Get ready to turn back the clock and turn up the energy. Retro Fit celebrates the unforgettable era of 80’s aerobics & toning exercises with a modern twist, blending nostalgia with today’s training principles for a workout that’s as effective as it is fun.

This dynamic session features a mix of high‑ and low‑impact cardiovascular training, classic toning and strength combinations, and rhythmic, feel‑good movement patterns inspired by the iconic workouts that shaped a generation.

Powered by a playlist of great 80’s hits, you’ll sweat, sculpt, and smile your way through choreography that captures the spirit of the decade while delivering functional, results‑driven fitness. Whether you’re an instructor looking for fresh retro‑inspired ideas or a participant ready to relive the magic, you’ll leave energized, inspired, and fully revived. And of course — don’t forget your leg warmers and headbands.

This is your chance to channel your inner 80’s superstar and experience a Jane‑Fonda‑style workout reimagined for a new era of energetic training.

Discover how to bring the excitement of HYROX into your group fitness classes.

Learn how to combine functional strength training and cardio-based conditioning to create challenging, scalable, and results-driven workouts that keep participants engaged, motivated, and coming back for more.

Walk away with practical programming ideas, coaching tips, and class formats you can implement immediately.

Unlock the power of Pilates Reformer exercises on the mat in this dynamic instructor training workshop.

Explore how to adapt Reformer movements using innovative props like the foam roller, resistance bands, gliding disks, and more to create a versatile and challenging mat routine.

This hands-on training will teach you how to effectively transition Reformer exercises to the mat. Perfect for instructors looking to expand their repertoire and offer students fresh, creative ways to deepen their Pilates practice with minimal equipment.

Equipment: foam roller, gliding disk, resistance band.

Research suggests that one in five Canadians identifies as being neurodivergent. This session explores why neurodiversity matters for fitness professionals: the unique physical activity barriers facing autistic and neurodiverse clients, the outsized health benefits exercise can offer this population, and why the trainer-client relationship often carries more weight for these individuals than for any other group they work with.

You'll leave with a clear understanding of why standard cues, environments, and definitions of "effort" may be quietly excluding a significant share of the people you coach, setting the stage for practical, actionable strategies in coaching approach and program design.

Whether you're new to TRX Suspension Training or looking to refresh your skills, this session will provide a practical overview of the fundamentals while exploring creative and effective ways to program TRX-based workouts.

Learn how to safely and confidently use the TRX Suspension Trainer to improve strength, stability, mobility, and functional fitness.

Walk away with fresh exercise ideas, programming strategies, and class design techniques that will help you create engaging workouts for participants of all fitness levels.

Core training continues to be a topic of conversation among trainers.

Lumbopelvic stability and core strengthening are often used in the same context when discussing core exercises. In this workshop, we will take a closer look at the similarities and differences to determine which exercises to recommend for your clients.

Walk away with specific exercises to train core stability and strength!

Equipment: Pilates 8-10” ball, loop band, medium resistance band.

Plyometric training is the ability to react and generate force quickly with the use of explosive movements.

Enhance your participants' performance in everyday activities and sport with plyometric training.

Jessica will review the principles of plyometric training, including the 3 major phases, provide you with evidence-based research and give you the tools to design safe yet effective plyometric training programs.

Are you ready to move with great leaps and bounds? Come get “POWERED UP” with Jess!

Release tension in the Neck, Chest & Shoulders with Yoga Therapy and Myofascial Release Techniques.

Using a combination of yoga poses, mobility and tennis ball release techniques, we will ease away tension, shoulder discomfort and neck pain.

Learn a variety of moves and sequences you can share with clients and repeat on yourself.

No experience necessary. Please dress warmly and comfortably. 

This workshop expands on the longevity framework by diving deeper into the exercise pillar of healthspan.

Designed for fitness professionals, it explores how strength training, cardiovascular fitness, balance, power, and mobility directly influence independence, resilience, and quality of life as we age.

Trainers will leave with practical programming principles and real-world strategies to help clients train not just for today’s fitness goals, but for long-term capability and longevity.

Have you ever been told "it builds character" or "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? Did those, or any other quote, help you through whatever challenge you were dealing with?

The fact is, adversity, failure, challenges, or whatever name you want to give them - are inevitable. Growing and learning from our challenges, however, is optional.

Skipping the cliches, this practical, informative, and inspiring session will show you how you can leverage the challenges you've faced to become a better version of yourself, and help others do the same.

Specifically designed for exercise professionals, this workshop gives you the practical application of the evolving science of fascia.

Explore the science behind fascia and how it relates to training. Examine the main fascial kinetic lines in the body and learn specific myofascial release techniques with complementary dynamic stretching exercises to enhance mobility and ultimately performance.

Come away with a functional approach to elevate your recovery and stretching methods.

Equipment: data projector, massage ball, resistance bands.

This session is all about learning how to break down your step choreography to create a story with an explosive ending!

Each block of choreography is treated like a chapter in a book, and the final chapter of the book is where we put it all together.

Learn techniques to break down your choreography so that everyone in your class feels successful.

This interactive session provides practical learning opportunities and is geared to those who are new to teaching step.

While cross-training and periodization are essential to stimulate the body and promote adaptations to training, most fitness professionals are leaving a lot of options unexplored for their clients when it comes to the basics.

In this interactive, interesting and intense session, learn how a fitness professionals' greatest resource is usually not the latest and greatest equipment - but rather their resourcefulness!

Release tension with a gentle, full-body stretch routine before settling into a deeply restorative relaxation experience.

Guided by Simone, you'll be led through progressive muscle relaxation and autogenic relaxation techniques designed to calm the mind and body.

This nourishing practice helps regulate the nervous system, reduces stress and promotes a profound sense of balance and rejuvenation. Leave feeling relaxed, refreshed and restored.

No experience is necessary.

Please wear warm, comfortable clothing to help you fully enjoy the relaxation.

Join Clinical Exercise Physiologist Jessica Power Cyr on how your brain responds to exercise.

She will discuss the immediate and long-term psychological and physiological responses to exercise and review how exercise impacts the brain to prevent cognitive impairments; plus, she will review CSEP’s physical activity guidelines to help your clients get moving again post-pandemic!

The goal of this session is to give you the tools to educate on how Exercise really is Medicine!

Come ‘Get Powered Up’ with Jess.

Strength training is recognized as an incredibly important part of a complete physical activity program, no matter what level, gender or age.

But are your participants truly engaged in their training session and getting the results they are seeking?

This aqua workshop will introduce you to the powerful concept of the 'min-muscle connection' as we explore human anatomy and the power of the mind.

You will swim away with the tools necessary to help you teach your participants how to enhance their performance and results.

Join Jessica for an eccentric, strength-training-focused workshop.

She will review and discuss muscle physiology, what eccentric training is and provide you with the tools to create challenging yet safe workouts that are sure to make your participants come back for more.

This workshop explores the fundamental principles of indoor cycling, focusing on proper bike fitting, cycling biomechanics, pedal technique, and cadence and resistance management.

Participants will learn evidence-based strategies to enhance performance, prevent injuries, and optimize training outcomes through proper form and safe exercise practices.

Unlock the power of purposeful movement preparation. In this session, you'll learn how targeted mobility exercises can improve movement quality, enhance performance, and help reduce compensation patterns during exercise.

Discover practical mobility techniques and activation strategies that prepare the body to move more efficiently, allowing participants to perform exercises with greater confidence, control, and effectiveness.

Leave with simple, effective tools you can immediately incorporate into your classes and training sessions.

This creative workshop focuses on yoga postures done with the support of a chair.

Learn how to build strength, stability, and flexibility through a series of standing and seated poses. This workshop is perfect for individuals of all fitness levels, particularly those with limited mobility or those seeking a gentle yet effective form of exercise.

You will gain the knowledge and be provided with tools and techniques to incorporate chair yoga into your teaching toolbox.

Go bananas for this workshop designed for personal trainers and fitness instructors looking to deepen their expertise in injury prevention and performance optimization.

This session provides a comprehensive review of six critical anatomical regions: the back, hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, and ankle, focusing on how to identify common injury risks and biomechanical red flags to prove humans are the most adept primates when it comes to movement.

Participants will learn practical, evidence-based strategies (accompanied by plenty of monkey-related puns) to effectively program around these high-risk areas, ensuring that training regimens and classes not only drive gorilla-like results, but also prioritize the long-term health and athletic longevity of every body in the fitness jungle.

Aqua fitness participants are passionate, loyal—and often full of opinions. This interactive session is designed for aqua aerobics volunteers looking to build confidence in leading classes while creating a positive, engaging environment for everyone in the pool.

Grounded in the YMCA’s Y Way approach, this session explores practical strategies for building strong relationships, keeping participants engaged and distracted (in the best way!), and responding to feedback with confidence and professionalism. Learn how to balance participant preferences with safe, effective class design—without losing control of your class.

Through real-life scenarios, group discussion, and practical tips, participants will walk away with tools to manage diverse personalities, adapt their class plans, and create an inclusive, fun, and welcoming experience that keeps members coming back.

Get ready for the ultimate fusion of cardio endurance and functional strength! This high-energy session splits your time between the bike and the floor.

First, you'll tackle the terrain with a dynamic mix of intervals, tempos, and climbs driven by an energetic playlist.

Then, we transition to a total-body strength workout utilizing free weights, tubing, and bodyweight exercises. Discover how to manipulate key training variables to maximize power, efficiency, and full-body conditioning.

Bring your energy—leave nothing behind!

Equipment: Step Risers, Benderballs, Med Balls, ViPRs, Lebert Bars.

Who says workouts can't feel like play? In this energetic session, discover a collection of creative games, team challenges, and interactive drills designed to boost engagement, build community, and make fitness fun.

Learn how to incorporate playful elements into your classes while still delivering an effective workout that challenges strength, endurance, and coordination.

Leave with a toolbox of ready-to-use activities that will have your participants laughing, connecting, and working harder than they ever expected.

Lisa & Mary will lead you in an engaging, active and interactive session that will connect the principles of basic fitness theory with foundational yoga poses.

The workshop will explore core activation, joint stability, and lever mechanics as they apply to standing, seated, and prone poses.

Designed for yoga practitioners and instructors, this session will help you identify movement patterns, improve alignment awareness, and refine your cueing techniques to support safer movement and more effective practice and teaching.

As adults age, maintaining and building muscle mass becomes increasingly important for preserving strength, mobility, metabolic health, and overall quality of life. This course provides personal trainers with evidence-based strategies to help clients aged 50 and older optimize muscle development while accounting for the unique physiological changes associated with aging.

Participants will explore age-related changes in muscle mass, recovery capacity, hormonal influences, and functional performance, and learn how to design safe and effective resistance training programs that maximize hypertrophy, strength, and long-term adherence. Emphasis is placed on progressive overload, exercise selection, recovery management,  and lifestyle factors that support healthy aging and reduce the risk of sarcopenia and frailty.

Through a practical and science-based approach, trainers will gain the knowledge and confidence to work with older adults of varying fitness levels, helping them improve body composition, maintain independence, and enhance overall physical performance.

Experience the thrill and empowerment of AquaBox Bootcamp where we adapt athletic and kick boxing movements to the water environment where resistnace is increased, core strength and stability are challenged and the workout is INTENSE!

This extreme workout trains cardiovascular strength & endurance, muscle strength & endurance, power, speed, flexibility, balance and coordination. AquaBox Bootcamp will attract new participants and inspire returning members.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases, yet many people are unaware they are at risk. This interactive workshop will explore what type 2 diabetes and prediabetes are, who is at risk, and how healthy behaviours can help prevent or delay its onset.

Participants will learn about the role of physical activity and nutrition in diabetes prevention, separate common myths from evidence-based facts, and gain a deeper understanding of why lasting behaviour change is often more complex than simply "eating better and moving more." 

Through engaging activities, real-world examples, and practical discussion, we'll explore how motivational interviewing and other evidence-based approaches can support meaningful, sustainable lifestyle change.

Whether you currently deliver the Small Steps for Big Changes (SSBC) program or simply work with YMCA members in a health and wellness role, you'll leave with practical strategies and evidence-informed tools to better support healthy behaviour change in your community.

Take your cycle classes to the next level by combining evidence-based training with effective coaching and motivational cueing.

In this practical session, you'll experience how training zones, cadence, and purposeful drills can be used to design results-driven rides that keep participants engaged, challenged, and motivated from start to finish.

Discover how the right playlist can elevate the rider experience by driving energy, cadence, timing, anticipation, and memorable class moments.

Sue's high-energy session will equip you with practical coaching strategies, impactful motivational cues, programming techniques, and playlist tips that you can immediately put into practice to create rides that inspire participants and keep them coming back for more.

Let’s take a step back and really look at movement.

How do you move?

Can you maintain quality of movement from start to finish with the most basic exercises?

Instead of walking away with new exercises, walk away with the power of knowledge on how to do things right!

This session will take you on a journey through the Basic 5: Squat, Lunge, Push, Pull and Rotate; learn how to move with ease and transfer that knowledge to more compound exercises.

Change the way you look at Pilates training! Jessica will take your Pilates training to the next level by integrating standing core and balance patterns to the traditional Pilates workout.

The focus is to challenge all 3 dimensions of the body: the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes of motion through functional movements. The goal of this session is to define fundamental movements and basic motor control within a pattern.

Jess will review mobility, motor control and functional patterning and provide you with the tools to incorporate essential movement patterns in a group environment. She will also define and review basic biomechanical principles such as the planes of motion to transform basic exercises into Power Pilates.

The workout will include a core-intense 3-D series that moves through various positions to functionally challenge the core. No experience needed. Perfect workshop for Group, Older Adult, and Mind Body Instructors alike.

Are you ready to get 'POWERED UP' with Jess?!

Have you ever wondered why building muscle feels different as you age, why metabolism seems to slow down, or how menopause affects energy, strength, and body composition?

This engaging and empowering workshop explores the powerful role hormones play in muscle growth, metabolic health, and the menopause transition. You'll learn the science behind common midlife changes, discover why muscle is one of the most important tools for healthy aging, and leave with practical, evidence-based strategies for improving strength, energy, and overall well-being.

Fitness professionals will gain valuable insights into the physiological changes associated with aging and menopause, helping them design more effective, supportive, and individualized exercise programs for their clients.

Whether you're approaching menopause, experiencing it now, a fitness professional supporting others through this stage of life, or simply interested in optimizing your health, this session will help you better understand the body and take confident action toward long-term vitality. 

Are you looking to challenge your participants, clients or even yourself to reach peak performance levels?

Get the goods on H2O metabolic training and a sample workout design for high-intensity training. Review the energy systems and muscle fibre types and how they link together for metabolic training.

Explore metabolic training techniques. Highlight safety considerations and review program precautions.

Come fuelled and fired up for metabolic mayhem!