Cal-a-Vie Interval Strength Conditioning. Photo by Paul Barnett.

Fresh Fitness
If you already have a beach-ready body, consider yourself blessed. If, on the other hand, the onset of summer has you dreading the sight of yourself in a bathing suit, fear not. There’s still plenty of time to shape up before the dog days arrive. But no matter which category you fall into, don’t settle for the same old workout routine. Instead, check out some of San Diego’s fresh takes on fitness.

Child’s Play
Have fond memories of how fit you were as a kid? That’s when P.E. was mandatory, and for that matter, so was playing outdoors. Truth is, getting that great physique doesn’t have to be all work and no play. Boot camps are known for incorporating time-tested moves like push-ups and sit-ups. But these days, fitness camps of all kinds are adding exercises based on childhood activities.

The program at Cal-a-Vie Spa in Vista includes an Interval Strength and Conditioning class where participants burn calories by "playing" with hula hoops or in mock basketball games.

(866/772-4283, www.cal-a-vie.com) Cat Burke, owner of GetCatFit, often incorporates hopscotch and leap frog drills. "These drills work well because they are familiar, easy to understand and execute, provide a full body workout, and they are fun," she says. "There have been many ‘hot’ new trends that are here today and gone tomorrow. In the end, we always seem to incorporate the basics." (www.getcatfit.com)

Kranking
At first glance, the Krankcycle resembles something out of a Tim Burton movie. In actuality, it’s "an upper-body, stationary hand cycle that utilizes an adjustable, variable-resistance mechanism connected to a floating flywheel." Translation? It’s an exercise bike turned upside down.

Referred to as speed-cycling from the waist up, Kranking was invented by Johnny Goldberg (Johnny G.), the mastermind behind Spinning. Activities such as cycling, stair climbing, and walking on the treadmill are aimed at working the lower body. Kranking is a high-power cardio workout for the upper body and core. "When you do an upper body workout your heart works harder," says Club One and Frog’s Fitness spokesperson, Kari Bedgood. "It’s a great alternative for giving your legs a rest, or adding that extra oomph to your training."

Why not test your endurance with Full-Body Fusion — an all-out sweat session that alternates between Spinning and Kranking. "It’s 45 minutes of sheer cardio," says Bedgood, "and one of the best workouts I’ve ever done!" (www.frogsfit.com)

Yin And Yang
"Cy-Yo" marries 40 minutes of indoor cycling with 15 minutes of flow yoga. Unfortunately, Cy-Yo hasn’t made its way to San Diego just yet, but the idea of combining cardio with yoga or Pilates has. Think about cyclists, whose hip flexors absorb the biggest impact. Over time these muscles shorten and suffer fatigue. "The blend of doing a high-impact cardiovascular intensity combined with yoga is such a great balance," says local yoga instructor Leslie Denny, who encourages students to drop in after a strength or cardio session. "Your body is completely warmed up; what a great time to enter into yoga practice and take advantage of that warm body and create increased flexibility." (760/716-2815)

At Club Pilates San Diego, owner Allison Beardsley intersperses high-power movements on the Reformer with mat work, weights, bands, and yoga postures. "The more variety the better," she says. "Cardio, strength, speed, balance, stability, etcetera, are all important avenues to go down when addressing total fitness." (858/531-2348, www.clubpilatessandiego.com)

Shadow Boxing
Wouldn’t it be great to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" without getting punched in the face? Enter Shadow Boxing, a class co-created by 24-Hour Fitness and the boxing experts at Everlast. The no-contact workout focuses more on boxing techniques and less on dance beats and choreography. "It’s exciting because we’re stepping outside the mold of raditional exercise classes," says Josh Lyon, corporate manager for 24-Hour Fitness.

Shadow Boxing sessions are set up in three-minute rounds, just like a boxing match, and combine punch combos with jumping rope or other cardio-conditioning movements. The drills are designed to ensure that equal punches are thrown on the left and right side. (www.24hourfitness.com)

Suspension Training
When you can’t get to the gym, there’s the TRX Suspension Trainer. "TRX is my find of the year," says Todd Durkin, owner of Fitness Quest 10 in Scripps Ranch. The full-body workout system is comprised of industrial-strength soft nylon-webbed straps, handles, and various anchors that can be attached to any overhead structure, including a door frame — perfect if you have a private office. TRX works by harnessing your own body weight to create resistance. Placing your feet through the handles leads to more advanced moves while grasping them positions your body for pull-ups, bicep curls, and the like. "The way you adjust your body angle in reference to, say, the door frame, it’s either going to increase or decrease your intensity level," says Durkin. "It’s fun, effective, and it’s for all levels." (858/271-1171, www.fitnessquest10.com) — Rebecca Chappell

Kristin Fergasse with a client

Cardio-Free Fitness
Good news for those who hate cardio: Kristin Fergasse, owner of BodyQuest Fitness in Solana Beach, explains, "Imagine people shaped like a pear; they do a ton of cardio yet end up just becoming a smaller pear. Muscle is what controls your metabolism and when you do the kind of strength training that we do you’re going to be burning even more calories after you’re done working out." Fergasse’s Slow Intensity program focuses on fatiguing muscles via high-intensity, low-force weight lifting at very slow speeds. Because each exercise is so efficient, and the body requires 48 hours to fully recover and rebuild, clients attend just two 20-minute sessions per week. "I’m not 100 percent anti-cardio, but the only real way to burn calories and to keep your metabolism up is to have lean muscle on your body." Cardio doesn’t burn nearly as many calories as people think, and it doesn’t change body composition, Fergasse adds. It’s worth checking out, especially if you’re short on time, or motivation. (858/794-0040, www.bodyquestfit.com) — Rebecca Chappell

Get Fit
The brand new Fit Athletic club opened last month downtown in the DiamondView Tower, which overlooks Petco Park. Touted as a "gym meets country club meets nightclub" atmosphere for the hot and hip in San Diego, the high-end club features a members-only lounge with computers, cardio equipment with individual plasma TVs, eucalyptus steam rooms, dry saunas, the Zen Den featuring a yoga and Pilates studio (the Seventh Inning Stretch Yoga classes will take place on the deck overlooking the ballpark during games), self defense classes, Japanese mediation garden and koi pond, and an outdoor lounge pool with cabanas and fire pit — all with a vista view of the city skyline. (619/764-5348, www.fitathletic.com) — Alicia Garcia

Luscious Lips
Lydia Mondavi’s 29 Cosmetics line has released two new lipstick shades for summer. Stella’s Cellar is a beautiful magenta rose hue named and created for Mondavi’s grandmother, Stella Abernathy, who wraps and hand packs each lipstick by hand. Stompin Grapes is a beautiful bright berry color extracted from the gentle crushing of red wine grapes. All 29 Cosmetics lipsticks contain SPF 20 and grape seed, an anti-oxidant that protects the lips from environmental pollutants and the harmful effects of free radicals. 29 Cosmetics is available at Neiman Marcus. (619/692-9100, www.neimanmarcus.com) — Jane Shiomi

Kiehl’s Kit
Getting Dad to be excited about skin care can sometimes be a chore. Enter Kiehl’s, who has recently teamed up with West Coast Chopper owner Jesse James to design a limited edition men’s dopp kit so that all customers can get a piece of the motorcycle aesthetic. The distressed pack is embossed with a one-of-a-kind emblem and filled with a selection of James’ favorite Kiehl’s grooming items, including White Eagle Shave Cream, Facial Fuel Energizing Moisture Treatment, Ultimate Man Scrub Bar, Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash, and Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. In addition, James is also working on the design and construction of the first custom Kiehl’s Chopper, to be unveiled in Kiehl’s Santa Monica store this month. (www.kiehls.com) — Jane Shiomi