No resolutions needed, just fun fitness group classes offered at the LBYMCA to jumpstart the winter semester
As the holidays come and go, people have been gathering with family and friends and sharing meals together, many times over. Once the new year rolls around, most peopple have had their fill of rich foods and sweet treats, so when the ball drops at midnight people make resolutions to get back into shape and commit to a gym. At Laurier, students’ tuition prices include a membership to the YMCA and almost full use of the facilities.
These facilities include a fully functioning gym and access to large spaces for community sport programs, as well as a plethora of fitness classes.
The LBYMCA is located at 100 Water Street and offers a wide variety of fitness classes to jumpstart a fitness jounrey in a safe and inclusive environment.
Classes at the YMCA
There are many different options for classes at the YMCA to pick and choose from based on personal interest and fitness level. There are cardio clasess which focus on cardiovascular health and workouts based on raising the heart rate and heart health. Cardio classes like cycling, aerobics, low impact walking or high impact kick boxing. For those who don’t want to feel too structured, there are Zumba classes as well to learn a new skill while maintaining health.
High impact cardio is not everyone’s cup of tea, and the YMCA has options for all preferences. Mind and body classes offer the health benefits of a workout class with less impact and more mindful movement. Yoga, Pilates, and many variations of these practices are offered to members as well as a class called BallFit. BallFit is a version of pilates using a stability ball in the practice to train the core, stability, posture and balance.
All YMCA classes provide the equipment needed so members can show up as is.
For those looking for more of a challenge, the YMCA offers resistance and toning classes that work all muscle groups. Barre inspired fitness classes combine traditional strength and cardio training by fusing exercises from Pilates and dance to build muscles, get the heart rate up and improve balance. TRX (Total resistance exercise) is a fun class that works the whole body by using gravity and bodyweight while on a TRX suspension trainer. TRX may sound intimidating, but it is welcome to all fitness levels.
For the best of both worlds, the YMCA offers a combination of strength and cardio classes. Cardio kickboxing is an intermediate class that provides all the equipment to learn the joy of kickboxing. Step and sculpt is a breath of fresh air in the workout week to get the heart rate up and strengthen and tone. VIPR Pro is a big commitment for fitness members, it is an eight-week circuit class that uses a variety of weighted training tools and free weight training.
No matter the fitness goals for 2025, the Laurier Brantford YMCA certainly has many options for Golden Hawks to choose from.
Interview someone at the ymca to talk about the classes and which ones are the most popular
This article was originally printed in Volume 24, issue 5 on January 9, 2025.