Friday, 10 April 2015

Jillian Michaels Yoga Inferno DVD Review

Price: £9/ $15
Length: 2x 30 minute sections
Workouts: Full body
Suitable for: Intermediate
Rating:   ★★★★★
Based on 4 weeks of use.


   Yoga Inferno is a really fabulous DVD. It consists of two 30-minute workouts which teach strong yoga poses, but by repping in and out of them you get a greater range of movement and calorie burn, and with 30-second cardio intervals sprinkled throughout, you keep your heartrate up, too.

   If you're new to yoga it may not be the best starting point, as both workouts consist of moves that aren't explained well or at all, however Jillian Michaels' Yoga Meltdown, which preceeded this DVD, is a better option as the moves there are explained, and several moves in Yoga Inferno are developed from the moves learned in Yoga Meltdown.

   It's a really energetic take on yoga, and while you wouldn't think you could work up a sweat or lose weight from yoga, both of Jillian's yoga DVDs will change your mind.


Overview
   Both workouts are 30-minutes long, and while they're both different, they don't work on a level-by-level system. You use whichever workout you fancy, or both.
   There are two other women with her that flow through the whole workout with you, but they're both performing different variations of each move. Jillian demonstrates the move in its unaltered form, while one of them will perform the move with an easier modification, and the other will show a harder modification. There is a lot of room to grow in this DVD, though the most basic beginner's modification for any yoga move is to simply not move as low/far as you're told to. You simply do what you can.
   Balance and flexibility will probably hold you back, but with frequent use, you will see improvements in both body and skill, and your balance and flexibility will become stronger. For example, the Tree pose is demonstrated for beginners with the foot on the opposite ankle, and for advanced the foot is pressed against the top of the inner thigh. It's simply a case of practise. Tapping your foot on the ground to prevent yourself from falling over is, of course, allowed. Far better that you tap and stay on your feet than fall and injure yourself.

Workout Differences
   There is a big difference between the two workouts. The poses themselves are, of course, a difference, but the use of weights is another. Workout 1 focuses only on body weight and movement, but workout 2 uses light hand weights - about 1.5kg (3lbs) - with most of the moves to make them more challenging. The basic beginner's modification on workout 2 is to simply not use weights, as well as not dropping as low into movements. Get to grips with the poses before trying to do them with weights. They may only be small, but they will start to feel heavy by the end of each sequence.

Summary
   Yoga is a really wonderful form of exercise as it can really help to improve your focus as you're forced to concentrate on the moves, and it can help to tone your body and build lean muscle. I never thought yoga was something that could lead to weight-loss, I assumed it was something that was done after the fat had been shed, but I was quite wrong. The exercise looks calming but it's really quite a challenge and pushes your muscles quite far. You can build up a good sweat with yoga, and with Jillian Michaels' Yoga Inferno, that sweat and calorie burn is made greater simply because her method, as always, works.
   I still recommend using Yoga Meltdown before trying Yoga Inferno, as it's more friendly to yoga newbies, but that's not to say that that one isn't hard, too. You can read my full review of Yoga Meltdown from last year's experience if you need help making your mind up.



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