Exclusive | Is this NYCs best kept fitness secret? Parks Department offers 100+ free workout classes heres how to find them

From her window across the street, Jodi Popper couldn’t help but notice the lively group lunging, squatting, jumping and laughing together every Thursday evening in Astoria Park.“I was curious about it for the longest time, and it took me months and months until I finally worked up the bravery to check it out,” she told The Post. A year later, the 68-year-old has become a regular at the Low Impact Bodyweight Circuit Training class, one of more than 100 free workout sessions offered through the New York City Parks and Recreation Department’s Shape Up NYC program.“I’m retired, but I work twice a week as a high school guidance counselor,” Popper said.“Thursday nights, I’m wiped out, and then I come here and I’m rejuvenated.” Shape Up NYC hit the ground running in 2003 as part of a public health push by former Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

The program initially focused on Harlem, the South Bronx and central Brooklyn, home to alarmingly high rates of chronic diseases such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes.“The life expectancy in these neighborhoods is lower than everywhere else in the city,” said Kendra Van Horn, director of Citywide Fitness for NYC Parks.Now, Shape Up NYC is citywide with 100% free workouts offered in parks, libraries, community centers, beachfront boardwalks and even online.Van Horn said dance-based classes are consistently the most popular, with one Zumba class in Flushing drawing more than 100 participants each week.New Yorkers can also belly dance in Brooklyn or break a sweat at a high-energy dance cardio class with sweeping river views at West Harlem Piers.For a sweat-drenched, mood-boosting workout, try intenSati in Forest Park, or swing by Midtown for a high-intensity class combining bodyweight resistance training with conditioning for a full-body burn.In Bed-Stuy, beginners can dive into mat Pilates, while yoga lovers find their zen with slow-flow classes in the East Village.

Up in The Bronx, there’s even a running group to ...