Finding your fitness tribe
It’s no secret that many fitness-conscious Angelenos are more likely to hit the barre than the bar after work. But while boutique fitness classes might help burn through the stress of a long day better than a beer, they’re no match for L.A.’s fitness soci
Sierra Club
The Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club has been coordinating free weekly group hikes around the city for longer than most of us have lived here. Problem is, few millennials seem to know about them. A good starting place is Griffith Park. Every Tuesday and Thursday around 7 p.m., hikers of all levels gather by the merry-go-round in the park for a two-hour hike to Mt. Hollywood or the Observatory, getting an amazing twinkling lights view of the city along the way. As beginner hikers gain experience, they can tackle other hikes in the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains as well as meet up for urban walks up secret staircases and for longer cross-city treks. The schedule of hikes and trips can be found on the Sierra Club’s calendar. angeles.sierraclub.org
Electric Flight Crew
The no-shower happy hour is just one of the draws of this exclusive Westside fitness social club, started three years ago by Jonathan Patton and Josh Goldman. The group of 25- to 35-year-old professionals and entrepreneurs attends special weekly runs, sprint-training and circuit-training workouts in locations from Redondo Beach to Santa Monica to West Hollywood. The workouts average 40 to 60 people per location and are typically followed by socializing at a local restaurant or monthly “residency.” There’s also a couple of group meetups each month at boutique fitness studios such as Orangetheory or Barry’s Bootcamp to complement the running. You do have to apply to join and pay a $40 monthly membership fee, but Patton says that no one has yet been turned away. electricflightcrew.com Wanderlust Hollywood
How great would it be if your yoga studio had an organic café, space for hanging out with friends and cool events from live music workouts to personal growth to comedy? That’s what’s you’ll find at Wanderlust Hollywood, the center founded a couple of years ago as a way to bring the community and culture of its eponymous festival to Angelenos 365 days a year. “A lot of other yoga studios, you just go and leave, there’s not a space to commune before or after class,” says Wanderlust Hollywood general manager Paula Tett. Here, you can buy classes or individual events, or spring for a $115 monthly membership that gets you unlimited classes and discounts on food and events. Wanderlust Hollywood, 1357 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles. wanderlusthollywood.com Blacklist LA
What started as a small group run to explore the city has turned into massive events, with as many as 250 runners converging in a different location each Monday at 10 p.m. The 3-mile runs, which cover a new neighborhood each month, are the brainchild of Erik Valiente, who in 2013 began running with friends through different parts of the city at night. “It felt like we were a tourist in our city, and I wanted to give that feeling to others,” he said. Since then, the group of mostly 25- to 40-year-olds has expanded its free gatherings to include slightly longer runs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays that start and end at specific Metro stations, such as the recent Chinatown run, as well as Thursday strength training sessions and marathon training on Saturdays. black listla. city