Setup: Mats and chairs in staggered rows with wide gaps, every chair's back within reach of its mat. Say the class promise plainly at the door: nothing in this hour leaves the ground, nothing should ever hurt in a joint, and every move has a seated version that counts in full. Ask new members quietly about replacements, surgeries and anything currently flared — you programme around answers, not despite them. The stop rule gets said to the whole room: sharp joint pain, chest tightness, dizziness or breathlessness beyond a puff means stop and wave me over — muscle effort is welcome, joint pain is information.

How it works: Work top to toe at talking pace: shoulder rolls, gentle neck turns, wrist and ankle circles with a hand on the chair, ten easy marches, then five slow sit-to-stands from the chair — the move of the day arriving early. Finish with 60 seconds of relaxed marching with arm swings to raise a first gentle puff.

Setup: Four stations shown from the centre, everyone working at their own mat and chair — no rotating, no rushing between spots. Moves: sit-to-stand (or chair-free squat), wall or chair-back push-up, single-arm dumbbell row with a hand braced on the chair, and a suitcase carry on the spot — held tall, marching gently.

How it works: Rounds of 40 seconds work and 20 seconds rest, through the four moves three times. Nobody jumps, nobody kneels on a bad knee, and every move keeps a hand's reach from support. Coach the sit-to-stand hardest — it is the most useful exercise in the room and everybody's version can improve: slower down, quieter landing on the chair, arms folded when ready. Rests are genuinely rests; use them to deliver one-name compliments.

Setup: Kit down, one arm-span of clear space around each person. Music becomes the metronome — this block is follow-along cardio at walking rhythm, feet never both off the floor.

How it works: Build a rolling routine in 90-second layers: marches with arm drives, step-touches side to side, low knee lifts with an opposite-hand tap, heel digs with a chest press-out, and a box step around an imaginary square. Layer them into a sequence and keep it rolling — the aim is eight steady minutes of movement that raises a light sweat and a smile. Anyone can march on the spot through any layer without leaving the choreography; say so twice, because the choreography-shy need to hear it twice.

Setup: Everyone stands beside their chair, hand hovering over its back. Frame it straight: balance is the pension fund of training — small deposits, huge interest — and wobbling is the exercise working, not failing. Anyone with a recent fall or active dizziness works with fingertips down the whole block, no exceptions.

How it works: Four deposits, 40 seconds each side with easy rests: a narrow stand with feet together and eyes proud, a tandem stand heel-to-toe alongside the chair, a slow single-leg stand with the free toe hovering, and a heel-to-toe walk along the mat's edge and back. Fingertip on the chair first, hovering hand second, hands-free only when steady is boring. Finish with everyone's favourite party trick: the sit-to-stand with no hands, one perfect rep, applause allowed.

Setup: Chairs and mats both in play — every stretch announced with its seated twin. Music low.

How it works: Take the full eight minutes; this crowd is the one cooldowns were invented for. Seated or standing hamstring reach, a calf stretch at the wall, a gentle chest opener with hands on the chair back, shoulder and neck rolls, then two quiet minutes of breathing — in for four, out for six. Close with the homework, which is the same every week on purpose: five sit-to-stands and one balance hold, every day, kettle on, telly ads, whenever. Consistency is the entire magic trick.