Two Washington Heights parks are running exercise classes this week. Fort Tryon Park has a standing outdoor class three mornings a week, and the Highbridge Recreation Center on Amsterdam Avenue has circuit training and a basketball clinic for young children. Here is what is on through Saturday, November 7.

Forest Fitness in Fort Tryon Park

Fitness at the Fort is a free, year-round class that meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It is led by Nancy Bruning, who holds a master's in public health. A session mixes climbing the park's staircases with stretching and strength exercises, identifying notable trees along the way, and a stretch of forest bathing, the practice of slowing down to take in the woods.

NYC Parks says every class accommodates all fitness levels, though each one involves brisk walking and some stairs because of the way the park is laid out. Routes change with the season, the weather and path conditions, and every class meets at the Heather Garden entrance near Margaret Corbin Circle. The Saturday class ends at the Anne Loftus Playground and adds an optional group walk afterward to the Greenmarket on Isham Street.

  • Saturday, October 31, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
  • Tuesday, November 3, and Thursday, November 5, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
  • Saturday, November 7, 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

The Heather Garden, which Parks describes as the largest public garden with unrestricted access in the city, holds more than 500 varieties of plants, trees and shrubs. The A train stops at 190th Street, a short walk from Margaret Corbin Circle.

Circuit training at Highbridge Recreation Center

The Highbridge Recreation Center, at 2301 Amsterdam Avenue in Highbridge Park, has two circuit classes in its dance room this week:

  • Rise and Restore Circuit Training, Saturdays October 31 and November 7, 10 to 10:45 a.m. It combines bodyweight resistance training and conditioning in a full-body workout, with modifications for every level.
  • Cardio Circuit Blast, Friday, November 6, 6 to 7 p.m. A higher-intensity class built from bodyweight circuits, also open to all levels. Participants sign in at the front desk and bring a lock for their bags; only a towel, water and a phone are allowed in the dance room.

A basketball clinic for ages 5 to 7

On Saturday, November 7, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., the center runs an instructional basketball clinic for children ages 5 to 7, regardless of skill. Kids work through drills on the fundamentals, and the clinic leads into league play.

One thing to know before going: the center's gymnasium is closed through Wednesday, November 4, for early voting and the general election. The clinic falls after it reopens.

Getting there

For the recreation center, the 1 train stops at 168th Street and the A and C at 168th Street on St. Nicholas Avenue.

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