Hottest Workout Classes

In major cities, fitness studios are like restaurants: There’s one on every corner and you usually have your go-to. There are trendy fitness studios, quiet studios, expensive for no reason studios, hidden gems, the top-reviewed places and everything in between. While there are plenty of ways to exercise from your home gym, from a personal trainer to creating your own gym routine, fitness classes have become all the rage. With the motivating, upbeat mash-ups to the physical and mental health benefits, your home gym can simply not compete.

As you’re surrounded by others working toward a similar goal and being coached throughout the entire workout, you naturally strive to push yourself to finish the class at your absolute best. Even though there are many classes from barre to Zumba to yoga or Soul Cycle, we are here to help decipher which fitness class will suit you best.

Pound

Co-founders combined their passions for music and fitness to create this fitness class. This full-body cardio workout uses lightly weighted drumsticks called Ripstix. The classes fuse Pilates and isometric and plyometric movements with constant drumming to sculpt muscle and burn 900 calories in 45 minutes. The routines are simple to follow and are set to calibrated songs. The workout class is offered at Crunch gyms, other select gyms and on DVD.

Team-Based Workouts

Nothing says motivation like 12 other sweaty people cycling next to you, all trying to obtain the same goal. Build muscle, burn calories and bond with teammates during competition-based classes. The motivation of other fitness fanatics helps to make fitness fun and produce results. Throwback Fitness, a boutique studio in New York City, divides participants into teams to complete workouts based on various games like tag, capture the flag and flip cup. If that’s not for you, try an indoor cycling workout.

Groove

Created by dancer Mistry Tripoli, Groove is a revolutionary dance workout combining powerful music with simple moves. Class attendees are encouraged to move freely to the beat instead of following prescribed steps. Find Groove at select gyms and on DVD.

Ropes Gone Wild

The use of ropes in a workout relies on your body creating a wave-like pattern in the rope, while enduring cardio benefits, improving coordination and increasing metabolic endurance. The workout is low impact and can be found at select gyms, CrossFit boxes and DVD.

Barre and Cardio Fusion Classes

A new style of barre is mixing up the ballet-inspired workout by adding a major cardio component. These barre-fusion classes sculpt lean muscle, help you slim down and get your heart pumping with high-intensity moves followed by moments of active recovery. Find these workouts at Exhale spas, barre studios and DVDs.

If you’re ever in NYC take a look at some of the hottest classes in the city from stressed-out city-goers in Tribeca to dance junkies looking for an alternative to clubbing in Midtown East.