Top 10 Neighborhood Fitness Studios In Manhattan

As one of the most energetic cities in the world, it’s no surprise that New York contains hundreds of fitness studios offering everything from boxing to barre to bootcamp. Choose your own adventure in any one of its bustling neighborhoods and discover a new workout, a new muscle, and probably a new level of soreness.

Pure Barre (UWS)

Fitness Studio, Gym

Pure Barre teaches you that you don’t have to be a ballerina to work out on the barre. It’s a low impact method to tone your thighs, glutes, arms and abs while improving flexibility and posture. Use core muscles to build balance, lengthen your body, and do it all in signature Pure Barre apparel.

Soul Cycle (UES)

Gym

It’s not a cult, but it’s close. Within the white walls of Soul Cycle you will find bumping playlists, inspiring instructors, and the desire to “tap back.” Here, you can find your soul and transform your body while dancing, sprinting and climbing through the class. Enjoy fat-burning cardio and hand weights for a full body workout that challenges your core and your coordination.

Ailey Extension (Hell’s Kitchen)

Theater, Building

Mr. Ailey’s commitment to widening the reach of dance is realized at the Ailey Extension. Offering “real classes for real people,” they have over 80 classes a week in 25 different techniques, ranging from West African to Jazz to Zumba. All levels are welcome in New York’s largest building dedicated to dance and every dancer is encouraged to discover new ways of moving through engaging mind, body and spirit.

The Movement (Chelsea)

Gym

By donating one dollar per person, per class to the National Brain Tumor Society in honor of founder Jordan Canino’s late mother, Andrea Canino, The Movement manages to do something more than create awareness for your body – it creates awareness of the community outside of the studio, too. Setting the precedent for always having a good intention, it offers innovative and dynamic workouts that fuse different methods into one challenging and fun session.

Gotham Gym (West Village)

Gym

With a focus on strengthening the entire body, classes at Gotham Gym are led in a spacious industrial studio in and out of the boxing ring. Choose from boxing, muay thai, or ballet fitness to get your heart rate going while you build resistance and awareness. Work on quickening reflexes and feeling lighter in your body. Finish it all off by strolling over to the Hudson River just minutes away and you will want to keep going back for more.

Barry’s Bootcamp (NoHo)

Fifteen minutes can either be incredibly fast or painfully slow at Barry’s Bootcamp – the choice is yours. Since 1998, Barry’s has been “shocking” bodies into improving the cardiovascular system, losing weight and building muscle. Every day of the week is dedicated to a different area of the body and every trainer creates his or her own individual routine, making each class different and always challenging. Even if you’re not a runner, you can take it at your own pace and hop on the treadmill for fifteen minute intervals, take it to the floor for fifteen minutes of weights, use resistance bands, and more, and then repeat.

Barry’s Bootcamp, 419 Lafayette Street, New York, NY, USA, +1 212 260 4777

The Monster Cycle (SoHo)

Theme-based rides with big screens, black lights, and music videos to get your heart racing make The Monster Cycle much more than spinning. Start and end class with a chorus of “hell yeahs” and go through the next 45 minutes trying to conquer that hill while being distracted by the likes of Nicki Minaj, Diplo, Taylor Swift, Knaye West, and more. With a new set of rides every week, it’s impossible to get bored and the class will be over faster than you want it to be.

The Monster Cycle, 182 Lafayette Street, New York, NY, USA, +1 646 692 4703

Conbody (LES)

Gym

Using no equipment other than your body weight, Conbody is a hardcore, no-frills bootcamp that keeps you sweating and smiling the whole way through. Conbody was founded by Coss Marte who developed this method in the confines of his 9×6’ prison cell and managed to lose over 70 pounds in just six months. Dedicated to bringing a similar change to other people’s lives, he takes his training in and out of the classroom by developing a relationship with each of his clients. Find out more here.

Aqua Studio (Tribeca)

Fitness Studio, Gym, Swimming Pool, Health Spa

An entirely new workout experience, Aqua Cycle submerges stationary bikes under water to create low impact, high resistance training for all body types and age groups. Classes can be divided for men, women, pre/postnatal, and restorative. Enjoy the candlelit setting while you race or float your way through the sessions.

BFX (Financial District)

Gym

At BFX, it benefits you to feel the burn. Classes are multi-disciplinary cross-training where you can spin, practice at the barre, work with kettlebells, do some TRX, use your body weight, and much more. These high-intensity moves are meant to boost metabolism, cut fat, and build cardiovascular strength all in one. As you circle through rotations of different exercises, the class is over before you know it and the results will be well worth the effort.

About the author

Tanvi Malik

Tanvi was raised in Dubai, is of Indian origin and currently lives in New York City. She constructs narratives, garments and yoga sequences. Follow her on Instagram @tanvi_mk.