JessicaSmithTV: Yoga Sculpt

Yoga Sculpt is excellent yoga-strength fusion workout from Jessica Smith. She has another very similar one (Yoga Tone) that I also did this morning. I did them back to back for a 70 minute yoga-strength routine. These aren’t cardio yoga workouts but your heart rate will be elevated and you will sweat–or at least I did! Jessica used 5 pound dumbbells for this workout but she does say you can use heavier dumbbells if find them more appropriate. She even suggests having various dumbbells nearby so you can swap them out if necessary. This is what I did. I had 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 pound dumbbells nearby. Below in the break down I will note what weights I used. Because this is a yoga workout I did not lift heavy like I would if I were doing a pure strength or even a metabolic strength workout. Today is my yoga/recovery day so I lifted heavy enough dumbbells so that I felt the exercise actually working the muscle, but my goal wasn’t burning my muscles out.

I really enjoyed this workout. It was very effective and worked well in conjunction with Yoga Tone. There are other ways I will use it (and Yoga Tone). This would be a great way to start my yoga routine but then rather than going directly into another intense yoga-strength workout, I will finish it off with a more gentle and relaxing flexibility focused yoga routine.

Yoga Sculpt is 30:30 minutes long. Equipment: a set of light dumbbells (Jessica is using 5 pound dumbbells). I used 5-10 pound dumbbells. The first 14 minutes are done without dumbbells. The workout starts with flowing dynamic stretches: side stretching, wide plie squats, crescent lunges, flowing between right angle and reverse warrior, standing cat/cow, pulsing chair pose, chair pose to standing spine-arching stretch. Lower into straight arm plank, rotate into side plank. Child’s pose. “Power push up” (push up on knees then push hips back into child’s pose but do not hold–move quickly between the two movements). Bird dog (alternate sides). Raise onto one knee and one arm (same side), torso facing side, top leg is extended and bent and grasp top leg with top hand and pull behind you (stretching quad). Start on hands and knees and push back to down dog then lower knees, tapping knees to floor (flow between these two positions). Hold down dog and pedal heels.

Pick up your dumbbells.

1. In wide plie, shift side to side holding the DBs. Extend arms straight out to sides at shoulder height and curl DBs into shoulders as you shift side to side (5# DBs)
2. Pivot into lunge and hinge forward at hips, raise DBs straight behind you and lift and lower straight arms while remaining in static lunge (5# DBs)
3. Raise back leg off floor while leaning torso forward and do back rows while balancing on one leg (10# DBs)
4. Repeat #1
5. Repeat 2 & 3 on other side of body
6. Chair squats while doing standing chest fly (arms start at sides when standing then raise in front of body when lowering into chair pose); pulse in chair pose while pulsing DBs in front of body
7. In tree pose, raise bent arms to shoulder height in front of body, open arms into goal post then press overheard, lower to goal post then press forearms together again at shoulder height (8# DBs)
8. Repeat #6 & 7 (for 7 do chair pose on other leg)
9. Lunge and hinge forward at hips and rear delt flys in stationary lunge (7# DBs)
10. Half moon pose (raise back leg off floor and lower one arm to floor, raising other arm to ceiling while balancing on one leg) (5# DBs)
11. Repeat 9 & 10 on other side of body
12. Flow in and out of triangle pose (5# DBs)
13. Side to side wood chops squats (legs wide, holding DBs together) (5# DBs)

Set dumbbells aside. Deep breathes. Lower into deep yogi squat and hold. Forward fold. Lace fingers behind back while still in forward fold and stretch arms to ceiling. Standing spine extension, arching back. More deep breaths.

For more info on JessicaSmithTV and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.