Swoosh! Nike's NTC Hits Home in Lincoln Park

Nike's NTC Lincoln Park retail space on level one

Fans of Nike Training Club (NTC) can rejoice. The popular app that we know and love (and recently started loving a little more thanks to a smartphone upgrade) just went live in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. On Monday, Nike opened the doors to its first NTC location, a two-story shop complete with retail and studio space, at 833 W. Armitage.

On level one, you have your retail. You'll find your shoes, your training gear, your sports bras, your tops and bottoms, your carry-alls. Basically everything you'd want at Niketown (correction: Nike Chicago) on the Mag Mile has made its way to Armitage. Except for one tiny detail. NTC has all the women's gear a girl could want. No Air Jordans or football jerseys or any of the other stuff you breeze past inside Nike Chicago when your one-track-mind is sending you upstairs to the running and women's sections.

Try yoga at the level-two NTC studio.

On level two, you have your studio space. Decked out with mirrors, barres and enough floor space for any workout wannabe to sprawl, here's where NTC comes to life. Those kick-butt workouts you've grown to love from your smartphone or tablet? You'll find them weekly at the studio, along with a bevy of other workouts from run club to yoga. If you thought NTC could kick your butt when no one was watching, this takes it to another level. I mean, you're forced to work hard when you're surrounded by others...or die trying.

According to DailyCandy, some of our favorite Chicago sweat spots will be leading the workouts at NTC. Instructors and coaches from Barre Bee Fit, On Your Mark and Tru Harmony Yoga will lead these classes, including NTC, barre and boot camps. Better yet, these ass-whoopings are free, gratis, sin dinero--and seven days a week. Well, as long as you're one of the first 20 people to RSVP for your desired class, which you can do by following @ntclincolnpark on Twitter.

You don't need a gym when you have NTC, seriously. And you don't need to fret about forgetting your workout gear at home. Socks and sports bra still sitting in the dryer? Post-workout wrap hanging in the closet? Lost your running watch? Just pick one up on the first floor either before your sweat session or on your way out. We love it and can't wait to sweat again--our Tuesday yoga session wasn't enough.

Stay tuned for a slideshow with even more images from one of our new favorite Chicago spaces! But in the meantime, check out the below workout schedule so you can start sweating NTC style next week.

Photos (yoga and schedule) courtesy of Nike.