Even fitness fans who aren't counting calories harbor at least a little curiosity about what that hour in the gym is really doing for them.
With these Atlanta workouts, they don't have to wonder quite so much.
Check out these five Atlanta workouts that hit 500 calories —or more —in an hour or less.
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Buckhead and Midtown locations. theblastlife.com
Blast's original branding boasted its title as BLAST900, a way to burn up to 900 calories in an hour while jumping between the treadmill and the floor for a blend of cardio and strength training. Now the messaging is less based on calorie counting and more focused on building a strong, healthy lifestyle, but the fast-paced workout is still a great way to torch calories — even if you're more of a walker or jogger than all-out runner.
Alpharetta, Buckhead and Midtown locations. flywheelsports.com
Known nationally as a crazy-competitive way to burn calories in an environment that's more like a dance club than a fitness studio, Flywheel is catching on quickly with Atlanta fitness afficionados. Students can download the Flywheel app to get a reading on how their performance is stacking up, both against themselves and against their classmates, in any session they've taken over time. Expect to see numbers jumping well above 400 to 500 — there's no telling what a little determination (and the added pressure of the TorqBoard) will do to your motivation.
Atlanta, Brookhaven, Cobb locations. orangetheoryfitness.com
Orange Theory is known nationwide for workouts that maximize fat burn by reading the heart rate and constantly changing up the workout. Known as High-Intensity Interval Training, the Orange Theory method focuses not only on burning calories during class, but achieving post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) — that means continuing to work the body long after the cool down. In metro Atlanta, Orange Theory has more than 25 locations, so OTP and ITPers can feel the burn regardless of their zip code. Calories burned varies between 300 and 600 per hour for females, and 400 to 800 per hour for males.
Many metro Atlanta venues. poundfit.com
The full-body workout is just as it sounds. Participants of all ages exercise to driving music beats while pounding on the floors with weighted, plastic drumsticks a.k.a. Ripstix. It's loud, it's fun and anything but dull. And best of all, you can choose whatever level of intensity you can handle. Incredibly, it's possible to burn a whopping 900 calories in a one-hour class.
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935 Marietta St., Atlanta. 404-606-6931. torqatl.com
Atlanta's answer to all those big-box indoor cycling chains makes for killer cardio on the Westside. During class, the workout is fiercely competitive as attendees view their power on a ranking board in front of everyone. Afterward, cycling fans receive an email with the stats for that session, including information on RPMs, distance and calories burned. It's not uncommon for the calorie burn to jump between 400 and 600 in a short 45-minute session, so clearly the amenities are just one of many factors that keep Westside fitness fans coming back for more.
