Stop spending $100 on fitness memberships. Work out for free (or cheap)
Charlotte has just about every kind of workout you could possibly want, from CrossFit to bootcamps to barre to cycling. The catch: Some options can be pricey.
Have hope. When you want to work out but are on a budget, there are still plenty of options. Many facilities or groups offer free workouts, while others charge a small fee to participate.
Your guide:
Free yoga
– Movement Charlotte hosts Yoga in the Park at Midtown Park (S. Kings Drive) on Mondays at 6:30 p.m
– Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s Yoga on Tap has a huge group of yogis that attend on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. for yoga and then beer (duh).
A photo posted by OMB Yoga On Tap (@ombyogaontap) on Jun 10, 2015 at 12:13pm PDT
– Athleta at SouthPark Mall offers a variety of classes on Sundays, including Xtend Barre, core classes, dance classes and yoga.
Free fitness
Romare Bearden Park offers free fitness programs six days a week, including:
– Monday: Bootcamp. 6 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. Zumba. 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Zumba classes feature exotic rhythms set to high-energy Latin and international beats.
A photo posted by chryscrockett (@chryscrockett) on May 11, 2015 at 7:00am PDT
//><!--– Tuesday: Yoga. 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.//--><!
– Wednesday: Insanity. 6 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Push past your limits with plyometrics and nonstop intervals of strength, power and resistance, and core training.
– Thursday: The WERK Out. 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Sassy athletic dance fitness class to reggaeton, hip-hop, pop and Latin beats.
– Friday: Bootcamp. 6 a.m. – 6:45 a.m.
– Saturday: Tabata. 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Cardio, core and strength training all done interval-style. (Intermediate to advanced.)
Ladies only:
FiA Charlotte is a women’s-only fitness group that offers free, peer-led workouts throughout the week, with bootcamp classes and runs. There’s also a Charlotte North group for those not in the metro area.
Guys only:
F3 is a men’s-only fitness group that meets throughout the week for bootcamp-style classes, runs and core workouts that are led by participants. Schedules for the four Charlotte locations can be accessed here: Charlotte Metro | Charlotte North | Charlotte South | Charlotte MECA
Today alone, @F3nation has workouts in 26 locations in Charlotte. Here’s why they come. http://t.co/B1QQFlKdZJ pic.twitter.com/v3xBZQabjO — Charlotte magazine (@CharlotteMag) January 31, 2015
Get your jog on
There are organized run clubs every day of the week, including four at local breweries.
– Heist Brewery on Mondays at 6 p.m.
– Noda Brewing on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
Tonight’s run will be a hot one. @RFYL & @ETBFit have awesome promos; check ’em out before or after our 6:30 run. pic.twitter.com/58xzzGet6D — NoDa Run Club (@NoDaRunClub) May 6, 2015
– Triple C on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.
– Lenny Boy on Sundays at noon.
– Sycamore on Saturdays at noon.
You can also find running groups at Smelly Cat Coffee (Saturdays at 9 a.m.), Brazwell’s (Tuesdays at 7 p.m.) and Peculiar Rabbit (Fridays at 7 p.m.).
Take flight
If you want to try cycling or barre-style classes, your first class is FREE for FlyWheel and FlyBarre.
I must warn you though, you’ll be sucked in after the first one and each class thereafter is $21 (less if you purchase a package).
.@FlyBarreBrie‘s new 3:30 Fri class sure happy it’s FRIDAY!!! pic.twitter.com/jXHDRSqejf — Flywheel Charlotte (@FLY_Charlotte) June 12, 2015
Drop $5:
– Emily Breeze Ross teaches boot camp on Mondays for $5 at CrossFit Dilworth.
– Moga Charlotte hosts $5 deep stretch yoga on Fridays at 6 a.m.
– Yoga One, Y2 and Charlotte Yoga all offer “Karma” classes where they give the $5 donations to a selected charity.
– NoDa Yoga offers $6 lunch express classes that are 50 minutes long.
This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 10:00 PM.