After doing a lot of high-impact exercise during my HIIT studio fitness challenge throughout February, in March I was ready to get back to my yoga roots more. I had been doing a short at-home yoga practice most mornings, but it seemed like a good time to change gears a bit and get deeper into my practice by attending some yoga classes.
(Pretty much!)
That’s why it was perfect timing when CorePower Yoga reached out to invite me to try out their studios, in celebration of a new class that they now offer called CoreCardio Circuit.
CorePower has over 140 locations around the country, with several studios surrounding the San Diego area – including in Encinitas, Poway, Del Mar, La Jolla and San Diego itself. I had heard of them before but had never visited because… duh duh da duh… their classes are heated. I’ve expressed my general dislike for heated classes before, but since I’ve heard people rave about CorePower, and also because I apparently like to torture myself, I wanted to give them a try. After all, even though 100 degree fitness classes aren’t my favorite, dripping a little sweat has never really hurt me!
The fun package that CorePower Yoga sent me
What I Liked Best About My CorePower Experience:
Yoga Sculpt. My favorite of the yoga classes at the studio was definitely Yoga Sculpt. I love the combo of practicing yoga poses and flows while also working on strength and mixing in cardio moves.
Note that my hand is actually sweating in the above photo! The classes were held in rooms that were about 95 degrees.
The Studios. I primarily took classes at the studio closest to me in Encinitas, which is super clean and nice. To my excitement, one of the instructors there, Meagan, was actually my physical therapist when I was rehabbing my calf injury a couple of years back. I thought she was awesome back then, and I love her as a yoga instructor at CorePower now.
I really wanted to try CorePower’s new high-intensity interval training class, CoreCardio Circuit. Since the class is just being rolled out, their schedule options for it are somewhat limited. Since CoreCardio at Encinitas is currently only offered at 6 AM (no…just no thanks!), I ventured over to their Del Mar location to try it out. CorePower’s Del Mar studio is located on the second floor of a gorgeous plaza. I think that a studio space itself can really be a turn on or turn off, and the CorePower studios that I visited are lovely and inviting.
CoreCardio Circuit. This new class combines strength training with HIIT moves to help increase cardio endurance and boost metabolism. (In case you’re wondering, I tried the class before my foot injury was diagnosed last month.) The 50-minute class is comprised of 4 stations where you execute a couple of exercises each. In between stations, the instructor leads the class with cardio bursts. The moves incorporate strength training moves like tricep dips and dumbbell shoulder presses, as well as cardio moves, like high-kneeing my way through a floor ladder.
The class is NOT heated, but I still wound up drenched in sweat by the end because my heart was pumping. I would have liked if the class incorporated more yoga moves, perhaps a solid vinyasa flow warmup or cool down, but overall, I liked the class. CoreCardio was a challenging workout that went by quick. That’s why I’m such a big fan of HIIT workouts in general!
My calorie burn during a CoreCardio Circuit class
I think that CorePower offering higher intensity circuit classes is a great complement to people who typically only practice yoga there. It’s a way to kick your cardio routine up a notch without having to go to multiple studios.
What I Didn’t Love. Salty, burning eyes from sweating… Though I’ve tried, I’m still not sold on heated classes. When the room is 95 degrees, I’m sweating my booty off and I feel like I can’t breathe as well as in a room with a cool temperature. Heated classes also make me feel like I’m working so hard, but my heart rate monitor doesn’t really show that in the end with a huge calorie burn.
All in all, I’ve enjoyed refocusing my energy into my yoga practice. It’s something that I really rely on to help center me and keep my mind clear and at peace, my heart grateful and my body limber. A big thanks to CorePower for inviting me to practice at their studios!
Tell me… Do you ever do hot yoga?
I tried 4 classes of hot yoga (bikram) and thought it was one of the hardest workouts of my life. I think it was the intense heat. I’m not a fan of intense heat and yoga. haha. I’m glad I tried it but it isn’t for me. Very cool you got to try it out for free though.
The cardio class looks like a good workout! I’ll have to check and see if Core Power is located near me.
Sadly Bikram yoga just isn’t for me. It’s way too hot and just makes me feel faint. I am glad that I tried it though.
I just got into some yoga classes and they were great! I really recommend them to anyone who isn’t sure.