Group‑X gives you access to every fitness class we offer. From Gentle Yoga to Total Body Strength, Cycling to Hard Core, you’ll find classes that are as intense, or relaxed, as you are. And you’ll find that our engaging instructors and supportive class environment provide the perfect combination of motivation and fun!
No matter where you are, you can still move with your Group‑X community! As Recreational Sports ventures into a new hybrid space, our Group‑X instructors are coming to you live through virtual classes, and soon-to-be in-person, too! We’re committed to providing you with a safe and fun workout while promoting a holistic approach to well-being.
Check out our full schedule of classes below or subscribe to our YouTube channel to get started. These resources, along with others below, will keep you on track with pursuing your fitness goals!
Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the entire body. It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core often called the “powerhouse” in Pilates. EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Loop resistance band and small blue ball (other options can be a small pillow or mini foam roller).
Vinyasa-style yoga class focuses on building strength and flexibility through a new breath-to-movement flow each week. Flows incorporate dynamic transitions and balancing poses. Great for experienced practitioners while offering modifications to accommodate all skill levels.
Experience strength training like never before! Take this class if you want to strengthen every muscle in one workout. We’ll offer you instruction on how to use free weights effectively and safely. Whether you are an experienced lifter or have never lifted before, this class is right for you! Class registration opens 7 days prior to class and closes 30 minutes before class start.
This class is for those who want to party, and put extra emphasis on toning and sculpting to define those muscles! Lightweight maraca-like Toning Sticks enhance the sense of rhythm and coordination while toning target zones, including arms, core, and lower body.
An invigorating, low-impact workout that combines motivating music and easy-to-follow instructions. No matter your skill level, you’ll enjoy a fun ride that will make you feel fit and full of energy. Class registration opens 7 days prior to the class start & closes 30 minutes prior to the class start.
Each week the teacher will guide students through a new set of yoga poses. Focusing on the essential components of breath and alignment, students will spend more time holding each pose, focusing on building stamina and flexibility. This class is great for beginners as well as experienced students. Registration opens 7 days before class and closes 30 minutes prior to the start of class.
Experience strength training like never before! Take this class if you want to strengthen every muscle in one workout. We’ll offer you instruction on how to use free weights effectively and safely. Whether you are an experienced lifter or have never lifted before, this class is right for you! Class registration opens 7 days prior to class and closes 30 minutes before class start.
This vinyasa-style yoga class focuses on building strength and flexibility through a new breath-to-movement flow each week. Flows incorporate dynamic transitions and balancing poses. Great for experienced practitioners while offering modifications to accommodate all skill levels. Registration opens 7 days before class and closes 30 minutes prior to the class start.
An invigorating, low-impact workout that combines motivating music and easy-to-follow instructions. No matter your skill level, you’ll enjoy a fun ride that will make you feel fit and full of energy. Class registration opens 7 days prior to the class start & closes 30 minutes prior to the class start.
Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the entire body. It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core often called the “powerhouse” in Pilates. EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Loop resistance band and small blue ball (other options can be a small pillow or mini foam roller).
Each week the teacher will guide students through a new set of yoga poses. Focusing on the essential components of breath and alignment, students will spend more time holding each pose, focusing on building stamina and flexibility. This class is great for beginners as well as experienced students.
Buying your Group‑X Unlimited Pass allows you access to Group‑X classes all semester long. The unlimited pass provides you access to all virtual classes or in-person classes each week. You must be a current Recreational Sports member or currently enrolled UM student to purchase our in-person pass, however, anyone can buy our Virtual Class Pass option!
Visit the Recreational Sports webstore to purchase your pass. Fall pass sales begin on August 24th. All pass sales are final and non-refundable.
Once you’ve purchased a pass, you will receive an email confirmation. You can begin registering online and attending Group‑X classes immediately. Registration secures your spot in a class. If you know you can’t make it to class, be sure to drop your registration so that someone else can attend, especially for our in-person classes. See the information below for how to access all classes.
If you are a non-student or not a Rec Sports member, you will need to sign up for an account through the web store
In order to register for classes after September 7, you will need to purchase the Group‑X Unlimited Virtual Class Pass.
Once you have the Group‑X Unlimited Virtual Class Pass, you may register for any class.
Registration closes 1 minute before the class start time. Once registered you will receive a confirmation email. You can join class via the details in that email, including through the calendar invite. You can also log into your web store Profile, go to Programs and join from there.
Once registered for a class, you can check-in (access the Zoom meeting) 30 minutes prior to the start of class and up to 10 minutes after the start of class.
Check-in and Move!
We want you to have the best experience possible with us, whether online or in our spaces, so please arrive or virtually check-in to class on time. All classes, virtual and in-person, are drop-in. We encourage you to turn on your video so our instructors can see you if you’re at home. Mute your audio to keep down background noise, but feel free to engage when it’s appropriate!
Registration Timeframe
Check-in Timeframe
In-Person Class
Opens 7 days prior to the class. Closes 30 minutes before the start of class.
Available 15 minutes before the start of class and up to 5 minutes after the class start time.
Virtual Class
Opens 120 days prior to the class. Closes 1 minute before the start of class.
Available 30 minutes before the start of class and up to 10 minutes after the class start time.
Class Descriptions
We offer four types of classes: Floor (Strength and Cardio), Dance, Mind/Body, Cycling. Class offerings may vary semester to semester. Please see our calendar for the current semester’s schedule.
Challenge and sculpt your body without risk of injury from overuse by using a sequence of movements within different ranges of motion. No barre necessarily required and minimal equipment is used.
Come to this fifty-minute class filled with the perfect balance of cardiovascular training and core conditioning. Our cardio drills will get your heart rate up while core exercises strengthen a variety of your muscle sets. Build your endurance and strength with this challenging and fun class.
Come punch and kick to the beat of great music! In this quick-paced cardio class, your body will stay in motion as you build strength, endurance, and confidence. People of all fitness levels will get results at this fun and challenging class.
An invigorating, low-impact workout that combines motivating music and easy-to-follow instructions. No matter your skill level, you’ll enjoy a fun ride that will make you feel fit and full of energy.
HIGH Fitness is a hardcore, fun fitness class that incorporates aerobic interval training with music you love and intense, easy-to-follow fitness choreography. It combines FUN (pop songs of old and new that everyone knows) with INTENSITY (intervals, plyometrics, and cardio) with CONSISTENCY (each song has specific, simple moves taught the same by all instructors). HIGH Fitness produces full-body toning through its carefully formulated choreography that alternates between intense cardio peaks and toning tracks. Get Addicted to being fit!
Do you want an intense workout? How about an environment that offers the support and encouragement you need to reach your peak performance? Then this class is for you! Metabolic Circuit is based on fun strength and cardio drills. You’ll use a variety of equipment like kettlebells, BOSU balance balls, TRX, TRX Rip Trainer and gliding discs all designed to push you to your limits.
Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the entire body. It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core often called the “powerhouse” in Pilates.
This vinyasa-style yoga class focuses on building strength and flexibility through a new breath-to-movement flow each week. Flows incorporate dynamic transitions and balancing poses. Great for experienced practitioners while offering modifications to accommodate all skill levels.
This class focuses on calming the mind and body through a gentle meditative flow combined with a yin series. Yin postures entail holding deep, restorative stretches at your level, often incorporating props such as blocks and straps.
Each week the teacher will guide students through a new set of yoga poses. Focusing on the essential components of breath and alignment, students will spend more time holding each pose, focusing on building stamina and flexibility. This class is great for beginners as well as experienced students.
Just like STRONG Nation classes using body weight, muscle conditioning, cardio and plyometric training moves but packed into 30 minutes. This efficient and focused class helps you fit fitness into any schedule.
Looking for an intense, time-efficient full-body workout? Tabata is the most result-driven form of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). In this class you will push yourself to the max and achieve full body fitness by completing a variety drills at specific work-rest ratios.
Experience strength training like never before! Take this class if you want to strengthen every muscle in one workout. We’ll offer you instruction on how to use free weights effectively and safely. Whether you are an experienced lifter or have never lifted before, this class is right for you!
Ditch the traditional workout and join the party! This Latin-inspired, dance-and-fitness class offers an exciting, exhilarating and effective workout. You’ll develop your stamina and your body tone with easy to follow dance moves, set to the fast and slow rhythms of cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip-hop, pop, mambo, rumba, flamenco, calypso and salsaton. No dance experience required.
This class is for those who want to party, but put extra emphasis on toning and sculpting to define those muscles! Lightweight maraca-like Toning Sticks enhance the sense of rhythm and coordination while toning target zones, including arms, core, and lower body.
Group-X has given me something to look forward to every day and feel good about myself.
Group-X has definitely made exercise and fitness more accessible to me. It makes me feel good and I've loved all the classes I've taken.
This is the only way I feel comfortable exercising! Thank you!
Please note, you will be taken to the Zumba® website to register for the Zumba® Basic 1. This introductory training will give you the tools you need to lead your own Zumba® class. Learn the Zumba® formula, the four basic rhythms and more! Get 65% off the registration by using this code AFFGYMUMRS65.
Date: Sunday, October 23, 2022
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Cost: $399
Location: CCRB – Fitness 1 (401 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109)
The first step to becoming an instructor is getting your certification. Check the resources below for more details on how to become certified. Once certified, you’re eligible to teach for Group‑X and other fitness centers.
We understand how busy life at U‑M can be, so let us bring private fitness instruction to you with Group‑X On-the-Go. Our instructors will come to your on-campus location or live stream virtually to provide your group/team with a customized class of your choice. Please complete the following information three weeks in advance of your event so we get you and your group moving. (NOTE: If you prefer to use a Rec Sports facility, you must complete a Facility Rental request first and indicate you also want a Group‑X On-the-Go class. Once an agreement is finalized, we will proceed to find an instructor for your event. Do not complete this form.)
Become an Instructor
We’re always looking for energetic and motivated people to join our team.
New Instructors
If you’re a U‑M Student who would like to move from attending a class to leading it, start your journey now. We’ll guide your training, every step of the way with our Mentorship Program.
Mentorship Program
The mentorship program is a paid position with Recreational Sports and is highly recommended for those without a certification or those who have been newly certified.
Upon completion of the mentorship program, we require that you be able to teach on our schedule for at least a full academic year. At the end of the mentorship program, you will be required to receive a national certification to officially teach for Group‑X.
The mentoring will combine classroom lectures with a focus on the application of exercise science, practical experience in the form of teaching, shadowing, and constructive feedback to prepare you to teach your first Group‑X class.
In Fall 2022 we will be offering 2 mentorship groups:
Cycle
Strength/Conditioning
Please see the dates below for the Fall 2022 mentoring process. Applications are due September 13, 2022. Apply here. The application process will include a Zoom Interview between September 14 – September 16th and an audition/movement demonstration on September 19th or 20th
Mandatory Workshop Dates: Every Tuesday or Thursday (depending on your mentorship group) from 4:00 pm-7:00 pm starting September 29 – November 17, 2022
Alex’s favorite part of Ann Arbor is the Arb. When she isn’t spending time there, she enjoys teaching yoga because her yoga practice has benefited her physical and mental health in so many ways. She wants to share these benefits with others. Alex feels physical activity is important for U of M students because it provides an escape from the stress of schoolwork where students can turn their focus inward and reflect. (Fun fact: Alex has a black lab puppy named Reina, which means “queen” in Spanish!)
Anita has been teaching yoga for eight years. She likes to teach yoga because she appreciates having the opportunity to share the practice she loves and witness the transformation that can occur in students over the span of just one class. Anita believes that physical activity is important for U of M students because physical activity is such a wonderful way to re-connect with the body and expand the boundaries of our comfort zone. (Anita’s favorite healthy snack is watermelon when it is in season, or apple slices with sun butter. Give it a try!)
Bhavani likes teaching yoga because growing up, she was never an athlete and was always intimidated by sports and physical activity. She loves to teach to bring out peoples’ inner confidence and to help them feel energized and ready to face anything. Fun fact: Bhavani was influenced by yoga at a young age by her grandfather, who was a Sanskrit professor, and her exposure to the Bhagavad Gita, certain portions of which she memorized for competitions at her temple.
Brendan likes to teach yoga because he loves to connect with participants at all levels and share with them the practices the have been so helpful to him. Through yoga and mediation, he tries to tune people into the power they have to shape their lives, emphasizing compassionate engagement with both mind and body. His health philosophy is that exercise and physical activity should be grounded in mindful awareness and openness in order to create ideal conditions for self-growth.
Camille likes to teach Zumba because she loves music and dancing, and loves to share this joy with others. She thinks that exercise is important to the U of M community because it is an essential part of mental and physical well-being. Doing this with others on campus enhances this experience! And that is Camille’s favorite part of U of M: the people.
Chloe is a HIGH Fitness group exercise instructor. She likes teaching group fitness classes because she says it is a thrill to be able to create and lead one. Her favorite part of Ann Arbor and U of M is the bookstores! Chloe thinks that physical activity is important for the U of M community because it keeps people energized and invigorated. Her personal health philosophy is do what brings you joy while keeping your health in mind. In other words, treat yourself to the ice cream but don’t forget to regularly eat vegetables and exercise and sleep!
Damilare’s health philosophy is that fitness should be safe and fun while promoting the health and wellness of the body, mind, and spirit. He likes to teach Zumba because he enjoys dancing, spreading joy, and encouraging, inspiring and lifting people up. Zumba/Dance Fitness provides him the perfect format to do all that. Damilare also likes traveling (currently at 34 U.S. States visited, 24 countries internationally travelled to, and 8 countries lived in across 4 continents).
Elizabeth likes teaching group exercise because she loves creating music-driven workouts and then sharing her high energy vibe. To her, teaching classes is more than just leading a workout – it’s building a community of people who come together and share an experience. Her favorite thing about U of M is the amazing and strong organizational behavior, sociology, and psychology departments! She feels truly fortunate to be a part of a powerhouse of thinkers. And for a fun fact, Elizabeth participated in an archaeological dig at Catalhoyuk, Turkey for a summer during undergrad at Stanford. She found a worship site as well as exhumed a skeleton by herself!
Erica enjoys teaching group exercise (specifically yoga) because she loves using movement as a meditative practice that helps her connect her mind and body. Through this practice, she learns more about herself and can grow both on and off the mat – this is something she enjoys sharing with her participants so they can experience that same growth. Her health philosophy reflects this: she believes in moving for the love of moving, and balancing strength and mobility work to promote lifelong health and fitness. Aside from her love of teaching yoga, Erica’s favorite part about Ann Arbor is all of the great vegan restaurants around!
Jane likes to teach group exercise because she loves feeling strong and empowered, and seeing others realize just how strong and capable they are is an amazing thing. Her health philosophy is simple: take care of your body – movement, rest, nutrients, and fun foods are all an important part of your health! When she isn’t teaching group exericse, Jane likes to go to all of the amazing restaurants and dessert places in Ann Arbor! (Palm Palaca and Blank Slate are her favorites)
Julia likes teaching group exercise because she loves the community that Group‑X creates. Teaching a class is about much more than just working out – it is about feeling energized and accomplished and creating a support system along the way! Teaching a class always makes her day because she feels like she has done something good for herself, and more importantly, she feels like she’s helped others. When she isn’t teaching group exercise classes, Julia likes spending time in Ann Arbor and it’s community. Specifically, she loves going downtown for dinner or buying food at the farmers market (her favorite healthy snack is hummus!)
Katy likes to teach group exercise because she enjoys motivating people to improve their health and fitness. She thinks working out in a group setting is very empowering! She also believes that life is about balance. You have to care for all parts of yourself to achieve your best health: physical, mental, and emotional. Katy encourages her participants to step out of their comfort zones. She stepped out of her personal comfort zone by starting Krav Maga a couple years ago!
Kavya likes to teach group exercise because she finds it incredible that people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ages can come together for one hour a day and just focus on having fun and dancing to the beat of the music. This does wonders for both our physical and mental health! Her favorite thing about U of M is the loyalty that students and alumni have to the university. Wherever Kavya goes in the world, she almost always see people sporting their maize and blue. And she has been to a lot of places! She loves to travel and a few favorites have been Thailand, New Zealand, and South Africa.
She likes to teach group exercise because she likes to share her passion and energy for exercise and well-being with others. Her health philosophy is to find activities you like so you are motivated to do them and they’re fun in order to help balance your work and social life. This past summer, she participated in an activity she likes: she competed in Dances with Dirt, a team 100k trail run through Hell, MI!
Mack’s favorite part of Ann Arbor is being able to walk everywhere and explore! She spots something new that she didn’t notice before every time she walks around campus or through the city (although her walks around the city may not be quite the same as the time she climbed an active volcano in Nicaragua). She likes to teach because she loves the idea of being able to lead a workout that doesn’t necessarily feel like a workout. People can come to class just to move and have fun knowing that they are doing something good for their minds and bodies.
Maddy just moved to Ann Arbor but she already loves the various parks and running trails. She has a goal to visit 30 national parks before she turns 30! She likes to teach group exercise because she loves to help people achieve their fitness goals in a fun workout environment. Her personal health philosophy is that health is more than just the active lifestyle one has; it encompasses the mind, body, and quality of life. Work hard and be proud of what you achieve!
Ramona’s health philosophy is that fitness and well-being are a long-term commitment: don’t let one bad day derail you, get back on track! She thinks that physical activity is important for the U of M community because it helps with stress and encourages mental health; it fosters a more positive attitude towards one’s body. (Fun fact: Ramona could say, “Let’s do one more” in four different languages)
Rayut enjoys teaching Zumba because she likes how it makes her feel and how it inspires each participant to get their groove on and just express themselves. She is currently studying Public Health at U of M, which is in line with why she feels physical activity is important for U of M students: It’s an amazing release from everyday stressors and allows for an amazing healthy community to be a part of. Physical activity with group ex is fun, motivating, and Everyone is working at the same thing together! (Fun Fact: All of Rayut’s family is from South Africa!)
Sarah feels that physical activity is important for the U of M community because beyond the physical benefits, activity helps with well-being and learning in other areas of life. Most importantly, she has noticed that physical activity is another area for students, herself included, to let go of perfection and learn that progress, growth, and learning are part of everything. (Fun facts: Sarah recently trained her dog to stop eating her running socks, and she also has lived in Spain twice)
Sydney enjoys teaching group exercise because she loves seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they dance and work out. She believes that physical activity is important for U of M students because it acts as a way to break from the stressors and pressure of academics. When Sydney is not teaching Group‑X classes, she spends her on time on the Michigan Mock Trial Team. Additionally, her favorite thing about U of M is game days!
Taryn’s health philosophy is to always honor YOUR body! Do not compare yourself to others. This closely aligns with why she enjoys teaching yoga: she loves building a sense of community. Yoga has been a powerful component in her life, and she enjoys passing on that same love and appreciation to her participants. Taryn feels that physical activity is important to the U of M community because it allows time for a break, time for yourself, and time for you to give back to your body. Breaks are just as important as studying and working!
Xueye likes to teach cycling because she likes to help people to improve their fitness and she feels happy when she see people enjoy the workout. Teaching also helps Xueye to relieve stress and meet more people. Her health philosophy is that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you. Students can maintain their health with Xueye’s favorite healthy snack: avocado, Greek yogurt, and nuts! (Fun fact: Xueye ran her first marathon in Ann Arbor earlier this year)
