Going to the gym and doing the same old thing can get old fast. And steep monthly membership fees can add up, not to mention make you feel tied down. These new online services (or upgrades to existing services) will help open your eyes to new workouts, so you’ll never feel bored again. The commitment-phobe in you will thank us!
1. SweatGuru
This brand new online marketplace, currently in beta, launched yesterday in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. It lets group fitness fiends discover new classes, book and pay for classes online and view profiles of fitness professionals in their area. For every booking, share or action on SweatGuru, members can earn rewards for fun prizes, like gift cards and free gear. It’s a social thing, too. Users have the ability to create community groups (like running clubs or tennis leagues), share classes with their friends and invite them to join in. Fitness pros can also get in on the action by listing classes for free, helping them get discovered by new clients.
2. SportSetter
The just-launched SportSetter is all about breaking you out of the usual routine. Currently available in NYC and the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (and coming soon to London and Miami), the concierge service helps people discover new sports, health and wellness services in their area. For less than $30 a month for over $120 worth of activities, SportSetter automatically delivers four passes a month, based on your interests, straight to your inbox. Opt for a month-to-month membership, or commit to three or six months of savings.
3. Fitblok
Launched in Spring 2013, the Fitblok iPad app is a free download that allows users to find classes with high-quality independent trainers, like Todd Durkin, in every field of fitness from around the world. Users can stream classes on demand or schedule classes within the app. Each session is about the price of a song download, and there’s no membership fee to get started. The portable format also means you can take your workout anywhere you have internet access, so no more excuses for missing a workout when you’re on-the-go!
4. Classtivity
For $49, the new Classtivity Passport will turn you into a fitness class Magellan. Users have access to 10 different classes at boutique fitness studios in NYC, including big names like Body Space Fitness, Uplift and The Fhitting Room, all over a one-month period. Once you’re signed up it’s as easy as browsing studios, finding a time that works in your schedule and clicking “reserve.” And if you share what classes you’ve signed up with on your Facebook timeline, the folks at Classtivity will extend your passport by a day — so you’ll have more time to fit those 10 classes into your schedule. After you’re done exploring you’ll soon be able to sign up for the ClassPass, the company’s soon-to-be-launched monthly subscription service, currently in beta. Classtivity plans to expand to more cities around the U.S. by the end of the year and early into 2014.
5. DailyBurn
Skip the treadmill and bring cardio workouts straight to your home with DailyBurn’s newly-revamped Total Cardio program. The 28-day program includes five different weekly high-intensity cardio workouts (think hip-hop and Tabata training) so your body never has the chance to plateau. It’s just one of several online streaming training programs available with the $10 monthly subscription, which include yoga, kettlebell training, metabolic conditioning and dance. Users can also look forward to Inferno HR, a new high-internsity training program that will offer live heart rate feedback, launching in December. The variety of programming means you’ll see results — without leaving your living room.
6. BOOYA Fitness
Want to work out at home, but think you’ll miss the motivation and camaraderie of working out with friends? Still in beta, BOOYA gives you the option to invite a friend to join you for an online workout (ranging from kettlebell kickboxing to Muay Thai), using video content from trainers at some of the most popular boutique gyms. The site’s video chat feature, the result of a partnership with OpenTok, lets users see their friends while working out “together,” even if they’re miles away.
Would any of these services take the place of your gym? Tell us in the comments below!
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