Best indoor pool classes

Illustration: Deanna Staffo

Aquafit
This hour-long wet and wild class, which attracts a younger set (think 30s–40s), is more like playtime than a workout. Each float-wearing participant gets a pair of webbed spandex gloves (to improve propulsion during the modified strokes), foam barbells (for a variety of resistance-creating ab-amping exercises) and colorful pool noodles, which are used for—among other things—a game of leapfrog: Everyone starts at the shallow end and goes through a line of noodles floating in the center of the pool, pushing each under water and jumping over it, all the way to the deep end. Also, a simple game of catch—for the duration of two Lady Gaga hits—is a marathon arm workout (just try holding your hands above your head for six straight minutes), and running sprints becomes a playful race when set to the William Tell Overture. So freakin’ fun, you barely notice the exhaustion. New York Health and Racquet Club, 24 E 13th St between Fifth Ave and University Pl (212-924-4600, nyhrc.com) • 110 W 56th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves (212-541-7200). Free for members, nonmembers $50.

Deep Water Running
If you’re a landlubbing jogger looking to cross train (or one who’s blown her knees from years of overdoing it), this class is for you. Participants strap on flotation belts and start with a warm-up of gentle huglike arm movements, followed by back-floating crunches down the length of the pool and back. Then everyone takes off running. By modifying the leg stride length and arm swing, intervals simulate jogging uphill, downhill and on a flat stretch, all while you try to stay (roughly) in the same spot in the pool. Workouts vary from class to class—in one, you envision the course of the NYC Marathon, starting with the uphill of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and ending with a sprint through Central Park (miles are ticked off every minute on a poolside pace clock). Doug Stern Swimming, various locations, visit dougstern.com or nyrr.org. $25 per class, multiple-class cards available.

Aqua Combat
Kick ass (and work yours off) in this underwater kickboxing class. The lesson begins with drills consisting of the basic punches (jab, cross, hook and uppercut) and then kicks (front, side, back and roundhouse) while standing in chest-deep water—the H20 provides resistance, so the faster you try to move, the harder it is. Soon, you’re fighting off imaginary aqua attackers with killer combos (jab, cross, front kick, hook, etc.). Leg circles and extensions using a pool noodle for resistance and a five-minute stretch finish up the punishing (in a good way) hour. Gravity Fitness, 119 W 56th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves (212-708-7340, parkermeridien.com).

Splash Dance
This ain’t some old-lady aerobics, though yes, you might find a bubbe here, trying her darnedest to keep up. The nonstop 45 minutes begin in the shallow end, with waist-float-assisted jogging, cross-country skiing and more, done to the rhythm of beat-appropriate tunes like Michael Jackson’s greatest hits. A migration to the deep end allows for more intense exercises, including crunches, underwater squats and other ab isolators. By the time you haul yourself out of the pool, you realize: “No impact” might mean it’s easy on the joints, but not so much on every muscle in your body. May Center at the 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave at 92nd St (212-415-5500, 92y.org). Free for members, nonmembers $189 for nine sessions beginning Tue 17.

Synchronized Swimming
Think you got the passion (and the gams) to try this Olympic sport? Before you can become an underwater Rockette, you gotta know your moves—be able to comfortably complete several laps of crawl, back-, breast- and side strokes. The first 30 minutes are just for beginners and cover endurance-building skills like laps with specific breathing directives (crawl with an inhalation on every third or fifth stroke, for example). Lesson one is to back float while “sculling”—a rudderlike out-and-in movement with the forearms. Next come “ballet legs” (extensions into the air), and more sculling…upside down. Advanced synchro swimmers join in for 15 minutes, and the final 30 minutes are used to teach routines while newbies watch or attempt to follow along. Manhattan Plaza Health Club, 482 W 43rd St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-563-7001, mphc.com). Free for members, nonmembers $15.

POOLates
In this fusion class of Pilates and aqua aerobics, participants slap on their swim caps and bob around the shallow pool (the entire length is less than five feet deep) executing moves designed to better their posture, abs and thighs. Weights in hand, you’ll run underwater, practice balancing on a noodle, jump up and down, and blast through can-can-like leg kicks, all performed to a mix of ’80s workout songs. Stretching—made both easier and more intense by the buoyancy of the water—rounds out this gentle (if somewhat geriatric) hour-long workout. The Sports Club/LA, 330 E 61st St between First and Second Aves (212-355-5100, mpsportsclub.com). Free for members, nonmembers $35.Additional reporting by Anna Brand.

Take Aqua Combat—and work out in the Parker Meridien’s stunning rooftop pool—for just $25 (regular price: $75). Bring a copy of this article between now and December 15 to get the discount.

See more in Spas & Sport