how to workout for free in NYC
- Patricia Howard
- May 21, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: May 23, 2018
FREE
Peloton (140 W 23rd Street, Chelsea)
30 & 45 minute spin classes
Monday-Friday 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm
Saturday 2pm, 2:45pm, 3:30pm, 4:15pm
Peloton classes are metrics-based and leaderboard-motivated, meaning it's all about the numbers (similar to FlyWheel). If you push yourself to keep up with the instructor's recommended cadence and resistance levels, you'll be panting the whole time (this is a good thing). Peloton sells its very expensive bikes to clients (Lululemon-wearing time-pressed moms and dad-bod dads) around the country who prefer to ride from the comfort of their bedrooms or who live in places not yet infested by the spin craze. Home riders bike along to classes live streamed from the studio, so I assume they offer free midday classes to avoid footage of empty bikes. Most free classes include a 30 minute ride, a 5 minute break, and a 10 minute arm series.
Schedule is subject to change, so check online before going. Be sure to arrive 15+ minutes early, because the classes are walk-in only. Icing on the cake: free shoe rental & bottled water! The studio has a great lounge complete with wifi and a cafe; I like to park there for a few hours and hit two classes.
30 minute outdoor workouts
Monday-Friday 6:30am
Monday HIIT, Washington Square Park
Tuesday Body Circuit, Grand Army Plaza BK
Wednesday Core Boot Camp, Bryant Park
Thursday HIIT, MacDonald Park Queens
Friday Running Hills, Williamsburg Bridge (Manhattan side)
The weather in NYC is so rarely nice that I feel silly exercising in a dark studio whenever the sun is out. The Rise was started in 2012 by a few friends who met up in public parks early in the mornings to workout. It now has a cult following that spans ages, genders, races, and abilities, and is truly open to anyone able to get out of bed before dawn. The workout varies each day but will always leave you sweaty.
All you have to do is arrive a few minutes before 6:30am, no registration necessary. Don't forget to bring water.
1 hour infrared yoga classes
Monday 2:30pm, Soho
Thursday 2:30pm, Flatiron & Union Square
Saturday 9:15am & 2:30pm, UES
Y7 is yoga taught in a mirror-less, candlelit room with the intention of taking the focus off how your belly rolls look in downward dog. Bodies of all sizes strip down to sport bras and booty shorts once on their mats. Heavily branded as antithetical to everything you thought about yoga, its studio walls are covered in black and white graphics (also available on merch) and its classes are set to hip hop. Each class features three flow sequences, with each sequence done three times - the first is slow, the second is one breath per movement, and the third is done on your own (with the freedom to modify/customize but also kind of stressful if you don't have great short term memory).
There are locations in NYC and LA, and each studio occasionally offers free community classes taught by new instructors. A teacher's first class is always rocky, but no complaints when you're getting a free workout. The above schedule is always in flux, so check online to see current offerings. Be sure to arrive 15+ minutes early, because the classes are walk-in only. Mat rental is $2, towel rental is $3.
Almost Free (Donation-Based)
Sky Ting Yoga (Chinatown, Tribeca, Williamsburg)
1 hour yoga classes
Monday 1:30pm, Chinatown
Tuesday 8:30pm, Tribeca
Thursday 8:30pm, Tribeca
Friday 1:30pm, Chinatown
Saturday 6:30pm, Tribeca
Sunday 6:30pm, Tribeca
Sky Ting is a light and airy studio frequented by lanky girls wearing Outdoor Voices but welcoming to all. You may have seen Instagrams of its large stuffed giraffe mascot, plant covered walls, or pillow-lined lounge pits. Its classes blend Hatha, Taoist, and Vinyasa traditions to create one of the most unique and relaxing practices I've come across.
Donation-based classes benefit Planned Parenthood and other organizations. Schedule is subject to change, so check online before going. Free mat rentals!
Stanton Street Yoga (196 A Stanton Street, LES)
1 hour vinyasa yoga classes
Tuesday, Thursday 6:45am, 12pm
Wednesday 6:45am
Friday 12pm
30 minute meditation classes
Monday 6:15pm
Wednesday 6:15pm
Stanton Street Yoga is a relic of what yoga was before social media. It feels like a place you'd find in Boulder, Colorado. Its diehards shop the bulk section of LifeThyme and can meditate without an app. It hosts many events and has built a strong community that I fear is in danger with the coming Essex Crossing-ization (Trader Joe's, Target, Regal Cinemas, Equinox) of the Lower East Side.
Schedule is subject to change, so check online before going. Free mat rentals!
Yoga Vida (666 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Noho)
65 minute vinyasa yoga classes
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 2pm, 7:15pm
Wednesday 2pm
Saturday, Sunday 1pm
Yoga Vida has studios around NYC, but only its Noho location offers donation-based classes. Its interiors are basic but clean and spacious. With classes nearly every hour, its become a mainstay for yogis in search of a dependable respite from the city's chaos. Its clientele wears Athleta and all seem to know each other.
The donation-based classes are billed as part of their teacher training program, but I've always left impressed. Rather than an awkward in-person donation, you can sign up online by donating $1 or more. Schedule is subject to change, so check online before going. Mat rental is $2, towel rental is $1, bottled water is $2.
Birthday Gifts
The following studios send free class emails on your birthday, so be sure to enter your date of birth on all online profiles to reap the benefits.
Newsletter Promos
I sign up for lots of mailing lists because they announce free events and promos. I scan the emails for any freebies, then discard.
I (still) skim the daily Gilt City emails because sometimes there are crazy good deals. If you find a studio that you love, it can be a great way to buy a class package for a fraction of the retail price. Every few days they send out a further discount code, so I recommend waiting for one before you buy.
Weekly newsletter by fitness queen dj model influencer Hannah Bronfman. Each month she features a NYC workout studio along with a hefty discount code. I am currently doing a free month of B MVMNT courtesy of her newsletter.
New Student Promos
Bodē (Flatiron, Midtown, UES, UWS)
3 weeks for $49
1 week for FREE
$40 off first month here
CorePower Yoga (Bryant Park, UWS, Williamsburg)
1 week for FREE
F45 (Flatiron, LES, more coming soon)
3 classes for $36
FitHouse (Bowery)
1 week for $19
Humming Puppy Yoga (Flatiron)
1 class for FREE
2 weeks for $50
YogaWorks (Brooklyn Heights, Soho, UES, UWS)
2 weeks for $25
Yoga Vida (Dumbo, Noho, Tribeca, Union Square)
2 weeks for $25
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