Milpitas Gyms and Fitness

Almaden Valley Athletic Club provides exceptional services and facilities that include a vast array of weekly group-fitness classes, an extensive fitness center with iPod-friendly equipment, a junior Olympic-size pool, and indoor and outdoor spas. Group-fitness classes range from intense indoor cycling to Strictly Core strength training and therapeutic yoga. Low-impact water aerobics work the body while eliminating the painful belly flops and "inspiration sharks" popular in so many water workouts.

While a majority of your month will be spent toning and groaning in class, your 60-minute massage offers a tangential escape into tranquility. Combining elements of traditional Swedish and sport techniques, this full hour massage is designed to leave your many muscular regions relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to take on whatever yoga pose, weighted lift, or air guitar rift that may await. Club One Fitness hosts over 500 classes weekly, which may include spinning, rowing, Aqua Fit, BalleCore, Pilates, martial arts, dance, and 12 different types of yoga. Beyond organized gatherings, each fitness center provides various amenities including saunas, steam rooms, sun decks, as well as state-of-the-art cardio and strength training equipment.

In his previous position managing health-care benefits for all school districts in Northern California, Dave James discovered that, because there is no federal law mandating physical education, many students were deprived of a healthy lifestyle. Dave found this problematic, as he believes physical activity bolsters motor skills, improves overall strength, increases self-esteem, and ensures the rescue of Princess Toadstool. Through Fuze's noncompetitive camps and lessons, Dave––a certified double-goal coach––and cofounder Naomi James offer courses that mix and match activities such as Yoga, martial arts, and jump-rope classes. Their team of PCA-certified coaches builds on the sports activities with traditional strength-building plyometric and resistance activities. The coaching staff also work with individuals or small classes to meet the physical demands of special-needs students.

When the climbers of Planet Granite say that community anchors everything they do, they have a history of outreach to back it up. After Castle Rock State Park appeared on California’s closure list, Planet Granite’s team quickly organized a fundraiser to save the sanctuary. They pledged $10,000 in matching funds, threw an auction, scheduled guest speakers, and obtained support from companies such as REI. In one night, they raised $20,725.

This kind of response has typified Planet Granite’s team since opening its first facility in 1994. One of the first climbing gyms in the country, Planet Granite has expanded to three gyms in Belmont, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale. The diverse array of climbing resources at each location led Popsugar to name the gym conglomerate one of the top five in San Francisco in 2011. At the Sunnyvale location, members scale 25,000 square feet of climbable surfaces that ascend from low bouldering terrains to 60-foot walls.

In keeping with their commitment to community, the staff tailors instruction and climbing routes to every ability level and affinity for hand sweatiness. They also supervise each gyms’ fully equipped fitness centers, ranging from CrossFit to yoga, which provides a peaceful counterbalance to the full-body workout of rock climbing.