Looking for new fitness classes in London to kickstart your exercise goals in 2024?
The UK’s capital has an ever-growing number of options, so there really is something for everyone, including yoga and Pilates classes that you’ll actually want to attend, and high-octane HIIT and cardio sessions to get you results fast.
From Heartcore’s new Pilates class to the best boxing session in town, these are our favourite fitness classes in London for sculpting, toning and strengthening your body – whatever your confidence level or location.
For mat-based Pilates: Heartcore
View this post on Instagram
Feeling a little hunched or want your clothes – especially your jeans – to fit that little bit better? Heartcore offers all your low-impact toning and posture-realigning needs. First known for their signature Dynamic Pilates class, which takes place on a reformer, the Bayswater studio now offers mat-based Flow, Strength and Cardio sessions complete with infrared heating and curated endorphin-boosting playlists too. Expect every muscle group to be thoroughly worked throughout the session, but it all pays off to build core strength and endurance. You’ll feel two inches taller after just one class.
For group cardio: Perk
View this post on Instagram
If a lack of confidence tends to see you right at the back of a gym class – or bailing on them all together – Perk’s women-only gym concept is the fun and stress-free solution you need. A unique blend of cardio, barre, flexibility and resistance training, these workouts are designed to lift, sculpt and strengthen with an up-beat, supportive atmosphere that puts the fun back into hardcore HIIT workouts. You’ll leave having worked up a true sweat and you’ll feel the burn in your glutes and legs in the morning, but you also won’t stop smiling throughout.
For reformer Pilates: Reformcore
View this post on Instagram
Reformer Pilates is currently taking London’s fitness scene by storm, and Reformcore is the latest addition in the capital, from the same company that brought us KOBOX, Barrecore and Boom Cycle (more on them below). Combining the intense burn of barre with the muscle toning and lengthening of reformer, the 50 minutes you spend on the rolling reformer bed, forces you to stretch, tense and hold positions for maximised results for your legs, bum and core. The class sizes are also designed to be small – with just 10 machines in a room – to ensure your instructor can correct and push you further, while the meditative and sometimes trance-like playlist means it’s just as good for dealing with a frazzled, hectic mind too.
For Boxing: Jab
View this post on Instagram
Jab Boxing Club in the heart of London’s Mayfair is CF founder Sheena Bhattessa’s boxing workout of choice, and for good reason. Each group session – led by a skilled boxing coach – challenges you to ‘go 12 rounds’ with a different legendary fighter, using their signature fighting and training style to push you through 50 minutes of explosive action that really gets your metabolism working. To help you work on your technique for even better results, there are one-to-one sessions available too, and in these your trainer will really push you to see beyond your perceived limits. One thing is for sure, stay committed long enough and you’ll gain a particularly well-toned set of abs to be proud of.
For Dance: MVMT at The Manor LDN
View this post on Instagram
We predict that dance classes of all varieties – from street to ballroom – will be massively popular in 2024, as we all look to blow off some steam while benefitting from the high-endurance, heart-rate raising nature of getting your body moving to music. At MVMT at The Manor LDN, your dance workout is overseen by leading choreographers – meaning it goes one step further than your traditional Zumba. In fact, the unique classes, which boost your coordination, strength, flexibility and overall fitness, use a variation of mimicable dance movements, steppers, resistance bands, HIIT, yoga and even breathwork and mindfulness practices to leave you feeling on an energised high post-workout. The best part: it’s a safe space for beginners and dance professionals alike.
For Spin (and more): Psycle
View this post on Instagram
The Psycle community is like no other, so expect a high-energy atmosphere before you even take your seat – on your bike, yoga mat, or reformer bed, depending on the full-body workout you choose. From truly energetic spin to sculpting barre, and a range of strength and yoga classes too, every workout at Psycle is designed with a feel-good factor in mind, powered by some of the most enthusiastic instructors and excellent playlists to boot. That atmosphere is all-important, not least because the instructors will work you hard – really hard in fact – with the 45, 60 or 90-minute classes designed to push you to give your absolute maximum. It’s heart-raising but if you get a kick out of finishing hardcore workouts, these are the ones to try.
For HIIT: Sweat By BXR
View this post on Instagram
Train like an athlete, even if you are a beginner: that’s the mantra that powers every fitness class at Sweat by BXR, where strength and conditioning, cardiovascular exercise and skill-based development are combined to supercharge your results. There are options for all fitness levels, but you have to try the signature Versaclimbing class at least once. This super sweat-inducing 45-minute class takes place on a Versaclimber, which is a vertical machine that mimics the motion of climbing. The aim of the game is to keep going to the beat of the music. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s surprisingly mind-clearing.
For beginner-friendly boxing: KOBOX
View this post on Instagram
Put everything you think you know about boxing out of your mind. KOBOX is anything but intimidating, even for first-timers. The dimly lit, underground studio allows you to really lose your inhibitions – there’s a reason the tagline is ‘where fight club meets night club’ – and you’ll find it surprisingly freeing to release any tension on one of the punch bags suspended from the ceiling. In fact, the 50-minute classes fly by. The first half puts you through your paces with combinations of crosses, jabs, and hooks. The other half covers a range of targeted floorwork exercises from burpees to lunges. With classes focusing on a different body part each day of the week, it’s the perfect way to ensure a full body workout.
For circuits: 1Rebel
View this post on Instagram
There’s no chance of getting bored at 1Rebel, where you can be put through your paces across the full range of trending fitness classes, including spin sessions called ‘Ride’, boxing aka ‘Rumble’, and reformer Pilates. The most renowned workout on offer though is ‘Reshape’ – a full-body workout that sees you running sprints, hill climbs and endurance runs on the treadmill, before hitting the floor with bodyweight and dumbbell exercises focused on the full, upper or lower body. There’s a whole host of London locations to choose from, so your 1Rebel workout is never far away from your home or office. Plus, if you do it on a Friday, you get a free glass of prosecco afterwards to kickstart your weekend.
For classic Barre: Barrecore
View this post on Instagram
Barrecore is renowned for being the UK’s original and finest barre studio, and it still measures up in 2024. By attending a class you can follow in the footsteps of the likes of Pippa Middleton, Claudia Schiffer, Rita Ora, Jourdan Dunn, and Poppy Delevingne – and if you want a perfectly sculpted torso, and visibly so in just a few weeks, this is the place to get there. With elements of ballet, Pilates and yoga combined with HIIT, Barrecore’s method combines high intensity but low impact training (HILIT) and focuses on intelligent movements designed to ’shake’ the muscles to leave you looking and feeling your best.
What to wear
Still struggling with a lack of motivation? Treating yourself to some new athleisure wear can be the inspiration you need to head to the gym with confidence. Our fashion editor Gemma Louise Deeks shares her favourite pieces here.
We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
Any Questions or Tips to add?