Flywheel is my spin class of choice, but I have to schedule it strategically. The Manhattan location that's closest to my apartment doesn't have showers -- and you can not go out in public after Flywheel without showering. To disguise my sweatiness, I usually jog home -- it's not easy after 45 minutes of aggressive indoor cycling, but at least I won't run into someone I know on the subway.
Flywheel's sweat factor comes down to accountability: The bikes have digital screens that display your calorie burn and how fast your legs are spinning, and you can opt-in to have your name and score displayed on a leaderboard. I may not come in first, but I love the competitive aspect. It pushes me to ride harder -- and sweat more.
Try it: There are Flywheel locations across the country, from New York to Seattle, and there's one international outpost in Dubai.
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SoulCycle: 8
While a SoulCycle spin class can be just as intense as Flywheel (and the rooms are often steamier), SoulCycle bikes don't have digital screens. Translation: It's easier to cheat in a SoulCycle class. When the instructor says to increase the resistance by "one full turn to the right," I usually do three-quarters of a turn. And since there are no numbers, there's no way for anyone to keep me in check.
That said, Soul classes are still seriously sweaty -- and they have showers.
Try it: Studios are primarily located in and around New York City and Los Angeles.
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Barry's Bootcamp: 7
Barry's Bootcamp is based on interval training, which means you do a series of high-intensity workouts -- everything from sprints on a treadmill to squats -- with short breaks in between. While those brief breaks keep this class from reaching an eight or a nine on the sweat scale, it's still seriously sweat-inducing. (Plus, the trainers yell at you, which makes me sweat even when I'm doing nothing.)
Try it: There are locations in New York and California, as well as Nashville -- plus a few spots in Europe.
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Equinox's Animal Flow: 6.5
When you take your first Animal Flow class, you'll feel a little ridiculous. You hop like a frog, swing your arms like a monkey -- you get the idea. All of the movements are inspired by animals in the wild -- with a dash of breakdancing and martial arts for good measure. You'll get sweaty to the point where you'll definitely want to take a shower. But hair washing could go either way depending on how much your scalp sweats and whether you have dry shampoo in your gym bag.
Try it: If you have room at home, download the digital video or order the DVD. If you'd prefer to try it in a gym, Equinox offers classes across the country.
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Surfset Indoor Surfing: 5
Surfing is really difficult. Take away the ocean, and it's still hard -- but there's a lot less half-drowning and knee-scraping. That's why Surfset is awesome: The indoor surfboards are attached to three balance balls, which create an unstable surface that mimics surfing on water. You'll build up your surfing muscles as you pop up on the board and try to balance (holy core workout), but you won't get salt water up your nose.
Try it: Surfset is offered at gyms across the country, including quite a few Crunch locations.
As far as I'm concerned, there are only two kinds of workouts: incredibly sweaty workouts that require an immediate shower, and minimal-sweat workouts where you can go back to the office without so much as a makeup touchup.
For me -- and for so many women I know -- it's all about whether or not you have to wash your hair. Here's the simple logic: I don't want to wash my hair on consecutive days, and sweaty workouts necessitate hair washing. Therefore, I can only participate in sweaty workouts every other day. Makes sense, right?
So I developed this sweat-o-meter scale. It's a simple one to 10 measurement of a workout's sweat level, where one is barely a glisten and 10 is I-look-like-I-fell-in-a-pool drenched. If a workout scores higher than a five, you'll probably need to shampoo.
You can probably guess where a Bikram yoga class falls (somewhere between an 8.5 and 10 depending on how high the instructor cranks up the heat), but what about all of the trendy new workouts that have popped up recently?
If you have yet to hit up a SoulCycle class and you want to know just how sweaty a workout it is before you go, read on. I'm breaking down eight of the hottest workouts according to the sweat-o-meter scale. Here's how (literally) hot they really are.
