The majority of my workouts come from barre classes at The Barre Code, and long walks around the city (or on the lakefront path... my favorite). However- when I'm looking to mix it up or just give myself an extra challenge, these are my top picks:
1) BRAWL @ THE BARRE CODE
Hands down my favorite workout- I love the high intensity of this class and how the kickboxing moves are choreographed into a sequence. The energy is through the roof and the cardio is broken up with a brief strength set in the middle. You will leave sweaty and inspired by this class, it's addictive!
2) WERQ @ ENRGI FITNESS
This class is basically dream workout- cardio dancing to current hip hop and pop hits in a basement downtown. It's hard not to feel like Britney back in the day at Millennium dance studio while you are learning these moves. The class is extremely fast paced, but the most important rule is to just have fun with it- don't worry about hitting all of the moves perfectly, you'll still work up a killer sweat.
3) BARRYS @ BARRYS BOOTCAMP
I was scared to death to try a class at Barry's, but the energy of this place is infectious and you will quickly realize why it has a cult like following of red room devotees. I may not be a great runner, but Barry's inspires me to give my "all out max" everytime. The instructors here are what really make it among the best, every single instructor is so passionate about what they do and make a genuine effort to get to know their clients.