Comparing Local
Fitness Clubs
Beverly Hills Club
www.beverlyhillsclub.net
Location: 31555 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills, (248) 642-8500
Cost: NA
Amenities: Free weights and machines; cardio; tennis; pool; yoga, Pilates,
spin and TRX classes; kids'fitness programs; massage
Crossfit
www.crossfitbloomfield.conn
Locations: Seven locations including Bloomfield Hills (799 Industrial Court),
Royal Oak and Troy
Above: Sarah Kuretsky, wellness director at Franklin Athletic Club
Opposite page: Far left, Michael Minielly, personal trainer at the Jewish
Community Center Fitness Club in West Bloomfield
Left, Jordan Levin, owner of Crossfit Bloomfield in Bloomfield Hills
Cost: Unlimited: $150 per month; two classes per week: $125 per month;
one class per week: $75 per month; punch card: 10 classes: $150
Amenities: Group classes seven days a week
Franklin Athletic Club
www.franklinclub.com
Location: 29350 Northwestern Highway, Southfield, (248) 352-8000
Cost: $50-$252 per month
Amenities: Free weights and machines; cardio; tennis, racquetball, squash
and basketball courts; Pilates, yoga and Zumba classes; pool for swimming
and scuba, snorkeling classes; kids'fitness programs; skincare and massage
JCC Center Fitness Club
you should go to the gym as often as
possible.
"If you can try to do something every
day for 20 minutes, it would be great,"
Kuretsky said. "But coming to the gym
three times a week would be a good
start."
She implores people to put a workout
into their calendar and treat it like any
other appointment.
Minielly said the workout should be
"convenient and important."
"Find a place between home and
work and just make sure it's part of your
life," he said. "If you schedule seven days
but you only make four, it's a hell of a
lot better than zero."
When at the gym, cardio work should
be blended with strength training.
"There are three parts to condition-
ing," Minielly said. "First is cardiovas-
cular, because you have to take care of
your heart. Part two is strength, to help
build muscle and increase bone density.
The third part is to eat properly."
He suggests cardio 30 minutes a day
and getting the heart rate up to 60-70
percent of maximum range.
Kuretsky said that the old-school
thinking of only needing cardio to lose
weight is false.
"Cardio is great for heart health, but
not good for long-term weight loss," she
said. "People will take up running, but
won't like it and will give up.
"What I tell people is find something
that you love. If you love Zumba and
you love to dance, that should be your
form of cardio exercise. Fitness changes
as you age and you need to think of
muscle strength, bone strength and
flexibility."
And there are plenty of classes and
new workout routines to choose from,
she said.
The new hot thing is Insanity class,
she said. And beginners should try TRX
— suspension training.
"Zumba has been a huge craze — no
matter what your fitness level is — it's
something that everyone loves, but
www.redthreadmagazine.com
there's also spinning, cycling and
Pilates," she said. "Everyone should
incorporate at least one day a week to
just stretching and flexibility. Be it yoga,
or just stretching — your muscles need
that. If everyone could do yoga one day
a week, everybody would be happier."
Levin said that Crossfit, a high-inten-
sity circuit workout class taught by two
to three coaches in each class, gives the
proper motivation, teaches you how to
do the workout correctly and is tailored
to all fitness levels.
"I have members who come to me
and want to lose 20 pounds," he said. "I
tell them you might lose only 5 pounds,
but your body will be nice and toned.
You'll move with speed. You'll look good
and feel good."
AGE DOESN'T MATTER
You're also never too old to begin a fit-
ness regimen.
According to new theories, people can
keep their strength, if nothing else hap-
pens, until they're 82, Minielly said.
"This place the JCC] is proof of
taking care of yourself," he said. "There's
a 97-year-old guy who wheels himself in
here every day, drives his car. His wife is
96 and just stopped coming. There's a
95-year-old guy who kicks everybody's
ass in pingpong every day. You're never
too old to start. We have classes that
start for people who are older."
Kuretsky said the older you are, the
slower the weight loss is going to be.
"It's very important to have a trainer,
especially one that specializes in senior
fitness," she said. "There's higher risk of
injury, so one should take it easier. I've
had people 70 years old who have lost
70 lbs. It depends on how committed
you are."
Minielly added, "Everyone needs
a goal, but it needs to keep chang-
ing. Everybody gets on a scale, but it
shouldn't be the sole reason to exercise.
Making exercise part of your life is the
best goal." RT
www.jccdet.org/health-sports-a-fitness/west-bloomfield
Locations: West Bloomfield, Oak Park JCCs, Membership: (248) 432-5496
Cost: Ranges from $38 per month for seniors to $110 per month for
executive-level membership; family memberships are $70 per month
Amenities: Free weights and machines; pool; cardio; aerobics; yoga, dance,
spin and martial arts classes; two indoor walking tracks —one outdoor;
personal training
LA Fitness
www.lafitness.conn
Locations: 10 Metro locations including Bloomfield Hills,Troy, Royal Oak,
and Southfield
Cost: $99 initiation fee, $44.90 month
Amenities: Free weights and machines; aerobics; boot camp; core training;
cycling; racquetball, basketball courts; kickboxing; Pilates, yoga and Zumba
classes; pool; child care
Lifetime Fitness
www.lifetimefitness.com
Locations: Commerce, Troy, Rochester Hills and Novi
Cost: $77 per month/individual
Amenities: Free weights and machines; cardio; tennis, racquetball, squash
and basketball courts; yoga, Pilates, martial arts and cycling classes; pool;
climbing wall; kids'fitness programs; hair, nail, skin and massage services
Planet Fitness
www.planetfitness.com
Locations: Five Metro locations including Farmington Hills, Novi and Troy
Cost: $29 startup fee/$10 month for one location; $10 startup fee/$19.99
month for reciprocal locations
Amenities: Open 24/7; free weights and machines; cardio; circuit training;
free personal training; free tanning
Powerhouse Gym
www.powerhousegym.com
Locations: Birmingham, Detroit, Novi, Troy and West Bloomfield
Cost: All clubs are different, but West Bloomfield ranges from $19.99 month
with $200 enrollment to $39.99 month with no enrollment fee.
Amenities: Free weights and machines; cardio; aerobics; spinning, kickbox-
ing, TRX, Zumba, Pilates and yoga classes
Sports Club West Bloomfield
www.thesportsclubs.com
Location: 6343 Farmington Road, (248) 626-9880
Cost: $62 to $74 per month
Amenities: Open 365 days/year; free weights and machines; cardio; indoor
track; pools — two in winter, three in summer, including a three-story water
play structure; spinning; yoga studio; tennis, martial arts, swim and gym-
nastics lessons; four locker rooms — two for kids
RED MEAD I January 2014 27