Things To Do In Lawrence

Anytime Fitness, which boasts 1689 clubs in North America, makes it easier for average folks to etch out time for exercise by doing one simple thing: staying open 24 hours a day for 365 days a year. As fit seekers challenge themselves on cardio and strength machines and hoist free weights in clean, well-stocked facilities, security monitoring ensures they’re safe and producing enough sweat to meet official government standards. Members can also ramp up their exercise regimens with the help of Anytime Fitness’s staff of personal trainers, who demonstrate moves and sling motivating tips. After workouts, guests can shower in the private restrooms or bop into one of the tanning booths available 24 hours a day.

Ben and Ari's accommodates competitors of all levels with a full arcade and pizza kitchen flanked by two 18-hole miniature-golf courses. Both courses mimic the terrain of their larger long-game counterparts, but eschew the giant windmills in favor of dips, bends, and wandering streams that swallow wayward golf balls. The fairways also wind around the centerpiece of a working waterfall, which trickles in the background of live bands during summer festivals and fundraisers. During the winter months, players stay warm in the glow of the arcade, which houses 45 nonviolent video games that allow kids to enjoy simulated road races. The arcade also encompasses a pair of scaled-down bowling alleys that make strikes and spares a feasible goal for pint-sized rollers.

Students should bring: Energy and enthusiasm.

Average class length: Less than 30 minutes

Number of Staff: 1?5 people

Class location: Indoors only

Established: 2013

Registration required: Yes

Good for beginners: Yes

Guests allowed: Yes

Parking: Parking lot

Pro Tip: Be prepared to jump in, have fun, and move through your workout fast.

Q&A with Mandy, Co-owner

Exercise is challenging, and people frequently give up on their fitness routines. How do you keep clients motivated?

The workouts change daily, so there's always a new challenge. With a 30-minute workout, clients move from one round to the next every three minutes doing cardio, strength moves, hitting, and kicking. It's hard to get bored with so much going on during your workout. And because workouts are quick and effective, it's easy to stay motivated to spend 1.5 hours each week.

What is the biggest mistake you see people make when trying to get fit on their own?

Exactly that?working out alone and not having fun while they're exercising. It's easy to burn-out and get bored spending 30?60 minutes on one activity, especially if they aren't seeing results quickly.

Do you run your gym according to a particular exercise philosophy?

Work hard while having fun. We motivate our members to work just a little harder than they believe they can, so they gain confidence and see results.

Is there anything else you want to add that we didn't cover?

Having trainers dedicated to working with each client, every time they come in, allows members of all ages and fitness levels to have a great workout.

Inside each Sky Zone location, a wall-to-wall half-pipe made entirely of trampolines gives children and adults a venue where they can safely hop, bounce, and somersault to their hearts' content. The vast, taut, springy flooring doesn't end at the walls, but instead the trampolines continue upward to form angles perfect for crawling up, springing off, or sliding down. Visitors can meander along the bounceable terrain in the open trampoline arena, throw themselves into giant foam pits, or sharpen their competitive edges in trampoline-assisted sports such as dodgeball. SkyRobics classes merge gravity-defying fun with fitness during instructor-led workouts that include calisthenics, core exercises, and strength-building aerobics to help guests shed calories without hurting their joints or taking a wrong turn on a treadmill.

Inflated structures, slides, and games fill the climate-controlled environs of the numerous BounceU locations that speckle the nation. At each site, staff members closely monitor all activities as little ones traverse obstacle courses or pull on oversized inflatable boxing gloves. The crew also invites parents to join in on the fun, letting them bounce alongside their kids or make sweeping edicts from atop a bouncy-castle throne. In addition to open sessions, the indoor-play haven sets the stage for the Preschool Playdate program, where instructors lead games and activities. Special events include family-bounce night, which lets parents join in the bouncing or relax in the party room and do grownup things, such as eat marshmallows with a knife and fork.

As a fifth grader, Dan Brown went out to his garage and started lifting his dad’s old sand-filled weights. He returned to the garage to lift regularly, spurred on by the inspiring figures he saw in ESPN2’s World’s Strongest Man competitions. Over time, strength training improved his play in baseball and football and instilled in him a newfound confidence.

Now, with years of experience and a kinesiology degree from Purdue University, Dan imparts that confidence to each of his students at Force Barbell. His conditioning classes, rooted in sports science, help participants of all skill levels build strength through an innovative mix of traditional power lifting and the use of atlas stones, tractor tires, and weight sleds.