Gone are the days of simply heading to the nearest gym to run on a treadmill. Fitness studios are starting to get even more creative when it comes to their workout offerings to lure us in and get us to stick with regularly exercising. Luckily, whether you’re in a workout rut, or your regular elliptical routine is starting to feel stale, the following five quirky fitness classes give sweating it out a whole new meaning.
Aqua Studio
Despite its popularity, cycling classes have lost their appeal for a lot of people. At Aqua studio in N.Y.C., instead of worrying about bumping your neighbor with a weight, you have to try not to splash them. This workout takes cycling underwater where you do a class on a bike that’s in an indoor pool. Water’s inherent resistance and low-impact make it a great option for those at all fitness levels and goals, not to mention it supposedly helps you sleep better, burn 800 calories, and eliminate cellulite.
Heel Hop
Beyoncé is the queen of many things, including #flawless dance routines in sky-high heels that many of us wouldn’t last an hour wearing. L.A.-based hip-hop dancer and choreographer Kamilah Barrett’s workout, Heel Hop, aims to change your stiletto stamina as a workout that’s done entirely in heels. The no-impact strengthening workout is designed to help women increase their stability and master their towering heels.
Lithe Method
Part cheerleading-part barre, Lithe Method swaps pom-poms for overhead resistance bands and the football field for trampolines. This hour-long class with studios in NYC and Pennsylvania, sculpts muscles and is a high cardo burn that works your entire body, no previous dance experience required.
Surfset Fitness
Unless you're fortunate to live near an ocean, chances are catching a few waves isn't an activity you can regularly partake in despite it being a great workout for your core—and a lot of fun. Surfset Fitness solves this geographical dilemma by bringing the waves indoors—kind of. The workout is done on elevated surfboards indoors and the class has quickly caught on. There are now studios across the country offering the workout so fitness buffs can hang ten no matter what city they live in.
Rage Yoga
A pint of beer to wash down your yoga class might not seem helpful for reaching your inner zen, but in one of Lindsay Istace's Rage Yoga classes it's exactly what's suggested. Held in a pub, students in each of Istace's Vinyasa yoga-based classes are encouraged to scream and yell in-between their downward dogs. The Calgary, Canada-based trainer was inspired to create the unconventional class after going through a bad breakup and it seems like many of her students can relate. After a successful one-off workshop, she now holds classes bi-weekly.
