Where Boston’s Best Trainers Work Out

Fitness buffs are notoriously loyal. Think about it: You’ve probably got a favorite group fitness instructor, a go-to gym, or a running trail you could follow with your eyes closed, if not all three.

And that got us thinking: Which gyms, classes, and workout spots have won the loyalty of Boston’s best trainers and teachers? We asked around, and came back with plenty of places—some new, some old—that you should work into your fitness routine.

Here’s where five of Boston’s best trainers work out:

Equinox Franklin Street/Photo provided

Kelly Brabants, founder of Booty by Brabants

Brabants keeps her famous physique toned at Equinox Franklin Street, where she first began personal training five years ago. “I like the functional space—there’s kettlebells, there’s ViPRs, there’s, like, eight Stairmasters, which is my favorite cardio equipment,” she says. “When I go there, I’m able to get a full workout in.”

Novemer Project photo by Chris Capozzi

Izzy VanHall, instructor at Coolidge Corner Yoga, YogaWorks, and more

“I like to circulate,” VanHall says, adding that she switches up her fitness routine often. Right now, she’s into treadmill classes at Heartbreak Hill Running Company, training sessions at Equinox, early morning workouts with November Project, and SoulCycle classes with Maddy Ciccone. (“She’s a sparkle princess queen,” she laughs.) When VanHall hits the yoga mat herself, she likes to take classes at YogaWorks and South Boston Yoga, and with instructor Rebecca Pacheco.

CorePower Yoga/Photo provided

Dustin Martin and Brian Weller, owners of Barry’s Boston

When Martin and Weller aren’t teaching at Barry’s locations in Boston and Chestnut Hill, they’re known to pop into other instructors’ classes. When they actually do leave the red room, however, Martin likes to work up a sweat at CorePower Yoga, while Weller favors the downtown gym Fisique.

Exhale Battery Wharf/Photo provided

Parker Cote, owner of Parker Cote Elite Fitness

Believe it or not, Cote doesn’t hit up a luxury gym in his spare time. Instead, the Boston University alum visits his old college gym when he needs a change of pace, or uses the outdoor gym on the Esplanade. When it’s time to slow things down, Cote likes David Magone’s yoga classes at Exhale. “You just float out,” he laughs.

Btone Fitness/Photo provided.

Stephanie Hendricks, instructor at Recycle Studio

When she’s not in the saddle, Hendricks loves to take Btone Reformer Pilates classes. “I classify this as my core work and a good-old-fashioned humbling session,” she jokes. Hendricks also incorporates barre classes—like those at Exhale and the Bar Method—for toning, and hits Barry’s when she needs extra strength training. “I am putting effort into incorporating yoga into my routine,” Hendricks adds. She tries to hit Exhale’s hour-long classes once a week.