X

New Canaan YMCA

Group Exercise Classes

Group Exercise Classes

Group Exercise Classes

WHERE OUR COMMUNITY BECOMES STRONGER TOGETHER

Group exercise classes are included in your Y membership and provide a motivating and fun group setting.  With over 100+ classes offered each week, there’s something for everyone including strength training, cardio, cycling, aquatics, dance, barre, yoga, pilates, and so much more!  Classes are available to New Canaan YMCA members ages 14+ and all fitness levels are encouraged to attend. Members ages 10-13 may attend classes with a parent, excluding Group Power, and must meet height requirements in order to participate in cycling classes.

Group Exercise Center

group exercise center section

Les Mills BodyAttack: a 45-minute, high-energy fitness class with moves that cater for total beginners to total addicts. We combine athletic
movements like running, lunging, and jumping with strength exercises such as push-ups and squats. BODYATTACK is a whole-body
workout that burns calories while toning and shaping.

Les Mills BodyPump: a 45-minute, full-body barbell workout that burns calories, shapes and tones your entire body, increases core strength, and
improves bone health.

Core +: A 30-minute core-focused workout utilizing different exercises to build strong core.

Chair Fitness: ForeverWell Fitness Class: Chair Fitness improves cardio, core, balance, and strength while seated in an upright chair. With fun music and great instructors, it’s a class for everyone!

Dance Fusion: This fun fusion class combines elements of cardio dance and body weight strength exercises designed to get your heart rate up and strengthen your muscles all to a motivating and upbeat soundtrack.

Drums Alive®: Drums Alive joins the dynamic movements of aerobic dance with the pulsating rhythms of the drum. This full body workout combines movement with the power of drumming and acts as a powerful tool for stress reduction and mental balance…leaving you feeling like a rock star! (Equipment: Swiss balls and drumsticks)

Fit & Functional: A low-impact energetic cardio class infused with strength training and balance work. Emphasis is given to foot, knee and hip alignment. Safe for everyone and intense enough for all fitness levels. Exercise to the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, & 80’s music.

MOSSA® Group Active: Gives you all the training you need – cardio, strength, balance and flexibility – in just 1-hour. Get stronger and healthier with inspiring music, adjustable dumbbells, weight plates, body weight and simple athletic movements. Formally known as Active Together.

MOSSA® Group Blast: Cardio Step Together is 60 minutes of cardio training that uses The STEP® in highly effective, athletic ways. It will get your heart pounding and sweat pouring as you improve your fitness, agility, coordination, and strength with exciting music and group energy. Formally known as Cardio Step Together.

MOSSA® Group Fight: A gripping hour that burns a ton of calories and builds total-body strength. Tap into the hottest mixed martial arts movements done at rapid-fire pace to smash your cardio fitness! Formally known as Defend Together.

MOSSA® Group Power: This class will blast all of your muscles with a high-rep weight training workout. Using an adjustable barbell, weight plates and body weight, this workout combines squats, lunges, presses and curls, with functional integrated exercises. Formally known as Strength Train Together.

Nia: Nia movement classes combines dance choreography, martial arts movements, and mindfulness techniques, resulting in a revolutionary approach to fitness. Enjoy total-body conditioning, get in a great workout and have fun!

Sculpt & Tone: This is a dynamic fitness class designed to sculpt and tone your body through a variety different exercises. Combines strength training with light weights and resistance bands, full-body workout that will leave you feeling stronger, toned, and energized.

Stacked: High-intensity, full-body pyramid class consisting of two 15-minute blocks with timed 30-second intervals including bodyweight exercises and dumbbells.

Total Body Conditioning: A fun cardio and strength combo class designed to give you a total-body workout using different equipment and body weight exercises.

Total Body Strength: A challenging strength training class designed to give you a total body workout using different equipment.

Zumba®: Zumba fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away.

MOSSA® Group Groove: Group Groove will make you sweat with a smile during this energizing hour of dance fitness. It’s a sizzling cardio experience that is fusion of club, urban and Latin dance styles set to current hits and energetic songs.

Mind Body Center

mind body center section

Barre: Blends Pilates mat work with traditional ballet exercises for a total body workout.

Barre Fusion: Work your entire body with a mix of strength, cardio, barre, Pilates and yoga all set to motivating music. First half of class is a mix of strength and cardio exercises utilizing sliders, dumb bells, and body weight; second half of class is mind body focused with barre, Pilates, and yoga. (Formally called Core Fusion)

Gentle Mat Pilates: A beginner-friendly introduction to classic Pilates exercises. Elongate, lengthen, and strengthen the powerhouse muscles for a healthy spine.

MOSSA® Group Centergy: Centergy, formerly Balance & Flex, incorporates yoga and Pilates fundamentals with athletic training for strength, balance, mobility, and flexibility. Emotive music drives the experience as you breathe and sweat through this full-body movement journey. Note: please bring your own mat.

Open Level Yoga: For yogis of all levels who are ready to experience a more intense, flowing class.

Pilates Barre: This class is a blend of Pilates and Barre. Where basic foundations of Pilates combine with traditional ballet-inspired moves for a total body workout.

Pilates Fusion: A combination of Pilates and Yoga.

Pilates Mat: Open-level class involving various Pilates exercises.

Power Barre: Combines elements of ballet and Pilates inspired moves, dance, yoga, and functional fitness training. Small isolated movements as well as larger ranges of motion will be combined to fatigue the muscles and elevate the heart rate by sequencing upper and lower body exercises. The class will improve muscle and core strength, muscle endurance, balance, and flexibility.

Power Barre Express: This 45-minute Power Barre class combines ballet and Pilates-inspired moves, dance, yoga, and functional fitness training. Small isolated movements as well as larger ranges of motion will be combined to fatigue the muscles and elevate the heart rate by sequencing upper and lower body exercises. The class will improve muscle and core strength, muscle endurance, balance, and flexibility.

Power Yoga: A challenging flow of yoga postures designed to create heat within using your body’s own strength and breath.

Power Yoga Retreat: A 90-minute class with 60 minutes of challenging flow of yoga postures designed to create heat within using your body’s own strength and breath followed by 15 minutes of guided meditation.

Super Stretch: Easy, effective exercises for each of the body’s 600+ muscles, starting with the forehead and ending with the toes. A stretched out body is protected against stress, insomnia, and less prone to injury. Open to all!

Vinyasa: Includes sun salutations, standing poses, balances, twists, backbends, forward bends, & restorative poses in an orderly, flowing sequence. Set to music, each class focuses on different poses & alignment actions. Open to all levels and includes modifications for new students.

Yin Yoga: A more meditative, gentler, and slower style of yoga, famous for stretching the connective tissue holding postures for longer periods of time- improving flexibility and cultivating your presence in the present moment.

Yoga Flow: Get your day started or end your day with this wonderful yoga class! Each class is unique, created with the intention of filling you with the seeds of insight, so your practice (wherever it takes you) can be grounded in strength and confidence.

Mindfulness & Meditation: A combination of mindful movements to connect mind to body and to the present moment. Great for self-care, de-stress, and well-being fundamentals.

Introduction to Vinyasa Yoga: This Vinyasa moving meditation practice includes basic asanas/poses, foundations of more advanced poses, and helps students find proper alignment. The Ujjayi breath, specific to traditional Indian Vinyasa, is introduced into the class to create a breath-to-movement rhythm and flow. There are also accommodations given to decrease the intensity, so that all levels of experience are welcome.

Pilates Stretch Fusion: Strengthen your core and increase mobility and flexibility in all areas of the body. Learn how to do planks, roll ups, and crunches safely. All levels welcome.

Gentle Yoga: A tranquil, foundation-building practice designed to introduce new students to yoga, as well as offer regular practitioners a gentle class to complement their yoga practice.

Aquatic Fitness Classes

aquatics center section

Aquamates: This water exercise class is specifically designed for active, older adults. High-energy, fun class is great for improving physical, social, and mental well-being!

Arthritis Water Exercise: A 45-minute low impact water fitness class that focuses on flexibility, range of motion, balance, agility, muscular conditioning, and gentle cardiovascular movements essential for activities of daily living.  A great addition to aquatics arthritis class for participants who have arthritis and want to increase their physical activity.

Deep Water Fitness: This aquatic-based fitness class will challenge your strength while suspended in deep water. Must be comfortable in deep water and able to exit the pool via a pool ladder.

Hydrofit: This aquatic workout focuses on cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, as well as flexibility.

Hydro Intervals: High-energy cardio and resistance training in a fun aquatic environment using a variety of equipment and exercises. This class is suitable for all fitness levels and injury-free individuals.

Our Y is proud to be the only facility in this area to offer eight of their programs including Strength Train Together®, Defend Together®, Cardio Step Together®, Core Focus Together®, Active Together®, Cycle Together®, Cycle 30 Together®, and Groove Together®. We have three beautiful centers where we conduct our programs. All of our classes are taught by Y staff who have been certified in their respective class disciplines and are among the most caring, experienced, and high quality professionals in the area.

Cycling Center

cycling center section

Cycling (Spinning): Cycling is a 45-minute (unless indicated otherwise) non-impact cardiovascular and strength workout set to music on a specially-designed stationary bike.

Cycling & Strength: A 45-minute class of half cycling and half strength training for a total body experience. Each segment will be 20 minutes each.

MOSSA® Group Ride: Group Ride is a cycling experience brought indoors that will get you heart, lung, and leg strong. Inspiring music sets the pace and creates the terrain as you roll over hills, chase the pack, spin the flats, climb mountains, and sprint to the finish! RIDE ON!

Pedal Pushers: This 30-minute introduction to cycling class features low to moderate intensity that starts with individualized bike set-up to ensure optimal safety and results. Get your heart rate up while enjoying motivating tunes from the past. Perfect for those new to cycling looking for a cardio option to complement classes like Chair Yoga, Fit & Functional, Water Fitness, Chair Fitness, or other lower intensity classes.

Wagner Room

wagner room section

Chair Pilates: From the chair to the mat, this 45-minute Chair Pilates class will simultaneously strengthen and elongate all muscles of the body, focusing on the powerhouse (core) while using your own body weight for a healthy spine.

Chair Yoga: With the support of a chair, this gentle Chair Yoga class will help you improve postural alignment, maintain pelvic mobility, reduce muscle tension and gain strength through flowing movements and focused breathing.

Qigong: Qigong (pronounced “chee-gong”) is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing and meditation.

Super Stretch: Easy, effective exercises for each of the body’s 600+ muscles, starting with the forehead and ending with the toes. A stretched out body is protected against stress, insomnia, and less prone to injury. Open to all!

The Zone

zone section

Bootcamp: 45-minute high-intensity total body workout that combines elements of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), circuit training, and strength training, utilizing various equipment.

Metabolic Conditioning: Full-body workout that uses compound movements to overload your muscles and cardiovascular system, with longer work intervals and shorter rest periods.

Zone Challenge: 45-minute high-intensity total body workout that combines elements of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), circuit training and strength training, utilizing various equipment in the Zone.

Zone HIIT: 45-minute, timed high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class, using minimal equipment or your own body weight held in the Zone.

Zone Lower Body: Strength training class with focus on lower body.

Zone Upper Body: Strength training class with focus on upper body.

Contact

For additional information and any questions about group exercise class offerings, contact Tetiana Kokorska, Group Exercise Director, at 203-920-1636 or by email.