Every day of sunshine is a chance to try a new sport and fall in love with it for a lifetime. That’s exactly why we heart fitness camps—for adults!
We combed the country, and in some cases, the globe, and found these ultimate fun fitness camps just for women. You’ll strength train on a beach near the Indian Ocean, learn how to fix a flat bike tire so you can explore the back roads of your hometown, get form tips for running faster and farther more comfortably, or bond with fellow women under the stars. These six ridiculously fun multiday camps are in safe, judgment-free environments guaranteed to take you from unsure to obsessed with new adventures in no time.
The Best Women’s Fitness Camps of Summer 2018
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Liv Ladies AllRide Mountain Biking
LIV Ladies Allride Mountain Biking
Make your weekend-warrior moment really count by hopping on the saddle for a two-day (or six-day, for Italy) women’s mountain-biking (MTB) clinic. More than 40% of the clientele here are newbies to the sport, so don’t worry if you are, too—and more than 80% are in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. Founders Lindsey Richter (a pro mountain biker and owner of Ladies AllRide, LLC) and Meredith Brandt (owner of Grit Clinics, LLC) are on a mission to inspire confidence outdoors while gripping the handlebars of a mountain bike. You’ll learn to dig deep, to focus on where you want to go (not where you don’t), and to trust yourself—and the bike.From the outset you’ll be grouped with women at a similar riding level, so you’re riding safely. Then you’ll start tackling skills appropriate to your group. You’ll break for lunch, ride trails in the afternoon to put what you learned into action, and then end with optional mini workshops like tire changing, body positioning, and nutrition. You’ll edge past your perceived limits and babe- bond like nothing else with fellow female riders because this MTB clinic is just that fun.Don’t worry about bringing a bike—there are sweet top-of-the-line Liv MTB bikes to demo while here, or you can rent one at a local bike shop. You’ll be guided by the best in the business to learn bike-anatomy basics and how to tune it up like a pro, and you’ll learn new riding techniques to tackle tougher obstacles. You can ask all the questions you want because the camp’s sole mission is to help you nail every trail feature, whether you’re a total beginner (“Um, where are the brakes?”) or advanced (“Where is the next berm?”). The company offers 10 events in epic locations across the U.S. and one in Italy.Across the U.S.: $385San Viglio Di Marebbe, Italy: $2,195ladiesallride.com
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Gemina Garland Lewis
Pop-Up Fitness X Mauritius Retreat
Located 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa on Mauritius’ pristine Belle Mare beach, this fitness retreat at Long Beach Resort is an easy sell if you love boot camps and beaches. Ocean views don’t mean you can kick up your feet, though (unless you’re doing butt kicks), because the Pop-Up Fitness X vibe is fun but intense, just like training should be.Boot camps include training with kettlebells, TRX, med balls, and battle ropes. Exercises target your full body and burn your abs into submission. Plus, you’ll be challenged in nature with hikes and running drills under the open sky, work out to live DJs daily, and enjoy luxe dining and accommodations for as little as about $400 per person per night, all-inclusive. Pop-Up Fitness X is designed by celebrity trainer Olivia Cooney, who is based in London but hosts Pop-Up Fitness events around the world.Mauritius: from about $400; Sept. 8-14pop-up.fitness
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Jennifer Reis
Kripalu Yoga Retreat
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a wellness playground where you can take true care of your mind and body. The health haven is bursting at the seams with inspiring energy to help ease all of life’s stressors. Retreats not only breathe life and creativity into your yoga practice but also host workshops on Ayurvedic self-care, clean eating and cooking, journaling, mindfulness, and much more. Classes (of which there may be up to eight workshops for you to choose from each day) dive deep into the “why” behind these practices rather than just the “how,” which usually gets most of the attention. In this way you’ll stretch your mind-body connection, literally and figuratively.Retreats center on everything from Outdoor Adventure (June 24–29) to Slow Yoga (July 29– Aug. 3) to primal-folk- dance-inspired Buti Yoga (June 15–17) and a Women’s Spiritual Retreat (Aug. 10–12). Lodging prices for dorm rooms start at $87 per night; and for rooms with a private bath/ shared room, from $197 per night.The campus is gorgeous, the food is healthy and allergen-friendly, the atmosphere is sacred, and you’ll grow exponentially on Day 1. Situated at the top of a hill overlooking a sprawling lake, Kripalu is a three-hour drive from New York City (or a Metro North train ride, plus $70 shuttle fee) and a two-hour drive from Boston. Take a full-on break from your busy life while learning deep tools for handling it with more grace than you ever knew you had inside.Stockbridge, MA: various prices and dateskripalu.org
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Courtesy of ZAP Fitness
Zap Fitness Adult Running Vacation
Tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Reebok-sponsored Zap Fitness Adult Running Vacations will make a runner out of you. For one weekend or week, Zap Fitness guides you along the local winding trails, lakes, and high school tracks to form the backdrop for a transformative training experience for your fitness.You’ll learn everything from pre- and post-run stretching techniques to complementary strength-training exercises to, of course, nitty-gritty running techniques (from gait and pace to arm placement and foot strike). On one run you’ll be recorded so that world-class coaches can evaluate your technique and offer crystal clear pointers that’ll help you improve. Plus, you’ll get nutrition coaching on fueling your fitness. The relaxed atmosphere belies the serious training you’ll get here at this nonprofit camp. When they’re not training you, the coaches are training elite postcollegiate runners, many of whom are Olympic-level athletes.If your cardio day always looks the same, don’t miss this opportunity to feel better while logging miles and to sprint faster at shorter distances. A little Zap Fitness coaching and lot of practice are all you need.Run, exercise, take a dip in the ice bath (or hot tub, if that’s more your vibe), gaze at the stars by the fire, and get to know yourself as a runner. Besides unparalleled coaching, the price also includes comfy lodging and three delicious, fit-fuel meals a day. Upcoming camps: Outdoor Adventure Weekend, June 27–July 1; Bear Week, July 8–13; Blue Ridge Running Vacation, July 16–21; Marathon Week, Aug. 5–10; and Half Marathon & Marathon Weekend, Sept. 13–16.Lenoir, NC: $750, weekend; $1,050, week; various dateszapfitness.com
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Courtesy of DivaCycling Camp
DivaCycling
The spirit behind this women’s cycling camp builds a family of friends on two wheels. Women from ages 20 to 70 come from all over the world to ride together at this fun- lled camp. You’ll learn everything from how to change a flat tire to climbing techniques for getting uphill to which wine to pair with your meal. With the camp you get coaching, riding, yoga, physical therapy, goodie bags, and wine tastings. Function meets fun!Diva participants always come back for more, with the camp boasting an amazing 99% return rate. DivaCycling hosts a monthly half-day clinic in Charlotte, NC, so you’re never far from the adventure, but its all-inclusive multiday getaways are offered all over North America, with the next camps being in Muskoka, Ontario (Sept. 20–23) and Marietta, SC (Oct. 18–21). (Earlier options include Huatulco, Mexico, and Asheville, NC.) Plus, a new scholarship program allows six women to attend multiday camps for free. Each camp has only five to 30 women, from beginners to experienced racers, and a max of ve women per coach, so there’s plenty of one-on-one attention.Charlotte, NC, and various other locations; $1,300 for 4 days, or free with scholarship; various datesdivacyclingcamp.com
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Elena Pressprich
REI Outessa
Nationwide outdoor retailer REI brings us REI Outessa, a women’s-only tness retreat where you can learn outdoor sports in a safe environment. Learn to kayak, standup paddleboard, mountain bike, or rock climb con dently, or do sunrise yoga in the forest under the guidance of female experts. The camps happen twice a year: in Tahoe (Squaw Valley, CA, Aug. 2–5) and in the White Mountains (Waterville Valley, NH, Sept. 13–16). Last year nearly 1,000 women from their 20s to 60s joined the fun. There’s even a backpacking workshop that can take you from clueless to fearless with navigation skills, compass reading, and safety for when you’re out solo or want to lead a girls’ trip into the mountains.Outessa costs $899 for three packed days that include free gear usage, all meals, and all lessons, run by pro female outdoor instructors. Bonus: Every attendee gets a supersweet swag (backpacking) bag filled with items from REI partners like Osprey, HydroFlask, The North Face, Maui Jim, and more (value: $300). For a separate fee, you can glamp, camp, or stay in a nearby hotel—but you can’t leave without having a blast.Squaw Valley, CA; Waterville Valley, NH; $899 each; various datesoutessa.com
Make your weekend-warrior moment really count by hopping on the saddle for a two-day (or six-day, for Italy) women’s mountain-biking (MTB) clinic. More than 40% of the clientele here are newbies to the sport, so don’t worry if you are, too—and more than 80% are in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. Founders Lindsey Richter (a pro mountain biker and owner of Ladies AllRide, LLC) and Meredith Brandt (owner of Grit Clinics, LLC) are on a mission to inspire confidence outdoors while gripping the handlebars of a mountain bike. You’ll learn to dig deep, to focus on where you want to go (not where you don’t), and to trust yourself—and the bike.
From the outset you’ll be grouped with women at a similar riding level, so you’re riding safely. Then you’ll start tackling skills appropriate to your group. You’ll break for lunch, ride trails in the afternoon to put what you learned into action, and then end with optional mini workshops like tire changing, body positioning, and nutrition. You’ll edge past your perceived limits and babe- bond like nothing else with fellow female riders because this MTB clinic is just that fun.
Don’t worry about bringing a bike—there are sweet top-of-the-line Liv MTB bikes to demo while here, or you can rent one at a local bike shop. You’ll be guided by the best in the business to learn bike-anatomy basics and how to tune it up like a pro, and you’ll learn new riding techniques to tackle tougher obstacles. You can ask all the questions you want because the camp’s sole mission is to help you nail every trail feature, whether you’re a total beginner (“Um, where are the brakes?”) or advanced (“Where is the next berm?”). The company offers 10 events in epic locations across the U.S. and one in Italy.
Located 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa on Mauritius’ pristine Belle Mare beach, this fitness retreat at Long Beach Resort is an easy sell if you love boot camps and beaches. Ocean views don’t mean you can kick up your feet, though (unless you’re doing butt kicks), because the Pop-Up Fitness X vibe is fun but intense, just like training should be.
Boot camps include training with kettlebells, TRX, med balls, and battle ropes. Exercises target your full body and burn your abs into submission. Plus, you’ll be challenged in nature with hikes and running drills under the open sky, work out to live DJs daily, and enjoy luxe dining and accommodations for as little as about $400 per person per night, all-inclusive. Pop-Up Fitness X is designed by celebrity trainer Olivia Cooney, who is based in London but hosts Pop-Up Fitness events around the world.
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health is a wellness playground where you can take true care of your mind and body. The health haven is bursting at the seams with inspiring energy to help ease all of life’s stressors. Retreats not only breathe life and creativity into your yoga practice but also host workshops on Ayurvedic self-care, clean eating and cooking, journaling, mindfulness, and much more. Classes (of which there may be up to eight workshops for you to choose from each day) dive deep into the “why” behind these practices rather than just the “how,” which usually gets most of the attention. In this way you’ll stretch your mind-body connection, literally and figuratively.
Retreats center on everything from Outdoor Adventure (June 24–29) to Slow Yoga (July 29– Aug. 3) to primal-folk- dance-inspired Buti Yoga (June 15–17) and a Women’s Spiritual Retreat (Aug. 10–12). Lodging prices for dorm rooms start at $87 per night; and for rooms with a private bath/ shared room, from $197 per night.
The campus is gorgeous, the food is healthy and allergen-friendly, the atmosphere is sacred, and you’ll grow exponentially on Day 1. Situated at the top of a hill overlooking a sprawling lake, Kripalu is a three-hour drive from New York City (or a Metro North train ride, plus $70 shuttle fee) and a two-hour drive from Boston. Take a full-on break from your busy life while learning deep tools for handling it with more grace than you ever knew you had inside.
Tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Reebok-sponsored Zap Fitness Adult Running Vacations will make a runner out of you. For one weekend or week, Zap Fitness guides you along the local winding trails, lakes, and high school tracks to form the backdrop for a transformative training experience for your fitness.
You’ll learn everything from pre- and post-run stretching techniques to complementary strength-training exercises to, of course, nitty-gritty running techniques (from gait and pace to arm placement and foot strike). On one run you’ll be recorded so that world-class coaches can evaluate your technique and offer crystal clear pointers that’ll help you improve. Plus, you’ll get nutrition coaching on fueling your fitness. The relaxed atmosphere belies the serious training you’ll get here at this nonprofit camp. When they’re not training you, the coaches are training elite postcollegiate runners, many of whom are Olympic-level athletes.
If your cardio day always looks the same, don’t miss this opportunity to feel better while logging miles and to sprint faster at shorter distances. A little Zap Fitness coaching and lot of practice are all you need.
Run, exercise, take a dip in the ice bath (or hot tub, if that’s more your vibe), gaze at the stars by the fire, and get to know yourself as a runner. Besides unparalleled coaching, the price also includes comfy lodging and three delicious, fit-fuel meals a day. Upcoming camps: Outdoor Adventure Weekend, June 27–July 1; Bear Week, July 8–13; Blue Ridge Running Vacation, July 16–21; Marathon Week, Aug. 5–10; and Half Marathon & Marathon Weekend, Sept. 13–16.
Lenoir, NC: $750, weekend; $1,050, week; various dates
The spirit behind this women’s cycling camp builds a family of friends on two wheels. Women from ages 20 to 70 come from all over the world to ride together at this fun- lled camp. You’ll learn everything from how to change a flat tire to climbing techniques for getting uphill to which wine to pair with your meal. With the camp you get coaching, riding, yoga, physical therapy, goodie bags, and wine tastings. Function meets fun!
Diva participants always come back for more, with the camp boasting an amazing 99% return rate. DivaCycling hosts a monthly half-day clinic in Charlotte, NC, so you’re never far from the adventure, but its all-inclusive multiday getaways are offered all over North America, with the next camps being in Muskoka, Ontario (Sept. 20–23) and Marietta, SC (Oct. 18–21). (Earlier options include Huatulco, Mexico, and Asheville, NC.) Plus, a new scholarship program allows six women to attend multiday camps for free. Each camp has only five to 30 women, from beginners to experienced racers, and a max of ve women per coach, so there’s plenty of one-on-one attention.
Charlotte, NC, and various other locations; $1,300 for 4 days, or free with scholarship; various dates
Nationwide outdoor retailer REI brings us REI Outessa, a women’s-only tness retreat where you can learn outdoor sports in a safe environment. Learn to kayak, standup paddleboard, mountain bike, or rock climb con dently, or do sunrise yoga in the forest under the guidance of female experts. The camps happen twice a year: in Tahoe (Squaw Valley, CA, Aug. 2–5) and in the White Mountains (Waterville Valley, NH, Sept. 13–16). Last year nearly 1,000 women from their 20s to 60s joined the fun. There’s even a backpacking workshop that can take you from clueless to fearless with navigation skills, compass reading, and safety for when you’re out solo or want to lead a girls’ trip into the mountains.
Outessa costs $899 for three packed days that include free gear usage, all meals, and all lessons, run by pro female outdoor instructors. Bonus: Every attendee gets a supersweet swag (backpacking) bag filled with items from REI partners like Osprey, HydroFlask, The North Face, Maui Jim, and more (value: $300). For a separate fee, you can glamp, camp, or stay in a nearby hotel—but you can’t leave without having a blast.
Squaw Valley, CA; Waterville Valley, NH; $899 each; various dates
