If you’re looking to work out on a treadmill in front of a TV, you’re in the wrong city. In Dayton, we might be known for our ample craft beer and myriad fried food options, but for every cheeseburger you’ve consumed before your New Year's resolutions set in, there’s a place in spitting distance to work it off.
🏆 BEST OF DAYTON 2018 WINNERS
>> Bars, Beer & Nightlife winners
>> Arts, Music & Entertainment winners
>> Shopping & Services winners
>> Fitness, Outdoors & Recreation winners
We're not just the Gem City, we're the gym city. Check out the gyms that you voted Best of Dayton this year:
🥇WINNER: Femme Fatale Fitness
Credit: Facebook
Credit: Facebook
Not to be dramatic, but Femme Fatale Fitness is single-handedly destroying the patriarchy. Reappropriate the male gaze with a pole dancing class. Aerial dance like the acrobat you’ve always been in your heart. Who needs systemic body shaming and exploitative beauty standards when we have burlesque classes right in our hometown?
FFF was founded by Jacqueline Allen in 2008 after working a corporate job in which she found herself gaining weight and losing confidence. She went on to open FFF to inspire women to try new ways of exercising in a positive and empowering environment. It was such an immediate success that less than a year after its opening, it moved into a larger space to accommodate its growing interest. Burlesque performer Cassandra Guard took over in 2011 and has been running FFF since.
>> Femme Fatale Fitness moves to larger space (June 2018)
With classes including pole dancing, lyra, hammock, silks, hammock, and burlesque, you're sure to find a way to get moving this year. You can also share the fun with your friends by booking a private party. To get started, try out one of their open classes.
🏆 Best of Dayton 2017 winner: Best Gym
WANT TO GO?
4623 Gateway Circle, Kettering | Website | Facebook
🥈SECOND PLACE: Gem City CrossFit
Near the turn of the decade, CrossFit swept the powerlifting world by storm. It has the functionality of basic strength training with the intensity of a cardio workout. Now, Gem City Crossfit is the go-to for new and experienced CrossFitters alike.
Owned by Rhett Clarke, who is also head coach, Gem City CrossFit offers multiple membership plans and classes. If you’re not prepared to step into the CrossFit arena quite yet, they offer a foundations class, which will help you with the basic movements and lifts CrossFit requires. They also offer personal training and nutrition coaching.
WANT TO GO?
93 Compark Road, Dayton | Website | Facebook
🥉THIRD PLACE: Rinse Cycle Dayton
Biking outdoors is a constant battle of hills and cracked sidewalks and potentially getting hit by cars. Walkers never move to the left when you need them to and Ohio weather is, in a word, unpredictable. At Rinse Cycle Dayton, you can dismiss all the downfalls of “being outside” with all the benefits of biking.
Every class at Rinse Cycle Dayton is a full-body workout that combines intense cardio, micro bike movements, and muscle toning to the tune of fun, energetic music. These bikes are anything but stationary — rides take place on bikes that turn side to side, which not only increase core and arm strength, but burn more calories. If you’re ready to try spinning for the first time, Rinse Cycle Dayton offers a “pre-rinse” class to get the moves down and learn how to find the beat. With multiple pricing packages and plenty of classes, you’ll be spinning your wheels in no time.
WANT TO GO?
760 S. Patterson Blvd., Dayton | Website | Facebook
🏆BEST OF DAYTON 2017 WINNERS: BEST GYM
WINNER: Femme Fatale Fitness
SECOND PLACE: Rinse Cycle
THIRD PLACE: MVP Dance Fit
🏆BEST OF DAYTON 2016 WINNERS: BEST GYM
WINNER: MVP Dance Fit
SECOND PLACE: Club 51 Fitness
THIRD PLACE: Centerville CrossFit
🏆BEST OF DAYTON 2015 WINNERS: BEST GYM
WINNER: The Machine Shop
SECOND PLACE: Centerville CrossFit
THIRD PLACE: Southside Fitness Club
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