Best of Philly 2014 Preview: Health and Fitness
Best Gym: Haverford YMCA
This isn’t your grandma’s YMCA. The gorgeous 75,000-square-foot Haverford Y, on the old Swell Bubble Gum Factory campus, includes three indoor swimming pools (hello, water slides), an indoor track, palatial cardio and weight-training facilities, and more than 100 fitness classes a week. No wonder that in less than a year, it’s attracted 21,000 members and counting. 891 North Eagle Road, Havertown, 610-649-0700.
Best Fitness Studio: Purenergy
This new Paoli fitness studio, housed in a former Wine & Spirits Store, is actually five studios in one: personal training, cycling, aerial yoga, mat yoga and barre, each in separate spaces. The goal is balanced cross-training, and you can get more than your fill with Purenergy’s 90 classes a week. 21 Plank Avenue, Paoli, 610-993-9933.
Best Spin Studio: Flywheel Sports
No, there’s not something in the water. Your friends are all addicted to Flywheel’s indoor cycling classes because they feel more like a party than a sweat session, with amped-up playlists and endlessly energetic instructors who’ll have you dancing in the saddle. But it’s also a serious workout: The studio’s TorqBoard lets you race your classmates, and weighted bars next to each bike allow for arm workouts while you peddle. 1521 Locust Street, Center City, 215-600-1281, and 711 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, 610-572-7161.
Best Free Workout: Spinning at Body Cycle Studio
There are no strings attached: Once a week, you can take a 45-minute spin class and pay absolutely nothing. You can even rinse off in the studio’s shower before returning to work. Drop-ins are welcome, but advance signup is encouraged. Check the website for day and time; they mix it up to accommodate our crazy schedules. 1923 Chestnut Street, second floor, Rittenhouse, 215-563-3663.
Best Underground Fitness Class: The November Project
Head to the Art Museum at 6:25 on Wednesday mornings or Franklin Field at the same time on Fridays, and you’ll see a fitness flash mob: more than 100 (crazy?) people doing burpees and squats in unison. It’s all part of the Facebook-and-Twitter-fueled fitness movement, now in 17 cities, that came to Philly earlier this year. The 40-minute boot-camp-style workouts are open to all and totally free. November-project.com.
See the rest of our health and fitness winners in the August 2014 issue of Philadelphia magazine, on newsstands now, or subscribe today. Then join us at the Best of Philly Bash at Citizens Bank Park on August 12th!
