THE 33 BEST FITNESS CLASSES FOR 2019

Grow Signature, Wednesdays at 7am with Ben

It’s an age-old problem: a training plan that seemed so exciting in January already feels boring four weeks later. But don’t throw in the sweat towel – instead, keep both your body and mind signed up to yearlong fitness using our prospectus of the UK’S smartest, toughest and most enjoyable group workouts. Don’t be late for class, now

01 DIVE STRAIGHT IN

Open Water Swimming, Tuesdays at 5.30pm with Paul Outdoor swimming in Yorkshire isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’ll certainly burn off a layer or two of extra padding – or freeze off, rather. Fortunately, wetsuits are provided. The Scaling Dam club was recently accredited by Sh2out – affiliates of British Triathlon – but you don’t need Brownlee-level skills to take part. Classes cater to everyone from Channel swimmers to shivering beginners. Scaling Dam Sailing Club, North Yorkshire, scalingdam.org

02STRONG AND SHREDDED Shred, Wednesdays at 6pm with Olly

Defying the purists, who insist that conditioning and strength should be trained separately, DW’S standout session makes you use your recovery period between compound lifts to complete quick-fire HIIT moves. The result is an intense class with a high-megawatt calorie burn. DW Fitness First, Bath, dwfitnessfirst.com

03PLAY TIME Adult Parkour, Wednesdays at 7pm with Craig and Frazer

Parkour is now recognised as a sport, though this is a workout for your inner child as much as your muscles. In this class, you’ll run, jump and crawl in an indoor playground made of scaffolding, springboards and foam pits. Fluidity Freerun Academy, Cardiff, fluidityfreerunacademy.co.uk

04TRIPLE EFFECT Formula 3, Fridays at 7.45am with Luke

For the City boy who wants to squeeze in the maximum benefit, we suggest a morning with Luke. His three-part class fuses rower, dumbbell and bodyweight moves for stamina, strength and power – in 50 minutes of intensive exertion. Third Space City, London, thirdspace.london

05THE OG Full-body, Saturdays at 8.45am with Faisal

Barry’s Bootcamp is the true pioneer of the often replicated “cardio intervals plus floor work” formula. But this is no run-of-the-treadmill class. A session with top trainer Faisal is the ultimate weekend energiser, certain to leave you pumped up, not burned out. Barry’s Bootcamp, London West, barrysbootcamp.com

06FEEL THE BURN Heat, Thursdays at 7am with Luis

Before “metcon” became a Nike trainer, it was a method of training your body to make better use of its energy reserves for optimum performance – a promise that this class fulfils. You’ll blend Skillmill drills with quick, functional movements. Expect to leave the room 1,000kcal lighter. Virgin Active, Mansion House, London, virginactive.co.uk

07GUT PUNCH HIIT 45, Mondays at 7.15am with Jamie

Come out swinging with a viciously effective combo that will keep you burning calories and building muscle: strength movements and punchbag work. Jamie is a martial arts supremo, so you will get a powerful hit of technique to boot, while pummelling away some of that Monday morning angst. Another Space Bank, London, anotherspace.london

08STRETCH YOURSELF Power Flow, Thursdays at 6pm with Fi

Come for the dynamic, fitness-focused yoga. Stay for the spine-tingling playlists and cinematic visuals. Sessions are developed to lift your strength and mobility, not merely your serenity – and the mountain ranges, dense forests and crashing swells certainly help. Fly LDN, London, flyldn.co.uk

09CLIMB HIGH Adult Improvers, Saturdays at 2pm with Neill

Free weekend? Rock up to the largest indoor climbing facility in Europe to hone your technique with two sessions each lasting two hours. The first part runs through the basics and corrects your existing bad habits. Then, your coach arms you with smart energy-saving tactics. You’ll leave fully equipped for both the walls and the wilds. Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, edinburghleisure.co.uk

10 RUN FOR THE HILLS Parkrun, Saturdays at 9am, with various volunteers

The world’s best and most democratic running

club now operates in hundreds of locations nationwide. For better views than you’re likely to find in your local park, head to the Yorkshire coast: on this 5K route, you’ll depart from the grounds of Sewerby Hall, run down to the cliff tops, then along the seafront in a scenic loop. Bring a woolly hat. Sewerby Hall & Gardens, Bridlington, parkrun.org.uk

11BIKE AND BUZZ Cycling Club, Sundays at 9.30am with various

Meet for a swift espresso at Proper’s café-cum-bike shop in West Sussex, then set off on a scenic tour of 30-70 miles. Routes vary, but expect a good mix of conversation-pace flats and lung-testing hills, as well as a few photo-worthy coastal paths. Plus, groups are split into faster and slower riders, so you won’t risk being left behind – or held back. Proper Cycling & Coffee, Hassocks, West Sussex, propercycling.co.uk

12KO BOREDOM TC60, Mondays at 6.30pm with Luke

No two sessions are ever the same at this sociable, no-frills gym, set up by boxer Tommy Coyle. Over the course of an hour, head trainer Luke will take you through an ever-shifting circuit of cardio, strength training and bag work. The academy offers free classes for young people, too, earning it nice-guy kudos. Tommy Coyle Academy, Hull, tommycoylefoundation.org

13PUT ON A SHOW Lucha Monday, Mondays at 7.30pm with Greg and Garry

Do most workouts make you feel like you’ve been there, lifted that and bought the logo tee? Then this is the class for you. Combining acrobatic Mexican techniques with some nifty American moves and Japanese methodology, this three-hour beginner’s wrestling session promises to boost not only your strength and fitness, but your creativity. London School of Lucha Libre, Bethnal Green, londonschoolofluchalibre.com

14SAFETY IN NUMBERS Powerlifting Club, Wednesdays at 6pm with Jack

Heavy lifts, squats and presses form the backbone of any successful training programme and have crossover benefits to every other exercise in the gym. They can also be bloody intimidating. This club was designed to give beginners confidence under a barbell, but also provides the necessary tweaks to help you hit big numbers for those PBS. Ufit, Cardiff, ufit-fitness.com

15TAKE FLIGHT Power Ride, Tuesdays at 1.10pm with Richard

Your average spin class, this is not. With each bike linked to a large screen behind the instructor, you will be coached according to your level of effort and be awarded a final score, which will push you to pedal hard for the sake of your pride. H2 Soho, London, stagesindoorcycling.co.uk

16WARM UP Hotpod Flow, Fridays at 5.30pm with Alex

If the popularity of mobility training has taught us anything, it’s that there’s a lot more to yoga than deep breathing and connecting with your spirit animal. Classes are conducted in 37°C pods, affording your muscles greater flexibility to correct any performancehindering tightness. Hotpod Yoga, Newcastle upon Tyne, hotpodyoga.com

17BLAZE A TRAIL Blaze, Thursdays at 6.30pm with Graeme

This might be a chain-gym class, but the experience is very much boutique. The purpose-built Blaze studios are dimly lit, with a well-curated playlist and large screens to display your heart rate via a Myzone monitor. Workouts combine martial-arts tekkers with treadmill intervals and strength moves, pushing you to 90%-plus of your max effort. You’ll have nowhere to hide. David Lloyd Clubs, Edinburgh, davidlloyd.co.uk

18NO CHOKE Beginners BJJ, Fridays at 6.30pm with Luiz

Get to grips with Brazilian jiu-jitsu the way it’s meant to be – humbling, in a gi and under the tutelage of a practised expert, head coach Luiz. UFC and BJJ superstars are regulars, but white-belted beginners are welcome, too. London Fight Factory, London, londonfightfactory.com

19WILD WAYS

Wild Training HIIT, Sundays at 10am with Simon

Enter the pain cave… or, as they call it, the “Muscle Tunnel”: the gym’s outdoor training area, furnished with a calisthenics rig, lifting logs and kegs. By challenging your body with unfamiliar movements, it’ll deliver a far bigger fat burn.

20NINJA THIS

Burn It, Fridays at 9am with Tyler

Big Friday planned? Launch a pre-emptive strike on fat with a brief but ruthlessly effective session from Tyler “the OneLegged Ninja” Saunders, a former wheelchair basketball player. His half-hour HIIT class works on full-body strength, while torching ample calories.

21GET ON TRACK

Track Life, Mondays at 6.30pm with Rory and Omar

Spearheading a new trend for high-tempo track running, the coaches fuse palpable enthusiasm and expertise to improve your technique with pro-grade drills, before pushing your engine into new gears with runs ranging between 100m and a full mile.

22TOP START

Olympic Weightlifting Club, Saturdays at 1.30pm with Jon

The progression from squatting excellence to snatch proficiency is one of training’s quantum leaps. Thankfully, FSI has created a lifting programme for beginners. Take your first steps and reps here and progress in weeks.

23HEAVYWEIGHT MUSCLE BUILDER

Lower Body, Wednesdays at 5.45pm with Ollie

That the setting is as far from a spit’n’sawdust boxing gym as you can get doesn’t come at the expense of knockout coaching at Kobox. Here, you’ll drill the fundamentals of boxing with the “1-6” punching system, before you switch to your wall station to undergo a series of heart-pumping exercises. That’s round one. You’ll do three more…

24THE FULL 45

Hollywood, Fridays at 6.30am with Adam

The Australian grouptraining powerhouse has become a major player in the UK. And now, it has an unlikely but mighty ally, with England rugby’s James Haskell opening its latest facility in Bath city centre. Expect an exhausting but hugely effective blend of strength, agility and HIIT, for a session that will burn more calories than any average spin class – and is much more enjoyable, too.

25RING WORK

False Grip, Mondays at 6.15pm with Mark

For the strong, ultra-cut physique of a GB gymnast, develop your performance on the Olympic rings. Moves such as rows and press-ups will ensure that you build an unshakeable core. Gymbox, Cannon Street, gymbox.com

26STRONG STUFF

WIT Strength Club, Saturdays 1pm with Rob

WIT calls this class a blend of “compound movements and accessory work for improved strength and stabilisation” – but we call it the elite way to get a supreme (yet functional) weekend pump. Let’s hope it’s T-shirt weather soon.

27FLY THE FLAG

Calisthenics, Mondays at 6pm with Alex

Dispensing with heavy weights doesn’t mean you’ll be easing up. During your time on the rig, you’ll learn to master your bodyweight while working towards moves such as muscle-ups, levers and planches, under the tutelage of “chief monkey” Alex Quinn. A defined six-pack is one likely side effect – but the real reward is how smug you’ll feel with your results.

28MIDDAY REBOOT

Lunch Break Yoga, Wednesdays at 12.30pm with J

By cutting class time to 45 minutes and designing a flow that recharges the mind and reinvigorates the body, this is a perfect lunch-hour antidote to any stressful morning. Gym & Juice, Manchester, gymandjuiceuk.com

29TRI HARDER

Develop Front Crawl, Thursdays at 8.30pm with Cedric

Expert triathlon coaches take you through an eightweek programme that will help you master the front crawl, honing your technique for improved speed and economy on race day. Swim it to win.

30 ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY

Burn, Saturdays at 9.30am with Tom and Andrew Farm Fitness is no ordinary bootcamp. In the bucolic Essex countryside, Tom Kemp has transformed his family farm into a lifter’s paradise. Over an hourlong session, you’ll work in small teams to push each other through a fun, efficient full-body workout – think pressing logs overhead, flipping tyres and deadlifting quad bikes. There are free weights, too, but who needs those?

31OLYMPIC SUCCESS

Olympic Lifting, Saturdays at 9am with Chris and Adam

If you want to iron out chinks in your barbell game, stop in at ISC. Classes focus solely on Olympic lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk. We’ll see you on the platform.

32ROWING STRONGER

The Waterrowers at Grow are both therapeutic (due to the sound of real water) and devilish (well… it’s still a rower). Between sprints, you’ll score boatloads of muscle definition with resistance moves. Unique and effective. Freestyle Gymnastics, Thursdays at 8.30pm with various coaches

It’s hard not to feel inspired at the home of Team GB’S most successful gymnast ever, Max Whitlock. Here, you’re given free rein to use the elite-level facilities, whether you’re attempting your first ring muscle-up or somersaulting your way to Tokyo 2020.