barre class – I walked into this class, saw green, red and blue bands and 2 lbs weights and thought, “how much could this do?” 20 minutes in, my inner thighs were killing me and I wanted to run out. Barre class is designed to target arms, abdomen, glutes and thighs without making them larger. The idea is that you strengthen the muscles without making them larger by performing many small movements with resistance.
spinning – It’s not new, but keeps being reinvented many times over. As a newer spin instructor I have taken classes from soul cycle to equinox and I will tell you soul cycle will give you a dance party vibe with everything from pushups to dance moves. For a straightforward traditional workout go to equinox where the emphasis is more of a road race feel.
trx – The trx bands are becoming a fixture in many gyms nowadays. One of the best features of the simplicity of only one piece of equipment is that there is little risk of injury since your body weight is the resistance instead of barbells. You can definitely improve your cardiovascular fitness with trx as well since there is little time to transition from one exercise to another.
body pump – this class came about as a way to get men to do aerobics by adding barbells and more macho exercise to the regular aerobic dance steps. This class is perfect for people who would like to ease their way into using weights and likes a very structured workout since classes are the same regardless of the gym you are a member of.