Knockout Gym, Lawrenceville

Throughout the week, Knockout CrossFit’s 14,000-square-foot facility is outfitted with heavy bags, padded floors, and a raised boxing ring, and abuzz with the clatter of weights and kettlebells and the raspy chorus of patrons striving intensely toward fitness goals. For more than a decade the staff has trained fighters in martial art styles such as Brazilian jiujitsu, while a crew of instructors certified by CrossFit leads adults of all levels of fitness through CrossFit classes and boot-camp sessions. After helping groups loosen up with stretching exercise, CrossFit instructors lead students through the system's signature workout of the day, an ever-changing exercise that is scaled to each participant's fitness level. The hour-long classes include a warm-up, skill-development segment, high-intensity workout of the day (WOD), and a period of individual or group sessions. All WOD results are logged in a system called Wodify that helps participants track progress; it also encourages members to compete against each other for results. All classes ultimately prepare participants for any fitness level with varying workouts.

Their hardcore bootcamp classes boost heart rates and core strength with a regimen of modified interval training dedicated to increasing both power and agility. Bootcamps, which utilize 30 minutes of intense cardio, incorporate both body weight and light weight movements, and are wrapped up with 15 minutes of core work. The trainers also help youth bolster speed, conditioning, and techniques in an athletic program. In lieu of monotonous cardio machines, each course works with the facility’s abundance of ropes, rings, free weights, and kettlebells, and the open floor leaves ample space for running, jumping, and gesturing how big you want your muscles to be.