Wield a glowing sabre, drum to the rhythm of upbeat pop songs or lift twice your body weight—these fitness regimes are quite different from your typical yoga class or wellness sessions.
Beyond toning muscle and burning fat, these unusual workouts are centred around engagement and fun. Requiring just basic sports footwear and an hour of your time, these studios accept one-time signups and will have you coming back more often than you expect.
BBOUNCE
If you only associate trampolines with children’s birthday parties, BBOUNCE will convince you otherwise. The trampoline park conducts fitness classes that—surprise, surprise—will take your search for wellness to the next level.
Try Rebounding, a new form of exercise gaining popularity around the world, where participants are free to bounce as hard, fast and high as they want. Led by qualified instructors, this hearty workout uses small trampolines called Rebounders.
The minimum age to hit BBOUNCE’s Rebounders is 16, and the maximum weight a participant can be is 110 kg. A low-impact alternative to conventional cardiovascular exercises like running and skipping, Rebounding is nonetheless challenging and can get intense enough to yield visible results within a few sessions.
BBOUNCE is located along Orchard Road, where high-end designer labels await in ION Orchard and The Paragon, while 313@Somerset and Orchard Central display local-inspired trinkets and stylish threads.
The Centrepoint. 176 Orchard Road #06-09, Singapore 238843. +65 6262 2272.
Mon-Fri 10am-9.30pm; Sat 10am-4pm; Sun 10am-3pm.
POUND with the Grace Sagaya Team
You won’t be shushed when you make lots of noise at a POUND class by the Grace Sagaya Team—in fact, you’re encouraged to raise your voice to match the volume of the percussions during this drumming workout.
Cling on tight to your pair of bright green and lightly weighted exercise drumsticks, called Ripstix®, as your instructor guides you through the vigorous drumming and dancing motions of this vivacious class.
Be prepared to perform lots of jumps, lunges and squats to the beat of radio-friendly hits. Between the high-octane buzz and constant drumming, you’ll barely realise that you’ve been working all your often-neglected small muscle groups—until the next day at least.
Depot Heights Shopping Centre. 108 Depot Road #02-01, Singapore 100108. +65 9325 6653.
By appointment only.
Saberfit
If the mention of lightsabres excites the Star Wars fan in you, you’re in for a treat at Saberfit’s signature class (S$15/60 minutes). You’ll be handed your very own glowing combat sabre—the only equipment you need at Saberfit to sweat it out—and be taught how to execute sabre striking techniques. Power through cardio and plyometric exercises, in time to adrenaline-pumping tunes—you’ll not be able to resist this full-body toning exercise.
The Cage @ Kallang. 28 Jalan Benaan Kapal, Singapore 399635. +65 6515 4146.
By appointment only.
For more venues, visit here.
SURFSET Singapore
If you miss riding waves on an actual surfboard, head to SURFSET Singapore for a surf-inspired fitness programme (S$35/45 minutes). Here, participants can power through a series of bodyweight movements in one of three classes with varying intensity: Balance, Core and Sweat. These exercises are done entirely on a surfboard, which shakes things up—quite literally—and consequently zones in on your core and stabiliser muscles, as if you were actually out surfing.
Sports Hub Fitness Stuidio at OCBC Arena. 5 Stadium Drive, Singapore 397631. +65 9751 0793.
Mon-Wed 8am-8pm; Sat 7am-noon; Sun 9am-5pm.
Book your class here.
Grapple Max
If you grew up watching pro-wrestling legends like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart on TV, this gym will be right up your alley. A blend of sports, physical performance and entertainment, pro-wrestling is a worldwide phenomenon, and the trainers at this establishment will be happy to teach you the basics.
You probably won’t be flying off the top rope or decking anyone with a steel chair on your first lesson, but the free trial class offered here will definitely make for an awesome cardio session.
Grapple Max. 225 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427488.
Mon-Fri 7.30-10pm.
Aerial at Upside Motion
Channel your inner acrobat as you twirl in the air with only a silk hammock wrapped around your body, in the Aerial class at Upside Motion.
Using a combination of yoga, dance and aerial acrobatics techniques, this low-impact total body workout is gentle on the spine and joints, while engaging all major muscle groups. Upside Motion’s classes are ideal for stretching, strengthening and building lean muscles.
For those completely new to aerial yoga or afraid to take flight, there are introductory classes to ease you into the swing of things.
Upside Motion. 36 Armenian Street #02-03, Singapore 179934. +65 6636 6859.
Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat 9am-3pm.
Orchard Shopping Centre. 321 Orchard Road #04-05, Singapore 238866. +65 6737 2979.
Mon-Fri 8am-9.30pm; Sat & Sun 8am-5.30pm.
Upside Motion at OUE Downtown. 6A Shenton Way #B1-01/02, Singapore 068815. +65 6221 0578.
Mon-Fri 7am-9.30pm; Sat & Sun 8am-5pm.
CrossFit Mobilus
If the clanging and banging of weights is music to your ears, then you’ll certainly take an interest in CrossFit Mobilus. This CrossFit gym boasts a wide variety of equipment, which has garnered the praises of many experienced crossfitters.
Try your hand at one of the gym’s dedicated class, which cover specialised domains like stretching, power lifting and strength conditioning. If you are new to CrossFit, you’ll be required to sign up for MobBasics—a four-class package that’ll get you familiar with safety procedures and basics before joining the pack.
The Riverwalk. 20 Upper Circular Road #B1-10/16, Singapore 058416. +65 9171 3792.
Mon-Fri 6.30am-10pm; Sat 8.30am-1pm; Sun 9.30am-1pm.