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Small Steps, Lasting Benefits

Move for Better Health

Staying active is a simple way to support your overall health and well being. Regular movement can help you feel stronger, more energized, and ready for everyday life.

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Strength for Better Health

Strengthen Your Health

Strength training is about more than building muscle. Regular physical activity can support heart health, help manage weight, and lower the risk of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

Make Strength Part of Your Routine

At the Y, strength training can be a simple and welcoming part of your weekly routine. Whether you use weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight, every workout is a step toward a healthier you.

The CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) recommend regular physical activity and muscle strengthening as important parts of a healthy lifestyle.

Build strength. Support your health. Keep moving at the Y.

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Find your Strength Here

Build strength wherever your day takes you. With strength-training equipment at every branch and access to all six locations included in your membership, it’s easier to make the Y part of your routine.

Add group exercise classes and a welcoming community, and you’ll find plenty of ways to build strength, grow your confidence, and keep moving forward. Whether you’re picking up weights for the first time or returning to a routine, there’s a place for you here.

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Please also note that a “Join Fee” is listed when signing up online — this is not an additional cost. This fee represents 12 equal payments during your 1st year of membership, equaling our standard 1st year rates. You will then receive our Loyalty pricing after one continuous year of membership.

We are not currently able to apply corporate discounts or financial assistance to memberships when signing up online – we apologize for the inconvenience. However, those eligible for Corporate Discounts can join in-person by bringing employment verification to a YMCA of Greater Waukesha County membership desk, where your discount will be applied.

Regular physical activity supports heart health, helps manage weight, and strengthens muscles and bones. It can also improve sleep and reduce feelings of anxiety. Over time, staying active can lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

Both offer important benefits, so a balanced routine includes both. Aerobic activities such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming support cardiovascular fitness. Strength training builds and maintains muscle and supports everyday movement. You can do them on different days or combine them in the same workout.

Yes. Strength training helps build and maintain muscle, which contributes to how many calories your body uses, including at rest. Combined with aerobic activity and eating habits that support your needs, it can be part of a sustainable approach to weight management. Weight changes depend on several factors, so exercise benefits your health even when the scale changes little.

Regular physical activity can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. For people who already have diabetes, it can help manage blood sugar and reduce the risk of heart disease. If you have diabetes, work with your healthcare team to choose appropriate activities and understand how exercise may affect your blood sugar.

Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, plus muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups on at least two days. You can divide activity into shorter sessions throughout the week. If you’re just starting, begin with manageable amounts and gradually build your routine. Some activity is better than none.