Getting Into Fitness In Berlin With BEAT81 & Urban Sports Club
I used to be far from physically active. For most of my time in Berlin, I have been using a bike to commute. Being stuck at home during the pandemic, I shortly used an app called Fitbod to exercise at home. But then, I haven’t done much, especially after I started working for a fully remote company.
Fast forward to the present day, I have 400+ days of Move Streak on my Apple Watch. I work out almost every day. And I even grew some muscle! None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for my doctor who pushed me to get in some cardio to combat high blood pressure1 and my friends who convinced me to give the BEAT81 indoor cycling class a shot.
BEAT81 Classes in Berlin
If you’re unfamiliar with BEAT81, they offer 45-minute high-intensity workout classes in indoor and outdoor locations around Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Dusseldorf, and, for some reason, Los Angeles. Their workouts range from HIIT, and strength-oriented classes, to indoor cycling. And if you’re wondering, BEAT81 stands for over 81% of your maximum heart rate. You can wear a heart rate sensor during the classes to see your pulse percentage on the screens around the room.
My first three trial classes with BEAT81 were all spinning, and they got me hooked. Initially, I purchased a package of workout tickets, but I quickly switched to a much cheaper and more versatile option: Urban Sports Club.
Urban Sports Club Membership
You can think of Urban Sports Club (USC) as a Netflix for fitness studios. You pay a single membership fee that gives you access to thousands of locations across Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal. In Berlin alone, USC has well over 1,400 partners. And yes, that includes all 16 BEAT81 studios.
What makes Urban Sports such a good deal are two things: the wide range of activities offered, and affordability. The former is easy to understand. With 1,400+ studios in Berlin, you can do everything from going to a gym or swimming to waterskis and parkour. Besides BEAT81, my personal favorite locations include Rocycle and ride.bln spinning classes, LIFTED full-body strength workouts, Club Athleten boxing, and the dopamine studio guided sauna infusion & ice bath.
In terms of pricing, Urban Sports Club offers multiple membership tiers, employee discounts, and monthly or annual billing methods, so there are quite a few variables that will determine how much you are going to pay. The Classic plan, which I believe to be the sweet spot for most people, costs 69€ when billed monthly or 59€ annually. That means that a single class will cost you ~2€ if you were to visit a participating studio every day. In comparison, a 10-class package from BEAT81 will set you 109€, and their unlimited monthly plan costs 99€ (79€ when billed annually).
One limitation of Urban Sports is the check-in limit. Most studios have a 4 or 8 visits limit per month. But, in almost every case, this a a venue visit limit rather than a partner visit2. So as long as you don’t mind going to different BEAT81 locations throughout the month, it’s not going to be a problem.
By default, all Urban Sports Class plans are limited to one check-in per day, meaning that you can visit only a single studio on a given day. If you’re a private member (your membership doesn’t include a company discount), you have an option to pay extra to unlock two check-ins per day.
Get Started With Urban Sports Club
If your New Year’s resolution was to get in shape, it’s never too late to start. You can sign up for Urban Sports Club membership here and get a 5€ discount in your third month.
