Oakton Gyms and Fitness

For nearly 35 years, Chevy Chase Athletic Club has focused the energies of its diversified staff—made up of degreed exercise physiologists, certified trainers, and an onsite physical therapist—on crafting a supportive gym environment for patrons of all ages and abilities. Strength and cardio equipment welcome solo workouts with individual televisions, and personal trainers assist improvement by charting custom plans. More than 30 group exercise classes per week blend mainstream favorites, such as Zumba and boot camp, with fresh options such as fit-ball dance, which pairs students with stability balls as they step to invigorating choreography.

To help women achieve their fitness goals, the certified personal trainers at Get In Shape for Women focus on four areas: weight training, cardio training, nutrition, and accountability. In small group sessions, trainers modify exercises to suit up to four ladies' fitness levels, beginning by calibrating 30 minutes of strength-training drills—such as free weights, lunges, and squats—to each student's abilities. Then comes 25 minutes of cardio: the trainers might start novice exercisers with a walk on the treadmill or light elliptical training, and challenge more advanced exercisers to high-intensity interval-training sessions for enhanced results.

The trainers supplement the group workouts with nutritional planning centered around the concept of eating six small, balanced meals six days a week. They set aside the seventh day for a bit of indulgence, be it eating a favorite sweet or lusting openly after bacon. To track ladies' progress toward reaching their goals, the trainers measure their weight and body-fat percentage every two weeks.