I've done my fair share of intense yoga workouts before, from Tony Horton's P90X yoga DVD to an hour and a half of hot yoga. (For those unfamiliar with hot yoga, it's Bikram style yoga with 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises in a room heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity.)
Though these workouts are extremely challenging - just surviving 90 minutes in a sauna is impressive! - the yoga was still focused on slowing down and being calm in the midst of shaking muscles.
Not so with Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown DVD or Bob Harper's Yoga for the Warrior DVD. Both of these were very different styles of yoga than I had done before... and definitely required a warrior mindset!
Instead of slowing down, both of these workout DVDs were fast-paced, getting my heart rate up. I now understand how the Warrior poses got their name, especially after doing rep after rep of them in Yoga Meltdown. And Bob Harper will not let you quit before you're muscles are screaming. Doing pushups while in Downward Facing Dog was certainly a shoulder workout.
Bottomline: If you're looking for a low impact, high intensity workout these will be perfect for you.
- Yoga Meltdown has two 30 minute workouts, a Level I and Level II. I highly recommend doing Level I first because in Level II, Jillian expects you to jump right in and already know the poses. It's a great way to finish a workout after a shorter run.
- Yoga for the Warrior has two workouts. The first is one hour of intense yoga. It is definitely sufficient for a stand alone workout and is guaranteed to have you wake up with sore muscles in the morning. The second workout is 15 minutes of yoga abs. 15 minutes doesn't sound difficult, but trust me, I almost couldn't finish and Bob ensures to make the most of every single second.
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| My sister-in-law, Emma, and I doing Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. |
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