The concept came from Italy, land of lasagna, pizza, and gelato. For the past seventeen years, the town of Rimini has celebrated an annual Festival del Fitness, nine days of healthy activity and competition. Miami's festival is only four days long, but those days are action-packed, ocean-side, and entertaining for both participants and spectators. The aerobic fiesta features CRUNCH gym's fiercest instructors leading the audience in workouts ranging from cardio striptease to ocean yoga. If aerobics aren't your bag, stop by stage one, where international fitness gurus will demonstrate exotic workouts featuring live music. Try Brazilian zumba, Colombian mapale, or Cuban cu'guanco for starters. Brazilian capoeira expert Master Boneco will teach the crowd his hybrid form, which blends the 400-year-old Afro-Brazilian art of self-defense and dance with modern exercise techniques.
Parts of South Beach will look more like southern California's infamous Muscle Beach, when professional weightlifters flex their diesel muscles for the crowd's admiration. Watch the Rimini City Games, in which eight teams from around the world compete in strength, agility, and cardio-fitness endurance challenges. When all that working out makes you tired, stop by the Festival Spa for a massage. Feast your eyes on the bikini, model, muscle, and fitness competitions; then check out the b-boys and girls in Clash 2005, hosted by legendary break dancer Speedy Legs, where hip-hop dancers compete for $1000 cash.
