The best group fitness classes in Sydney

This Olympic lifting and CrossFit inspired studio doesn’t just get the blood pumping – community spirit also courses through the veins of the men and women who train here under the guidance of founder Brandon Hasick and his team. At Body by Brando’s four studios (in Waterloo, Bondi, North Sydney and Alexandria), each one-hour workout is crafted so that no matter your skill level, anyone can join in and feel like part of the crew. Classes can be amped up or scaled back to meet the fitness and experience levels of individual participants, ensuring everyone gets a thorough sweat on without being left behind.

Barry’s has an international reputation, not only for being a world-class fitness brand but also for the calibre of its facilities, where the ambience, lighting, soundtrack and smoothies are every bit as important as the exercise gear. Sydney now boasts three studios, in Surry Hills, the CBD and Kings Cross, where the circuit style workouts are overseen by a crack team of top fitness professionals. The training philosophy at Barry’s marries a combo of weight training and high-intensity interval cardio to improve tone, strength and endurance, all at the same time.

On an unassuming residential street in Camperdown, housed in a converted warehouse, you’ll find one of the city’s sleekest CrossFit studios. Play is more than just the name of this gym, it's also its guiding principle – workouts here are designed to be challenging but fun. Quality fitness with a strong community ethos is the vibe here, with group training programs on offer in the gym’s bright and stylishly appointed open-plan space, as well as personal training options for those looking to perfect their lifting technique under closer supervision.

Established in mid-2019 by Kesava Commerford – a well-known heavyweight of Sydney’s fitness community – Undercard is a boxing gym with a difference. This is no spit and sawdust outfit, but a sleek and stylish studio that effortlessly casts off the men-only yoke of old school boxing fitness. That's not to say that classes at this Bondi Junction venue pull their punches. Fusing high-impact boxing with high-intensity interval training, these trainer-led workouts pack a wallop, burning as many as 1,000 calories per session.

For a celebrity-approved small-group session (Rebel Wilson, Glen Powell, Hannah Waddingham, Meghan Trainor, Winston Duke and Rüfüs Du Sol have all got their sweat on here) head to this CBD wellness sanctuary.

This hyper-luxurious space plays host to wildly good reformer Pilates classes as well as other small group training sessions, and post-workout, you can head into the recovery room for a sauna and a plunge in the magnesium-enriched ice bath.

It’s not just the pros who strut their stuff at SDC’s Walsh Bay HQ. The city’s premier contemporary dance company also offers 85 fitness classes a year, where participants of all skill levels can twirl their way to a healthier life. Classes cover a huge range of abilities and dance styles, from ballet to jazz, hip hop to tap, and just about everything in between, as well as Pilates, yoga, and ‘stretch’, a yoga-infused dance style aimed at building core strength and better mobility. There are also classes specifically for seniors aged 55 and over. Get those dancing shoes on. 

Want to workout with your girlies? This is the studio for you. The circuit-style group fitness classes utilise full body integration methods, designed to “keep heart rates elevated and muscles burning for the ultimate functional workout”. And crucially, they’re for female-identifying people only: an epic workout, without the macho energy.

As you might imagine, a fitness brand with more than 1,500 venues in its native US must know a thing or two about getting its members in shape. Indeed, it’s the level of scientific knowledge and holistic thinking behind Orangetheory’s one-hour classes that have led the brand to open in 24 countries around the world (and counting). During classes, participants spend between 12 to 20 minutes with their heart rate elevated, but even this short amount of time is enough to boost the metabolism and burn through calories like wildfire. Using heart-rate monitors, trainers can ensure clients are in the optimal effort zone – its helps them help you. 

One of the advantages of living in a city like Sydney, where alfresco living is par for the course, is that the great outdoors can be your gym. The Outdoor Squad takes full advantage of this, with a range of group classes taking place daily under Sydney’s (usually) sunny skies. Recognising that when it comes to exercise classes, there isn’t always a one-size-fits-all solution, the Outdoor Squad has a variety of different programs on offer, each tailored to a different goal. For example, Cardioburn classes improve heart and lung health with high-intensity interval training, while the Hustle’n’Flow classes combine a circuit of exercises linked with fluid transitions to hone technique and conditioning. Focus on one, or mix it up – the choice is yours.

This city-wide gym is something of a Sydney institution: offering affordable memberships and access to state-of-the-art wellness facilities across the city. Class-wise, our personal favourites are the reformer Pilates classes run from their sparkling studio at the nightclub-style Newtown outpost. The schmick new space is home to 20 state-of-the-art reformer beds, and your class will be soundtracked by up-tempo bangers blasted through a high-end speaker system.