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Equinox Fitness Clubs asked us to check out their clubs and offer CH readers a three day pass. We wanted to get the scoop on what makes Equinox special, so we asked to meet some people behind-the-scenes, the ones who make the decisions about what the clubs look like, what kind of equipment is there, how new classes are developed, the role music plays, and how they are using technology to improve the overall experience.

A great example of this vision can be found in Carol Espel. She’s the National Director of Group Fitness and Pilates—the person who leads the team that travels the world, speaks and attends industry conferences, is in constant touch with the instructors and fitness staff, and is always seeking innovation in all aspects of fitness and equipment. This ongoing travel, research and discovery is the lab from which their programs are then developed. Years of experience have created the ability to efficiently introduce new programs and equipment to the clubs and to train club staff.

Her goal is to introduce one or two new programs to all of the clubs every quarter. Whipped, a rope-based class, was just launched, as was Breathless, a new bike training class developed by Amy Dickson from the Santa Moninca Equinox. Carol was really excited about FlowFit, a new class launching early next year. Designed with fitness guru Scott Sonnon, FlowFit delivers a full body, equipment free workout through a series of movements. You can check out their dozens of classes here.

Equinox has great relationships with research programs at UCLA and Stanford, and with companies including Life Fitness, Technogym and Schwinn. These relationships bring innovation to Equinox, such as the just-released Schwinn Authentic Cycling Performance Bike (see image below). Working with master trainer Jay Blahnik from the Newport Beach Equinox, this sweet new stationary bike was created. It’s more comfortable to ride, features an entirely new digital console that tracks and records all of your important data during a workout, and replaces brake pads with magnetic resistance technology. These new bikes are available exclusively at Equinox. Members easily reserve a bike for a class using Equinox’s proprietary MYEQ site or iPhone app.

These are just a few of the reasons we think it’s worth checking out Equinox with a three day pass.