. Though straightforward, the exercises are tougher than wrought-iron jerky, which has led a writer from Glamour to exclaim, "Holy nutcracker, I actually didn't know my legs could shake like this." In addition to helming all-level classes, seasoned instructors build low-impact exercise programs for new moms and lead retreats for students seeking fitness-themed getaways. An online boutique helps students tone and tighten at home, using tools such as weighted balls, resistance tubing, and DVDs starring Carrie herself.

Physicians Weight Loss Centers peppers the nation, doling out slim-down tips honed during the course of three decades in business. Each center staffs a physician who, in tandem with a team of skilled counselors, selects one of six weight-loss and lifestyle programs to guide each client toward his or her desired results. The center’s sextet of plans are tailored to those who prefer not to exercise, those who travel often, those who cook at home, and those who cook in nonfunctional stage kitchens. Patients chat with their counselors often, soaking up the tips the staffers have learned from continual training programs. Clients are encouraged to build a bond with their counselor, as camaraderie not only eases the process but also improves one’s chances of finding a lifelong three-legged-race partner.

Shonda Lewis walks proudly across the stage, her toned muscles illuminated by a sea of flashing camera lights as she accepts her award as the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival figure-division champion. But Shonda wasn't always a slender, toned idol of a woman—in fact, she was once overweight. It was only through months of intense training and proper diet that Shonda became who she is today—a professional fitness model, motivational speaker, and trainer.

Committed to celebrating healthy and fit female bodies, Shonda Lewis founded her own bikini contest, Rock Star Bikini, where ladies can compete for cash prizes and photo ops at the annual Arnold Sports Festival. At Rock Star Bikini Bootcamp, Shonda and a staff of personal trainers lead ladies toward bikini bodies with high-intensity workouts. The staff holds classes at Power Shack Fitness, where private training rooms, workout equipment, and an advantageous lack of free cupcake stands create an ideal workout venue.