With summer starting to turn to autumn and cooler days no doubt on the way, maintaining your fitness routine can become particularly challenging.
Getting out of bed on dark mornings, lugging your gym gear to a spin class or a weights session, or rousing enough energy to fit in a quick 5k can be made more difficult if we're not particularly excited about what we're doing.
Thankfully, there are plenty of alternative and unusual fitness classes around Dublin to kick start your enthusiasm. Here, we've rounded up some of our favourites, from dance and skating, to trampolining and more.
Heel classes
Have you already learned off the entire Renaissance World Tour choreography, or simply love to shimmy to your favourite music? In that case, you might as well unleash your inner Beyoncé and call it exercise.
The heel classes at Bevel & Embody, led by dancer Angela Didek, bring students through sensual RnB and hip hop music routines, from twerking and sexy floor slides, to high kicks and splits. Didek places firm focus on empowering female sensuality and the lively classes are known for their welcoming atmosphere.
Angela runs eight-week training programmes and pop-up classes in Dublin and Galway cost €20. No dance experience is required here, just a willingness to shake it.
Salsa
If you're not quite ready to twerk to Megan Thee Stallion in a room of strangers, why not try a more traditional dance class? There are plenty of more traditional dance classes around the country if you're still getting used to the idea of dancing in public.
The Dublin Salsa Academy in Dublin's IFSC offers a range of Latin dance classes including salsa and bachata, open to both beginners and improvers. A five week beginner course costs €50, while the academy hosts weekly dance socials for people to come and dance the night away together.
Aerial yoga
Take your yoga practice to new heights with aerial yoga, a dynamic but no less relaxing form of the ancient practice. Using aerial yoga hammocks attached to the ceiling, this yoga class features flying asanas, conditioning movements and aerial silks skills, and often includes de-stressing aerial meditations, creating a soothing feeling of levitating.
Yoga4All in Dublin's Airside offers aerial yoga classes for €20.
Circus classes
Similar to aerial yoga but more rigorous, adult circus classes are a thrilling way to branch out in your fitness and challenge yourself to something new. The Dublin Circus Project has been teaching beginners and improvers the art of acrobatics, flexibility and aerial for years.
Drop in classes cost €10 per day, while a yearly membership is €6 and training passes start at €35 for one month. Find out more about their prices on their site.
Trampolining
Sometimes you just need to reconnect with your inner child, and there's nothing better for that than trampolining. The free spirited, fun pastime also have a firm footing in gymnastics, and so adult classes can be rigorous and effective workouts.
SuperSonic Trampoline Club in Dublin offers a partially open-gym, partially coach led class structure where everyone from former gymnasts to complete beginners can bounce around and work up a sweat. Drop-in classes are €15 and a monthly subscription is €60.50.
Mobility training
Okay, it might not be the most dynamic fitness class out there, but specifically training your mobility is a surefire way to enhance your fitness abilities and improve your overall wellbeing. Being able to fully rotate your shoulders, to sink into a pain-free squat and climb stairs without strained knees is just as fulfilling as being able to do a handstand.
There's a range of mobility classes available around the country at various price points.
Cardio drumming
Yes, you read that right. POUND Fit is a full body cardio-jam session inspired by the infectious and sweat-dripping fun of playing the drums and is a quickly growing franchise around the world. The classes meld conditioning, and strength training with yoga and pilates-inspired movements with drumming motions, using specially designed lightly weights drumsticks.
You can find instructors across Ireland at the link here.
