Justice, IL Health and Fitness

The certified trainers at Revival Fitness Personal Training draw on experience with sport-specific training and previous work with professional athletes to help their clients meet individual fitness goals. Whether clients are trying to lose weight, prepare for a wedding, or squeeze into an old pair of baby shoes, trainers tailor workouts to their needs in a 6,800-square-foot personal training studio. Attentive and motivational, Revival’s trainers combine non-repetitive aerobics with nutritional counseling during 30- or 60-minute sessions that meet two to three times per week. Although workouts vary depending on client needs and injuries, most people can expect a challenging, varied workout that combines equipment and body movement exercises to improve strength and flexibility.

Kareem A. Abdul-Jabbar founded his West Town training studio after two decades of globetrotting that found him coaching medalists at the Seoul and Barcelona games and the U.S. national taekwondo team at championships around the world. Today, Kareem and his team lead workouts that combine toughness with variety and a sense of fun in Tabata interval training, Zumba, kettlebell, and youth-focused taekwondo sessions. Inside the gym, bright orange mats light up the raw brick walls and exposed ductwork of a garage-like space that keeps all focus on the high-powered moves, rather than on mirrors or teacups precariously balanced on Louis XIV treadmills.

There's a lot of solid muscle and experience behind Train With Ron, whose crew includes Ron Potocnik, a former Valparaiso University footballer and a frequent Masters Track and Field contender; Dale "DB" Barr, a triathlete with an Ironman 70.3 under his belt; and Matt Ulrich, who spent two years with the Indianapolis Colts. With the aid of licensed dietician Laura Bleiman, these trainers set calories on fire and awaken slumbering self-esteem, tailoring always-changing workout routines to match the fitness levels and personal goals of their clients. A 5,000-square-foot facility gives them ample room to work—the space, which features 40-yard turf runways, is dotted with enough exercise equipment to sink a small battleship. In addition to tempering the human body, Ron and company also temper the human spirit by organizing running challenges for charity.

Chicago Boxing Club enhances strength, endurance, and self-control through invigorating boxing, wrestling, muay thai, and jujitsu classes led by professional instructors. More than 3,000 square feet of training space houses all the necessary equipment to complete full-body workouts, and professional trainers work to instill proper training techniques in students or bitter discarded teddy bears. Cardio machines and weights surround the facility's two championship boxing rings, where students hone speed and self-defense methods in boxing classes or tactical leverage maneuvers in jujitsu classes. Muay thai classes fine-tune flexibility and balance with fast, high-kicking techniques, and youth boxing classes keep kids in shape during off-seasons from writing symphonies or defeating chess robots.

Joshua Rogers and Karl Geweniger founded Rogers Fit Squad as a fitness studio and media company concentrating on the FUSION program. Mixed martial arts fighter, former marine, and certified instructor Josh Rogers designed FUSION as a total body cardio routine. The program uses real MMA fighting combinations to create six short, high-energy workouts designed to burn calories and tone and strengthen core muscles more effectively than doing sit-ups in drying concrete. FUSION is available in the form of a DVD, or as a personal workout with Rogers himself. Rogers honed his martial arts skills by training in disciplines including Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jistu, and kickboxing, and worked as a certified instructor through the Chicago Parks District.

Over the course of more than two decades, Dr. William J. Couvelis has been beautified many smiles within North Pier Dental Associates. Beneath the exposed-brick walls of the River East office he puts to use knowledge gleaned as a member of the American Dental Association, Chicago Dental Society, and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. The team uses the latest technology and reconstructive techniques to fill cavities, prevent gum disease, and insert porcelain veneers, leaving smiles charming even when directed blankly at the only other person trapped in a haunted house.