21 Ways to Get in Shape for Summer
Inline skating, trampolines, tightrope walking, batting cages or finding the right city path to walk on are just a few of the ways to get moving in Calgary.
Studio Revolution has indoor SurfSET boards that help mimic the core, balance and aerobic workout of surfing.
Get inline
Inline skating is back and better than it was in the 1990s. Shop Task in Kensington can hook you up with all of the proper gear.
112 10A St. N.W., 403-466-0145, shop-task.com
Jump around
Extreme Air Park has 42,000 square-feet of interconnected trampolines. There’s a foam dive pit, 3D dodgeball courts, basketball courts and aerobics classes.
1411 33 St. N.E., 403-265-2733, extremeairpark.com
Hit a homer
Absolute Baseball Academy has a whole variety of batting cages for baseball, fast pitch and slow pitch. If throwing and catching is more your thing, there are also drop-in pitching and throwing lane rentals.
2221 Crowchild Tr. N.W., 403-284-4006, absolutebaseballacademy.com
Row, row, row to music
In addition to aerial aerobics, spinning, kickboxing and TRX, Fit Republic has group rowing classes with music pumping to get you pulling harder.
989 McPherson Rd. N.E., 403-991-6468, fitrepublic.ca
Sit up straight
Sign up for a session at Fitness Table where special tables are used in exercises that strengthen the core and improve posture.
1130 12 St. S.W., 403-245-9009, fitnesstable.com
Walk the line
New for spring, Flip Factory is offering adult classes in tightrope walking, slack line and Russian bar as well as advanced Russian bar and teeter bar.
Bay 1, 4500 5 St. N.E., 403-265-2656, flip-factory.com
Get Ripped
The Get Ripped group fitness class at the Talisman Centre comes in several varieties including strength, isolations and pure cardio.
2225 Macleod Tr. S, 403-233-8393, talismancentre.com
Jump through hoops
Learn the basics of hoop dancing along with some tricks with Hoop Di Do.
403-807-3363, hoop-di-do.com
Jump off walls
Breathe Parkour is a massive gym where you can run, jump, swing and vault your way through obstacles. It has classes to teach you how to do it.
8, 401 33 St. N.E., 403-273-2245, breathepk.com
See orange
Strap on a heart-rate monitor at Orangetheory Fitness and start the interval training session. Your intensity is displayed on-screen and is colour-coded based on your heart rate. You want to get to orange.
11988 Symons Valley Rd, 587-316-2121; 317, 8888 Country Hills Blvd. N.W., 403-474-8959; 190, 19489 Seton Cres. S.E., 403-570-8730, orangetheoryfitness.com
Learn to scull
The Calgary Rowing Club will teach you the basics of how to row, plus you’ll learn rowing commands and how to handle the boat.
Wiggle it, just a little bit
Free House Dance Plus offers adult dance classes in hip hop, flamenco, ballet, modern, tap, belly, zumba, aerial fusion and more.
2020 12 Ave. NW, 403-282-0555, freehousedance.com
Just drop in
If you love to dance, sign up for a class at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. You won’t regret it. If you don’t want to commit to a style, it offers drop-in to all of its adult classes, provided there is space.
1514 4 St. S.W., 403-245-3533, decidedlyjazz.com
Go for the combo
Union Fitness Collective offers classes that combine yoga and spin, or barre and TRX, or spin and TRX. You get the idea.
1463 17 Ave. SW, 403-689-8585, unionathletica.com
Become a Spin Sister
The women-only mountain biking club can teach you new skills and improve the skills that you have during rides, races and clinics.
Surf Inside
Studio Revolution has a room full of unstable surfboards and offers a 45-minute workout that gets you on the board working on aerobics, strength training and balance.
313 17 Ave. S.W., 403-719-3488, studiorevolution.ca
Be Spintroduced
Plenty of studios are offering mash-up classes including Spoke (N) Spin. Its Spintro class includes 30 minutes of spin basics and 30 minutes of beginner TRX, all in the usual club-like atmosphere of a spin studio.
Inside Aloft Hotel, 2359 Banff Tr. N.W., spokenspin.com
Be a Soldier of Fitness
The Soldiers of Fitness military bootcamp program has a beginner version for newbies. The outdoor classes start in April and go for one hour, three times a week at 6 a.m.
Get virtual
If you prefer to not be around people, Running Room has a variety of virtual training programs starting with learning to run all the way to training for a marathon, as well as the 5- and 10-kilometre distances in between. You get weekly curriculum, training logs, audio lessons and more. If you like people, pair the app training program with weekly running groups.
Get in the box
The box is what CrossFit gyms are called, mostly because they are stripped down spaces without any glamour. Instead there are boxes, bars and walls on which to do a workout that changes daily and involves competing against yourself. Try Reebok CrossFit in Ramsay.
128 7 Ave. S.E. or 2010 Portland St. S.E., 403-457-4010, reebokcrossfitramsay.com
Find your path
Calgary has the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America, with nearly 800 kilometres to explore. There’s an app that maps them and includes detours, closures and safety messages.