Performance Factory Training doesn’t look like your average gym. Located in Highwood, Illinois, nestled between Lake Forest and Highland Park, grunts and shouts echo off the rafters of the 5,000-square-foot facility on Bank Lane, just west of Sheridan Lane. It's a cavernous warehouse that’s mostly empty, save for a smattering of kettlebells and cast-iron weight plates. The students here have little use for gimmicky equipment, as they focus on functional movements—pushing, pulling, squatting, and lifting, to name a few—that rely on body weight for resistance.

PFT’s instructors offer everything from personal training to football-specific workouts, and their flagship program is CrossFit. This functional fitness phenomenon consists of a series of short, intense workouts that combine grueling strength and cardio training with basic gymnastics.