Westmont Gyms and Fitness

Green grass and blue skies bookend the boot-camp classes at Bulldog Bootcamp. Leading the outdoor workouts, owner Greg Major and his team of seasoned fitness instructors spur their students on by shouting words of encouragement and tearing Chicken Soup for the Soul books in half. Major—a decorated bodybuilder and inline skater—has been a certified personal trainer since 1989, and has since picked up the credentials to teach CrossFit’s Level 1, Football, and Kids programs. He and his staff stage CrossFit classes at Bulldog Bootcamp’s training facility in Forest Park.

In a spacious studio with hardwood floors, Sun and Moon Yoga’s certified yoga instructors foster fitter bodies and more relaxed minds by leading classes aimed at every level of practitioner. In beginner-level Vinyasa Flow classes, instructors school posing novices on how to achieve deep relaxation through slow poses and controlled breathing as paper sliding windows filter out all but the most introspective natural light. Heated yoga classes prepare patrons for deep stretching by heating muscles and sinews, while Blissful Backs classes aim to limber up stiff spines and build up core stabilizers.

477 Club Fitness founder Lynette Miller and her trainers can whip any client into shape with Zumba, boot camp, cardio kickboxing, or even personal training. But perhaps the most distinct aspect of 447 Club Fitness—the one that garnered attention from Oak Park 365 in 2009—is the staff’s commitment to childhood fitness. They offer several programs designed just for kids, including a circuit-training program that utilizes age-appropriate equipment and kids’ dance classes that teach foundational steps and which slow songs to request at school dances.