A new condo trend is emerging in T.O. geared towards high-end fitness facilities and radical new workout regimens.

In most new condos, the builder will hire a management firm to run their amenities and then turn it over to the condo board.

Justin Dyer runs Innofit, a company that supplies equipment, consulting services and personal trainers to condos. “In the past, the fitness amenities used to be an afterthought; it literally was the last thing that the developer would do. Now it’s a high priority. It’s no longer an afterthought because people are actually using these facilities,” he says.

And builders are now opting for quality, commercial equipment, like Monarch Development’s new Nautilus condo. The machines are made by Life Fitness, one of the largest commercial suppliers in Canada. When it comes to this type of equipment, “You get what you pay for,” says Steven Mancini, Nautilus’ project manager.

If you build it, they might not come, as when Concorde Adex built several 20-foot rock-climbing walls. “At Panorama, we have a rock-climbing wall that no one has ever used. And they also have one at Neo and Montage. Not one person used it.”

According to Dyer, you need a consultant to make things happen. “I’ll make that project usable. So for Panorama, instead of the 20-foot rock-climbing wall, I recommended an eight-foot square perpetual wall that has a circle that turns. As it turns you can keep climbing on it.”

Hot yoga is very big right now. “It’s basically doing yoga in sauna-like atmospheres. You use radiant heat panels to heat the room.

You have an instructor and you go through a series of positions. “I built one at Discovery I and II, and I’m building one at the Parade condominium. We’re actually doing the bamboo flooring today. From what I understand, these are the only two hot yoga rooms in a residential building in North America.”

‘People love it’

The next wave of condo booty calls

Another hot new condo trend is boot camp.

We are proposing to our clients, kick boxing, boxing and boot camp in an area where it’s just very industrial; let us be able to hang punching bags, and you can have a class.”

According to Dyer, Tony Austin is the best boot camp instructor in the GTA. “I used to have Tony doing boot camps in condominiums.”

Best in the whole GTA? So Metro went to see Tony at Fit Factory, his brand-new workout studio on Yonge Street.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the conspicuous absence of workout machinery.

“We don’t use machines, we make them. Back in the ’80s, it was all about the machines and free weights and getting big, but it’s hard to incorporate into your lifestyle.”

Tony is the real deal: an ex-US marine corps drill sergeant with 22 years of service. He says that boot camp or functional training is the next wave in fitness.

“It works so well in the condo community. I actually taught in these various condo communities and people love it.”