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Nothing distorts the American imagination like the specter of competition, and if in its wake we can produce a clear winner–”Hey, kids, this is the lowest place on earth! That’s the highest mountain! The largest tree! The fattest lady! The biggest shoe!”–all the better. And although you may roll your eyes at the thought of yet another top-10 list, you’ll read it, because these simple taxonomies help us orient and compare and stack up against the endless oncoming tide of the latest and greatest. “Who’s the strongest? They are, buddy, muscle & fitness said so!”

Unless you happen to be reading this at an icy Alaskan newsstand, you don’t have to go far to find strong towns in the United States. America’s strongest cities run up both coasts, through the heart of the heartland, into the cold, wet corners at both ends and within a kettlebell’s throw of the Gulf Coast. Power is pretty much spread equitably from hill to dale and from skyscraper to suburb. So the next time you pack the family off to see the largest this and the tallest that, don’t forget to include one of America’s strongest cities.

HOW WE DID IT

We started with the 25 most populous cities in the United States and came up with nine categories that gave us an indication of the strength potential of each city:

* GNC members per city and Bodybuilding.com members per city

* Bodybuilding.com supplement sales per city and GNC supplement sales per city

* Gym participants per 100 people

* MUSCLE & FITNESS, FLEX subscribers

* Number of gyms per 100,000 residents

* Certified personal trainers per city

* National Physique Committee members per city

* USA Powerlifting members per city

* Body-Solid equipment sales per city

The final tallies were based on weighted per-capita averages, derived from what we consider to be the greatest key drivers of strength among the population. With all that data in hand, from there it was a matter of dispassionate calculation and placement.

Now, without further ado, the strongest cities in America …

The Rankings

STRONGEST CITIES IN THE NATION

TOP 10 IN AMERICA

1) Denver, Colorado

2) Seattle, Washington

3) Columbus, Ohio

4) Boston, Massachusetts

5) San Jose, California

6) Baltimore, Maryland

6) San Diego, California

Dallas, Texas

9) Charlotte, North Carolina

9) Detroit, Michigan

THE BEST OF THE REST

11) San Francisco, California

12) Indianapolis, Indiana

12) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania TIE

14) Los Angeles, California

15) Chicago, Illinois

16) Phoenix, Arizona

17) New York, New York

18) Austin, Texas

18) Jacksonville, Florida

18) Houston, Texas TIE

21) Milwaukee, Wisconsin

22) El Paso, Texas

23) Fort Worth. Texas

24) San Antonio, Texas

25) Memphis, Tennessee

No. 1 Denver

97 POINTS OUT OF 100: America’s strongest city sits a mile in the sky, has air as thin as a stripper’s camisole and a wedge of Rocky Mountains running though it like a colossal backbone. Home runs at the Colorado Rockies’ Coors Field redefine “towering,” and if you’ve ever tuned in to a Broncos game, you know the visceral meaning of “dumping snow.”

Denver figures in the top five in every category except one, showing particularly impressive numbers in the supplement sales category and just squeaking by Columbus as the most physically active city in our top 25. Equally impressive are its membership totals with the NPC and vitamin and supplement shops, as well as its subscriber base to this and flex magazines.

No. 2 Seattle

92 POINTS: Despite a seemingly permanent scrim of rain and gray skies, Seattle ran like the dickens with Denver, matching the Mile-High City category for category until it stumbled on the shoals of NPC membership and gym equipment sales. That brought it to rest five points off the lead, but 14 points in front of the next closest city. Apparently, lifting is a necessary antidote to another day of “low clouds and rain.”

No. 3 Columbus

78 POINTS: The home of the Arnold Classic is no stranger to heavy lifting, and it showed its vein-popping stripes by topping the USA Powerlifting membership category and taking second to Denver as the city with the most active citizens per capita. Across the board, Columbus stayed tight to the top 10 with an occasional run up or down the line, but it beat Denver and Seattle decisively in the amount of gym equipment sold.

No. 4 Boston

75 POINTS: Boston looked like the odds-on favorite after it ran off with the top spot in three categories: supplement safes, vitamin and supplement shop memberships, and subscribers to muscle & fitness and flex magazines. It wasn’t to be, though, as less-than-stellar NPC and USA Powerlifting memberships and gym equipment sales dragged it down to the fourth spot.

No. 5 San Jose

74 POINTS: San Joseans must be a dedicated lot. They finished in the top 10 in every category except for one–gyms per 100,000 residents, where they almost hit bottom. So consider your outdoor options if you plan to work out here; either that or open your own gym.

Your time is valuable, and for each precious moment you put into your workouts, you want to ensure you get the best possible return on your investment. So, are you getting the results you want? If your body isn’t as lean or toned as you’d like, it may be that you’re committing some key training mistakes, which can sabotage the efforts of even veteran exercisers.

Of course, you probably know the more obvious mistakes to avoid. For instance, skipping your warm-up may cause you to fatigue early, preventing you from realizing your potential. Furthermore, leaning on the stair climber or elliptical trainer may allow you to stay on longer, but it drastically reduces the challenge to your lower body as well as the number of calories you burn. But what about the less obvious errors you may be making? Here, we’ll discuss some of the more subtle–yet no less serious–faux pas of fitness and the strength-training exercises most frequently flubbed, and show you how they can be fixed with nearly effortless corrections.

the ten faux pas of fitness

People make small but costly mistakes when exercising every day, and one tiny change can have a huge impact on their results, says Los Angeles-based trainer Ken Alan, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise. Thanks to Alan and the panel of training experts who weighed in on these faux pas and fixes, you’ll error-proof your exercise and see tremendous payoffs, and the time you invest in your workouts will be smart and well-spent. We begin with five errors often made in your approach to exercise, then we’ll take a look at five moves frequently flubbed.

1. the faux pas Getting married to your strength routine the facts If you do the same routine over and over, your muscles will simply adapt; you’re likely to hit a plateau because each exercise stimulates only a limited number of muscle fibers. However, if you challenge your muscles from a variety of angles by adding or alternating moves periodically, you’ll get significantly more fibers into the act and develop more tone and strength.

the fix For each muscle group, learn an additional 2 or 3 exercises, trying new angles and equipment. (If you can’t get instruction from a trainer, there are plenty of books and videos organized by routine for each body part.) For instance, if you usually do the dumbbell chest press on a flat bench, try it at an incline. If you normally use the chest-press machine, try the dumbbell chest press or the bench press with a barbell. Expand your repertoire enough so that you can change your entire routine every 6-8 weeks.

2. the faux pas Performing your reps too quickly the facts If you zoom through your repetitions when strength training, you’ll be using momentum instead of muscle power. You won’t get the same stimulus for muscle building, and you won’t burn as many calories. You’ll also be more susceptible to training injuries such as torn muscles or connective tissue.

the fix Take 6 seconds to perform each repetition: 2 seconds to lift the weight and 4 seconds to lower it. (Since you have gravity to help you lower the weight, you need to slow down even more on this phase in order to give your muscles a sufficient challenge.) Our experts agree that slowing down is the single most significant change you can make to get better results from strength training.

3. the faux pas Exercising too hard, too often the facts If you don’t rest enough between hard cardio or strength workouts, you’ll stop making progress and may even lose some of the fitness you’ve gained. You’re also likely to burn out on exercise.

the fix To keep your muscles fresh and your motivation high, alternate shorter, tougher cardio workouts (for instance, 20 minutes) with longer, easier days (40-60 minutes). Don’t go allout more than twice a week. Keep in mind that the more intensely you train, the more time your body needs to recover. It’s a good idea to do a couple of tough workouts and take 1 day completely off each week. On the strength-training front, take at least 1 day off between sessions that work the same muscle group.

4. the faux pas Coasting on your cardio the facts Sticking with the same aerobic workout can sabotage your results as much as pushing too hard. To truly boost your fitness (which enables you to burn more calories with less effort), you need to venture outside your comfort zone a couple of times a week, to the point where you’re somewhat winded and can feel your heart pounding.

the fix Instead of zoning out or doing moderate-intensity cardio all the time, mix in some high-intensity intervals twice a week. For instance, after warming up for 10 minutes on the treadmill, increase the speed or incline for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then recover with 1-3 minutes of easy-to-moderate exercise. Keep alternating for 10-20 minutes, then cool down. You also may want to do longer high-intensity intervals - say, 5 minutes — where you don’t push quite as hard as you do on the shorter ones.

5. the faux pas Lifting the wrong amount of weight the facts If you lift weights that are too light, you won’t see improvements in strength, tone or bone density. If you lift weights that are too heavy, you’ll compromise proper form, increasing your injury risk. You’ll also be forced to recruit additional muscles, for instance, using your entire body to complete a biceps curl, thus cheating the targeted muscles of a good workout.

What if we told you there was one piece of equipment that strengthens your entire body while burning 600 calories an hour–and you’re walking by it every day in the gym?

Almost 76 percent fewer people use rowing ergometers, or “ergs,” than treadmills, even though they burn a similar amount of calories, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. “People think of rowing as a sport for Ivy Leaguers, but it’s easy to learn and delivers results because it uses so many muscles,” says Josh Crosby, creator of Indo-Row, a group rowing class at Sports Club/LA in Los Angeles. So the next time you see a line for the treadmill at the gym, walk over to the erg and start rowing your way to a stronger, leaner body.–J.D.

From high performance to sharp aesthetics, all your gear–head to wheels–can be custom cut to your mold. So, whether you’re a specialized athlete looking for a competitive edge or a gym rat with an eye for style, if you make your gear your own, you’re guaranteed always to be satisfied.

AFP Monson Snowboard

You can set yourself apart on the slopes by wearing a wacky hat–or you can not look like a douche bag and carve on a unique board instead. Hand-built by longtime riders, the wood-core boards are made for your body type and preferred riding style, be it downhill speed or half-pipe trickery. Choose from one of Monson’s many trippy graphic designs, or send them one of your own.

Do you spend your commute dodging car doors, bobbing and weaving through traffic? Looking for a middle ground between a briefcase and a gym bag? This classic messenger bag is rugged, durable–and now customizable. Choose your fabric, colors, size, whether you’re a lefty or a righty, and a slew of add-ons, such as a cell-phone holder or grab strap.

Don’t put your elbows on the table.

Always say “please” and “thank you.”

Cross your feet at the ankles.

Don’t double-dip a chip.

If these little rules sound familiar, mom taught you well, and you’re savvy to the code of social etiquette and good manners. Just as we have rules for dining, conversing and modesty, so do we have rules for proper gym conduct.

Although they’re mostly unwritten, there is a canon of gym etiquette that all gym-goers should recognize. Whether or not others do so is beyond your control! You can avoid committing a fitness faux pas by following a few simple guidelines.

The gym has only so many machines, and if you go during peak hours, most of them will be occupied. If someone is using a machine you’d like to use, ask if you can ‘work in.” Working in is a way for two people to share the same equipment: One person rests while the other does a set. Approach the other person while he or she is resting and politely ask if you can work in. Be prepared: The person might say no. But don’t stress over his or her rudeness; simply move on and find something different to use. If the person agrees to let you in, it’s a nice gesture to return the weight setting and seat adjustment to what he or she was using once you finish your set. Hopefully, that person will be just as courteous to you.

Noise Pollution…

Although you may think the latest Eminem tune is da bomb, someone trapped on the treadmill next to you may not share your passion for pop. Turn your headphones to an acceptable level and enjoy your music solo.

Neither is the gym a place for karaoke or personal cell phone conversations. People in your proximity probably won’t appreciate your chortling or chatting while they’re trying to concentrate on their workout. Save the cell colloquy for later, and preserve your pipes for open-mic night at your local bar.

And even though this applies more to the male gender, refrain from grunting, shouting profanities, and banging and dropping weights when you’re lifting. Not only do your boisterous inclinations distract others and disrupt their workouts, but you also sound like Rambo giving birth.

…And Nose Pollution

Although women invariably smell like roses (yeah, right!), even the most delicate of flowers can get pretty ripe on occasion. Remember to use deodorant and wear clean clothes to the gym. Also, keep your perfume and cologne usage to a minimum. Many people are allergic to fragrances, so refrain from bathing in Chanel No. 5 before your workout.

Pick Up the Pieces

When you’re finished using it, put your equipment back in its appointed place, and if you see something lying around, courteously put it away to save someone else the hassle of hunting for it later. This includes machine handles, dumbbells, floor mats, magazine racks, weight plates and anything else not bolted to the floor.

Look Before You Leap

Before jumping onto a piece of equipment or grabbing a pair of dumbbells, make sure it’s free to use. Someone may indeed be using it, and may have stepped away to get a drink of water or visit the restroom. Ask others in the immediate area if the equipment is being used. If not, go for it; if so, ask if you can work in.

Mirror, Mirror

During an exercise, especially one using free weights, people watch themselves in the mirror to check their form and execution. If a weight or machine you need is in front of someone performing a set, wait for him or her to finish. But if someone’s simply checking out his or her butt, pecs or new nose job, barge in freely and take what you need!

Sweat Hog

Nothing’s quite as nauseating as lying on a bench sodden with a stranger’s sweat. So if you tend to “glow heavily,” bring a towel to the gym and thoroughly wipe off any piece of equipment you’ve rained upon after you’re done. If you see someone leaving a moist impression on something you intend to use, politely ask him or her to clean it off before departing, Again, prepare yourself for discourtesy, for the sweat hog in question may take off without concern for the leftover perspiration. Arm yourself with a wad of paper towels and a bottle of cleaning fluid, if your gym provides them.

Share & Share Alike

Realistically, you can use only one thing at a time, so don’t hoard an entire rack of weights with the intent of using them sometime in the next hour. Share with others what you aren’t using at the moment.

Curtail the Cardio

If a time limit is posted for cardio equipment during peak hours, heed the stipulation. You’d be annoyed if someone was on the treadmill for two hours while you waited; so should they be as irked with you.

Bathroom Beautification

We’re assuming you don’t leave towels and wads of used tissues, tampons and toilet paper on the floor of your bathroom at home, so why do it in the gym? Clean up after yourself and put trash in its appropriate containers.

Class in the Classroom

You may be legitimately late for kickboxing class, but don’t make a spectacle of yourself upon entering, plowing to the front of the room, wedging yourself in and assuming your usual spot, and disrupting the whole class. Enter quietly and take a place in the back, and next time leave for the gym earlier!

Dancers are known for having a long, lean look. Many say it can be yours with Pilates training, and the good news is that now it’s easier than ever before to find a class that suits you.

A slew of Pilates classes have recently popped up around the country, bringing this tried-and-true method of exercise out of the small studio and into your local gym. Besides traditional mat and equipment-based classes, new fusion classes have begun to merge Pilates with yoga, strength training, dance, indoor cycling and more. Can these classes pack the same Pilates punch? To find out, five M&F HERS staffers tried out a variety of fusion classes, plus traditional Pilates training, to compare the hybrids with the original.

Here’s what we thought were the best of the bunch of Los Angeles-area Pilates fusion classes. We’ve also included a move from each for you to try on your own. Let us know if we’ve missed one of your favorites!

ballet pilates

MAURA WEBER

Like many other girls, I spent my adolescent years studying ballet. These days I’ve hung up my leotard and tights in favor of lifting gloves and cross-trainers, but like most women, I don’t want weight training to give me a burly Mr. Olympia look. For me and all the other baby ballerinas out there, an obvious question arises: Is there any way to call upon those years of practice at the bane to enhance grace and flexibility as an adult? That’s where ballet Pilates fits in.

In ballet Pilates, “Energy doesn’t get depleted, it gets enhanced,” says creator Ellen Barrett. This mild workout helps improve your posture and balance through a combination of strength and flexibility moves. The exercise shown here is typical of the type of movement you’ll do in a mat Pilates class; Barrett is certified by the Physicalmind Institute as a Pilates instructor. What makes ballet Pilates unique, however, is the sequence of exercises at the start of class. The class I took at Equinox in Pasadena, California, reawakened my appreciation of the fluency of movement that sets ballet dancers apart from other athletes.

To begin, Barrett took us through a series of simple phes, tendus and arm movements that require focus on balance and alignment. You don’t have to be an experienced dancer to follow Barrett’s instructions, but you’ll face less of a learning curve if you ever took ballet. The second portion of the workout is done mainly on the floor and consists of core-strengthening moves taken from traditional mat Pilates.

Barrett, who also teaches ballet Pilates at Crunch Fitness in Los Angeles, explains that the move shown here, called Coordination, has a variety of benefits. “It’s great for hamstring flexibility and core stabilization,” she says. “In both Pilates and ballet, knowing exactly where your center is located is important. This exercise makes you really connect to, discover and pinpoint your exact center.”

Consider ballet Pilates the finishing touch for your fitness program. Lifting weights sculpts muscle and cardio bums fat; once the hard work is done, ballet Pilates helps refine your physique by promoting graceful posture and poise. If you aren’t able to attend one of Barrett’s classes, you can order the ballet Pilates video at her website, buffgirlfltness.com.

coordination

Start by sitting with your knees together and feet flat on the floor. Lift your feet up in front of you and balance on your sitbones (glutes) so your thighs and torso form a V Try not to round your back; your body should be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor with your chest lifted and shoulders relaxed. This is your start position. With your hands lightly touching the outside of your ankles or shins, straighten your legs out in front of you. Maintaining the balance in your core, open your legs wide apart, then bring them back together in front of you and bend your knees to return to the starting position.

deep tissue tone

BY JANELLE CANADY, CREATIVE COORDINATOR

I had the pain and pleasure of taking Deep Tissue Tone, taught by Tracy Effinger, an instructor at the Speed Center/Workout Warehouse in West Hollywood. Tracy is obviously a dancer–tall and graceful with a very strong presence. The walls of the room were adorned with a weathered assortment of articles Tracy has been featured in and, rightfully so, as the model to boot.

Creator of the Effinger Technique, Tracy definitely has a corner on what women in uberfit Southern California are looking for. When I found out she was the co-author of The Wedding Workout (McGraw Hill, 2001), my mind conjured up images of Barbie-doll brides fitting into their dream dress after using her techniques.

Deep Tissue Tone was quick-paced and lively. Effinger describes it as blending Pilates, Lotte Berk, Tae Kwon Do and her personal sports background–all with an athletic twist. Although I consider myself a gym-class veteran, I found myself wondering how I managed to get one step behind as she effortlessly glided from one movement to the next.

We quickly performed small, controlled gluteal movements using red mini balls, reminiscent of those used on the elementary school playground. We also incorporated movements on the ballet barre to deeply stretch and target lower-body muscles. One particular move that sent me over the trembling edge was the tiptoe plie, described below. After about three of these (toward the end of the workout, no less), I almost cried for mercy Two days later, I definitely felt the deep in Deep Tissue Tone as delayed-onset muscle soreness set in.

Cooked up by the folks at K2, who call it a low-skill, high-thrill experience, this contraption is to snow sports what Evel Knievel was to long rows of Greyhound buses–an adventure waiting to happen. With two skis for wheels and another pair of skis for your feet, this baby is adrenaline incarnate.

Although the fitness category sees its share of trendy products which at times can cause sales to be erratic, the category overall is an anchor to the hardlines side of the sporting goods business and one that grows more firmly established every year.

That looks to be the case again this year with sales in the category projected to grow at the 4% rate seen in 2004 or perhaps slightly faster, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. Manufacturer sales of equipment were estimated to be $4 billion last year.

The growth is being driven by a variety of factors, but in general more Americans are working out more often and they stand ready to purchase fitness and related products that allow them to pursue an active lifestyle. While this would appear to stand in contrast to reports about rising obesity rates and the sedentary lifestyle of the nation’s youth, information from SGMA’s annual study of sports participation indicates that participation in virtually all fitness activities increased last year. The lone exception among the top 10 activities was stair climbing and the industry has seen that shift coming for several years as the overall trend in the category is toward lower-impact forms of exercise.

The other good news for the category is that the number of health clubs–and membership in them–continues to increase. In fact, last year the health club industry set a record for expansion as the number of units increased 14% to 26,830 facilities, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. The group also tracks membership and those figures have more than doubled since 1990 and last year surged past 40 million.

Logic might suggest those trends would be bad for the home fitness market, yet products for home use accounted for 80% of the approximately $4 billion worth of equipment manufacturers sold last year. That’s due largely to the fact that the more people work out in clubs, the more likely they are to purchase equipment for home use. For example consumers were turned on to elliptical trainers at health clubs more than five years ago and have since made them a fixture in their homes.

While the overall market grew last year and is projected to do so again this year, there have been some shifts. Market leader Icon Health & Fitness has noticed slower sales of informercial-driven items.

“Our commercial business is running a 32% sales increase and that is comparable to what you would find with our competitors. It is our normal channels of distribution that we had a soft year with,” said Icon Health & Fitness chairman and ceo Scott Watterson.

Icon’s results suffered in part due to a strategic shift at the The Sports Authority that saw the company attempt to replace Icon’s well-known brands with direct imports. The strategy did not work well and Scott indicated Icon was meeting monthly with the chain to restore the flow of its brands onto the sales floor of The Sports Authority’s roughly 350 locations.

“We are very encouraged by the progress we are making with The Sports Authority,” Scott said.

Another interesting development that will influence the fitness category this year and next is the recent merger of Sears and Kmart. Sears is already the nation’s largest seller of big-ticket fitness products such as treadmills and ellipticals, whereas Kmart had become a non-factor in the category, selling declining volume of low-end goods. However, with 400 Kmart locations slated for conversion to a Sears format this year and next that will include an improved presentation and assortment of fitness products, there is certain to be an impact to full-line sporting good chains, discounters and warehouse clubs.

SOLDIERS can flex their muscles anytime, anywhere with a strand of elastic resistance tubing in a pocket-sized package dubbed “Army Fitness Deployed.”

The kit, which includes the Thera-Band system of progressive resistance, was recently developed at the Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va.

“The adage ‘use it or lose it’ applies to muscular strength and endurance,” said Janet MacKinnon, CFSC fitness-program manager. “Muscular strength relates to the maximum force a muscle can generate in a single contraction, while muscular endurance relates to the ability of a muscle to generate force repeatedly. This kit benefits users at every level of conditioning.”

The kit comes with a guide to help Soldiers maintain their muscular fitness while they’re in the field. It features illustrations and written instructions on everything from warm-up and stretching to a 33-exercise regimen.

Building a home gym is a great way to jump start your fitness program. Finding all of the components you enjoy using at a fitness center to add to your home collection can help save you money in the long run. In the short term, though, it can seem to be costing you an excess amount of money. From treadmills to ellipticals to exercise bikes, purchasing reconditioned exercise equipment can save you money and create your ideal gym. Reconditioned equipment usually comes from commercial facilities like gyms, hospitals, and schools who have recently updated their holdings.

Tips on Buying Reconditioned Exercise Equipment

1. Be sure the company you are purchasing from has the desired item in stock. Because the refurbishing equipment can take some time due to a number of factors, waiting on back-ordered equipment in this situation is a really poor idea.

2. Get some references from your dealer of previous customers. This can help you decide if you want to use this dealer to buy your refurbished equipment.

3. Talk to the company about how long you can expect the equipment to last. Some companies offer warranties on brand names like Precor and Star Trac. Other companies can at least inform you of how long and how hard the equipment was used in the first place.

4. Check with several different refurbished equipment dealers. As with any purchase, you want to shop around to get the best possible deal.

5. Be sure the equipment you are examining is what you want. If you’re unsure, do not purchase it. It will only mean another piece of unused furniture to decorate your home.

6. Finally, investigate the refurbishing process. This can help you decide how well the company you are dealing with fixes the equipment you are looking to add to your home gym.