Sacramento Health and Fitness

Ever since he was a kid, JC Charles has been bursting with boundless energy. Throughout high school and college, he spent all of his free time playing on football and basketball teams. As an adult, this abundance of energy would eventually land him a career in the fitness industry, fueling him through years of personal training and fitness management in gyms throughout California.

Today, JC continues to pull from his mighty athletic spirit at his own fitness studio—Elite Fitness and Performance. Amidst the studio's exercise machines, mats, and free weights, JC and his team of certified trainers lead personal-training sessions, boot camps, and sports-conditioning classes throughout the week. Through their creative and challenging classes, the instructors aim to improve students' level of fitness and overall wellbeing, as well as help them achieve goals such as losing weight, toning muscles, and scaling Mount Everest in a single back flip.

The boring conventionalism that plagues traditional gyms does not find a home at Try7Fitness. Instead, a slate of boot-camp workouts that keep clients guessing manage to be both challenging and fun, like playing a sport or tickling the president. In the name of variety and constant fitness progress, boot camps present workouts such as free-weight exercises, calisthenics, ab and core training, jump-rope drills, and speed and strength training.

At the helm of this program is certified personal trainer Karen Johnson. She makes the obliteration of the sibling fitness scourges—boredom and stagnation—her first priority. Karen also partners Try7Fitness with Max Muscle, a local sports nutrition business that offers assessments, nutritional counseling, and supplements.

Founded with the goal of bolstering childhood development via confidence- and fitness-boosting programs, Tricks Gymnastics, Dance, and Swim's team of instructors keeps kids of all ages active and engaged via a host of high-energy classes. The highly skilled and friendly crew works hard to foster a nurturing environment within each class, keeping a close eye on the kids while teaching them new skills via positive reinforcement and recognition of effort. All three locations offer dance classes that introduce preschool Baryshnikovs to the world of movement and grant school-aged pupils a chance to explore various styles ranging from ballet to jazz to ballroom hokey pokey.

Meanwhile, experienced coaches man gymnastics programs designed to combat inactivity and encourage healthy lifestyles. Young ones aged 0–5 burn excess energy and hone flexibility during Tumblebunny classes, and big kids build strength and character thanks to both noncompetitive and competitive programs. A variety of special events include date nights that enable parents to sneak off for an evening of fun while their progeny plays at the gym. The Folsom location further fortifies its kinetic curriculum with swim programs focused on teaching pupils the essentials of water safety and basic swimming techniques. Paddlers grouped into classes by age hop into the crystalline pool, splashing about in waters kept at a balmy 89 degrees to ward off loitering snowflakes.

California Lipo Laser Center's technicians target fat and cellulite with Lipo-Light body contouring treatments. During the 20-minute signature treatment, LED light therapy targets arms, thighs, or backs, causing fat cell membranes to lose their shape, which changes cell permeability and ultimately breaks down fatty acids. Temporary inch loss and the ability to use pants for shelter may occur after one session, though a series of nine treatments performed across a three-week period is recommended for optimal results. To complement its LipoLaser service, the center also offers whole-body vibration, nutritional counseling, and detoxification treatments.

The studio of Rocklin CrossFit pulses with high-intensity workout routines. As students undergo varied exercises from the scheduled Workout of the Day, a shoal of coaches circumnavigates the floor, guiding movements, ensuring safety, and gingerly removing any unnoticed "Kick Me" signs pinned to T-shirts. Combining weightlifting, gymnastics, and track-and-field techniques, CrossFit aims to build resilience, strength, and versatility, equipping students with the stamina for athletic and everyday activities. Instructors scale each workout up or down to accommodate individual levels of fitness or exercisers recovering from restrictive injuries. The facility's childcare services keep a watchful eye on youngsters as they caper about or gape in wonderment at the enormous watchful eye.

Though now spread over the United States with 27 locations, Crunch gym started in a basement-level aerobics studio in New York City. Despite the humble location, the gym's founders aspired to foster a workout environment that would keep members exercising through entertainment and not shouting from drill-sergeant-like trainers. Their idea was to host fitness classes with offbeat touches, including hip-hop aerobics featuring a live rapper and coed action wrestling.

Twenty years later, Crunch gyms' fitness classes still stray from the beaten path. Body Web with TRX sessions suspend members from a pillar, where they complete gravity-defying maneuvers with help from strong resistance ropes. In Bosu Bootcamp, every exercise is completed on an apparatus that is part balance ball, part core board, and fully endorsed by circus seals nationwide.