The best part about living in a fitness and wellness obsessed city like LA is that there is always a completely new workout class to try. The best way to stay out of workout rut is to switch things up, so here are a few new trendy LA workouts to add to your SoulCycle/hiking/yoga rotation.
BASECAMP
I first came to Basecamp in Santa Monica for a special event, and I have to admit it was a little daunting walking in because I started to have cross fit flashbacks. The way Basecamp works is it’s 35 minutes of circuit training which alternates between one minute on the floor and one minute on an assault bike. During the class, half of the people will be on a bike and half will be on the gym floor doing a defined set of exercises which are all displayed with instructional videos on TV screens throughout the room. Every class targets a different part of the body, so don’t worry about getting bored. The room is full of energy with people going to and from each exercise, while being coached by an upbeat instructor and loud music. As someone who was unfamiliar with lifting weights, this class makes it easy to catch on and learn proper form. Classes are mixed with men and women of all ages including some people who regularly bike 5+ miles during the time and skimp on the weights and the guys who can do a 40+ inch box jump.
Locations: Pasadena, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Northern CA
Cost: Drop in $33 or monthly packages available (First class free) https://basecampfitness.co/
SWIMTEAM
Swimteam hosts outdoor swimming-focused workouts held at LA public pools including locations in West Hollywood, Culver City, and Santa Monica. They have developed an underwater headset so you can hear the instructor as well as “Despacito” as you paddle away in the pool. I used to swim growing up so getting in the pool and doing a 200 yard warm up (4 laps) felt pretty good to me, but I think it could be overwhelming for someone who had never swam laps as a workout before. In between laps, we did circuits of resistance work in the pool to switch things up. It feels great to get in a nice outdoor swim under the California sun. Just an FYI: the West Hollywood facility I tried had a very bare bones locker-room and showers, not somewhere where you could even blow dry your hair or put on makeup so I suggest only doing these workouts if you can go home to shower after.
Location: Braemar Country Club, Culver City, Santa Monica, West Hollywood
Cost: $30 per class, first class free with promo code “freestyle” https://swim.team/
AT-HOME WORKOUTS
FORTE
Forte offers workouts from popular boutique fitness studios like Exhale & Aerospace which you can livestream to your own living room. You can watch workouts in real-time from these studios or you can access on-demand recordings of previous classes like Core Ripper or Power Abs to target your workouts.
Cost: Monthly unlimited $39, annual unlimited plan $99 https://www.forte.fit/
IDEALFIT 15 DAY CHALLENGE
I’ve done a few of these now, and I have seen results from each. The workouts and meal plans are free with accompanying instructional Youtube videos. The workouts themselves are fairly simple and use just light weights for the most part so don’t worry about having to join a gym to do this. Remaining dedicated to a routine for 15 days is a challenge in itself, but it keeps you accountable.
RINGLY
This isn’t actually something I wear when I work out, but I love my Ringly which tracks my steps for me because it’s just so much damn cuter than wearing a Fitbit which I can’t justify from a fashion standpoint. Ringly also vibrates and lights up to give you notifications for texts and calls which allows you to keep your phone off the table during dinner.
COST: Rings start at $99 https://ringly.com/