Crunch arrives on Alton Road
If you drive or even walk too quickly along busy Alton Road, you might easily miss the newest location of Crunch Fitness. The reason we knew exactly how to locate the front door--or actually the back door that serves as the entrance -- is because we'd been visiting a few times here during previous gym enterprises that made this a favored workout spot for local urbanites. Now, with its latest remake as Crunch, it's well positioned to take on this big city fitness center's objective of keeping it dynamic but relaxed, multi-faceted in the exercise options but communal in spirit.
One obvious asset to this latest in the Crunch family is its proximity to happening Lincoln Road. Alton Road - a busy and still developing avenue of Miami Beach's commercial life is also a typical Crunch location, at the center of the urban pulse, traffic and humanity flowing in every direction, and fit-conscious bodies a healthy percentage of that constant flow. Actually it helps the inner sanctum feel of the interior here that you enter from the back (you can find streetfront parking - but the rear parking lot with plenty of metered spots is the easier choice). The front desk sells energy bars and health snacks, and on the opposite wall you can check out photos of local champion and visiting bodybuilders and other athletes, along with trainer contact information. For those who don't tote a blackberry everywhere, there's also a free internet terminal.
On the floor, look for rows and rows of various strength training machines and plentiful free weights. The cardio and stationary bikes area is located toward the large windows that front the street, while free weights are arranged toward the front entrance. Classes are categorized under headings like "Action Sports","Chill Outs", "Crunch Classics" and "Dance Rhythms" -- all of which are pretty self-explanatory, but if you've been into a Crunch gym previously elsewhere you probably recognize some of the individual classes that take place in each of these sections. For instance, "Crunch Classics" includes "Step Groove" and "The Morning Grind" - a.m. step workouts and ride/strength sessions. "Action Sports" spans everything from "Cardio Sculpt" to "Rock Bottom" to "Washboard Abs", and much more in the way of classes targeting specific muscle groups. "Chill Outs" offer a diversity of yoga practices (Hatha, Power, Vinyasa), and "Dance Rhythms" are cardio-intense rhythm sessions drawing on everything from hip-hop to traditional cardio moves to get you ultra-toned. Our personal favorite is the "Cardio Sculpt" session led by fitness expert and trainer, Tomas Garcia.
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Crunch - 1676 Alton Road, Miami; Tel: (305) 531-4743