A forerunner of the boutique workout class, SoulCycle is a must
for those getting started on the NYC workout scene. Its cult
following isn’t unwarranted: funky tap-backs and ab work make it
feel like way more than just a spinning class. While instructors
have varying styles – music ranges from hip-hop beats to disco
tunes – each of the 45-minute sessions encourage riders to push
past their mental as well as physical limits. The Kiehl‘s and Drunk Elephant products in the
bathrooms here also make getting ready after a morning workout all
the more appealing.

A fun one to sign up for with friends, Y7 is one of NYC’s
standout classes. The focus here is candlelit, hip-hop yoga and,
while it might seem odd to mix Jay-Z with your vinyasa flow, we
promise it’s a fantastic blend. Typical classes are either
WeFlowHard Vinyasa or Slow Burn, but Hip Hop Wednesdays and Sundays
focus on a specific artist. Check Y7’s Instagram on Mondays, when
it announces the artist of the week, and make sure to book when one
of the most-played artists on your Spotify comes up. For anyone who
gets hooked on the vibe, it also orchestrates yoga
retreats, such as Y7 x
Amalfi Coast.

Renowned for its sprinting intervals and weight work, the
so-called “Red Room”, is one of the tougher workouts in town. Each
day is dedicated to a different body part – think arms, abs, lower
body – you can choose to alternate between the treadmill and floor
or double up on your time with the weights. The instructors come
from extremely varied backgrounds, so you can sign up for a class
taught by a former Broadway star or ex-pro basketball player to
match your vibe. After burning the advertised “up to 1,000
calories” in class, you’ll likely want to snag one of Barry’s
smoothies before returning to the outside world.

Referred to as “pilates on crack,” SLT is a slow-burn workout on
a reformer machine. The name stands for strengthen, lengthen, tone,
and as you’ll see from the regulars in class, it works. Each
exercise targets a different muscle until it’s exhausted, cycling
through more intense variations of classic pilates moves like the
mermaid. First-timers should get especially excited for this one,
as the instructors are hyper-attentive, particularly in the smaller
classes during working hours, if you can swing it. The brand-new
Soho location attracts a local trendy crowd and has massive windows
looking out onto Broadway, which is a welcome change from the usual
dark rooms at workout studios.

A legendary studio that’s famed for training Victoria’s Secret
Angels, Dogpound is a surprisingly small gym that focuses on
intensive personal training and boxing. If you’re really devoted to
the experience the results the team can pair up with one of
Dogpound’s star trainers – they alternate between boxing, battling
ropes and outdoor weight work, and come with a hefty price tag.

A top-notch exercise in balance, Box & Flow combines boxing
with yoga or, as they put it, “flows through the fight”. Each class
begins with HIIT warm-up exercises before moving over to the bags
for shadowboxing. After several speed and strength rounds, the
music slows and you move back to the floor for a soothing yoga
session to cap things off and stretch it all out. It’s the perfect
transition, and a great way to work your body in a few different
ways during one class. Groups here are small, so it has a more
intimate feel than studios directed towards herds of Lululemon
devotees.

High-intensity is the word here; this class moves through 20 to
40 stations, with two minutes spent at each to target various
muscle groups. There’s a DJ and instructor helming the class, and
trainers at the stations to show you the moves and make sure
everyone is getting the most out of each one. With no repeated
stations and HIIT moves at each, this class flies by in no time,
and the energy in the room is high throughout (largely thanks to
the Shazam-able tracks).

The ultimate feel-good, spirit-lifting class, 305 is worlds
apart from your standard boutique workout. The majority of class
time here is a cardio dance party with a DJ leading the way –
expect a toning and sprint section before continuing to follow a
choreographer’s hip-hop moves. No prior dance experience is
required, and this class is a fun way to let loose and work up a
sweat without the hardcore intensity of the city’s other
sweat sessions.

An Equinox offspring that’s gone mainstream, 30/60/90 Fitness is
a breakout class that’s found a new home in the former church and
nightclub, Limelight Fitness. The 45-minute sessions are broken
down into 32-minutes of HIIT training with -30, -60, 90-second
cardio drills that have been choreographed to speed up fat burning,
followed by eight (excruciating) minutes of abs and a welcomed cool
down at the end – you won’t have worked this hard since you
attempted the bleep test back in school. Rests are allowed but not
encouraged. It’s hard – really hard – but it guarantees fast
results. First timers should go at the start of the month when no
one will know the routine (they change once a month) so you won’t
need to hide at the back.

As much as yoga practices and preaches Zen, we all know that it
can get a little bit awkward when transitioning from your
chaturanga dandasana to your downward facing dog. YogaSpark’s
Blacklight hot-yoga classes strip out any competitiveness by
putting you in the dark. Practice your warrior II without worrying
if you’re doing it correctly or why the person in front of you
resembles a human pretzel. It’s easier to concentrate and the 35°C
heat means that you’ll sink lower into challenging poses. Wear
something white, reflective or neon and the UV light will
illuminate your garms.

First there were the gyms filled solely with boxing bags, then
there were studios packed only with treadmills and now there’s a
third trend that’s popped up on the streets of SoHo – spaces filled
with nothing but “boats”. Current’s custom-built machines are
similar to your indoor rowers but with no moving seat. Instead of
shuffling on your bum, you need to rely on your core. This is the
SoulCycle of rowing with sequences set to chart-topping soundtracks
– purist rowers may not find the classes technical enough. Expect
lots of Drake and Arianna Grande but little in the way of teaching
actual rowing technique. Nevertheless, with the studio temperature
set to heatwave, it’ll be the best 20-minute sweat session you’ve
ever had.

It’s time to put a bit of Tony
Stark into your toning techniques – this is the future of
fitness. Shock Therapy Fitness involves slipping into a power suit
that uses stimulating electric waves to simultaneously activate
over 300 muscle groups. Classes are only for six people and involve
simple movements such as squats, crunches, star jumps and lunges.
Sound basic? It’s not. Your supercharged piece of kit weighs a
tonne and is incredibly awkward to move in, plus with each exercise
you’re getting struck with bursts of electricity. Ab Avengers: it’s
time to assemble.

The OG fitness studio that was responsible for starting the
barre craze, Physique 57 takes classical ballet movements and mixes
them with pilates poses to engage your abs, crucify your core and
work pelvic muscles that you didn’t know you had. Sweat Burn Tone
is the high-intensity barre hybrid that integrates bursts of cardio
with lots of reps, pulses and tiny movements. It guarantees to get
you sitting straighter at your desk while feeling your glutes burn
for at least a week afterwards.

You’ve sweated through your HIIT sessions, power-pedalled in
spin and beat your PB on the squat rack, but were too busy riding
high on endorphins to remember to stretch. That five-minutes at the
end of the session where you absentmindedly crossed your legs and
scrolled through your phone? Sorry, it doesn’t really count. Call
on the professionals at Stretch*d for a custom-built, private
stretching session during which they’ll de-knot your muscles,
release tension and increase your flexibility. By the end of the
25-minutes your glutes, hamstrings and lower back will be ready for
another week of beasting. Add a slick of CBD-infused neck cream at
the end of each session to combat ‘tech-neck’.