Health & Fitness in West Chester

Dragon Martial Arts Program is the perfect step needed to make those positive changes in your Life!” Senior Master Heath’s Martial Arts Program is indeed a modern application of the ancient and traditional Martial Arts. Where Traditional Philosophy Meets Scientific Methodology.

The pole-dancing curriculum at Flirtastic Fitness boosts confidence while increasing flexibility, augmenting endurance, and building muscle tone. The limber staff leads aspiring polecats through a series of core-strengthening exercises and entertaining, choreographed routines in the one-hour introductory classes. The ladies-only sessions surround students with welcoming acceptance, allowing them to express sultry spirits or a total disregard for Newtonian physics. Participants torch as many as 500 calories while learning exercises and useful dance fundamentals for breaking the ice on awkward subway rides. Students require no special equipment to sashay and spin amid the studio’s shiny practice poles and mirrored, hot-pink walls.

To a casual passerby, Yoga @ Chester Springs might look like a nightclub in slow motion. Lights, whose colors change to match those of the body's seven chakras, brighten silhouettes on the hardwood floor. These students might be posing in 88-degree temperatures, holding the challenging tableaus of stationary yoga. Or, perhaps they are flexing in sun salutations or restorative postures during an unheated yoga medley session. After their visit, they retreat to the onsite showers, locker rooms, and sauna—or pick up youngsters from the childcare room—before exiting the venue refreshed.

Regardless of the class, guests hone their balance under the supervision of certified instructors, each of whom has completed at least 200 hours of training. These experienced teachers uphold an accepting, secure atmosphere for practitioners of all levels. Their backgrounds illustrate the broad diversity of yoga scholars: Mary Booth channels Thai-yoga techniques from her pre-season work with the Philadelphia Flyers, Sue Roggio incorporates her 25 years of dance experience, and Mike Huggins' lessons often touch on Pilates and meditation. In addition to their group classes, they lead private courses and team-building seminars, such as corporate workshops for employees sore from hiding under desks all day.

In 1975, MaxOut’s founder, Dr. Michael Mac Millan, began a study of muscle development that culminated in the invention of his proprietary MaxOut tower. Designed to increase weight training’s effectiveness, the system became the basis of the gym's trademark 60-minute, once-a-week workout. According to Mike Barwis—MaxOut’s head strength and conditioning trainer and a veteran college coach—the tower “allows us to put our bodies under stress safely … which can in turn increase our results in a short period of time.”

This dedication to achieving a measurable outcome is reflected in every aspect of MaxOut’s workout facility. Here, clients heft specially designed weights in the state-of-the-art strength studio or practice yoga, spinning, or Zumba during group fitness classes. Small-group and personal-training programs offer more individualized attention and motivation. Sprinter Matt Crowell teaches a specialty speed-training regimen, building athletes’ quickness with high-speed treadmills instead of migratory winged sneakers.

Master Pagano, the titular instructor at Master Pagano's Red Dragon Martial Arts, directs students of all ages and skill levels on the path to martial-arts mastery. He teaches simple hand-eye coordination exercises for 4-year-olds all the way to full MMA lessons for adults. In his Little Champions classes, he works to arm his youngest attendees with motor skills, listening skills, and self-confidence. As these abilities burgeon, he introduces more self-defense techniques and invites parents and children to train together in family-style classes. Once a student reaches 16 years of age, he ushers them into kickboxing and MMA classes, a mixture of fitness and advanced combat techniques. He teaches class six days a week, reserving only Sundays for rest and Friday nights for seminars or birthday parties, at which kids break piñatas with only their cold, hard stares.

The certified personal trainers and registered dietitians at Marino's Body Shop strive to help their clients hit lean fitness goals with scientifically calibrated athletic training, weight loss, and muscle building programs designed to keep them safe and motivated. In addition to personal training sessions, the staff leads teams through a metabolic group coaching program that includes such exercises as flipping giant tires and small submarines. They also work with high-school athletes to build sport-specific strength and stamina for a more successful season. When not working out with clients, the shop's fitness experts show the ropes to future trainers and physical therapists while leading continuing education classes.