Fun Fitness Classes to Try in Boston

By Ozzy Balkanli, July 21, 2017

Before heading off to Turkey, I bought a class pass package of 6, which allows you to try any classes up to two times for a specific studio with a time frame of 2 weeks!

When I bought it, they had a deal for only $30 for the 2 weeks. I only had about a week and a few days to use, so I had to get it all in before I left. This led me to try a new studio every day for 5 days straight!

My body hated me by the end of it, but I sure did step up my endurance and strength by the end of it. I think out of the 6 places I tried, there was only one of them that wasn’t my jam, which did not make it on my list below.

Group exercise classes are great in that they allow you to push harder and motivate you to keep pace with everyone else in the room. When you head to the gym yourself, most often than not, you tend to get lazy and don’t really get a good work out in — if you are anything like me. With these classes, you can guarantee a good workout and great results in no time!

Here are fun classes to try in Boston, in order of my liking:

1. Turnstyle – South End

This is easily now my favorite place ever. Guys, I am genuinely really excited to go back to this studio. I am so obsessed. I usually don’t like spending money on classes as I believe they are overly priced, but this place has my heart. Since I had a deal with Class Pass, I didn’t feel guilty about spending the money, but regardless, I am hooked and will surely buy a package with Turnstyle.

Turnstyle is a cycling studio with other types of exercises available, such as boot camp. I tried cycling two or three other times at different studios, but never really got into it. I didn’t really feel that it was effective nor did I find it enjoyable. This place has got it figured out! The seats were super comfy and this was a serious sweat inducing work out! It’s of course as effective as you make it. It’s so much fun perhaps due to the music, which is great. When I went, the playlist was Drake, Rihanna and Justin Bieber, which worked out for me perfectly. They have other combinations you can choose from and go to the class that you’d think you’d enjoy the music the most. It’s also a super fun environment. I ended up trying their boot camp class as well and once again the music was SO on point. The genre was hip-hop, which tends to get me going when I want to do an intense workout. It was very motivating and so much fun.

Side note, the class wasn’t easy at all and I was hurting for days, but I guess you guys already might’ve guessed that 🙂 They also have a free class for any friend you refer, so if you decide to try this studio and want to give my name, I would forever be grateful 🙂

2. Burn – South End (2 Locations)

The first location I tried was on Columbus ave, which is a small studio, albeit still a wonderful studio. The first floor is where the exercises are done, and the basement is where they have changing rooms and lockers. They only have one shower and it’s upstairs, which is a bit inconvenient. The class I tried with this studio was a boot camp style class. It was so much fun….or as much fun as a boot camp class can be. It was a full body work out and by the end of it — my whole body was shaking. This one definitely had me in full “mind over matter” mode, but regardless of the mentality part, it seriously was a fun class. The second location is on Boylston Street, right across from the Prudential. This location is bigger and a little nicer. With this studio, I tried a yoga boot-camp style class. By this time, my body couldn’t handle a hard workout as I did 5 days of new classes, so this was perfect for me. It’s effective and not as intense.

3. Swet Studio – South End

This was a really cool studio with a really awesome vibe. This one is located on Tremont Street and close to Turnstyle. They have aerial yoga, rowing and meditation classes. I tried the rowing abs class, which was a nice effective workout without feeling like I was going to die. I’ve never tried rowing before so it was cool to incorporate that into the exercise. I will have to go back to this studio to try their hammock exercises!

4. TITLE Boxing – Newbury Street

Okay, I am also obsessed with this place. It’s a nice little gem on Newbury Street. They have other location and one of them being in Somerville which is fairly new. It is technically a gym, but their kickboxing/boxing classes are the main attraction. They have great music, which on my book is a check plus. It’s also intense, but fun. I tried the kickboxing class and by the end of it, I was punching and kicking so hard that I really impressed myself. This class I think is great for when you want to prove to yourself that you are so much stronger than you think 🙂

5. Barry’s Bootcamp – Financial District

I’m sure many people know of how great Barry’s workouts are, but I didn’t think it would be right if it didn’t make my list. This is one of those classes that you can take to start off a good fitness regime. The classes are intense to say the least, but it pushes you really to your fullest potential — fitness wise. This is great for any levels because it’s really what you make it. You can choose to push yourself as hard or as little as you want. The classes are in sets of two. One group does a set on the treadmill and the other does strength training, then you keep switching. I would suggest this to anyone who has a membership to any gym, but has been stuck in a rut of doing the same thing or not being able to push yourself because you’ve gotten a bit lazy. Barry’s will push you to your limits!

That’s all for my list! Let me know if you try any of them, and always remember:

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”

Thank you for your time.

Ozzy

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