Good news for both gym bunnies and those of a more casual exercise persuasion: the world's leading fitness membership network, ClassPass, has landed in New Zealand.
Currently only in Auckland, ClassPass allows users access to various fitness classes like yoga, high-intensity circuits, cycling, Pilates, barre, boxing, and even stand-up paddle-boarding.
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Founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York, ClassPass has more than 12,000 fitness studios in 60 cities worldwide.
It works with a credit system: users choose the membership they want and pay for a certain amount of credits, meaning they can take a class at any studio on the ClassPass network for less than $10 a class.
For Aucklanders, the app already has more than 75 studios already signed up; including District Fitness, Urban Ashram, Habitat for Fitness, Kia Kaha Studios, Reform Fitness, Deedy Studio, Sweat Yoga, Wreck Room, and Wild Pilates.
Olympian and Commonwealth Games boxing medallist Alexis Pritchard co-owns Wreck Room in central Auckland, a boutique boxing gym and group fitness studio.
She says she's excited as both a member and gym owner.
"As someone with a membership it's exciting that I can travel internationally, say to New York, and still easily do fitness classes. It's quite hard for travellers - to fit in fitness, it can end up quite costly," she told Newshub.
"As a gym owner it's my personal philosophy to make exercise easily accessible. It's for mental and physical health and wellbeing - whether that be yoga, Pilates or boxing."
For those who perhaps find the thought of walking into a new gym class intimidating, Pritchard says once you're inside, you're over the hardest part.
"You just have to make that first effort. Places have a feel - so if you're feeling comfortable in the space, give it a go. If not, chat to the other members and see what it's like.
"Generally in life, I'm about embracing your fears and doing it anyway. You're never going to grow otherwise."
And if that doesn't work, she says to take a friend. That way, you'll both feel silly together!
Sam Canavan, general manager for ClassPass Australia & New Zealand, says the beauty of the app is in the variety.
"You can be practicing your downward dog at a yoga studio one day, boxing with a specialist instructor the next day halfway across town, cycling mid-week, before grabbing a massage or going stand-up paddling on the weekend."
The app is entering a mobile fitness space that's already becoming more accessible to Kiwis than ever before.
The Nike training club app, Freeletics and Aaptiv are all becoming increasingly popular, as more people shun the traditional gym membership and weekly payment slog.
Newshub.
