The best way to get in shape is the one you’ll actually show up for—and you’ll find as many workout options as there are excuses.

The city’s full-service fitness centers—boasting an ever-growing menu of group classes, equipment and training options—still welcome legions of the fit and hoping-to-be each day. New pay-as-you-go, no-frills gyms like Blink (an Equinox spinoff) and Method are joining classic city gyms like New York Sports Club, Equinox and Crunch in the competition for your lunch hour sweat session. Training gyms—Iron & Silk Fitness Center and Sitaris are two examples—also gaining in popularity as fitness trainers are increasingly viewed as the fast track to losing the baby weight or getting boardroom-buff. Workouts are often by appointment, and members work one-on-one with pros rather than solo or in group classes. For those who aren’t thrilled by the gym environment but want the benefit of a structured workout, marathon-style “boot-camp” workouts—companies like Pace4Success and trainers like Roger Grand hold sessions in Central Park—are putting athletes of both the seasoned and armchair variety through their paces.

One-hit wonders—branded workouts like Zumba and Crossfit—have also caught on with legions of former couch potatoes. Like fit-chick magnet Physique 57 with its centers on the Upper East Side, in Soho and the Hamptons and promises of a “lifted seat,” their engaging videos and collegial classes make working up a sweat easier to swallow. Celebrity-filled spinning gyms like Flywheel Sports and SoulCycle add even more specialization to the workout landscape.

None of the above options are free, of course; but with miles of foot and bike trails, stairs and sidewalks to be conquered without need for memberships, gear or an extra hour in the morning, the city also offers plenty of fitness options that don’t involve spending a dime (unless it’s in the many stores you’re likely to pass on an urban hike).