Cross Fit Soar, Hawthorne

Though CrossFit SOAR now occupies a 5,000-square-foot gym and counts many fitness fanatics among its membership ranks, it wasn't always this way. When the gym was founded in 2010, it was stationed in a garage. Then founder Steve Keefer shared his love for CrossFit and recruited like-minded coaches and members to join him.

The focus has always been a holistic approach to exercise, one that encompasses not only stamina, strength, and flexibility, but also competition with oneself and thy couch-loving alter-ego. In fact, thanks to CrossFit's scalability, the workouts are the same for athletes, senior citizens, and even children—they're just adjusted for intensity as students progress and set new personal bests.