If you live for fitness, then have we got the fit-city picks for you! These five mid-sized cities across America all have one thing in common: The people who live there really like to work out. And what's even cooler is that the way people work out tends to be a bit different from place to place. Whether you're crazy about breaking a sweat outdoors or you're obsessed with taking all the latest bootcamp/zumba/pilates classes on offer, you're bound to find something you love in one of these five fab places. To make it easier for yourself, take this quiz first: Which City's Fitness Scene Should You Rock? Then come back to this page and read all about it. Ready for a fit-cation? Yeah, we thought so.
1. Scottsdale, AZ
More than 300 sunny days a year and the rugged Sonoran Desert make this Southwestern spot prime for outdoor adventures. No sport currently receives more love than rock climbing. Locals start training—and getting their bodies in tip-top shape—at indoor climbing gym AZ on the Rocks before tackling the real deal at...
Pinnacle Peak: The popular 150-acre park's rock formations range from relatively easy to super tough. "The Wedge," a 40-foot-high route, has plenty of hand- and footholds.
South Mountain Regional Park: Its Pima Canyon area has an array of established routes (with few crumbling rocks).
McDowell Mountains: Very seasoned climbers scale Tom's Thumb, a 140-foot-high spire on the range's northern side, to score incredible city vistas.
2. Jersey City, NJ
The views of Lower Manhattan from Liberty State Park's four-mile running loop are spectacular. But Jersey City ("JC" to locals) also boasts some kick-ass indoor options. At last count: 31 gyms, 14 Pilates studios, 14 martial-arts studios, four boxing gyms, and 10 dance studios—all within 21 square miles. Inside, group classes rule; these extra-effective ones offer free trial sessions.
For long, lean muscles: Instructor Erica Braun's tough Base Barre class at Base Gym focuses on small, targeted ballet- and yoga-inspired movements.
For cardio endurance: Thanks to crazy heavy boxing bags, fat and flab take a big hit at coed gym CKO Jersey City. Plyometric floor drills add to the intensity.
For strength training: The wildly popular, feverishly energetic JCF Health and Fitness Bootcamp meets six times a week—and has helped many local women drop many dress sizes.
3. Ann Arbor, MI
Even in winter, "Tree Town" locals prefer to do almost everything outdoors. Thousands of sporty residents belong to adventure clubs that lead hiking, biking, and kayaking excursions; solo exercisers have access to an almost absurd amount of green space (158 parks for fewer than 200,000 people!). Almost everyone spends time walking or running the city's lovely trails, including these beauties.
The Nichols Arboretum: "The Arb" has 123 acres of meadows, hills, forests, and wetlands—and only two indoor bathrooms (so plan accordingly). Rustic dirt and wood-chip-covered paths shoot off a wide main trail.
The Workout: From Gateway Garden, run toward the Huron River before looping around the Centennial Shrubs, ending at the Peony Garden (two miles).
Gallup Park: Sixty-nine acres of park with public picnic tables and grills, and canoes to rent. Mostly flat asphalt trails run alongside the Huron River.
The Workout: One of the pretty Geddes Pond loops (around 1.5 miles). Go before noon on weekends to avoid crowds.
Bird Hills: It's more than 160 acres of towering trees and wildflowers. Far-from-flat and often challenging unpaved paths wind over hills and across ravines.
The Workout: Train for your next Tough Mudder by sprinting as far as you can up one of five trails. Repeat.
4. Portland, OR
Portlanders practically live on two wheels: Whether road biking, mountain biking, commuter biking, or cyclecross biking, by and large, the biggest active trend in town is... yep, bicycling. As a result, lots of locals get lots of exercise, mostly on the 80 miles of trails inside sprawling Forest Park. Helping them out are about 70 (!) bike shops in town, which offer something for everyone.
Serious cyclists rely on Lucky 13 for high-end, customized bikes.
Make your body one with your bike during a River City Bicycles private "fit studio" appointment, which includes two and a half hours of stop-motion video analysis and body measurements.
Just looking for a basic ride? The Community Cycling Center has a massive selection of used bikes for the eco-, time-, and cost-conscious.
5. Charlotte, NC
Running clubs and volleyball and softball leagues abound, but it's Charlotte's booming yoga scene that keeps many of its residents slim and toned. The city's 26 studios hold practically endless options—everything from intense Bikram sessions to restorative stretching, and one-on-one lessons to couples courses. Our advice? Mix it up by hitting these best-in-class(es) over a long weekend.
Thursday: Sweat out the week's work stress in Y2 Yoga's "Double Shot" 90-minute hot yoga class, set to upbeat tunes ($20).
Friday: Build up your strength with fast-paced body-weight work at Charlotte Yoga's 75-minute Power Mixed class ($15).
Saturday: Hang loose with 75 minutes of suspension yoga at Aerial CLT. Just 10 hammocks mean lots of personal attention ($20).
Sunday: Recover with an hour of Thai yoga at Moga Charlotte. An instructor massages and maneuvers your limbs into poses ($85).
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