Detroit Health and Fitness

From their expansive space at 501 FIT, the instructors of Avatar Private Training Studio add new twists to the tried-and-true tradition of group fitness classes. Barre classes channel the graceful, physique-chiseling moves of ballet while adding elements of yoga and Pilates to create an all-encompassing workout that keeps students interested and less likely to perform impromptu arabesques at neighborhood bars. TRX, meanwhile, combines suspension training with body-weight exercises and cardio intervals to sculpt a powerful core, a lean silhouette, and a healthy body. Thanks to the studio's location, every member of Avatar Private Training Studio also gets free rein over the machines and equipment at 501 FIT.

When Walt Nesbit teaches fitness classes, he focuses on helping clients live long, healthy lives, rather than losing inches from their waste lines or hefting heavier weights. He started Movement Studio Pittsburgh to help clients find the branch of exercise that they liked best, offering a wide array to choose from. He and his trainers teach purely fitness-focused classes such a kettlebell and TRX Suspension, as well as classes that train the mind and body, including Tai Chi, yoga, and kickboxing.

Co-owners Jana Holland and Julie Parsons believe that yoga's benefits can reach anyone willing to try the art. After several hundred hours of training, they opened Divine Center of Yoga as a springboard for a diverse student base, hoping to bring guests of all backgrounds together with classes on several posing styles. Their emphasis on acceptance is apparent in their teaching etiquette: they provide modified stretches for all skill levels and accommodate visitors with chronic ailments or injuries by using props during Adaptive to Chair Yoga classes. The wheelchair-accessible studio also offers private lessons for pupils stuck in Celtic knot pose.

Rich crimson and jet-black poles punctuate the lustrous hardwood floors paving Fantasy Fitness Studio, where certified dance and fitness instructors aim to enhance both women's self-esteem and fitness through sensual, muscle-toning pole dancing. They bolster their full roster of pole-dancing classes with tutorials on diverse techniques such as hip-hop dance, boot-camp-style workouts, and Zumba, fostering a motivating environment for students of all skill levels during each session. They also host group parties within the elegant studio and can even organize mobile festivities at offsite locations, such as homes or moon colonies.

Ladies shed more than just calories as they twirl around poles in classes at Swing Fit—their inhibitions go out the window, too. The studio’s experienced instructors inject a healthy dose of fun into fitness as they guide students of all levels through 60-minute workouts. Though cleverly disguised as fun and flirty dance routines, these pole-fitness workouts target the abs and arms with strength and cardio exercises. The studio's new hip-hop cardio class presents an equally stylish option for staying in shape. This modern routine blends a bass-driven soundtrack with exercises designed to send each client's metabolism and street cred skyrocketing. When they aren’t leading classes six days a week, Swing Fit’s instructors teach girls sensual ways to twirl and spin during private, group parties.