Bella Forza Fitness Lexington, Lexington

The sky's the limit at Bella Forza Fitness, where students get fit, not on the ground, but suspended above it. Here, the specialty is aerial silks classes, which are a mixture of aerial dance and acrobatics designed to lengthen and strengthen limbs, develop core and upper-body strength, and improve balance. New students begin by learning moves closer to the ground, which helps acquaint them with the aerial silk––a fabric apparatus mounted to the ceiling. As students acquire new strength and master increasingly harder lifts, drops, and poses, they'll begin to string movements together into fluid routines and, gradually, to perform them at greater heights.

For those who prefer to stay grounded, Bella Forza also offers boot camp and strength and mobility classes that strengthen the entire body and can lead to faster progress on the silks. And for fans of yoga and Pilates, the studio's aerial yogilates classes show students how to perform classic yoga and Pilates moves on the aerial silk, allowing them to experience total freedom of movement and add an air of realism to their pigeon pose.