Thinking Outside the Gym: Four Creative Fitness Classes to Take This Winter

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Without joining a conventional gym full of dreary treadmills and intimidating muscle machines, it’s almost impossible to get in shape during these bleak winter months and keep up those fit-and-healthy New Year’s resolutions we all made. Only the extremely motivated (and slightly crazy) can brave the snow and freezing temperatures to go for a run, and let’s face it, working out at home usually turns into watching Netflix and eating Nutella out of the jar. If you’re determined to maintain your resolution through February, and want a more creative workout routine, here are four indoor classes sure to get you out of your comfort zone and breaking a sweat.


POUND

Photo: Breakin Boundaries

POUND combines drumming with strength training and cardio using weighted drumsticks. Photo: Breakin Boundaries

If you want to bring out your inner rock star while scorching calories, POUND is the perfect workout. This 45-minute class at Greenpoint’s Breakin Boundaries involves constant simulated drumming with lightly weighted drumsticks, fusing drumming, strength training and cardio moves for a full-body workout. Jam out to rock, dubstep, pop and old school hip-hop as you raise your heart rate and activate muscles you haven’t flexed in a while. Classes cost $18 and run twice a week.


Move Art

Photo: LAVA

Join your physical and creative sides with Move Art. Photo: LAVA

A combination of dance, improvisation and Qi-gong, an ancient Chinese exercise similar to tai chi, the Move Art class at LAVA in Prospect Heights focuses on connecting your physical and creative self. The Thursday night classes offer a less conventional and lower intensity workout for $15 a class. With group and partner exercises, you might even make a friend or two.

Concrete H.I.T.

Photo: Concrete Fitness

If you haven’t worked out in a while, HIT is not the place to pick it up again. Photo: Concrete Fitness

High-intensity training (HIT) is exactly what it sounds like. You don’t have to be an athlete or gym rat, but you definitely don’t want your first time working out in five years to be a HIT class. At Concrete Fitness in Midwood/Gravesend, a mixture of cardio and strength training in short bursts of intense activity followed by a short recovery helps you burn up to 1,000 calories per 50-minute class. To make sure no muscle is left untouched, routines incorporate free weights, kettle bells, resistance bands, medicine balls and jump ropes. With $25 classes every day of the week, each day is a different H.I.T. workout to keep you on your toes.


Dutch Acrobatics & Jam

Photo: Joy Chen/Brooklyn Zoo

At Brooklyn Zoo you can perform like you’re in the circus, without running away. Photo: Joy Chen/Brooklyn Zoo

Always dreamed of being in the circus? At Brooklyn Zoo’s open level Dutch acrobatics and jam class, you can learn circus-style acrobatics and handstands mixed with bodyweight conditioning exercises. Although many exercises are done with partners, you can attend alone. The Sunday afternoon classes at the Bushwick gym are $25. They also have Parkour classes like the ones we profiled here.

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