8 Types Of Fitness Classes Everyone Should Try

If you are unsure about where to start on your fitness journey, try taking a class! Fitness classes can provide the motivation, instruction, expertise, and environment you may need to reach your goals. From dance-inspired zumba and barre classes, to boxing, spinning, pilates, and more, there are many fitness classes to choose from, we are certain you can find one that suits you.

Fitness classes range from easy and more laidback to difficult and more challenging, depending on the instructor and level of class. Keep in mind it may take a few classes and a few instructors to find one you really like. While you may not be able to replicate the energy and environment of the fitness class itself, there are ways you can do these exercises at home and still reap all the benefits.

Let’s learn more about all the benefits of these workouts and how you can replicate the class at home on your own time (and dime).

Table of Contents

Zumba

Zumba is a popular fitness program that uses Latin and international music and dance moves to get your heart rate up and burn calories! Each Zumba class lasts about 60 to 90 minutes and is designed to bring people together and get their sweat on in a fun and unique way.

Benefits of Zumba

While it may seem like more of a dance party at times, Zumba is actually a highly effective, high-energy aerobic workout and there are classes offered everywhere. Zumba combines all the elements of fitness — cardio, muscle conditioning, core strength, balance, flexibility, and boosted energy, which is what makes it an effective workout.

How can you do Zumba at home?

There are plenty of online videos you can do at home! Just make sure you have enough space to dance and move around.

Barre

Interested in dance? Then you might like to try a barre fitness class! Barre is a ballet-inspired fitness class that uses a mix of Pilates, dance, yoga and functional training, all to the beat of the music! Participants feel the burn in their arms, abs, glutes, and thighs with this strengthening and lengthening

Benefits of Barre

Barre is great for toning, strengthening, and lengthening muscles! You can also learn muscle control and improve your posture. Those who do barre typically feel the burn in their arms, abs, glutes, and thighs.

How can you do Barre at home?

In order to do barre at home, we suggest you invest in a portable (or even a wall mounted) barre bar. There are a ton of online videos you can watch to get in a good barre workout!

Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga)

Bikram yoga is a great exercise for people who want to relax, tone and stretch the body, and sweat their ass off. While bikram yoga also focuses on the breath, mind, and body like traditional yoga, it is actually performed in a room that is heated to about 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which really pushes you to focus on your breathing!

Bikram yoga classes typically run about 90-minutes and include two pranayama breathing exercises. Instructors are trained to talk you through the exercise, rather than demonstrating the exercise. This allows you to focus on your own movements.

Benefits of Bikram Yoga

Bikram not only helps relieve stress and tones the body, but the heat helps you sweat out your toxins and detox. The yoga movements itself help tone and strengthen your core, increase flexibility, improve balance and prevent injuries.

How can you do Bikram Yoga at home?

Take your bikram to the bathroom! The best way to replicate a “hot yoga” fitness class at home is to crank the heat up in the shower and do your yoga in there! But remember to focus on your oxygen flow and breathing.

Pilates Classes

Pilates is a very disciplined practice that focuses on strength, muscle toning, body control, and flexibility without building bulk through a series of poses. There are six key principles of Pilates: concentration, control, centering, breathing, flow, and precision.

Benefits of Pilates

If you do pilates on a regular basis, you are sure to reap all the amazing benefits! If the exercise is done correctly, pilates helps strengthen the core, align the spine, increase flexibility, improve balance, build endurance and improve muscle strength.

How can you do Pilates at home?

As long as you have enough space for your mat, you can do Pilates anywhere! Just be sure you have room to concentrate and focus on the exercise! Some Pilates exercises may involve different equipment, like the Pilates Cadillac, reformer, tower, magic circle, and more.

Boot Camp

Boot camp is just as it sounds! Boot camp fitness classes involve military-inspired exercises that combine cardio, strength training, and agility into one intense workout. By including a variety of fitness elements and circuit workouts, boot camps help you burn more calories and provide a great way to condition the entire body at your own pace!

Benefits of Boot Camp

Boot camps give you a more total body workout, as they include a variety of different fitness elements. Transform your body, tone and strengthen your muscles, build your endurance, and more when you try a boot camp class!

How can you do your own Boot Camp at home?

Create your own boot camp at home and try a boot camp workout DVD or check out a few videos on YouTube. You can even ditch the videos and create your own boot camp routine. All you need is some cardio, strength training, and agility! Try exercises like jumping jacks, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and more.

Spinning

Spinning classes are so popular, they aren’t only offered at large gyms anymore. Now, there are many clubs and gyms, like CYCLEBAR that are made just for indoor cycling! Classes are filled with specialized, stationary bikes and are guided by an enthusiastic instructor with motivating music that makes you feel like you a part of a team. Looking for an intense cardio workout that focuses on strength, endurance, interval training, and recovery? Try spinning!

Benefits of Spinning

Pedal to the metal and burn calories! Spinning classes are great for toning your body, burning calories, building endurance! It also helps reduce the risk of injury and is great for recovery!

How can you spin at home?

All you need is a stationary bike and some music to pump you up in order to create your own indoor cycling “gym”! You can create your own spinning workout with high-intensity intervals that test your endurance, or you can follow along to the many online videos!

CrossFit

Get fit with CrossFit! CrossFit is a branded fitness program that involves strength and conditioning in a variety of functional exercises that are timed or scored into a total body workout. Popular exercises include pull-ups, squats, burpees, push-ups, weightlifting, gymnastics, running, rowing, and more. The goal is to finish each set of workouts as quickly as possible. The exercises allow for very little rest in between, which makes a tough workout that typically lasts anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.

Benefits of CrossFit

CrossFit utilizes all aspects of fitness, including cardio, endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, high-intensity training and accuracy.

How can you do CrossFit at home?

As long as you have the space, you can do CrossFit at home. Many people create their own CrossFit workouts in their garage, personal home gym, or basement. CrossFit workouts are usually done by following the “Workout of the Day,” (WOD), which are posted online for at-home use.

Boxing/Kickboxing

Boxing is a great full body workout that is all about intensity. It involves a lot of quick, forceful movements like hopping, jumping, and punching, and provides a useful balance between cardio and resistance training.

Benefits of Boxing

Boxing is a total body workout can help test and improve your hand-eye coordination! Not only that, but it can also help you burn calories and build strength and endurance!

How can you box at home?

First off, you need ample space to throw some punches and kicks! It’s also a good idea to purchase a pair of boxing gloves and light dumbbells. Follow a boxing workout DVD or online videos and you will be quick on your feet in no time!

You see, there are so many different fitness classes you can take, try them all to find one that best suits you! While they all help aid weight loss, relieve stress, and tone the body, some might help you reach your fitness goals better than others.

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