St. John's Recreation Center at 1251 Prospect Place in Crown Heights has five free group fitness classes on the schedule between Thursday, October 29, and Tuesday, November 3. All five are run by Shape Up NYC, the city's free fitness program, and all five cost nothing to attend.

The classes run in the center's gymnasium and dance room, and they cover a range: a low-impact morning workout, two circuit sessions, a dance class and an evening yoga flow.

The schedule

  • Total Body Fitness, Thursday, October 29, 8 to 9 a.m., in the gymnasium. A low-impact full-body class mixing cardio, strength and balance exercises. Instructor: Fiona Adams.
  • No Excuses Circuit Training, Saturday, October 31, 9 to 9:45 a.m., in the dance room. A beginner-level class built on timed strength and endurance stations with short rests, rotating through different muscle groups. Instructor: Gail Madison.
  • Zumba, Saturday, October 31, 10 to 11 a.m., in the gymnasium. Dance-based interval training set to Latin, international and pop music. Instructor: Cynthia Fauvette.
  • Strength & Cardio Circuit Training, Sunday, November 1, 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., in the dance room. Bodyweight resistance and conditioning for all fitness levels, with modifications offered. Instructor: Chelsie Reid.
  • Hatha Flow, Tuesday, November 3, 6 to 7 p.m., in the dance room. An alignment-based class on breath, mobility and body awareness, open to all levels. Instructor: Yasemin Algur.

How to sign up

Each class takes registration through NYC Parks, which opens on the Parks events page for that class and closes on the day of the session. First-timers create a free NYC Parks account to register.

Two practical notes from the class listings: participants sign in at the front desk, and anyone taking a dance room class should bring a lock, because bags stay in the lockers. Only a towel, water and a phone go into the dance room. The hatha class asks students to bring their own mat.

Getting there

St. John's Recreation Center is on Prospect Place in the blocks north of Eastern Parkway, inside St. John's Park. Saturday's two sessions run back to back, so it is possible to do the circuit class and stay for Zumba.

Shape Up NYC classes repeat at recreation centers across the five boroughs, and the NYC Parks events calendar lists the full schedule by park and neighborhood.

Sources