I work out at this place by my house:
http://www.bodyonefitness.com/. It's a lot like CrossFit in terms of the mix of strength training and cardio. But without the competition, any of the crazy Olympic lifts or tire throwing, and any of the cult-like stuff. I can see how some people might get into that, but it's not for me.
This gym is the only place I know of, even in LA that's doing something like this. I think it may end up catching on. The number and size of classes seem to be growing all the time. I used to do a boot camp down on the beach, but these group training sessions are probably two – three times harder.
We typically do a tough warm-up then three rotations where you're going back and forth between two exercises. But the format can vary all over the place. Some days will be a lot of upper body, others all legs, etc. It's extremely tough, but the instructor varies the classes so you can do it every day of the six days they're open if you want. All of the people of those six days are an incredible shape, and that's all they do. I'm working my way up to that.
I feel like I get a lot of the endorphin rush from something like cross fit, but without worrying about injuring myself or getting a visit from "Uncle Rhabdo":
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/22/fa...ted=print&_r=0
