Winter weather in Munich isn’t known for being accommodating. This year, temperatures have been hovering around an especially frustrating point too warm for ski runs and too cool for running the Isar. It might seem like getting fit for the New Year will have to wait until the spring. Blaming the Föhn for your failed resolution, however, is taking things too far. Munich is home to a wealth of fitness clubs that will help you get out of your apartment and into shape.
One could compare Elixia to the infamous Munich lions: With nine city locations, the club’s bright-green promotions are ubiquitous, but opinion on the gym is just as scattered. Though part of a faceless global chain, Elixia gyms each seem to have a particular focus. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows at Elixia English Garden (Ungererstr. 175) make the surrounding greenery a decorative element. In Haidhausen, Elixia Cardio (Franziskanerstrasse 18) emphasizes its large pool and aqua classes. Elixia Prinz (Prinzregentenstrasse 9)is a luxe setting for city elite in view of their favorite nightspot, P1.(See www.elixia.de for more information on specific locations. Membership plans range from € 1020–1224 per year. One-time membership fee, € 168.)
Fitness Company is already Germany’s largest sports club chain, and is aiming to give Elixia a run for its money in Munich. The powerhouse continued its expansion in the city with the November opening of a new location on Kaufingerstrasse. Its most lauded location, however, remains the Schwabing branch (Feilitzschstrasse), which is home to Power Plate Technology. The Power Plate is a three-dimensional surface that vibrates 30 to 50 times per second. Standing on the vibrating plate for ten minutes activates deep muscle fibers and has an effect on the body equivalent to 90 minutes of a more traditional strength workout. Already a favorite of Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, and members of the German national soccer team, the expensive apparatus is exclusively available in Munich to members of Fitness Company. (See www.fitcom.de for more information on specific locations. Membership plans range from € 348–780 per year.)
Leo’s Sports Club is where the beautiful people come to sweat, or rather, glisten. The gym is a worthy setting for the athletic endeavors of the Superschick, with a gleaming modern design that extends from the plate-glass roof down to the newly renovated locker rooms in the basement. For those who couldn’t bear to be caught in last season’s Pilates class, the club offers more than 85 unique and trendy classes per week, including Brazilian capoeira and rugby training. It also houses more than 60 traditional workout stations and a yoga room. Childcare is available. (Leopoldstrasse 11, Tel. 383 89 90. www.leos.tv. Membership plans range from € 744–1680 per year.)
Anyone who takes the UBahn has probably heard of Kieser Training. With nine locations in Munich (and seemingly 9000 ads throughout the underground), this long-established chain of clubs aims to help members get fit by developing a solid core of strength, particularly in the back. Specialized professionals guide members through intense sessions. Training isolated muscle groups, they contend, takes a great deal of concentration. As such, you won’t find music, saunas, a smoothie bar, or other distractions in any of the Kieser locations. (See www.kieser-training.com for more information on specific locations. One-year membership, € 450.)
MISS Fitness isn’t just for the ladies; men can also be members of the Munich Individual Sport Studio. The studio’s excellent yoga and Pilates classes have been running longer than most other Munich clubs have been in existence. Even though its prices are cheaper than other city spots, you’ll still find such perks as childcare, a steam bath, sauna, and tanning beds. Grunting muscle men and primping elliptical prima donnas, however, are absent from its halls. Instead, you’ll find friendly and helpful personnel who are more than willing to give members competent advice on their workout plans. The studio values each individual member, as the name suggests. What’s more, employees seem to enjoy such personal interactions, suffusing the studio with a familial atmosphere that will keep even the laziest couch potato coming back. (Liebherrstrasse 5 at Isartor, Tel. 22 92 82. www.miss-sportstudio.de. Monthly membership, € 44–71. This location, and all others mentioned in the article, offers shorter plans at higher rates.)
Note: Our print version contained references to the Elixia Leopark club, which no longer exists. We received false information, and regret the error.
