The fitness scene in London is booming and the new year is the perfect opportunity to explore a new studio or challenge yourself with an entirely new workout.
Mixing up your workout will keep it interesting, learn a new skill like boxing while you're at it or complement your usual cardio with weights, the capital has plenty to choose from.
From hybrid classes to reformer pilates and rowing – here are some of our favourite fitness classes in London.
For HIIT...
HIIT 45 at Another Space
This class combines strength training and high-intensity work on the punch bag all in just 45 minutes. It's designed to fire up your metabolism and burn some serious calories.
Price: £20 for a single class
Location: Covent Garden, Bank anotherspace.london
Orange 60 at Orangetheory Fitness
Tech fiends should head to one of Orangetheory's five London studios for the HIIT-based workout that focuses on getting your heart rate up. While strapped up to a chest monitor, you'll work across treadmills, rowers and floor work while screens display which heart rate zone you're working in (= ie how much effort you're putting in), thus encouraging you to push harder or scale back to achieve the best workout. The workout is huge in the States and is apparently a favourite of Michelle Obama.
Price: from £25 for a drop in
Location: various âorangetheoryfitness.co.uk
Hollywood at F45
The Australian phenomenon is taking London by storm. The cult workouts merge HIIT, circuits and functional training into one and are guaranteed to leave you sweaty. While most classes are 45 minutes, Hollywood is a full 60-minute blast that happens every Saturday and it's the perfect way to kick off your weekend. You'll snake your way around 27 different stations of cardio and strength training, then do it once more with a minutes' rest in between.
Price: from £25 per class
Location: various f45training.com
Total Body at Barry’s Bootcamp
Is any fitness class list complete without a mention of Barry’s Bootcamp? Set in the infamous "Red Room" these cult classes, split between cardio intervals on the treadmill and strength training on the floor, can burn up to 1,000 calories in a 60-minute class. Each day of the week focuses on a specific part of the body, be it arms & abs or chest, back & abs, opt for Friday's Total Body if you want to cover all bases.
Price: £23 per class
Location: various barrysbootcamp.co
Pillar Killer at Sweat IT
Sweat IT is another strength and cardio interval training studio which offers high-intensity, 50-minute workouts. Classes vary on a daily basis to target specific body parts, Pillar Killer is the workout specifically designed for your abs and core.
Price: from £21 per class.
Location: Aldwych sweat-it.com
Reshape Full Body and Abs at 1Rebelâ
Reshape Full Body and Abs at 1Rebel is a physically and mentally intense workout combining treadmill sprints and weights designed to condition and re-sculpt muscle groups. It's also possible to burn up to 1,000 calories in one 45-minute session. Dotted across six London locations (a shiny new studio opened in Angel in July 2019), 1 Rebel has something of a cult status in London with its Ride, Rumble and Reshape classes.
Price: from £22 per class
Location: various. 1rebel.co.uk
For Yoga...
Candlelit hip hop yoga at FLY LDN
FLY LDN offers a range of multi-sensory flow and low-impact classes set in an immersive studio, to a backdrop of cinematic visuals (think, Himalayan mountain ranges one minute and crashing ocean swells the next) and a curated playlists.
Price: from £10 for your first class.
Location: Aldgate flyldn.co.uk
Vinyasa flow at Hotpod Yoga
Having first opened in Hackney in 2013, Hotpod Yoga is now Europe's largest yoga franchise business and there are currently six inflatable heated purple pods in London offering the signature 60- or 45-minute vinyasa flow. An hour-long sweat sesh is said to burn up to 700 calories.
Price: from £14 per class
Location: various hotpodyoga.com
Yoga Nidra at Triyoga
Triyoga offers a variety of yoga and Pilates classes at varying levels, including a hot yoga class in an infrared heated studio. For something a little different, opt for Yoga Nidra, a floor-based practice during which you're covered with blankets, designed to unravel the central nervous system and induce a state of deep relaxation.
Price: £17 for one class
Location: various triyoga.co.uk
FitFlow at MoreYoga
Hard work with a quick result, FitFlow combines the benefits of a fitness session with your favourite parts of yoga. Expect HIIT training, core control and more traditional vinyasa flow yoga. It'll burn but you'll always have the well-earned Savasana to look forward to.
Price: from £6 per class
Location: various moreyoga.co.uk
For Spin…
Ride 45 at Psycle
Psycle has somewhat of a cult following in London and there’s no surprise as to why. Dimly lit rooms with neon lighting give the studios a nightclub feel, and the rides are specifically designed to get your heart racing while strengthening core muscles. Hand weights are also used for part of the session to make sure your upper body is taken care of.
Price: £22 per class
Location: Clapham, Soho, Shoreditch, Westbourne psyclelondon.com
SoulCycle at SoulCycle
New York-born cult spin studio SoulCycle opened its first international outpost in London in June, and has since opened another in Notting Hill, with two more openings planned this year. Expect 7x purified water to keep you hydrated and Le Labo products in the changing rooms. A 45-minute SoulCycle ride is designed to be a "mind-body-soul experience" involving high-intensity cardio, hand weights and rhythm-based choreography in a darkened candlelit room to a banging playlist.
Price: £24 per class
Location: Soho and Westbourne Grove soul-cycle.com/uk
Boom 45 at Boom Cycle
Head to Boom Cycle for more hair whipping and sprints to pop classics. There are now five locations in London, with Waterloo the most recent opening in. They offer a full body workout with low lights, loud music and fast sprints – there’s a reason Boom Cycle is one of the most popular fitness communities in London.
Price: £18 per class
Location: various boomcycle.co.uk
For Barre…
BarreSIGNATURE at Barrecore
The studio that brought barre to the UK back in 2011, there are now 10 in London alone. The 55-minute classes will leave you sore for days (in a good way), barre lovers will want to try all of the styles but the original and most popular is BarreSIGNATURE, a dynamic class designed to give you leaneâr, longer limbs.
Price: from £28 per class
Location: various barrecore.co.uk
Define Barre at Define London
The boutique fitness studio led by former Broadway performer and celebrity trainer Ashley Verma brings high-tempo, New York-style barre fitness to the UK. Possibly the toughest barre class in London, expect to work hard to good tunes.
Price: £20 for first two classes
Location: Great Portland Street define.london
Disco Barreâ at the Disco Barre Studio
The new studio opened in 2019, and the signature disco barre class blends traditional barre movements — pliés, relevés and sautés — with contemporary dance moves designed to tone and strengthen your limbs, all to a fun playlist. Other barre variations are on offer, including GLOW 80s Beach Barre and it's also official UK home of the Lotte Berk Technique. Kicking off in January 2020, the studio will be launching Gay Barre exclusively for men from the gay community.
Price: from £15 per class
Location: Dalston discobarre.com
For Dance…
VideoBEAT at At Your Beat
Channel your inner Beyoncé in this high-energy dance class which allows you to recreate your favourite iconic music video routines. The studio offers a range of classes from the calorie-burning AYB Body: Cardio and Tone to BashmentBEAT, where you'll learn to wind your waist to dancehall rhythms, and each is helpfully tiered in terms of level of difficulty, so you can pick the one which suits your ability best.
Price: from £10.50
Location: Marylebone, Leicester Square, Elephant & Castle atyourbeat.com
LDM Shape Changer at Louisa Drake Method Studio
Shape Changer is former professional dancer Louisa Drake's signature workout. The 55-minute class is a mix of dance cardio, strength training and plyometrics, and she estimates you can burn up to 500 calories while you're at it.
Price: £20 per class
Location: Mortimer Street louisadrake.com
Diva at Seen on Screen
SOS Diva is described as a sassy workout for independent women, the class is the studio's signature and each focuses on female choreography, from artists like The Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna and, of course, Queen Bey.
Price: £20 per class
Location: various seenonscreen.dance
For a whole body workout…
TRX at Core Collective
Core Collective’s TRX class offers a whole body workout in 45-minutes and aims to build muscle endurance, a strong core and lean physique. During the class you will test your balance, coordination and strength while working every muscle in your body.
Price: from £18 per class
Location: Kensington, Knightsbridge, St John's Wood core-collective.co.uk/
Total Body at Frame
Frame’s Total Body class incorporates all the best bits of Frame’s fitness classes into one to create a class that will push you like no other. From cardio to mat work and gliders – this is one for people with a high level of fitness.
Price: From £15 per class
Location: various moveyourframe.com
Beats at The Engine Room
For a full-body workout like no other, head to this boutique rowing studio which opened its doors in 2018, making it one of the newest additions to the capital's fitness scene. Choose from three classes: ROW 101, an introduction to rowing fundamentals, and signature classes Beats or Breathe.
Price: from £21
Location: Marylebone theengineroomlondon.com
For Boxing…
Sweat by BXR
The Boxing ‘Skills’ classes help you develop techniques for boxing - one of the best overall body conditioning methods of training. Each day focuses on a different area of the body (Straight jab Mondays, Hook Tuesdays etc) so you’ll find a day that suits your favourite boxing technique.
Price: from £30 per class.
Location: Paddington, Canary Wharf bxrlondon.com
Strength by Flykick
London's first kickboxing-inspired boutique studio introduced a new class for 2019, Flykick Strength, a relentless 45-minute class split between rounds on the bag and lifting weights on the bench. A full body workout to banging tunes, this class will take everything you've got.
Price: from £27 for first three classes, plus a pair of gloves to keep
Location: Great Portland Street flykick.co.uk/
For Pilates…
Dynamic Pilates at Heartcore
Taking place on the CoreFormer, Heartcore’s signature workout combines strength and conditioning with core-centred movement– expect to feel your abs for days afterwards.
Price: £27 per class
Location: various heartcore.co.uk
M3: Upper Body at Studio LAgree
Set on the megaformer, which is a bit like a larger version of a typical Reformer Pilates carriage, this class uses one of Hollywood's hottest workouts, the Lagree Method, to tone and hone your abs, arms and core. Since arriving in the UK, the studio has been steadily cultivating a loyal London followers and you'll know why after just one class
Price: £30 per class
Location: The City, White City Place, Waterlooâ studiolagree.com/uk
Paola’s BodyBarre
PBB’s Dynamic Pilates Barre is a mishmash of the best bits of Pilates and barre all in one 50-minute class. This low-impact, high-intensity workout is guaranteed to get your muscles burning and encourage balance and a strong core.
Price: £28 per class
Location: Fulham paolasbodybarre.com
For Strength…â
City Strongman at The Foundry
The Foundry is home to a number of 45-minute classes that focus on strength training in groups. As the name suggests, City Strongman is inspired by the World's Strongest Man competition, and involves a circuit of strength-based exercises involving sled dragging, prowler pushing, sandbag carries and farmer’s walks.
Price: from £20 per class
Location: Vauxhall, Old Street, Bank foundryfit.com
Lift at Third Space
The Soho gym offers a 45-minute weights class focusing on strength which is ideal for beginners. You’ll do four rounds of three exercises (a summary is written on the mirror at the front), from deadlifts with kettlebells to dumbbell press-ups.
Price: Included with membership (from £165 a month)
Crossfit London
You can drop in to Crossfit London’s WOD (workout of the day) classes that involve a strength segment and a high-intensity group workout. With just 12 to a class, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the workout that’s taken the world by storm.
Price: £20 per class
Location: Bethnal Green crossfitlondonuk.com
