Fitness Classes in Milwaukie

Writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” This sentiment inspires Evan McDaniel, the certified personal trainer who own Fitness Inspired Training Studios. To propel clients toward their goals both inside and outside the gym, he infuses small-group workouts with a hearty dose of motivation, encouragement, and excitement. McDaniel draws upon fitness-oriented bachelor's degrees and experience working for WebMD to devise an ever-changing lineup of workouts that challenge patrons with bodyweight exercises, cardio challenges, and a variety of functional training tools.

His signature boot camp, Total Training, zeroes in on participants' goals, from slimming down for weddings to gearing up for marathons or thumb-wrestling tournaments. During these 30-minute sessions, exercisers of all levels feed on the moral support of their classmates to heave sandbags, swing kettlebells, jump onto sturdy boxes, and stretch resistance bands. In addition to absorbing fitness and safety tips from the trainers, exercisers receive nutrition coaching, which teaches them how to make healthful food choices and to differentiate between a banana and a Twinkie.

Fitness enthusiast and salsa dancer Jackie leads groups through energetic workouts that get exercisers amped up with high-energy music. An Aerobics and Fitness Association of America–certified instructor, Jackie helps guests shimmy off excess weight with Zumba variations—including Zumba Toning, Zumba Gold, and ZumbAtomic—which build stamina and set heartbeats racing to the rhythm of Latin tunes. Jackie’s kettlebell-fitness sessions help guests tone full bodies with four-week sessions that get students used to heavy lifting and prepare them to rip church bells out of roofs in daring daylight heists.

When Daniel and Tirzah Hawkins tied the knot, they bore more than typical wedding-day jitters—combined, the couple carried more than 100 pounds of extra weight. Today, the pair of certified personal trainers have shed the extra pounds, but they remember their deeply personal struggles on the road to fitness. That’s why they established Where to Start, a haven for the out of shape and overwhelmed. Personal training, group fitness classes, and gym memberships jump-start workout routines and get clients moving, boosting health and overall wellness.

Physiq Fitness is a shining new workout center—almost as shiny as the silver medal it won for Best Fitness Center and the bronze medal it won for Best New Business in the Statesman Journal's Best of Salem 2012 awards. Inside the modern facility, strength machines, cardio machines, and free weights stay at their posts 24 hours a day, waiting for members looking to boost muscle mass or crack stubborn walnuts. Certified personal trainers hang out, too, calling upon their years of schooling in science and human biology and their expertise in strength and cardio training to lead clients through tailored workouts and nutrition programs. Strength-training and sports-training sessions tackle sport-specific workouts that help increase power, stamina, and agility. Additionally, Physiq's boot-camp sessions challenge groups with a slew of conditioning exercises, calisthenics, obstacle courses, and drills designed to help boost performance levels during sports and full-contact spelling bees. Clients can replenish incinerated calories with healthy shakes from the in-house juice bar.

It was only a year ago that a trip to the clothing store would bring Zumba for All founder Jahnea Phillips within tears. She was forced to choose from frumpy clothes in the plus-size section that did nothing but hide her curves. That all changed when a close friend invited Jahnea to her very first Zumba class. After an hour of shaking, twisting, and jumping, she was almost near tears again, but this time they were tears of happiness. That short while spent dancing reminded her of how good she deserved to feel.

One year and 76 pounds later, Jahnea is sharing that experience with ladies of all shapes and sizes from the stage of the spacious Hazel Dell Grange in Vancouver. This is where she teaches the art of Zumba, which involves cardio exercise through Latin-inspired moves, in which one dances out the entire story of Julius Caesar’s childhood.:m]]

Sneakers pound the grass during shriek-filled games of tag. But this isn’t recess, it’s Portland Fit Camp, and the jubilant players aren’t children but women sculpting muscles during the intense, outdoor adult version of the classic game. With a max of 24 campers, the sessions have an intimate feel, and their participants are fueled by their collective energy and the motivational training of a certified instructor. For five days a week for four-week sessions, the groups meet in the park for muscle-shocking routines that change daily to avoid plateaus. Core-based, functional exercises such as agility ladder drills, air squats, and hill sprints are all taught to students, who break the traditional workout routine with games of tag or games of capture the flag taped to the squirrel’s back.