As the fall semester begins, I am slowly adjusting to the new normal of online school and limited social interactions. Naturally, this summer I lived a much more active lifestyle, but as I’m getting busier and spending more time in front of my computer, I find myself craving a structured escape.
To switch things up, I have decided to work my way through the new UTrain online Zoom workouts provided by the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).
What is UTrain?
UTrain is a program offered by KPE that offers free workouts for any U of T student who pays the KPE fee. You can find on-demand videos, or sign up to join Zoom classes, which is what I did for the cardio dance party. Anyone can register and programs are offered seven days a week.
Open to the U of T community, UTrain has daily live workouts and on-demand videos available on its website. Workouts cover a wide range of structures and intensities and are accessible to athletes of all levels. You register right on its website by pressing the big red button, and then selecting the class of your choice.
On the Sunday after they register, students are emailed the weekly schedule along with the Zoom link and password for all of that week’s classes. The process was fluid and simple. Some might be relieved to know that you don’t need to turn your camera on throughout the class, but you can communicate with the teacher through the microphone or chat if you would like.
This week, for my inaugural workout, my roommate, Laura — who happens to be the sports editor for The Varsity — and I chose to join the “Cardio Dance Party” class on Monday evening. The description prepared us to “rev up [our] energy levels and let the music take control.” We put on our Jane Fonda ’80s aerobic dance wear and set up our online gym.
Getting started
Bailey, our instructor, is a full-time medical student at U of T and was very welcoming and engaging. She introduced herself as we waited for more students to join and recognized some returning Zoom usernames.
The workout took 50 minutes, including a warm-up and cool-down period — all choreographed to a blend of electronic dance music remixes and Latin dance-pop. A highlight of the class was a choreographed squat sequence to “Low” by Flo Rida.
Zooming through it
Throughout the class, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself as I struggled to keep up with Bailey, but that is the advantage of Zoom workouts! No one could see my roommate and I as we accidentally hit each other while attempting to groove.
Some of the songs were choreographed to include more strength-based moves, and I definitely felt more comfortable with these as they included classic moves like lunges and squats. Overall, I left the class feeling energized rather than tired and was grateful to have spent the hour moving my body.
I’m excited for upcoming weeks to see what the rest of the UTrain online programming has to offer and am grateful that Sport & Recreation was able to adapt these classes for home to keep the community alive. Stay tuned for more reviews!
Testing UTrain is the sports section’s newest column, spearheaded by athletics aficionado Alexandra Waddell! A fourth-year student with a passion for all things sweat-inducing, Alex will give you the real scoop on which Zoom workouts to jump in on and which ones to ditch.
