Exercising Together - Cardio Workouts at BLS

We have a wide variety of guided cardio classes here at the YMCA that offer different choices of activity, levels of difficulty, and ranges of mobility. We also have brilliant instructors on our staff to help you get excited and ready to move along with them! We spoke to four of our talented cardio class instructors to give you more insight into their passions for exercise, the classes they teach, what they each entail, and tips for anyone who may be trying cardio classes for the first time. 

Cycling with Hanna
Hanna is one of our weekly instructors for our cycling classes. She got into Spinning about 5-6 years ago while taking a class, and from there she fell in love with cycling. She loved the feeling of satisfaction and motivation she got from each class, so she became an instructor to instill that same feeling in others. Her favorite part of teaching her classes revolves around the people, because it is their motivation and excitement that fuels her every time she teaches. Hanna’s classes are structured as follows: a 5-minute warmup, two phases of 15-minute high intensity “hills” intervals, a warm-down with stretching, and an optional 10 minute arm workout to round out the class. For those who may be new to cycling or a high-intensity cardio class, Hanna has four main tips: show up, set a goal, take it at your own pace, and have fun! 

World Vibes Dance with Sandra
Sandra teaches World Vibes Dance, which features different cultural choreography from all over the globe! Her passion for dance was instilled in her from a young age. Her parents were both salsa dancers from Colombia and met at the same cultural arts facility where they taught. Her love for dancing runs deep through her family history, which is why she feels such gratification for teaching others. For Sandra, her favorite part about teaching World Vibes Dance is seeing the members achieve the choreography, because it is a testament of their hard work and appreciation for the cultures. Her goal is for everyone to take away the dance experience with them, and be able to implement the moves beyond the classroom. Sandra’s advice for any newcomers or people who may not be used to dancing is to just step into the door and try it out! It is normal to feel intimidated at first, which is a feeling that even she still feels at her level of experience. But with time and effort, she says that you will be able to “learn, embrace, and own it!” 

Step with Yuri
Yuri has always been passionate about fitness and exercise, but has always gravitated towards step aerobics. Stepping is a rhythmic exercise that is heavily reliant on music, which played a major part in compelling her to start teaching. Yuri wanted to use musical, rhythmic workouts as a vessel for motivation in others, because her personal motivation stems a lot from music and people as well. She tries to emulate that same feeling of musical and group motivation through each of her classes. Step aerobics revolves around patterns of movement, and Yuri likes to format her classes based on gradually building up these combinations as the workout progresses. The general outline of the class is a quick warm up to learn some basic step movements, then learning combos using the basic steps, and repeating the combos while layering new step moves. The workout can easily be adjusted with benches and risers to increase intensity, but Yuri encourages participants to modify the workouts based on their comfort level. To those who want to try step aerobics with Yuri or cardio classes for the first time, her biggest advice is to have patience with yourself. Starting slow and giving yourself patience to grow will help your confidence blossom! 

Cardio Kickboxing with Betsy
Betsy has had decades of experience when it comes to martial arts, and she uses her classes as a way to share her knowledge and empower others. Currently a fourth-degree black belt, Betsy started in jiu jitsu and ground fighting before learning taekwondo with her husband as an adult. After becoming a black belt, she was asked to develop her own program by the CEO of her training company. It was when she started working at the YMCA that she was able to develop her own kickboxing class for those throughout all levels of experience. Cardio kickboxing is a 30-minute express class, so time really does fly when you are training with Betsy! It begins with a brief warmup, and from there she teaches various kickboxing fundamentals like air punching, kicks, and hooks while remaining in a higher-level cardio range. Betsy’s favorite part about teaching the class is seeing people get in a well-rounded workout. While it is a high-intensity cardio workout, all are encouraged to join regardless of experience or skill set. Her biggest piece of advice for those who may feel intimidated by a cardio class is to “be open-minded when you come in, and just try it!”

We encourage you to join any of these classes with our instructors at the Bear Levin Studer Family YMCA today!