Gyms & Fitness Centers in Natchitoches

Athletes of all backgrounds flock to SpeedWorks to boost their speed, strength, and stamina. Led by the award-winning Matt Merry, the facility arm trainees with universally applicable skills such as linear and multi-direction movement, injury prevention, and how to invent wacky plays that are just crazy enough to win the big game against the no-good meanies of East Side High.

SpeedWorks small group sessions, aimed at ages 7-18, focus on running, lifting, or a combination of the two, with exercises tailored based on the results of the participants’ initial athletic assessment. Alternatively, the center’s one- or two-day clinics cover topics that range from how to eat well to how to meet the speed requirements of a given sport. Similarly, the on-site adult fitness boot camp, aptly named Camp Gladiator, whips trainees into shape in a competitive yet camouflage-free environment.

Anytime Fitness's members hit the gym at their whim with 24-hour secured access to facilities stocked with cardio and strength-training equipment from notable brands such as Life Fitness, Precor, and Nautilus. After a complimentary orientation, exercisers work up a sweat and catch up on their favorite shows atop treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes mounted with personal televisions. Trainers walk rows of free weights and machines, doling out motivational guidance, and instructors lead TRX classes that use body-weight and low-impact routines to build lean muscle and burn calories. In addition to body sculpting, Anytime unwinds tension with a variety of spa services such as 24-hour tanning beds, oxygen-therapy treatments, and far-infrared jade massages—a calibrated, mechanized machine that uses light waves to melt stress out of muscles as rollers scour backscapes to fight off recalcitrant knots.

The instructors at Core Group Fitness understand that getting buff doesn't happen by simply visiting the gym; rather, they see it as a process inextricably linked to camaraderie and community. This team-based approach comes out in their group classes and boot camps, where cohorts of exercises grunt their way through TRX suspension training or build lean muscle and improve flexibility with functional workout regimens. They pair strength training with cardio work during their interval training sessions, which torch fat thanks to metabolism-boosting exercises. In addition to group classes, instructors also build rapports with individual students during personal training sessions, helping clients prep for their first marathon or last street fight with the meter man.