LA’ Best Workouts

It isn’t a surprise that Los Angeles – the birthplace of spinning, the Original Muscle Beach, and Westernized hot yoga – has an abundance of excellent fitness and movement classes. I’ve tried most of them, often with a bestie who’s a professional acrobat & gym designer (a.k.a. an expert). Here’s our go-to places to get fit:

Best Only-in-LA Workout

“The Green“
Just south of Santa Monica Pier, is an area lovingly dubbed as “The Green.” Every Sunday, the Green is packed with people practicing acro yoga, ninja skills, and slackline. It is a friendly and festive atmosphere. The green is totally free and totally fun.

Though it can admittedly be intimidating your first time because some of the city’s fittest come here to show off their skills, it is a welcoming community and there are always people willing to show you a few beginner moves. Jump in.

Best HIIT Workout

The Class
This is a HIIT class with soul. Taryn Toomey’s workouts invite you to expand, shake, and get messy, before bringing you back together and back to yourself. It’s like sweaty therapy. They just opened a new studio in Santa Monica on Main Street.

Training Mate
We love this positive and playful Australian-themed fitness studio. The smiling instructors shout very Australian encouragement (ie. “You’re all bloody legends!”). which makes the standard HIIT intervals surprisingly fun.

Best Core Workout

Lagree pilates is a low-impact workout which uses slow continual movements to build strength without relying on momentum. And it’s all about the core: you’ll feel ab muscles you’d forgotten existed by the end of the warm-up. The best studios in LA are:

Lagree Underground
Check out Master trainer Mikael Padillo‘s classes at this WeHo studio for a challenging workout with detailed cues.

Megaformer Studio
I love the Santa Monica studio because it has the newest & best Megaformer machines, which make a big impact on the workout. Also, every class I’ve taken there has brought my muscles to failure, the best way to improve strength quickly.

Coreology
The Barry’s Bootcamp of Lagree, alternating treadmill runs with Megaformer exercises for a HIIT of cardio.

Best DJ Workout

John Reed Fitness
This vibed-out gym in DTLA looks like a nightclub, complete with art and mood lighting. Here, DJs live mix the soundtrack to your workout.

Best Sweat

Sweatheory
This cozy wood-paneled wellness space offers fitness classes in their infrared studio. They also have a menu of wellness offerings, making it feel like a spa.

Best Yoga Studio in LA

There are so many excellent yoga teachers and studios in this city, that this needs its own list (watch this space) even after the pandemic shut down some of the finest (YogaWorks, Shanti, to name a few). But if I were to choose one, Patrick Beach’s Commune Yoga in Highland Park has all I’m looking for: a beautiful zen space, consistently challenging and aspirational classes, exceptional teachers, and both virtual and in-person classes.

Best Membership Club

Our co-founder Mel was invited to check out Heimat in Hollywood when they were opening. It’s a membership club (like Soho house) which has a spa, fitness, fine dining, and places to WFG (work from the gym?). Her favorite class is Pilates with Justine.

Now if only they’d open one on the West side…

My Favorite Workout

Ecstatic Dance LA
When the pandemic forced our workouts outside, Ecstatic Dance LA became a silent disco on Venice beach, attracting hundreds to their Sunday dances. The crowd is welcoming, playful, and encourages you to shake it. And after 2 hours of dancing on sand, you’ll have burned hundreds of calories, gotten a booty workout, and raised your vibration.