Over the past four years that I’ve lived in San Antonio, I’ve had the chance to check out quite a few fitness studios around the city. I’ve pretty much taken advantage of every free class available and complied my top 7 favorite fitness studios in SATX. You’ll find everything from yoga to spin to rock climbing in this list.
InBalance
inBalance was created by Hope Pedraza, who is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met. She’s a mom to a little boy and a fierce business owner. inBalance began as a pilates studio and rapidly transformed into THE place in San Antonio for yoga, barre, pilates and dance classes. While you may find similar classes at other gyms, you won’t find anything like what’s at inBalance. Hope designed “Signature” classes that are unique to her studio, one of them being her “Body” class, which is my FAVE! It’s a full body workout that centers around learning a hip-hop choreographed dance. As someone who did not dance in my younger years, I thought this class would be my last pick, but it turns out, dancing is seriously fun and a serious workout! I’ve tried every single class at inBalance: barre, piloxing (a combo of boxing and pilates), Interval (for those HIIT lovers), barre bounce (barre on trampolines!), vinyasa yoga, Tone (Hope’s signature high energy pilates class), and the list goes on. You will never get bored and always be challenged because the instructors change things up every single class. They use different equipment (bands, balls, pilates rings, dumbbells, etc.) and different routines to keep your body guessing. Another thing Inbalance does is FREE community classes around San Antonio. Hope does this to introduce people to the style of Inbalance and to support other health-minded business. I may be biased, but this is definitely my favorite studio on the list. So I highly recommend trying it out, you can always check their website or Instagram for updates on when the free classes are!
F45
F45 originated in Australia and has started to make waves in the US in the past year. It’s basically 45 minutes of an intense workout that leaves you feeling awesome. They offer several different class formats, each on a different day, so that you get a well rounded workout routine if you go multiple times a week. Some are purely focused on strength, while others are predominately cardio based. On Saturdays they have a 60 minute class that hits both areas. Every time you walk in, there’s a new workout planned out for you, so you’re always getting stronger and staying challenged. The way the studio is set up is there are large screens at the front that have timers and little videos of what exercise you should be doing at what station, then there is a large floor area with all of the equipment set up for each exercise you’ll be doing. Their workouts are circuit style, so you are continuously moving from one exercise to the next. A good run down on what it’s like to workout here would be: walk in and warm up on the bike, then an instructor will show you each exercise and explain how the class will flow, then you’ll perform a little warm up displayed on the screen then you’ll move on to the actual workout. During the workout, the instructor is always moving around the gym, making sure your form is correct and helping you if you need it. They offer a free week trial, so I tried out a couple classes and I thoroughly enjoyed the workouts. The studio is located Leon Springs, so if you live in the area, I would definitely recommend checking it 0ut.
The Union
Unique to San Antonio, this studio offers brutal cross fit and barbell classes, hot and power yoga, and inferno hot pilates. I’ve not braved up enough to try the cross fit classes out, but I did try out the hot pilates and had a blast! Not only was it a super fun class, it was extremely challenging. I love the concept of balancing hard workouts (ie CrossFit) with more low intensity workouts (ie yoga or pilates). The Union offers several of each class every day so you could easily attend a different class each day and have a solid workout routine. The room is pretty hot, so you’ll definitely be sweating. There are three locations: Alamo Heights, Hollywood Park, and Huebner Oaks. They offer a one week free trial, so I would go for it and try out all of their classes.
JoyRide
JoyRide is a cycling + fitness studio where you can go for a real challenge and test your limits. For someone who has her standards high for cycling classes, JoyRide class kicked – my – butt in the best way possible. The 45 minute class was 100% worth it. Whether you’re a pro-cyclist or a spin newbie, you’ll leave proud of yourself for pushing through. The class I took was with the instructor Alyssa and she was fantastic and kept the energy going nonstop during the high-intensity class. Her playlist also rocked – just sayin’ ! JoyRide offers over a dozen different classes for all levels of fitness ranging anywhere from cycling classes to fitness classes focusing on sculpting, boxing, pilates, barre, and so much more! Your first class is free and I know you’ll leave feeling empowered in both body + mind. They have two locations: Broadway and NW Military. Your first class is FREE so 10/10, would recommend. Another 10/10 recommendation, going to a Rise up afterward for an Acai bowl (highly recommend the AB bowl or the Lavender bowl).
9 Round
Boxing, circuits, strength training and cardio all in 30 minutes, what?! Yeah, that’s 9 Round’s formula. They’re a gym that functions like a group class but you can come at any time of the day. Basically, you walk in and warm up using a jump rope then you start with station 1. There are 9 stations total (aka “9 Rounds”) and each station has a short circuit listed for you to do. Usually it’s a combination of strength exercises + a boxing move. There is a buzzer that goes off when it’s time to switch to the next station, with each station lasting 2.5 minutes. In between the stations, you have 30 seconds of some form of light cardio (ie jumping jacks). I know it’s a lot to take in, but really is fairly easy to catch on to once you’re there. They offer a free class for your first time, so if you can carve out 30 minutes, I would definitely recommend taking advantage of it. There are a ton of 9Round locations around San Antonio, so you can try it out relatively anywhere you live. Plus, the membership works at all the locations, which is super nice.
Black Swan Yoga
If you consider yourself a yogi, Black Swan is THE place to go! The studio is only a few minutes away from the Pearl, so it’s the perfect activity to do if you find yourself downtown. I’ve been to several yoga classes, but this was my first time at a yoga studio. The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful and the art inside the yoga studio perfectly matched the aesthetic of the studio. Black Swan is donation based, so when you sign up for a class (which they offer many times during the same day, every day) you pay online and are already registered for the class to just check in and start. The people there was very friendly and welcoming; I ended up forgetting a yoga mat, but the instructor was so sweet to let me borrow one for free that day. Typically, it is a five-dollar charge if you do not bring your own, so I recommend not forgetting your yoga mat, unless you do not mind paying. The class itself is an hour long in a heated room, up to 90 degrees, but if you are used to the Texas heat, it is not uncomfortable at all. As I previously mentioned, I have taken quite a few yoga classes, and this one definitely blew me away. The poses we were doing and the pace of the flow was something that I never done before and was so refreshing for me to try. I left the class so at peace and loved every second of the it. I definitely recommend this yoga studio to anyone, whether you are just a beginner to yoga, advanced at yoga, or have never tried yoga before! And if you’re curious, the class I attended was on Monday at 4:00-5:00pm with Caitlyn Garrison.
Armadillo Boulders
This climbing gym (yes, rock climbing/bouldering) offers routes for people that range from experienced to beginner. Route difficulty levels range from V0 – V6, so whether you’re a pro or if this is your first time climbing, you can still have fun. If you’re looking to step outside of your comfort zone a little, then Armadillo Boulders is for you. Even though climbing is the main activity that Armadillo offers, they also have an open gym with various equipment and a yoga studio with classes held everyday. The gym is located downtown, near the Pearl, which makes it prime location to workout and then grab a bite to eat or a coffee. The staff is extremely nice and helpful and the other climbers are more than happy to give you tips.
Thanks to my friends Megan Baird, Amanda Stelter and Kayla Martinez for helping me construct this post and for going to all of these classes with me.
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