Gym

A new Crunch gym has opened in downtown Burbank following the huge success of the company's West Hollywood location, which has become a trendy work-out spot for celebrities and entertainment-industry types. Burbank's identity as the “entertainment capital of the world” should fit right in with the gym's L.A. branding, according to company officials. It's only the second Crunch gym in the Los Angeles area, said Amita Balla, general manager of the new gym, located at 761 N. San Fernando Blvd., above Barnes & Noble.

After facing initial rejection and then litigation, the new 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport center in Burbank opened on Saturday. The 40,000-square-foot gym, located at 1903 W. Empire Ave., has an indoor lap pool, full-sized outdoor basketball court and a variety of strength and cardio equipment with personal viewing screens on some machines. There is also a retail shop, personal training area, sauna, steam room, whirlpool and a baby-sitting service for children ages six months to 12. At the gym's opening, Mayor Jess Talamantes referenced the club's rocky journey to fruition.

Jeff Tully PROVIDENCE HIGH -- After a cost of $4.1 million, years of anticipation and months of construction, the new Providence High gym was ready for action. All it was waiting for was a Pioneer victory. In the first contest at the Fritz B. Burns Student Activity Center Thursday, the Providence boys' volleyball team christened its new home with a 15-6, 15-10, 7-15, 15-13 Liberty League win against L.A. Windward. The new gym replaces the old facility affectionately dubbed the Providome, a cramped, cracker-box of a gym that also served as a cafeteria and assembly hall.

CITY CENTER — The City Council this week unanimously approved a measure that permits health club owners with two locations to post a single bond instead of two designed to reimburse prepaid members should the clubs shutter their doors. The council, reacting to complaints from gym owners, amended the requirement that called for a health club licensee to provide separate bonds for each Burbank-licensed location owned by the same individual or company, such as the Burbank Athletic Club, whose owner, Greg Bedrossian, has been lobbying for the change.

CITY HALL ? The City Council on Tuesday reversed course on a proposed 24 Hour Fitness on Empire Avenue, voting 3 to 2 to allow the club after operators revised the project. In approving the Super Sport club, the council voted against Crown Realty & Development Corp./Burbank Mall & Associates, which argued that the 24 Hour Fitness would exacerbate traffic congestion during peak commute times and that the project failed to meet parking requirements. Councilman Jess Talamantes contended that the building, which sat vacant for nearly six years, was an opportunity for the council to make good on prior commitments.

The City Council’s narrow decision this week to block a 24 Hour Fitness from converting a warehouse on Empire Avenue into a gym may, on its surface, seem like a bad case of local protectionism, but a closer look reveals a different picture. For starters, several full-service gyms are already in this city of roughly 108,000 people, an unknown slice of whom actually go in for regular workouts. Given the economic conditions, gym workers haven’t exactly been working double shifts to accommodate an influx of new patrons.

Pole dancing isn’t just for strippers anymore. This summer, the management at VisionFit gym on Burbank Boulevard brought the provocative skill down to earth and out of the gentlemen’s club with drop-in pole dancing classes. Intro to Pole is part of a new set of exercises at the gym called Group X, which includes chaos cardio class, Anusara-style yoga and old-school calisthenics for men only. The classes are all part of the gym’s new effort to be more friendly to the exerciser who may not want a heavy regime of pumping iron, said Abbie Britton, a trainer at the gym. “One of the reasons we brought pole [dancing]

JEFF TULLY In less than eight months, construction at Burbank High will be complete and the school will get some desperately needed new sports facilities. However, while some teams will celebrate their new digs, there are a few that will mourn the passing of one venue -- the Bulldogs' venerable old basketball gym. Although the roof leaks, the plumbing routinely gets backed up, sometimes the lights don't work and the locker room and shower facilities are archaic, the old gym has a mystique and a charm that most new venues just can't match.

Demolition crews on Monday began taking down Burbank High School's 57-year-old gymnasium, known as "The Doghouse." The gym, which hosted its last game in February, is being torn down to make way for soccer fields, basketball courts, open space and parking. The school's new two-story gym will be 57,000 square feet and feature two basketball courts, a weight room, locker rooms and a swimming pool. Along with basketball and volleyball games, the gym was used for dances, pep rallies and other events.

Mark R. Madler It lacks the cachet of the celebrated parquet floor of the old Boston Garden, but the bird's eye maple floor in Burbank High School's gym contains just as many memories for alumni. "It was a great basketball floor," said former Burbank High Coach and Co-athletic director Dave Kemp. "I don't think you'll find another floor like that again." While the gym will be torn down next week, pieces of the floor were salvaged by Principal Bruce Osgood to sell to alumni, with the proceeds used to support the school's athletic programs.

A new Crunch gym has opened in downtown Burbank following the huge success of the company's West Hollywood location, which has become a trendy work-out spot for celebrities and entertainment-industry types. Burbank's identity as the “entertainment capital of the world” should fit right in with the gym's L.A. branding, according to company officials. It's only the second Crunch gym in the Los Angeles area, said Amita Balla, general manager of the new gym, located at 761 N. San Fernando Blvd., above Barnes & Noble.

After facing initial rejection and then litigation, the new 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport center in Burbank opened on Saturday. The 40,000-square-foot gym, located at 1903 W. Empire Ave., has an indoor lap pool, full-sized outdoor basketball court and a variety of strength and cardio equipment with personal viewing screens on some machines. There is also a retail shop, personal training area, sauna, steam room, whirlpool and a baby-sitting service for children ages six months to 12. At the gym's opening, Mayor Jess Talamantes referenced the club's rocky journey to fruition.

BURBANK — Members of the Burbank Boxing Club are not actually able to stage fights during their workouts. Because the club is housed in the Burbank Community YMCA, rules prohibit the boxers from doing any kind of sparring. Instead, athletes work on their techniques, learn about the sport and get an exhausting workout in the process. "We can't even do any tough-boxing," Burbank Boxing Club Director Stave Harpst said. "It just isn't allowed. " Because of this lack of competition, Harpst likes to take his fighters out and give them a chance to compete in some actual bouts every now and then.

The owner of the Burbank Athletic Club is suing to block the city from allowing a 24 Hour Fitness Super Sport center to open on Empire Avenue. David Bedrossian, along with longtime city critic Mike Nolan, filed the lawsuit last month claiming the May 18 approval of the 24 Hour Fitness in the 1900 block of Empire did not meet city codes. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court contends the city failed to comply with its own procedures and ignored potential parking problems related to the proposed gym. Burbank city spokesman Keith Sterling declined to comment on the litigation, but said city officials were "vigorously defending our position and the decision that was made."

CITY HALL — Fresh off of approving a new comedy club and 24 Hour Fitness, Burbank officials have pushed back against proposed changes to the downtown shopping district, rebuffing a request to build a Gold's Gym and possibly more restaurants into the mixed-use Collection. Development plans for the Collection allow 60% of the 39,770-square-foot space to be used as retail with the remaining space to be used for restaurants. The City Council last week voted 3 to 2 to deny Bob Champion's request to fill roughly 20,000 more square feet with either restaurants or retail, and another 19,600 square feet for the Gold's Gym. "I know it's tough economic times, but to me it seems like your short-term gain of throwing somebody in a space may have some long-term effects that are detrimental to the downtown area," said Mayor Anja Reinke, who was joined by Councilmen Jess Talamantes and David Gordon.

CITY HALL ? The City Council on Tuesday reversed course on a proposed 24 Hour Fitness on Empire Avenue, voting 3 to 2 to allow the club after operators revised the project. In approving the Super Sport club, the council voted against Crown Realty & Development Corp./Burbank Mall & Associates, which argued that the 24 Hour Fitness would exacerbate traffic congestion during peak commute times and that the project failed to meet parking requirements. Councilman Jess Talamantes contended that the building, which sat vacant for nearly six years, was an opportunity for the council to make good on prior commitments.

CITY HALL — In a reversal of fortunes for 24 Hour Fitness, the City Council on Tuesday voted to rehear a revised proposal for a Super Sport club in the 1900 block of Empire Avenue. The 4-1 vote came after the council narrowly rejected the original proposal, reversing a decision by the Planning Board on the grounds that the club would have inadequate parking and negatively impact traffic. In an unusual move Tuesday, council members instructed 24 Hour Fitness to revise the project before the matter could be re-noticed and re-heard, rather than making them wait one year to resubmit plans.

The City Council’s narrow decision this week to block a 24 Hour Fitness from converting a warehouse on Empire Avenue into a gym may, on its surface, seem like a bad case of local protectionism, but a closer look reveals a different picture. For starters, several full-service gyms are already in this city of roughly 108,000 people, an unknown slice of whom actually go in for regular workouts. Given the economic conditions, gym workers haven’t exactly been working double shifts to accommodate an influx of new patrons.

BURBANK — It was all minivans and front rolls at Golden State Gymnastics Saturday as the nonprofit gym opened its doors to the community in celebration of National Gymnastics Day, seen as an important way to promote the sport. Part open house, part fun festival and part family night, children young and old were joined by their parents at the Keystone Street facility. Goals of National Gymnastics Day are twofold: to raise awareness for the sport of gymnastics and to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.

CITY CENTER — The City Council this week unanimously approved a measure that permits health club owners with two locations to post a single bond instead of two designed to reimburse prepaid members should the clubs shutter their doors. The council, reacting to complaints from gym owners, amended the requirement that called for a health club licensee to provide separate bonds for each Burbank-licensed location owned by the same individual or company, such as the Burbank Athletic Club, whose owner, Greg Bedrossian, has been lobbying for the change.