Gyms in Madison

Next Generation Fitness 24/7's storefront gym unfurls into an expansive studio where a buzzing hive of massage therapists, personal trainers, and kickboxing coaches motivates guests at all hours of every day. The gym's signature P90X and boot-camp classes run students through a gambit of cardio, strength training, and muscle confusion—a technique for working out every muscle group and maximizing regimens. To kick-start individual workouts, coaches teach students to make the most of the amenities, which include strength- and resistance-training machines and cardio equipment such as cycles and treadmills. Carpeted side-rooms house massage therapists whose hands roam backscapes to root out soreness and muscles tension, relaxing patrons after intense workouts full of hoisting free weights or letting the treadmill take a turn running on your back.

Founded by former Indianapolis Colt Antonio Johnson and former Baltimore Raven Michael Oher, D1 Sports Training gives its members the kinds of workouts enjoyed by professional athletes. Trainers lead regular adult boot camps, helping exercisers build strength and stamina through a combination of traditional exercises and challenging obstacle courses. They work one-on-one with athletes of all levels to master certain skills or reach particular goals. They even tailor their training for younger clients, focusing as much on character building and scholastic achievement as on athletic ability and memorizing all the moves to their victory dance.

The trainers at Madison Station CrossFit aim to foster a sense of community while clients whip their bodies into shape. The ever-changing, scalable workouts challenge guests of all fitness levels and ages, from children to senior citizens. During CrossFit classes, exercisers perform functional-fitness movements that mimic activities from everyday life, such as lifting weights, swinging kettlebells, and flipping boulders.

The state-of-the-art equipment, convenient amenities, and variety of exercise classes at Courthouse Racquet & Fitness's six locations earned the club several of Jackson Free Press's Urban Living awards in 2011 and 2012, including Best Fitness Center/Gym and Best Yoga Instructor. Visit the flagship Lakeland location to swim in a pool of professional athletic proportions. Explore the 13,000-square-foot Madison 51 facility's yoga, spin, and boot-camp classes or the Northeast center's indoor and outdoor tennis courts.

The newest location in Brandon boasts more than 100 treadmills, elliptical machines, rowers, and other pieces of cardio equipment. Women can take advantage of the Downtown site's ladies-only cardio area. Three locations offer childcare, and the Byram facility has launched an afterschool program, where kids can do arts and crafts and engage in healthy physical activities in an environment devoid of teddy-bear drill instructors.