Monday, July 7, 2014

PiYo: Sweat Review

I'm finally writing up my thoughts on the four workout on the PiYo calendar, Sweat. At just under forty minutes, this was the longest PiYo workout I had done to date and certainly the one that felt most like a traditional workout. Sweat was more intense and featured lots of movement. It felt less like a stretch and more like what I was expecting from PiYo all along -- a non-impact workout that has a lot of flowing movement in the tradition of yoga.


You could definitely tell that Sweat was not a traditional aerobics workout, and I would say that, strictly speaking, this is not cardio. My heart-rate got up a little in parts but overall was at a fairly modest level. All of the stretching in this workout was dynamic, much like the other workouts, but I felt like we moved even more quickly through the moves, which increased the difficulty level.



The longer length of the workout allowed us to balance working both upper and lower body all in one workout, which I really liked. The workout was made up of six sections. The first two, the warm-up and heat, were similar from past workouts. The leg workout was also similar to what we did in Define: Lower Body, but felt more dynamic and less like a stretch. I definitely see how PiYo would be a good way to improve flexibility through dynamic stretching.

WARM-UP
Circle arms, bend knees, one arm up n' over
Chair Pose & Lunge
PiYo Cross
Inhale up, exhale half fold
Bend knees
Repeat Series

HEAT
Half lift
Go to knees, feet lifted
Slow Tricep push-ups
Down Dog & Crouch and Lift
Runner's Lunge (each leg) then repeat each
Fan up, half fold
Chaturanga
Up dog
Down dog
Lunge back
Half fold
Plank
Tricep push-ups
Down dog
Step in
Windmill x2
Chair x2
Repeat Series
Squats

LOWER BODY
Runner's Lunge
Knee Lift
Repeat lunge and lift
Warrior 3
High Lunge & Drop arms and lower
Warrior 3
High Lunge
3 Point Balance
Crouching Crow
Side Lunge
Runner's Balance
Side to Side Skate
Repeat Series, alt. lead

PLANK & CORE
Up dog
Down dog
Slow feet back, roll up to standing
PiYo Push-up
Plank
Lift into open leg split
Tap ankles
Knee extend to the side
Lift into open leg split
Down dog / Child's Pose
Crouching Dog dog
Crouching push-up
Child's Pose
Roll up
Repeat Series, alt. lead

POWER
Runner's Lunge & Frog stance
Pulse Squat
Tap Floor and Lift
Extend up onto toes
Add Burpee (Note: The burpee was probably the most "difficult" part of the workout. Since the burpee is technically a move with impact, you'll have to follow the modifier, Michelle, to do this section completely non-impact.)
Repeat Series
Pulse Squat
Squat

STRETCH & STRENGTH
Pigeon
Slow Tricep push-up
Pigeon, alt. lead
Slow Tricep push-up
Walk hand back to feet
Wide leg stretch
Walk back to plank
Standard push-up
Wide leg stretch, alt. lead
Walk back to wide plank
Tricep push-ups, legs wide
Runner's stretch
Standard push-ups
Runner's lunge, alt. lead
Standard push-ups
Lower to knees & Child's Pose


This workout made me see how you could get a good workout and still work on stretching through dynamic continuous movement that didn't pound on your body. I don't think you'll see the same changes with PiYo as you would from, say, Insanity or going for a run. But if more of the workout are like Sweat, I could see someone getting some light toning from this. I also think that for less experienced exercisers, the rewards might be even more in terms of this workout seeming like a cardiovascular and strength challenge. For regular exercisers, this is a nice way to get in some stretching and still feel like you're working out. I can't see it replacing my regular workouts, but it's a nice addition to my program as I try to work on feeling less stiff and more flexible.

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