Looking to mix up your fitness routine? Hafsa Lodi rounds up a few new options to try in the UAE, along with a few long-standing favourites.
Mixed-gender barre
Physique 57 has earned a reputation as one of the top studios for women in Dubai. Its intense barre classes are led boot-camp style, with an instructor coaching through a mic, and its popularity is evident by the fact that classes are usually full. Now, classes at the flagship Al Thanya Mall studio are open to men, too. Finally, they’ll understand first-hand that a barre class can be a gruelling, fast-paced workout of the core and arm and leg muscles.
Classes cost Dh130, and a 10-class package costs Dh1,150. Physique 57, Al Thanya Mall, Al Wasl Road, Dubai; www.physique57.com; 04 321 0577
High-altitude indoor cycling
Talise Fitness, the only facility in the Middle East equipped with a high-altitude training studio, recently added high-altitude indoor cycling to its class schedule. The air in the studio contains less oxygen and more nitrogen in an attempt to simulate a high-altitude experience. High-altitude training forces the heart to work harder to pump oxygen around the body, with claims that 45 minutes of high-altitude cycling is an equivalent cardiovascular workout to a regular 90-minute cycling session. The classes are open to members and non-members.
Classes cost Dh60 for members and Dh120 for non-members. Talise Fitness, Mina A’Salam, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai; www.talisefitness.com; 04 366 6822
Aerial hoops
Be prepared to work your core, lower abs and arms, because classes using aerial hoops, which are suspended from the ceiling, take a lot of strength. At the newly opened Adagio studio in Barsha Heights, Dubai, learn how to mount and dismount the hoops, along with different methods of hanging, wrapping and twisting your body through the rings. Classes are open to all levels, including beginners.
Classes cost Dh100. Adagio studio, i-Rise tower, Barsha Heights, Dubai; 04 513 5656
Beyoncé dance class
You’ve surely felt pangs of both admiration and envy while watching Beyoncé’s music videos. She has some serious skills when it comes to moving her body and now you can learn how to exude that same glamour, attitude and vibe during a workout that will help tone your legs, abs and bottom. All levels are welcome, so don’t let your shyness or lack of dance experience deter you from trying it.
Classes cost Dh75, and a 10-session pass costs Dh700. Pole Fit Dubai, Marina Sail Tower, Dubai Marina; www.polefitdubai.com; 04 551 6911
Bounce Fit
Bounce indoor trampoline park opened in Abu Dhabi this summer and has started fitness classes. The 60-minute high-intensity cardio workout is sure to get your heart racing, with plenty of squats, planks and lunges. An upbeat soundtrack will keep you moving, as your muscles get toned and stamina gets tested. Each session burns an average of 800 calories.
Classes cost Dh80. Bounce Abu Dhabi, Marina Mall; www.bounce.ae; 04 321 1400
Luxury personal training
Give your personal-training sessions a luxury spin at the United Kingdom-based fitness brand Ican’s first branch in Dubai. Five-star services, including valet parking, complimentary Fiji water, Kiehl’s products, speciality green juices, salon hairdryers and Egyptian cotton towels, accompany a client’s personal-training and rehabilitation sessions. Cardio exercises are combined with strength, resistance and boxing fitness and nutritional training at this studio, which looks more like a nightclub than a gym thanks to the chandeliers, marble washrooms and sleek steel interiors.
Personal training sessions cost Dh850 for non-members and monthly packages start at Dh4,300. Ican, One Lake Plaza, JLT, Dubai; www.icanpt.ae; 04 557 3188
Tennis
Body Language Tennis Centre offers tennis classes for adults and children. The sessions are open to all levels and are suitable for those wanting to improve their tennis skills or seeking a fun, interactive group class. There are also private and semi-private lessons on offer for more advanced, competitive players, and a tennis tournament that launches on Saturday.
Private lessons cost from Dh285 per class, semi-private lessons cost from Dh190 per class and group lessons start at Dh1,560. Body Language Tennis Centre, Al Barari, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai; www.bodylanguage.ae; 04 326 7277
Mall walking
Join an exercise routine in the most convenient of locations: the shopping mall. Every Monday at 9am, Yas Mall hosts a group power walk for women. Mingle, make new friends and enjoy some window shopping as you pace through the mall. To participate in the weekly power walk, meet the group at the Town Square at Yas Mall.
Sessions are free. Yas Mall, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; 02 414 6401
