Getting engaged is undoubtedly one of the happiest, most exciting days of your life (as it should be!). There’s nothing better than contemplating the next chapter of your life with your best friend.
But after you pop the Champagne and celebrate with friends and family, wedding planning sets in, and for many brides that means stress. Locking down a venue and location, managing multiple vendors, fitting into your dream gown and looking amazing on your wedding day—it can easily take a toll. Your wedding day should be everything you’ve dreamed of, and a solid workout routine before your big day can make all the difference.
While consistently working out before your wedding can have you fit and toned for your wedding dress, it can also ease built-up tension and provide some much-needed “you” time. Think of your workout routine as the best way to kill two birds with one stone.
Luckily, Minneapolis/St. Paul is consistently ranked as the fittest city in America, and the area is bursting with studios that run the gamut—from yoga to HIIT and everything in-between. So lace up your sneakers (and maybe even grab your fiancé) and head to the studio.
HIIT
Heard of HIIT but not sure what it is? You’re not alone. HIIT, which stands for high-intensity interval training, is a relatively new fitness trend that pairs intense bursts of exercise followed by short periods of rest. It’s been proven to increase metabolism and help you burn more calories for up to 48 hours after your workout. Most HIIT-style workouts clock in at 30 minutes or less (magic words to a busy bride or groom).
ALTR is a newly opened HIIT-style boutique studio in Minneapolis’ North Loop. The workout is nonstop fun and features excellent lighting, high-energy music and instructors (called Pros) who are there to motivate you during your workout and help you leave the studio feeling like a million bucks. You’re going to get your booty kicked, but you’re going to love it.
ALTR workouts are typically 50 minutes, but the studio offers 30-minute lunch sessions on weekdays. “ALTR combines interval, strength and cardio training, so the workout really does have something for everyone at any fitness level,” says Vinny Amendola, co-founder of ALTR.
ALTR also offers ALTR Before the Altar, a special package for brides and grooms. It includes 20 sessions for the bride or groom, as well as a private session for your wedding party to take a class together before you tie the knot, for $440. ALTR boasts a chic community space and lounge which can host the wedding party for post-session Champagne, brunch or whatever else your group desires.
“ALTR truly is a space focused on community—there’s no better place to work out, have fun and de-stress before your wedding,” Amendola says. “Bring your fiancé along, too! We love a couple who sweats together.”Hips, thighs, booty, abs and arms—need we say more? These are the body parts you can expect to work at Pure Barre, a national barre studio with eight locations in the Twin Cities area. “Barre is a total-body workout that burns fat in record-breaking time,” says Katelyn Peterson, owner of Pure Barre Minneapolis in St. Louis Park and co-founder of new North Loop location. Their Pure Barre Classic class utilizes the ballet barre to perform small, isometric movements set to music, she says. In 50 minutes, you’ll achieve a full-body workout: “The technique works to defy gravity by tapering everything in and lifting it up.”The studio also offers Pure Empower, a high-intensity, low-impact interval workout that elevates your heart rate, builds strength and increases metabolism. In addition to a challenging workout, expect to be surrounded by a community of uplifting members who support one another and feel the Pure Barre burn.If you’re new to Pure Barre, the studio offers a first week free. And if you get hooked (who wouldn’t?), Pure Barre offers a Bride to Be package, which includes three months of unlimited classes for $375. The offer extends to everyone in the bridal party, so bring all your bridesmaids with you (and your mom and even your groom).You’ve surely tried running before, but have you tried Fly Feet Running? At Fly Feet Running, expect to run (of course), but also expect to stretch, strength-train and interval-train during each class, which clocks in at just under an hour. The studio hosts up to 40 students per class, and the workout takes place in a dark room with their signature green lighting and energetic music.Think you don’t like running? Fly Feet Running asks you to give them an hour and think again. “A training session at Fly Feet Running transforms your body and mind through a high-intensity regimen of speed, hills, intervals, strength and stretching that’s always changing,” says Jason Dehler, vice president and general manager. “Fly Feet accelerates group fitness beyond static routines to get you in the best shape of your life”—and there’s no better time for that than your wedding day.For brides and grooms, Fly Feet Running offers a program called Tread & Wed. “If you’re getting married this year, let us help you get fit for your big day with a long-term perspective,” Dehler says. Brides and grooms are challenged to attend a Fly Feet Running session three times per week for two consecutive months. The program includes a gait analysis to improve form, 50 percent off a private class for your bachelor or bachelorette party, and five buddy passes for your partner.“We don’t just want you to look your best, but to be holistically healthy for your wedding day and on into your newlywed life,” says Dehler.If you’re looking for a truly cleansing workout, look no further than CorePower Yoga. Many of their classes are heated to 90 degrees or higher to promote sweat and detoxification. They offer an intense physical workout rooted in the mindfulness of yoga, and classes are specifically designed to increase strength and build core while promoting lean muscle tone; their Yoga Sculpt classes even incorporate hand weights and cardio.Expect to smile, be surrounded by dozens of happy yogis and sweat (a lot). “CorePower Yoga classes help to strengthen and tone your body and also provide the tools to increase patience, compassion and self-awareness,” says Anastasia Albert, studio manager of CorePower Yoga in St. Paul’s Highland Park. “Rather than bulking up from repetitive-motion exercise, yoga has you work on your full range of motion in every part of your body and build strong and long muscles,” she says. Plus, she adds, “The couple that yogas together, stays together.”The best part about CorePower (other than the community and unbelievable workout)? They have 14 locations throughout the Twin Cities, so whether you’re at home, at a dress fitting or sampling caterers, a studio’s never far away to get your om on.Resistance, strength training and cardio—that’s what you should expect to work on at Pilates ProWorks. This studio is a fitness concept centered on Pilates with a modern, innovative twist. Using a combination of custom machinery and a wide range of upbeat classes that fuse Pilates with everything from barre to yoga to boxing, participants achieve healthy results without the pain or harm of high-impact workouts. In each class, you’ll be working with one of Pilates ProWorks FitFormer machines in a small-group environment. This amped-up Pilates class combines resistance, lengthening, strength training and cardio, helping you to feel better than ever—perfect as you prepare for your wedding.“Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day,” says Hmone Putz, owner of Pilates ProWorks Edina. “If you’re looking for results, we can absolutely guarantee that. All we need is your commitment and energy and we will take care of the rest.”Pilates ProWorks offers a Sweating for My Wedding package to help you sculpt, lengthen and tone leading up to your big day. The package includes three months of unlimited classes, three class visits for your significant other, one private group class for you and your bridal party, one season (13 weeks) of NutritionPro meal plans, and a bonus supplement with an at-home workout (great for your out-of-town bachelorette party).New and returning Pilates ProWorks Edina clients can take advantage of the Sweating for My Wedding package starting at $595, and all newcomers are welcome to one free week of unlimited classes.If you’re new to personal training, The Firm is a great place to start. The Firm is known for its fun, warm atmosphere and inclusive community. Plus, the trainers are beyond knowledgeable and regularly work with brides and grooms on fitness regimens before they tie the knot.Their specialty? The Firm Fit program, an eight-week program focused on fitness and nutrition. “Firm FIT customizes workouts around each individual’s goals and fitness levels,” says Neil Miyamoto, director of Firm FIT. “First we do an assessment, then we customize a plan.” The program includes 50 personal training sessions that will change the shape of your body and teach new, healthy ways to exercise and eat, says Miyamoto.The program consists of daily meal programming, weight training, heart-rate-monitored cardio training, yoga, Pilates and sports stretching. (Finally, planning that’s out of your hands—a pre-wedding dream.) Their program has been running for 14 years, with over 900 successful participants. It’s a great option to jump-start your fitness routine or trim down a few weeks before your big day. But don’t worry if personal training isn’t your thing; The Firm also offers intense and energetic cycling, CrossFit, yoga and studio classes.If you like the idea of personal training but are a tried-and-true yogi, look no further than Alchemy. Alchemy combines yoga, strength and conditioning to deliver a dynamic group fitness experience in a community-based setting.“The workouts change your body and renew your mind,” says Andrea Jones, chief marketing officer at Alchemy. “You can expect to get fitter, connect with amazing people and ease the stress of wedding planning, all at the same time.”In an Alchemy class, expect to move through a yoga-based warmup, followed by an intense sequence of cardio and strength training led by qualified coaches. Squats, swings, sit-ups, box jumps and deadlifts—you’ll do it all at Alchemy, and then some. Alchemy offers five different class formats, and the workouts change each day for maximum results.With four locations across the Twin Cities, you’re never far from an Alchemy studio. Oh, and if you’re looking for nutrition coaching, Alchemy has you covered. The studio frequently hosts nutrition challenges and has an active community that goes all in.