It’s no secret that working out isn’t exactly the most glamorous activity. With all of the sweat, leg cramps and heavy breathing, I’ve rarely seen exercise as “fun” or “something I would even remotely like to do.”
It doesn’t help that I’ve never really been the most “athletic” girl — I had to resort to running cross country and track because my parents never encouraged me to commit to a sport. And because I have zero hand-eye coordination, but that’s besides the point. Regardless of my lack of athletic ability, I’ve always been very invested in staying healthy and in-shape, whatever way that may be.
Because of this, I’ve recently gotten very interested in exploring different workout studios in Philadelphia that offer a variety of activities (& cheap prices). Working out isn’t “glamorous,” but you’d be surprised by how even the most grueling of workouts can make you feel like a high-class socialite in NYC if you have a boujee-enough workout studio.
Most of the studios I mention in this article offer different deals for newcomers, however, I have currently been using ClassPass for the past few months to go to some of these studios. Through ClassPass, I pay a set amount each month and am able to go to a variety of workout classes through my allotted “credits.” However, I have surely taken full advantage of all of Philly’s wonderful FREE newcomer classes, and I recommend that everyone does as well. I mean, it’s free.
- CorePower Yoga
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Location: 1616 Walnut St Suite #B01, Philadelphia, PA 19102
With studios in nearly every state, you could visit CorePower while staying pretty much anywhere. CorePower offers different hot yoga classes at varying levels, including C1 for beginners and C2 for more advanced yogis. They even offer a Yoga Sculpt class, which is way too intimidating for me, that includes C2 yoga and weights. Personally, I would rank CorePower as one of my top studios for it’s consistency and reliability — I have never had a bad class there! Plus, beginners can sign up for a free week of unlimited yoga with CorePower, which is probably the best deal I will mention throughout this entire article. Also, yes, I’m aware that I sound *very sponsored by CorePower Yoga. I swear I’m not. But, CorePower, if you’re reading this, please sponsor me.
- Flywheel Sports
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Location: 1521 Locust St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Nothing makes you feel more powerful than a grueling good ol’ cycling class. As a Temple student, I’ve gone to many GREAT spin classes at the IBC. However, with the stadium-like setting, the dark lighting and the giant scoreboard, the atmosphere that Flywheel provides is completely different. I was shocked by how much I struggled through this class the first time that I gave it a try. However, it quickly became evident to me that the instructors here expected a lot from you, and they weren’t afraid to push you to your limits. Flywheel offers one free class to newbies, but you can continue to fill your spin-class void through ClassPass, where you can visit Flywheel for cheaper.
- Philly Power Yoga & Thrive Pilates
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Location: 2016 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Located on Walnut Street, Philly Power Yoga & Thrive Pilates is a hidden treasure of the city. I first tried this studio through ClassPass, and, honestly, I’m unsure if I would have found this studio without ClassPass. In this studio, there are a variety of different yoga, pilates and barre classes that are offered every day. However, I can only speak to their yoga classes, which are aimed to help beginners, yet challenge practiced yogis as well. The best part? Philly Power Yoga provides yoga mats to their class attendees, so you don’t have to drag your yoga mat on the Septa.
- Rumble
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Location: 1520 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
As a 5’4” girl, I feel pretty badass after I finish 45 minutes of punching a bag as hard as I can. Rumble lets me live out my boxing dream, all while still getting an effective workout in. Rumble’s boxing studio is on the second floor of their building, and can only be described as New York nightclub meets grungy basement — except there are about 30 punching bags, of course. There are 10 rounds, some of which take place with the punching bags, while others take place at the “floor” area for weighted exercises. Afterwards, you can take photos in their very Instagrammable studio, if you’re not too sweaty. Sadly, at $34, boxing classes don’t come cheap. For newbies, I do recommend giving Rumble a try for the ~experience,~ because your first class is buy one, get one free.
Like I said before, I would hardly consider myself athletic — I lack the abs and definitely lack the motivation and self-discipline. However, with the stress that a job, school work and just ~life~ can bring, it’s soothing to be able to escape out of the craziness (all the way to Center City) to spend an hour helping your body and mind.