YOU MAY REMEMBER a time when it was ˆ la mode to be waifish like Kate Moss, when people would talk of hipbone-defining surgery without a trace of irony, when precarious, decadently unsensible shoes were everywhere. Well, those days ended last month. And even if porky will never be in, adding some muscle to those bones is of immediate concern in these post-9/11 days. People have varying reasons for hitting the gym, from the sensible (maintaining a reassuring routine) to the improbable (trying to beef up "just in case"). Either way, Ah-nold now has one over on, say, Ally McBeal. Here are some venues where you can increase your muscle power ... just in case.

The Sports Club/LA

This new, chichi 100,000-square-foot facility combines pampering with pumping, beautifying with sweating, and indulging with intense conditioning. If you can afford the several-hundred-dollar initiation fee and monthly dues starting at $130, you too can enjoy light, airy rooms, two swimming pools, and an exhaustive list of classes — not to mention on-site services that include valet parking, dry cleaning, and day care for the wee ones. Is this what going to the gym has come to?

Well, maybe not. We caught Scott Warner, 40, a bespectacled consultant from the South End, as he was leaving the fancy new sports center one Saturday afternoon. He ticked off the activities he had just finished with his trainer: strengthening, balance work, stretching. "Working out contributes to my overall sense of well-being and reduces anxiety on a daily level," he said.

The Sports Club/LA, 2 Avery Street, Boston, (617) 375-8200, www.thesportsclubla.com.

Art and Soul

With little fanfare and even less publicity, a bright, sunny studio opened up across the street from the ever-packed B-Side Lounge in mid September. Called Art and Soul, the small, triangular storefront space offers a wide array of art classes and a well-balanced selection of yoga offerings. Whether it’s for a mellow, prop-based Iyengar yoga class, a harmonious chakra workshop, or an evening course called "Making Personal and Political Art," a trip to the yellow studio can bring about sublime and soothing results in this time of crisis. Squelch anxiety with an upside-down, blood-draining headstand, or use a yoga belt to tug on muscle knots so dense your exasperated masseuse scolds you. "It’s easy to feel powerless these days," says Annie Hoffman, one of the center’s yoga instructors. "But doing yoga is about not just the strength of armor but strength with self-reflection and intelligence."

Art and Soul, 91 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, (617) 661-7376.

YMCA

An eclectic group of women gathers a little before 9 a.m. for a swimming class at the Cambridge YMCA. The women have been doing this regularly for months, and the chatting and checking in that goes on in the underground locker room is part of the pre-game drill. One recent morning, an innocent "How are you?" is met with a breezy, "Oh, you know, besides the fact that we’re at war," which trails off with an unspoken "dot, dot, dot" and a dramatic shrug. The conversation moves along to the upcoming class, a recent yoga session, and one member’s latest achievement on the bike.

A few days after this pre-swim chat, the workout room downstairs is packed. People are reading newspapers on bikes, sweating, and strengthening. There’s a comfort to the consistency, a reassuring element to the routine. And whether you’re interested in concentrating on perfect capoeira moves, calming down through lap swimming, or grunting and lifting your way to tight-bodied bliss, the YMCA offers a wide range of low-budget options. This facility keeps its monthly costs low, which keeps joining it in the realm of possibility — and keeps your fellow exercisers a diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-generational crew.

YMCA, 820 Mass Ave, Central Square, Cambridge, (617) 661-9622; 316 Huntington Avenue, Boston, (617) 536-6950.

Issue Date: October 25 - November 1, 2001