Now you have no excuses…

Starting your fitness journey can be a daunting and scary experience, especially if you feel like you’re surrounded by bodybuilders. Dubai has plenty of options for the super fit and healthy to get even fitter, but there’s also lots of place for beginners to feel at home.

Here are seven places to workout if you’re a novice.

Aquaspin

Spinning requires a high level of fitness and stamina, not to mention many classes make it ultra-competitive with live progress tracking displayed for everyone to see. Aquaspin is a low-impact, fun alternative which will allow you to get used to the motions, and burn calories at the same time, until you’re ready to move onto dry land.

Fairmont The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, class times vary, Dhs75. Tel: (04) 4573330. fairmont.com

Reformer Pilates

While reformer machines may look scary, they’re really not. Classes are split into experience levels, starting with beginner, and once you complete several classes you can move up to the next category. You can also customise your machine to build and reduce the tension. Each class will help build muscle, tone, and improve strength.

A-Tone, Prime Towers, Business Bay, Sun to Thurs 7am to 9pm, Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 9pm. Tel: (04) 338 908. facebook.com/atonefitnesslounge

BounceFIT

Don’t get us wrong, this class isn’t easy but it is fun and you won’t find yourself intimidated by the number on your neighbour’s dumbbells. It’s a great workout that will have you burning up to 1000 calories (but it’s so fun you won’t even notice) with 10-minutes of bouncing equating to 30 minutes of running.

BounceFIT, BounceInc, Al Quoz, Dubai, Dhs105. Tel: (04) 321 1400. bounce.ae

Physique 57

This barre class will have you shaking and aching in muscles you didn’t even know you had. The beginners class focuses on learning the fundamental movements, positions and methodology in order to progress with weights, resistance bands and bodyweight exercises.

Physique 57, Al Thanya Mall or City Walk, first class free then Dhs140. physique57.com/studio-dubai

Standup Paddle Boarding

Kite n Surf holds SUP classes which will teach you the fundamentals of paddle boarding. The masters make it look easy but balancing yourself on the board really helps to build your core strength. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can move onto level two where you’ll learn techniques such as direction control and picking up speed.

Kite n Surf is located at Nessnass Beach Jumeirah and City Beach Jumeirah, Dhs150. Tel: (055) 800 6363. kitensurf.ae

Body Balance

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Body balance classes at GFX are a combination of yoga, pilates and tai chi, making them a great introduction to all three. It’s a slow-paced class which focuses on posture, breathing and stretching in a controlled and technique-focused manner. There’s also added benefits of stress relief and improved flexibility.

GFX, Executive Towers, Business Bay, Dhs95. Tel: (04) 425 5940. gfx.ae

Zumba

Zumba at Fitness First builds anaerobic endurance and improves coordination by teaching you a routine of Latin and salsa moves. Get those hips swinging and arms swaying as you dance your way into a new body.

Fitness First Middle East, various locations, first class free. uae.fitnessfirstme.com

Happy training!