(Bloomberg) -- Editor’s note: Now that vaccination and mask mandates have been lifted in New York, we are testing a variety of group exercise classes every month to recommend the best ones and also see how they have changed in the two years since Covid-19 forced gyms across the city to shutter. This month, we are focusing on strength.

If you searched for the best workouts in New York before the pandemic, it would’ve returned a carousel of pain: overpacked studios, haphazard warmups, and frenzied circuits. Some trainers seemed more interested in testing your tolerance for near-death experiences. The hallmark of success? Sending patrons on their way—soaked, dazed, and reeling from the meat grinder they just put their bodies through. 

These types of workouts still exist, but there’s been a shift in fitness. The chorus of over-enthusiastic trainers barking at you to do 12 burpees in 60 seconds has been hushed by movement specialists and performance coaches who tout the benefits of activation and mobility. Instagram feeds are populated more by exercise snippets—the SnackPack of fitness, if you will—that give instructional, digestible videos for runners, gamers, desk jockeys, and the like. Moreover, we’re seeing a new breed of integrated gyms that combine physical therapy and personal training. 

This month, we tested the latest classes from a range of established franchises, as well as new boutique studios to find the best strength workouts in New York. Some focus on movement patterns, honing in on foundational lifts to help you get your personal record with monthly progressive programming, while others zero in on mobility to unfurl tightness and tension for better range of motion in and out of class. A few even offer specialized classes using one piece of equipment: Say hello to the Bulgarian bag.   

If you’re new to strength training or coming back after a hiatus, get a primer on the fundamentals. For kettlebells, we recommend Reload PT’s Kettlebell Athletics Swing School, an eight-week online program to master the basics. You can progress to its 12-week Kettlebell Club, a small group program done virtually or in-person. 

For a comprehensive blueprint on movement patterns and equipment, try JDI Barbell’s Movement & Stability Fundamentals, an inclusive online or in-person class that covers everything from hinge patterns to pressing for beginners. It’s offered once every four to six weeks on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6 p.m. for 1 ½ hours each. You can also try Barbell Basics to perfect the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press; this is a two-day class (typically on Tuesday and Thursday), each 1 ½ hours.

Read on for the best muscle-building classes you can find in New York. All the ones we tried, except for one noted below, have showers. 

Trooper Fitness 

Best for: Extremely sweaty, maximum-effort workouts with attentive coaches in a bare-bones space

What started in 2012 as an outdoor bootcamp with the motto “All we know is go!” has evolved into a hybrid training space in Midtown East with a seriously devoted clientele. We dropped into classes at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., and sizes ranged from three to six participants, inviting much-appreciated one-on-one guidance. Both the “Deadlifts: Hammies and Glutes” and “Squats: Quads & Glutes” classes began with a warmup of banded activation drills and then moved into heavy, quality reps and sets of the main lift. This was followed by accessory work. In “Squats,” it was weighted step-ups, curtsy lunges, hip thrusts, goblet squats, wall sits, and leg extensions.

Coaches took the time to learn newcomers’ names, give form cues, and suggest weight levels for those unsure of their baseline. We emptied the tank, but not senselessly; these measured, maximal efforts train your body holistically. “If you’re tired of ‘working hard’ and not getting anywhere by gym hopping, you need to redirect your investment,” says Trooper Fitness founder and Chief Executive Officer Prince Brathwaite. Trooper does that by organizing the strength program in three-month cycles—endurance, hypertrophy, and max strength—adjusting each for clients’ goals.

Classes to try: The format is broken up by body part and grouped accordingly: glutes and hammies; back, bicep, and abs; chest and tris, and so forth.Fees and membership options: $40 for drop-in classes. Memberships range from $429 per month for unlimited in-person classes; $329 a month for 12 in-person classes; and $239 per month for eight in-person classes. Class packages are also available for further discounted rates.Don’t forget: Use Trooper’s Roadmap tool to discern the best mix of classes for your goals. For example, if you want to focus on physique and get leaner, your prescription is two lower, two upper, and two HIIT classes. 

Happie Space

Best for: A regenerative practice that focuses on precise movements for a stronger body and mind.

This spot on the Bowery is an amalgamation of founder Angelo Grinceri’s life experiences working on his family’s farm and traveling to far-flung locales such as Kenya. A high quality of life boils down to real-food nourishment, a commitment to mental and emotional health, and mindful movement—especially amid the turmoil of a pandemic—and Happie Space is a one-stop shop with functional plant vitamins; breathing and meditation classes; and group training that fosters a strong, symmetrical physique.

Class sizes max out around 10 to 12 people, two-thirds of whom were women when we took Grinceri’s Angles: Athletic Pilates class. It begins with mobility, targeting the hips and torso, before moving to sets that combine hip extension, glute activation, and firing up the core; think side-lying clamshell with arm and leg extension. Ankle weights and resistance bands are also used in fluid movement patterns before the class finishes with more explosive, powerful exercises like jump squats and switch lunges to spike the heart rate before the cooldown, a stint of deep breathing and stretching to calm the nervous system and cue the body to recover. 

Classes to try: Angles: Athletic Pilates.Fees and membership options: Price varies per class, but Angles: Athletic Pilates costs $40 for a drop-in class. Memberships include four classes per month for $148, eight for $269, and unlimited attendance for $333. Monthly add-ons include six sound meditation (which Grinceri describes as a drug-free acid trip) and breath-work classes for $129; four yoga classes for $49); and plant-based essentials kit “happie” pills, ($64), a three-pack of plant-based supplements.Be aware: Of all the classes we tried, this is the only one that didn’t have showers on site. It was also the least sweaty.

Liftonic

Best for: A music-led workout that times reps to the beat of songs.

The power of music can profoundly affect performance. It makes intense efforts seem more manageable and, in the case of Liftonic, actually guides its 45-minute workouts. By syncing reps to music, your instructor can manipulate tempo work—essentially, how quickly or slowly you do each phase of an exercise—upping the intensity for greater gains. It might be four counts to descend into a squat, no pause at the bottom, then two counts up. Varied speeds tax your muscles differently, making a weight that you can otherwise lift easily seem twice as heavy.

In our Chest, Back and Abs class at this Meatpacking District location, we worked through challenging sets of chest press and upright row, alternating chest flys and single-arm rows, as well as chest press marches with pullovers. We can’t say it made the workout painless, but there’s something about a killer setlist and a dramatically red-lit studio that really amped up the enjoyment.

Classes to try: The schedule changes weekly, but look for body part-specific workouts such as Arms and Abs; Full Body, Legs and Butt; or Chest, Back and Abs.Fees and membership options: Drop-in classes cost $38. Packages include five classes for $175 and 10 for $320. Memberships include four classes per month for $99; eight classes per month for $189; or unlimited classes for $239 monthly.Now that it’s getting nice outside: Take advantage of sunny days ahead with Liftonic’s outdoor sessions on Saturdays at 11 a.m. It’s the same 45-minute session, just set on the basketball courts across the street from the studio. Classes are free for members and $25 per class for non-members.  

Motiv NY

Best for: A physical-therapy approach to fitness.

Located in lower Manhattan, Motiv NY stands out because all of its group fitness classes are overseen by physical therapists. Whether you’re a marathoner looking for bulletproofing by way of strength training or a lifter looking to unlock greater mobility, these classes yield major dividends. The studio is broken up into two floors: One is a turf-lined, mirrored space for group training, with an adjoining room for manual and physical therapy appointments; downstairs is reserved mostly for personal training, with an infrared sauna tucked away.

Hanging on the wall, you’ll notice crescent-shaped sandbags. Meet the Bulgarian bag. Created by a wrestler in 2005, the unique tool lets you do dynamic, 360-degree movements that bring a new group of rotational exercises to your repertoire. We dropped in for a Mixed Modalities class that was humbling, to say the least. Class begins and ends with mobility—active 90/90 stretches—with kettlebell and Bulgarian bag work sandwiched in.

Luke Greenberg, co-founder and physical therapist, led us through rotational swings, swing squats, and more work with the bag, as well as upper- and lower-body kettlebell circuits—think bent over rows, reverse lunges, and push presses. We can’t say the Bulgarian bag came naturally to us, but it’s good to have something novel to master.

Classes to try: Mixed Modalities, Kettlebell Snatch Series, Kettlebell Conditioning.Fees and membership options: $35 for drop-in classes. Class packages include 10 for $300 and 20 for $500.Get more: Add Motiv’s Kinstretch workouts to the mix to forge better flexibility and control and mitigate the risk of injury.

The Training Lab 

Best for: Hyper-competitive, bootcamp-style strength development with a motivating community.

Exhausting but efficient, this two-story space just south of Bryant Park was created by former Marines in 2017—and it feels like it. Founder Ruben Belliard was among the first to offer strength programs in a class setting to bridge the gap between typical HIIT and powerlifting. Here, classes operate on a four-week cycle. Don’t worry if you’re not a member, because work can be scaled to your ability. It’s done this way to further your knowledge and experience in specific movement patterns.

We tested a Monday Pullup class with Johnny Garcia, which had about 20 participants. That might seem a lot, but there are enough squat racks and floor space to accommodate without feeling cramped, and the “I go, you go” switch on and off during main lifts and accessory work accentuated the competitive aspect. A class dedicated to pullups might turn you off if you can’t muster one chin-to-bar; but this is all about scaling progress. Class begins with a baseline test: Can you do 10 unassisted pullups? It’s not to shame you. It’s a lesson. If you can’t move your own body weight, don’t turn to heavy weight until you’re ready. There are bands to stand on for assistance if you can’t do it on your own. 

Odds are you’ll be training with members who have rapport with one another and with the instructor. That sense of community goes a long way to create an environment that feels welcoming while setting the stage for pushing your limits. After rounds of assisted pullups, negative pullups, bent over rows, pushups, inverted rows, and core work, the room was all smiles—and dead arms. 

Classes to try: The schedule changes weekly, but may include classes focused on pullups, overhead press, deadlift, bench press, and squats. Fees and membership options: $42 for drop-in classes. Packages include five classes for $210, 10 for $395, and 20 for $740. Limited membership packages require a three-month commitment, with six classes for $192, eight for $240, and 12 for $336. Unlimited class memberships—with costs deducted monthly—include six months for $375 and a year for $349.No virtual: As of now, classes are solely in-person, with attendance about half the pre-Covid level. Training Lab has adapted to clients’ more flexible work-from-home schedules by adjusting class times and adding classes, particularly in Strength, which is in higher demand. 

Performance Lab Long Island City, by Wright Fit 

Best for: A modern, multi-modality studio in Queens, N.Y.

Newly opened in Oct. 2021, this sprawling 8,600-square-foot studio near the Queens Plaza station in Long Island City is a fitness playground. It has sections dedicated to Woodway Curve Force Treadmills, Rogue Fan Bikes, and Infinity Ropes; the middle of the floor has training benches with dumbbells, as well as hex bars and barbells offset to the side. There’s also a massive training frame with pullup bars, sandbags, medicine balls, kettlebells, and weight plates.

Each Strength Rx workout at Performance Lab LIC is distinctly different, though the format is largely the same. It begins with a warmup specific to the work ahead, with your main lift in the first block. One workout we tested began with 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps of heavy kettlebell goblet squats, followed by a four-round circuit of more goblet squats, dumbbell push presses, and hanging knee raises. The second half is dedicated to power: You and a partner do two rounds of 4-minute circuits that can include single-leg Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell reverse lunges, and hip thrusts.

It sounds like a lot, but the instructors took the time to go over every movement, so we knew what was coming and how to execute. This gives you a moment to catch your breath, then dive into the next training block with confidence. Peak class times are capped at 24 people, so even at its busiest you get individual attention.

Classes to try: Strength Rx. We also recommend complementing your strength training with the gym’s other offerings: Cardio Rx (high-intensity intervals), Hot We Flow and Hot Power Flow (mobility and flexibility), and Breath Rx (recovery breath work).Fees and membership options: Your first class is free and then drop-in classes cost $30. Packages include five classes for $145, 10 for $280, 25 for $675, and 50 for $1,300. A limited membership includes eight classes per month for $208 and unlimited classes for $249.  Treat yourself: This location is also home to one of the cleanest, nicest changing rooms we have ever seen in a gym. It has tons of digital lockers (plus more in the hallway), roomy showers (with Bigelow grooming products), and single-user bathrooms.

Life Time Fitness

Best for: A huge selection of offerings with a country-club vibe.

The Life Time brand will celebrate its 30th anniversary this summer. Since its inception, it’s undergone massive expansion and now offers more than 91,000 live group studio classes in-person and live-streamed on Life Time Digital each month. The standout in New York is its Sky location on 42nd Street near Manhattan’s West Side Highway. The gleaming facility packs a dry sauna, Turkish-style hammam, hot tub, rain shower, and cold plunge in its water club, just on the other side of its indoor lap pool. (The 23rd Street location has an indoor, sky-lit pool and spa offerings, too.) The lower level also houses a full-length basketball court for pickup games in which pro players are known to drop in. Ascending in the elevator takes you to machines, studio spaces, and two zero-edge outdoor pools. 

Its greatest fitness offerings are Alpha Strength and Alpha Conditioning. The former is advanced strength training full of Olympic lifts. The latter puts you through a lung-thrashing mix of conditioning (75%) and strength training (25%). The Conditioning class we did involved four EMOM (every minute, on the minute) circuits of box jumps, cleans, and thrusters with five minutes of rowing in between.  Classes to try: Kettlebell Kombine, Barbell Strength, Gluteus Maxout, Upper Rx, Alpha Strength, and Alpha Conditioning (at select studios).Fees and membership options: One-day memberships are available at all 160 Life Time clubs across the country, from $30 (New York City clubs cost $50). Membership fees vary by studio: Battery Park starts at $159 for 26 years old and under, and $179 for 27 and over. Locations at Sky, 23rd Street, and NoHo start at $219 for 26 and under and $249 for 27 and over. The convenience factor: Life Time opened six clubs in 2021 and is slated to open 12 new locations in 2022 in major markets including Chicago, Miami, Boston, and Atlanta. Stay tuned for new locations as well at One Wall Street, Midtown, and Dumbo late this year, followed by Park Avenue South in 2023.

Solace 

Best for: A smorgasbord of small-group specialty classes.

The Solace you might’ve known and loved was shuttered due to the pandemic, but it reopened in March 2021 with a different business model in Manhattan’s Koreatown. Rather than serve the community as an instructionally based gym, it’s a 24/7 stomping ground for members that gives CrossFitters, weightlifters, and powerlifters everything they need to move heavy metal. It is also rented out by various trainers who manage and set up their own rates for group training, which exposes frequent visitors to a multitude of training styles and modalities. Private, small-group, and specialty classes are available through the week.

We dropped into owner and General Manager Sarah Gawron’s Saturday morning 50-minute Bars & Bells—a total-body strength and conditioning class that was split into three EMOM circuits, giving each group ample space. We alternated among efforts on the rower and hollow arch swings on a pullup bar, rounds of deadlifts and medicine ball slams, and a kettlebell circuit of squats, cleans, halos, and more. While immensely challenging, the class is open to all levels as well as incredibly welcoming. (Most regulars have become friends.) Gawron’s warmup is a true one: We rowed, deadlifted an empty bar, and ran around the block outside to prep our bodies.  

Class to try: Bars & Bells, but check the schedule because classes change monthly.Fees and membership options: Cost per class varies from from $20 to $40, set by the trainer leading it. Day passes to the facility cost $35, and weekly passes are $80. Memberships come to $219 per month, which grants 24-hour access to the keycard facility for your own training—both upstairs and downstairs, when classes aren’t in session.Take advantage: Before the pandemic, Solace had about 500 members. The figure now stands at roughly 220 (but growing), and such classes as Bars & Bells are capped at 12 people so you can get the attention you need for modifications.  

P.Volve 

Best for: Pilates-inspired strength

P.Volve launched in 2017 in a small studio in Chinatown. After experiencing tremendous growth through client referrals and social media, it expanded to its current flagship studio in SoHo. But never outgrew its founding philosophy. “Unlike other methods that break the body down, we prioritize function and focus by working with the body’s natural movements,” says founder Rachel Katzman. “It’s physical therapy-inspired functional movement, which works your primary muscles and the oft-neglected stabilizer muscles as one holistic unit, strengthening areas of instability.”

Using resistance bands, ankle weights, sliders, slant boards, and its own patented equipment, movement becomes medicine. You get a total-body, low-impact workout that’s amenable to those with sensitive knees, who are recovering from injury, or who are coming back after childbirth. (These workouts help strengthen the pelvic floor.) The best strength workouts aren’t always the hardest, but don’t underestimate the burn.

Classes to try: Strength and Sculpt, Mat Definition.Fees and membership options: New members have access to a free three-class pack to be used within seven days, or a free five-class pack to be used within 10 days. After that, drop-in classes  cost $36, and packages include a five-class pack for $165 and 10 for $315. A limited Mini Burn membership is $125 per month for five in-studio classes per month, and the Unlimited Burn membership costs $280 per month.Travel-ready: If you’re on the go, P.Volve has additional studios in Los Angeles and Chicago, with plans to open more in other places. There are also digital memberships for on-demand and live classes via Zoom.

Grind House 

Best for: A kettlebell arm-killer inside a sprawling Brooklyn, N.Y., compound.

The most populous borough in the city gets the short end of the stick when it comes to gyms, but thankfully, Williamsburg’s got this 30,000-square-foot facility on Berry Street. It has an exhaustive number of machines, free weights, Olympic lifting platforms, and turf. Need a glute ham machine, prowler, and all the accessories for chaos reverse lunges? You got it. The studio spaces are basic, but they get the job done.

Grind House’s signature Kettlebell Circuits class puts you through the wringer of cleans, snatches, and goblet squats. A brief introduction on form precedes each flow. For those seeking strength and conditioning, Dual Mode Training (DMT) puts all the toys at your disposal: Free weights including dumbbells and kettlebells are interspersed with medicine balls and battle ropes, as well as cardio equipment such as rowers, air bikes, and SkiErgs. It’s a mixed clientele comprising new gym-goers, former college athletes, and Olympic weightlifters. Classes to try: Kettlebell Circuits, DMT, and Hidden Summit’s “Move the Dirt.”Fees and membership options: $25 for drop-in classes, with the exception of DMT, which costs $10 per class for members and non-members. Membership comes to $99 monthly, plus a $35 initiation fee and a $50 annual maintenance fee that grants access to the facility and all classes.  Trending up: Since it took over the former WillyB CrossFit gym and opened in January 2020, Grind House has garnered roughly 1,800 members, with a few hundred visiting each month through ClassPass. 

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