Yes, i know not everyone’s the same so i’m going to give you a little bit of my background so you can compare these experiences to yourself as accurately as possible. Personally I am a fairly active person, I workout 5-6 days a week, not too rigorous but my workouts are usually HIIT (high intensity interval training) i have a stronger endurance.
I will say a majority of the classes can be altered to your own needs so nothing will be too ‘hard’ or impossible for you to complete.
Image courtesy of Drexel
1. BodyPump
This being my personal favorite, it is a High rep low weight, weightlifting class. Luckily this is a class that you gradually build up your weight so you most likely will not be at the same weight as the person next to you. There is a maximum of 7 rounds you will be doing it consists of, squats, abs, biceps,triceps,shoulders,chest, and lunges. The class is exactly 1 hour. I would give this class 5/5 rating
2. Cycle
This class is also one of my favorites, it is pretty self explanatory, if you have heard of soul cycle it is the same concept. I will say at the DAC it is less intense and less ‘party’ like, but there is still upbeat music and all of the instructors are well trained and will keep you on track. You can feel free to go at your own pace in this class or follow the instructor. There is always a structured route that is planned for every class. This class is 45 minutes. I would give this class a 4/5 rating
3. Barre
I felt that this class was a but better than pilates, it did get me moving and I was able to work out all if the small areas in the body. It is not intense but it does feel like you are toning your body, similar to yoga. I felt that the room was very cold and i was not able to warm up but I did like the exercises and how it really focused in on certain parts of the body. This is an hour long class. I would give it a ⅗ rating
4. Pilates
Personally being a high intensity workout person this class was too slow and did not provide the workout/ stretching for me.it is supposed to target the small muscles in the body but it did not feel like I was doing much of anything. I did not break a sweat and I felt that the instructor was not as experienced. I went to 3 of these classes and experienced the same thing. If a slower paced class is for you and not as intense i would recommend this class. This class is 45 minutes. I would give this class a ⅖ rating.
5. Hip Hop HIIT
This class is very high intensity and full of choreographed workouts. If you are not fully into zumba like me (i’m not a big dancer) this is the perfect workout for you. It is an hour full of fun and there is always upbeat trending music you will enjoy. The class goes by so fast and you work up a sweat and won’t even notice! I give this class 5/5
6. Zumba
Personally I can not dance, this is a very high intensity dance class. You need lots of coordination and the ability to follow along. I believe it is too fast paced for my liking and i could not follow. BUT do not let me discourage you from doing this class, I believe it is one of the most popular classes and lots of people have so much fun. I just wanted to put my input about how the class flows. It is an hour long class. I would give it a ⅗ rating.
7. Yoga
This yoga class is just your average yoga class. I felt that it it every single point that a yoga class should have, it was not too intense or slow. One problem I did have was that the room was very cold. If you are someone like me who likes a hot or warm yoga room this is not the place to go. I felt that I could not stretch as far as I would have liked because my body never fully warmed up. This is an hour long class. I would give this class a ⅗ rating
8. Core Conditioning
As you can tell by the name you will be working the core. This class is a fun and quick class, if you feel that you need to focus on your abs and stay on track this is the perfect class to go to. It is only 30 minutes but just dedicated to your core. It is not useful for cardio or weight training. I would give this class a ⅘ rating
9. Body Combat
Body combat is much like bodypump just without the weights. It is a circuit based class This is a MMA inspired class so you will be punching and kicking a lot more and you will be constantly moving. I feel that this is a great source of cardio and you can easily catch on and get into. You can go at your own pace and use as much or as little intensity as you feel fit. This is an hour long class i would give it a ⅘ rating.
10. Cardio N tone
This class is super intense. You are constantly moving, the instructor is very passionate about what she does, i would recommend working up endurance before entering this class because it will kick your a**. Personally I feel that I am in shape and keeping up in this class was a struggle for me. It is an hour long class. I would give this class a ⅘ rating
Again, I do not want to discourage anyone from going to any of the classes at the DAC i just wanted to provide my own input to people just like me, or to people that were just too scared to try out a new class. I hope my input was able to lead you to the right class for you!
Image courtesy of Drexel Athletics