The timing of this list should not surprise you. It’s the beginning of a new year, when gyms take advantage of the unfit person’s resolution to become a slightly-less-unfit one. But if you don’t want to go the traditional Treadmill route, there are several other ways to work up a sweat and become less lazy in D.C.. Below are some new options, plus some selections from our list last year.
Photo by Mr. T in D.C.
AERIAL SKILLS: “Using strength, grace and flexibility, you climb the apparatus and move your body into amazing and beautiful poses and shapes,” says Trapeze School New York of its D.C. aerial silks programming. Sure, OK. More realistically, you’ll wriggle around, suspended, until all your muscles hurt from trying to pose your body properly. Which is why silks is a workout in addition to an aspiration to defy the laws of gravity. — Alex Baca
The Trapeze School is located at 4th and Tingey streets SE.
DANCE CLASSES: We mentioned it as one of the best non-gym workouts in D.C., but it bears repeating. When I’m looking to break a sweat and have fun doing it, I head to a dance class at Joy of Motion. You can pick from a slew of traditional dance classes like ballet, jazz, tap and modern, offered at varying skill levels, or drop in to one of my favorite series: the MOVE classes. They have the ever-popular Zumba, which combines Latin and African dance and beats into a heart-pumping aerobic workout, as well as others that are more under-the-radar. I’ve taken Zumba with both Treena Wynter (at Atlas) and Tanya Nuchols (at Friendship Heights and Bethesda) and both are fun and well-taught; Treena’s class leans more hip hop and Caribbean, and Tanya leans more Latin. One of the best non-Zumba MOVE classes is AfroBeat on Saturdays at 1:45pm with the energetic and knowledgeable teacher Sylvana Christopher and the Make-You-Want-to-Groove tunes of Fela and his AfroBeat contemporaries. Check Joy of Motion’s schedule for times and locations of their drop-in classes: http://www.joyofmotion.org/adult-program/adult-classes. Drop-in classes cost $18 each, but are cheaper if you buy a multi-class pack. —Lynne Venart
Joy of Motion located at 1333 H Street NE; 5207 Wisconsin Avenue NW; and 7315 Wisconsin Avenue Suite 180E, Bethesda, Md.
KRAV MAGA: Videos demonstrating Krav Maga go like this: Guy gets out of car, gets jumped, successfully beats the hell out of perp. Knocking a gun out of his hand is optional. Krav Maga is the official fighting system of the Israeli Defense Force and more so than other martial arts, it emphasizes the self-defense aspect of training. Kravers are expected to scream their lungs out while punching, kicking, and kneeing their opponents; flurry drills cap off hour-long sessions of drills and after, if you’re still standing, you’ll be seeing stars. — Alex Baca
Krav Maga D.C. is located at 616 H Street NW; Krav Maga Federation is located at 1529 16th Street NW.
Photo by Yonas Hassen.
ACRO YOGA: Regular yoga is boring. Hot yoga is boring. Bikram yoga is boring. So say we all, apparently, because acro yoga exists. Acro yoga is less hippy-dippy breathing exercises and more circus: It requires the strength and flexibility of your chaturangas, plus a propensity for swinging, dipping, and balancing on others’ feet, legs, and hands. So, basically, it’s the advanced version of playing airplane. — Alex Baca
Yoga District has several locations around the District.
BIKE D.C.: There’s really no excuse not to own a bike in D.C.: given our mild climes and availability of routes, riding a bike is a spectacularly easy way to stay in shape while avoiding the gym. Listing every possible ride isn’t possible, but if you’re only just starting, consider doing some laps at Hains Point, riding up the Capital Crescent Trail to Bethesda, heading out the Custis and Washington & Old Dominion Trails to Arlington and beyond, or heading south along the Mt. Vernon Trail toward Alexandria. If you want to pedal a little further asunder, head up MacArthur Boulevard to Great Falls or hit River Road in Potomac to explore the largely undeveloped rolling countryside of western Montgomery County. Have a mountain bike? Get on the C&O Canal’s towpath in Georgetown, which will take you as far as the Pennsylvania border if you don’t stop. Feel a little daunted riding alone? The Bike Rack has a variety of group ride options, as does BicycleSPACE. —Martin Austermuhle from 2013’s list
The Bike Rack is located at 1412 Q Street NW; BicycleSPACE is located at 1019 Seventh Street NW.
ATTENDING A PUNK AND/OR METAL SHOW: Although D.C. might have a reputation for being a relatively calm, quiet, and, well, boring city when it comes to concert crowds (thanks, Fugazi), there will inevitably a mosh pit that breaks out at just about any punk, hardcore, or metal show. If you’re looking to break a sweat, burn some calories, and work out some muscles you didn’t know you had, I suggest jumping into a mosh pit the next time you see one. You’re sure to get quite a workout from it, I guarantee. Also guaranteed from a mosh pit workout: Bruises in strange places, potential loss of glasses and/or other valuables, and getting covered in other people’s sweat. Sorry, sometimes punk happens. — Matt Cohen
Venues are located across the city.
JOIN A TEAM: If you’re a competitive monster who needs to show off to workout, consider joining some sort of team. D.C. Social Sports Club brings together various sport leagues from around the area, including dodge ball in Dupont Circle and indoor soccer in Alexandria. If you prefer the pool, join the Washington Wetskins water polo team, which meets in Takoma.
A list of where D.C. Social Sports Club’s teams practice can be seen here; The Washington Wetskins practice at the Takoma Aquatic Center (300 Van Buren Street NW).
Photo via Solidcore Facebook.
SOLIDCORE: I’ve done CrossFit. I ride centuries on my bike. I went rock climbing, once. And yet, the hardest workout of my life came from Solidcore, the startup studio on Columbia Road. Solidcore, which opened in November, uses the Lagree Method. The Lagree Method depends on a torture-type device with two stable platforms and a sliding pad in between, and the 50-minute workout itself requires you to lunge, crunch, twist, and press yourself along that contraption. Hand weights are optional. Realistically, this should be the chick lit of workouts—oh my god, abs! But resistance training is no joke, and I was struggling to squat properly by minute 42. For the privilege of this pleasure, you can pay $35 per class. Solidcore will rip your midsection into shape—for a price. — Alex Baca
[solidcore] is located at 1841 Columbia Road NW.
MASS TRANSIT: Not only is mass transit better for the environment, it can be better for your health too. Don’t overlook the calorie-cutting benefits of that time every morning when you scream out in rush-hour agony, “Oh crap! The bus is pulling away and I have to run for it.” Researchers have found that short bursts of exercise can be as effective in improving your health as longer, slower workouts. Also, take advantage of other opporutunities during your commute to get a little workout in. While aboard Metrorail or Metrobus, try to balance without holding on to a railing or fellow passenger—it’s a great core workout. But, should you lose your balance and crash into someone, at least you’ll get the added exercise of running away or bobbing and weaving to avoid being punched. Finally, consider calf raises on the curb while waiting for the bus, walking up and down the escalator (whether it’s working or not), and hiking to a Metro station a little farther that the one you usually take. —Elisabeth Grant from 2013’s list
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is an inter-jurisdictional transportation agency that operates trains and buses throughout the greater D.C. area. See wmata.com for schedules and maps. Buses $1.60, train fares vary.
LIVE IN A WALK-UP: If you honestly can’t find the time or money to do any of the above exercise activities, I strongly suggest moving to the top floor of a building that only has stairs. Since moving to the third floor of an elevator-less building, I’ve regularly luged heavy furniture, bags of groceries, a bicycle and my own body up the stairs. I swear it’s a decent fitness routine, especially if you do laundry regularly. —Sarah Anne Hughes
Walk-ups are located across this city.
