Syosset Gyms and Fitness

Dancer, gymnast, and fitness enthusiast Cathy Wagner teaches clients to twirl their way toward confidence and leaner limbs during 60-minute pole-fitness classes. In Intro to Pole, students learn the fundamental grips and maneuvers of pole workouts without the awkward explanations involved in spinning outside a neighborhood barbershop. Spin, Climb, Flirt classes combine holds and descends with sultry floor work, and Cathy's trademark Pole Burn workout gives students a full-body sculpting session by centering traditional aerobic exercises and stretching around the pole. Guests are encouraged to bring their own music to fuel rhythmic end-of-class routines. For ease of movement, Cathy recommends that pole-hugging pupils wear snug clothing and outlaws lotion, jewelry, and magnetically charged leotards.

Training at PPBC is the closest you can get to achieving a soldier’s sculpted physique without running the risk of free college tuition. The fitness program mimics U.S. military training and gives its “recruits” the confidence to overcome obstacles and push themselves further past their comfort zones than they thought possible—all while getting super-ripped. PPBC’s program centers on one of the nation’s only indoor obstacle courses. While you will get yelled at, the camp forbids insults or abuse, and any pies that strike you will be harmless shaving foam. The program emphasizes positive reinforcement and teamwork—each recruit joins a platoon of 10–16 comrades in soon-to-be-toned arms. Customized goal setting ensures that everybody succeeds.

The sultry air in Bikram Yoga of Carle Place's studio sinks deep into muscles, wrapping around limbs and permeating joints, warming bodies in preparation for 90 minutes of spectacularly challenging yoga. Students of all fitness levels either learn or perfect the 26 poses and two breathing exercises created by celebrated yogi Bikram Choudhury as an instructor guides each standing or seated motion with demonstration, verbal cues, and physical adjustments. While the intense heat may cause new students to feel a little lightheaded and long for the return of January during their first class, over time, practicing in elevated temperatures helps safely loosen muscles for balances, twists, and binds while expelling harmful toxins from the body through sweating.

Further Fitness trainers Jamie Dreyer and Maribel Torres have made it their mission to "dispel . . . myths and old-wives tales" about fitness. Inspired by their backgrounds in youth sports, exercise-science studies, and a chance encounter with fitness godfather Jack LaLanne, they have created an effective, challenging, and exciting program focused on the fundamentals of boosting metabolisms and muscle mass. Their stripped-down studio builds bodies with simple tools, such as kettlebells, battling ropes, and sandbags. To stimulate the cardiovascular system, Jamie and Maribel might have students haul a weight sled and pull in equal amounts of physiology and anatomy knowledge. Sessions are held in semiprivate and group settings, and an athletic-strength program devotes itself exclusively to training high-school-level athletes and any toddlers that can run a decent 40-yard dash or live in the requisite angst in which high schoolers often live.

Grand Master Yeon Hwan Park draws from experience gained while earning a ninth-degree black belt as he focuses students’ bodies and minds. At YH Park Taekwondo, he and a skilled team train pupils from beginner to black belt in the art of tae kwon do, a Korean martial art that teaches the duality of inner harmony and physical defense using fluid movements of the fists and foot fists.

Grand Master Park learned his skills in his native Korea, where he became the undefeated national tae kwon do champion from 1971 to 1975. He also served as vice president of the United States Taekwondo Union and coach of the U.S. Olympic and Pan American team. In addition to his practical mastery of the sport, Park has published 12 books on its theory, including Tae Kwon Do: My Life and Philosophy and Tae Kwon Don’t, How to Avoid Conquering the World.

Ultimate Gym's trainers first kicked open its doors in 1986, and their no-nonsense attitude toward hard work and smart training have endured since then. Trainers challenge students through cardio and muscle-toning drills in boot camps, yoga, and Zumba sessions, and a staff, led by coach Billy Reuter, uploads self-defense maneuvers into feet and fists in their Ultimate Fighting Solutions classes for kids and adults. Layered on a foundation of Krav Maga, which was developed and battlefield tested by the Israeli Defense Forces, the system blends moves from across the martial-arts spectrum to train people to defend against real-world scenarios. After churning out new muscles, guests can visit the onsite chiropractor to manage pain, recover from an injury, and turn their heads back toward the front after a boxing match.