Unique workout classes in Vancouver
Vancouver’s many fitness studios offer a wide variety of unique workout options for active individuals who want to mix up their regular routine. Challenge yourself and work up a sweat with these surprisingly fun exercise classes. Trust us, your body will thank you.
Tantra Fitness Inc
36 Broadway E, Vancouver, BC V5T 1V6Don’t be fooled; pole dancing classes might seem like a fun and flirty way to spend the afternoon but these full-body workouts are incredibly demanding and are sure to leave you feeling sore the next day. Tantra’s Pole 101 sessions cover basic technique (including safety tips) and will help you achieve long, lean muscles, tone your core and improve upper body strength. Once you’ve mastered the foundational movements you can progress to advanced pole workouts and exotic dance classes that incorporate spins, inversions, freestyle floorwork and tricks. This Gastown studio also offers sultry dance classes, aerial workouts and private lessons.
Vancouver Circus School
810 Quayside Dr Suite 212, New Westminster, BC V3M 6B9Running away to the circus is as easy as taking the ferry to North Van thanks to this acrobatic institute offering classes for kids, teens and adults. The roster of quirky workshops will help you master a variety of circus arts such as trampoline, handstands, aerial hoop, unicycling, juggling and acrobatics. Would-be contortionists can sign up for the Aerial Silks class and hang from the ceiling while entangled in long supportive fabrics. If you’re looking for the ultimate adrenaline rush, expert instructors can help you fly through the air (in a safety harness of course) during swinging trapeze sessions.
Urban Fitness Club
1348 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1M7When it comes to physical fitness, it’s important to mix up your routine with new and stimulating workouts that keep your body from plateauing. The roster of group exercise classes at this downtown gym is as diverse as it is challenging. The schedule offers MMA, TRX and everything in between. We love the fat-burning Insanity classes, which feature short intervals of intense exercise followed by short rest periods. If you’re looking for a dynamic, high-energy full body workout, try the Obstaclefit Bootcamp and work your way through a challenging mix of calisthenics, plyometrics, kickboxing drills and resistance training.
AVA Fitness
735 Carnarvon St, New Westminster, BC V3M 1E6Conveniently located just across the street from the New West Skytrain station, this sultry fitness studio offers more than 35 alternative fitness classes in a welcoming and supportive environment. Dance lessons run the gamut from exotic burlesque to contemporary ballet to hip-swivelling salsa and acrobatic pole routines. If sexy choreography isn’t your jam, there’s also athletic fitness bootcamps, kickboxing and a variety of exercise classes focused on conditioning and flexibility training. Bonus: if you strain yourself during a rigorous routine, there’s an on-site massage therapist to help work out those sore muscles.
Yoga Generation
108-2922 Glen Drive, Coquitlam, BC V3B 2P5Looking to take your yoga practice to the next level? Leave your mat at home and head to this Coquitlam studio for an aerial yoga class. Students suspend in the air on fabric hammocks that are designed to help deepen your stretches and increase mobility as you move through a series of inverted postures. Beginners can learn the ropes (so to speak) in introductory classes and then move on to advanced lessons that incorporate challenging inversions, back bends, and deep hamstring and hip stretches. The upside-down movements have numerous health benefits, such as decompressing your spine and reversing your bloodflow.
YMCA
955 Burrard St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y2The Robert Lee YMCA offers a variety of unique group exercise classes for all ages and fitness abilities. Lessons are available for everything from strength and resistance training to heart-pumping cardio (spinning, dance, step) to low-impact aquafit classes. Unlike other upscale downtown gyms, the YMCA also offers a variety of affordable membership packages for individuals and families in order to make the fitness facility more accessible.
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