North Adelaide Fitness Centre has won a plethora of Adelaide awards as an independent fitness…read morecentre and gives the bigger, more expensive gyms a really good run for their money. North Adelaide runs a fully equipped gymnasium with separate weights and cardio room. In addition, they have two rooms allocated for fitness classes. They run all of the popular Les Mills classes and a couple of their own including Pilates, Yoga and Kickboxing. They also offer RPM in the cycling room downstairs but I cannot tell you what it's like because RPM is the worst kind of pain ever invented and I rather poke my own eyes out then go. The staff are super friendly and will sit down with you and work out what they can do for you to help with your weight loss and fitness goals. They will also create a personal fitness plan for free and they go through all of the exercises and movements so they can be performed and safely and correctly for the maximum benefits. They also run boot camps and fund raising fitness classes which make for an exciting and uplifting atmosphere, where you really feel welcome. Because of its location there is limited parking which can be a pain in the butt, and the street is also used as a shortcut for traffic coming from the city. So try to avoid peak times and there will be less traffic, more parking, and less sweaty beefy men filling the weights room!

Movemeant Pilates is situated on the corner of O'Connell and Ward streets, North Adelaide. It is a…read moresmall studio located on the first floor of the building. A friend of mine comes here regularly and said she could really felt the difference after a few weeks of regularly sessions. I eventually found the time to check it out, and liked it more than yoga. I found they focused more on stretching and breathing exercises, whereas yoga was similar but incorporated too much of the mind-relaxing exercises - I just wanted to stretch and tone up. The exercises they do at Pilates are full on. If you do it properly, it's pretty heavy stuff. I found that even after only a few consecutive casual sessions I could already begin to feel a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and much preferred it over rigorous exercise on the treadmill. The only thing that stops me from coming here so often are the prices! It's not cheap - private sessions start from $70, small groups from $37, and pilatesstick classes from $27 - enough to send me broke. It's definitely a great alternative when you're bored of the gym - I would love to mix it up between gym seshes with a bit of pilates, it's perfect if you're looking to tone up, improve posture and breathing.

From the owner: Classical Pilatesread more

I hate the gym and have never really stuck with a workout routine until I started barre at Aleenta…read more The tenders are encouraging and the Rundle studio is a beautiful open location. I walk to work, and the studio is about five minutes away, so I can't speak to the parking situation. There are currently five different types of classes offered at the studio, plus occasional challenges or extended workshops. I love the variety, and that I can take classes before work, at lunchtime, or after work. Routines change every month, and each instructor puts their own twist on the routine, so if you go to multiple different classes you get a really nice variety of different styles of instruction. Everyone is knowledgeable, friendly, encouraging, and keeps me coming back for more! I have seen a noticeable change in my body, but most importantly it gives me a great place to clear my head and reboot a little bit. Ending with meditation is a real game changer. You also stretch throughout, so even after I have worked myself to exhaustion in the class, I never walk out feeling very sore. It's pricey, but worth it, since I keep going! I don't think it's more expensive than Pilates.

I've started Barre classes at the perfectly positioned Aleenta Barre (upstairs from Endota Spa)…read moreright next door to all my favourite shops which provides a little extra motivation. I'm a 6.30AM attendee so parking is never an issue - Rundle Street is eerily calm, quiet and empty at that time. Instructors are fabulous especially Alicia and Klara who are my favourites! There are three different class types don't be fooled Blend can be as hard as Burn. Content of classes change regularly, seems when you master one release you are on to the next. It is important to note that you must book into classes, there is no just rocking up. They have lots of different class times and an excellent iPhone app for booking classes - particularly useful for booking in at 5.45AM when you jump out of bed and decide you want to get to the 6.30AM class. Class ends with a healthy juice shots from Sowelu Naturopathy and you are ready to hit the ground running. Barre all excuses and give it a go!

Regular weekly yoga classes in various locations in and around Norwood from Adelaide's most…read moreexperienced Kundalini Yoga teacher. She also brings interstate and international teachers for workshops and training. Worth a visit.

Ronin have been around for many years now, starting their business at Parafield across from Paddy's…read moreMarket, they ended up moving just short walk from Atlantic DVD. The store is very small, that's the first thing you'll notice, but they pack it in with a lot of gear. They sell training weapons, books, belts. ornamental items, traning giis, and what they don't get they can try to get in for you. The problem with this place and the other Martial Arts Shop in the city is the price. The thing to keep in mind though is that most of the items in this store have been imported, so higher prices are to be expected. No one said martial arts was a cheap hobby. They're very flexible with their training giis, and if you only need a top or some new pants they have no problems selling either one of these halves on their own (normally you buy a whole suit together). The service is good, but the location is harder to get to than when they were at Parafield.