If Sports Club / Irvine Doesn’t Have It, Then It Probably Doesn’t Exist

Beware. The Phantom Jim Rat is snooping around Southern California, looking at the best and worst in health clubs, from parking to juice bars to group exercise classes. And Jim isn’t just any rat. He’s been teaching for four years at various clubs in the area and is certified through the Aerobics and Fitness Assn. of America.

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If the Sports Club / Irvine were a boat, it would be the QE2. If it were a car, it would be a Rolls-Royce Corniche. If it were an airplane, it would be the Concorde. You get the picture.

Imagine every piece of weight training equipment that you’ve ever tried; this club has it. A treadmill, bicycle, elliptical trainer? Has it. This place even has a movable rock climbing wall.

From day care to swimming, racquet sports, indoor cycling and aerobics, the Sports Club / Irvine has so many amenities, you can almost live there. This place can whip up a healthy sandwich or salad or a complete meal. Sushi? You bet. How about a cup of Starbucks coffee? There’s a bar and a separate dining area, too. If you need a facial, teeth whitening, nutritional analysis or even your dry cleaning done, you can do it here.

But don’t be overwhelmed by its four sprawling floors or the fact that this miniature city has all the necessities for its busy clientele. While boasting all of the latest workout goodies and fitness instructors and personal trainers with impressive resumes, walking into the Sports Club / Irvine should not make a newcomer feel intimidated. In fact, folks were right friendly.

Here’s a closer look:

There’s a bountiful amount of workout equipment on the third and fourth floors. The club not only has five of the Precor Efx 544 elliptical trainers but also two of Reebok’s version (they’re machines that mimic the best of treadmills and stair climbers). There are about 30 treadmills and plenty of stationary and recumbent bikes. There are weights all over the place as well as Cybex, Star Trac, StairMaster and Keisser hydraulic machines. The two evenings I went, there was no waiting to use the equipment. There is also plenty of floor space for sit-ups and stretching. If some of the machinery seems a bit daunting, just ask one of the 30 personal trainers. And if you ever get bored, just look up at one of the big-screen TVs or, on a clear day, gaze at the mountains.

And if that isn’t enough, the men’s and women’s restrooms on the weight room floor come complete with mouthwash, just in case you meet that someone special.

You know what I loved most about the aerobics classes? There were as many if not more men than women in the classes. In fact, in Norma Shechtman’s Friday night TBC (Total Body Conditioning) step class, the men outnumbered the women 10 to three.

It would take a long time to get a taste of each and every aerobics and indoor cycling class because the Sports Club offers 133 classes per week. Many of the instructors have appeared in videos, including Shechtman, Linda McHugh, Joan Wensen, Linda Williams and Jay Blahnik, who just happens to be the IDEA 1996 Instructor of the Year. (IDEA is one of the certifying organizations for group exercise instructors.) However, as with most clubs, it is wise to take as many classes as you can to figure what you--and your body--like.

There are two studios for group exercise classes, and the floors are easy on the ol’ legs because they are wood-sprung and covered by carpeting. The sound systems are fabulous, and there are mirrors covering all the walls.

My friend, an avid indoor cyclist who is going for her doctorate in kinesiology, took two indoor cycling classes, and she found them to be very different.

The first class she took was from an instructor with an outdoor cycling background; the second was from an instructor who has an aerobics background. The cycler was not nearly as big on form and fitness concepts, but the second one led the class through every movement with visions such as “imagine you are roller-blading and gently rock back and forth” and “bring your knees to your chest, drop your elbows and push the heels down, focusing on your hamstrings” or “even if you don’t have anything left, just push it through this last song.”

My friend said both instructors were motivating; which one you would pick depends on what type of workout you want and how much instruction you like. If you haven’t taken one of these classes before, make sure to take Spin Intro or you might find yourself frustrated and exhausted in about 10 minutes. But any way you slice it, these classes make you sweat and give you a great cardiovascular workout.

The locker rooms are what you might find in a first-class resort. Like the rest of the club, they have all the amenities, replete with saunas and a large Jacuzzi along with showers that have shampoo, conditioner, body wash and shaving cream. You can even blow dry your hair and catch up on the news, too.

But here’s the part for which you might want to sit down: A one-day pass is $20. The initiation fee is $275 per person and if you have a spouse or dependent who wants to join, it’s $200 more. Monthly dues for one are $88 and $73 for the second person. This is the basic membership package. If you want to add the racquet facilities, the monthly dues are $103 and $88 for the second person. For the executive membership, which includes a personal locker in the executive locker room, valet parking and laundry service, the initiation fee is $675 per person and $400 for the spouse or dependent and monthly dues are $137 and $117.

Membership has its privileges--and its costs.

* If you have a gym or health club you think the Phantom Jim Rat should scope out, fax to (213) 237-4712 or e-mail: health@latimes.com.

The Rat Trap

On a rating of one to four rats, four being best, here is how the Jim Rat rates the Sports Club / Irvine on some amenities:

* Parking: Covered parking (after 5:30 p.m., it’s free) ****

* Locker rooms: Fabulous, everything you could ever want or need. ****

* Juice bar: Juice bar, schmuice bar. This place can feed you almost everything. ****

The Sports Club / Irvine, 1980 Main St., Irvine; (714) 975-8400.