CorePower Yoga is a popular chain of yoga studios offering a range of classes.
The CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) class is a hot yoga flow class designed for all levels.
This in-studio class is taught in a room between 93 and 98 degrees Fahrenheit, while the Hot Yoga class is Bikram yoga-esq, as it involves 26 poses and is done in a room that is 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you have never taken Yoga Sculpt at CorePower yoga before, you will likely wonder: “What should I expect during my first Yoga Sculpt class, or what is a Yoga Sculpt class at CorePower like?”
Keep reading to find out!
We will cover:
- What Is Yoga Sculpt?
- How to Get Started With Yoga Sculpt Classes
- What Is a CorePower Yoga Sculpt Class Like?
- How Often Should I Do Yoga Sculpt Classes?
- Tips for Taking CorePower Yoga Sculpt Classes
Let’s get started!
What Is Yoga Sculpt?
Yoga Sculpt is a specific yoga class developed and offered at CorePower Yoga Studios.
The Yoga Sculpt class is a yoga workout that is designed to be high-intensity to maximize the calories burned doing yoga, the cardio workout you get, and the strengthening benefits of yoga all in one.
While you will see some traditional yoga poses in the Yoga Sculpt workout class, what distinguishes Yoga Sculpt from most styles of yoga and other CorePower yoga classes is the use of dumbbells.
Adding dumbbells is where the “sculpt“ component of the class comes into play because the dumbbells are used to augment the strengthening benefits or muscle-toning benefits of yoga by adding some traditional strength training movements into the yoga workout.
In addition to using hand weights and incorporating strength training movements, a Sculpt class adds high-intensity cardio bursts to increase caloric expenditure and makes it like a “power yoga workout.”
Related: Calories Burned Per Activity Calculator (800+ Activities)
If you are familiar with CorePower yoga classes, the Yoga Sculpt classes incorporate many of the same yoga poses that are performed in CorePower C1 and C2 classes.
However, you will also have the hand weights and bursts of cardio exercises thrown in to make this more of a hybrid workout with some resistance training and cardio in addition to regular yoga sequences and poses.
One important thing to note is that this class is trademarked by CorePower Yoga.
Some people replicate the same concepts of adding weights to yoga workouts and adding cardio exercises to boost the calorie burn, workout intensity, and strengthening benefits of yoga.
But, unless the yoga class is offered by CorePower, it is not officially a Yoga Sculpt class.
How to Get Started With Yoga Sculpt Classes
As mentioned, in order to do an official Yoga Sculpt class, you need to go to a CorePower yoga studio.
CorePower yoga instructors recommend that beginners try a few other Core Power yoga classes before jumping into Yoga Sculpt, given the demanding nature of these classes vs C1, C2, and C3 corePower yoga classes.
In fact, even if you have done CorePower C1 classes, you should not jump into a Yoga Sculpt class until you have done at least two or three CoreYoga C2 classes.
For one, Yoga Sculpt is really vigorous, so having some background in other yoga classes will ensure that you are physically ready for the intensity of the workout.
More importantly, Yoga Sculpt classes use some of the same structure and poses from the CorePower C2 classes but with the added dimension of having to incorporate hand weights into different exercises and some more intense transitions and cardio exercises.
If you have already taken several C2 yoga classes at CorePower yoga studios, you won’t have to devote so much attention to making sure you are doing the actual poses and postures correctly.
You will know the movements by name and by feel so that you can focus your attention on the layered challenge of using weights in the yoga class.
What Is a CorePower Yoga Sculpt Class Like?
Yoga Sculpt classes are generally 45 to 60 minutes long and take place in a heated studio, so it is considered a type of hot yoga.
Like other yoga classes at CorePower yoga studios, Yoga Sculpt is challenging, engaging, and a positive, upbeat atmosphere for students.
Perhaps even more so than CorePower C2 and C3 classes (and definitely CorePower C1 classes), CorePower Yoga Sculpt classes are highly energetic and designed to make you sweat and feel super accomplished by the end of the workout.
It’s worth noting that even though Yoga Sculpt at CorePower is intended for advanced yogis who have experience with other CorePower yoga classes and perhaps even regular strength training, and cardio workouts, you can certainly take rest breaks and go at your own pace during the class.
That said, if it is your first Yoga Sculpt class at CorePower yoga, be prepared to sweat even more than you do in C2 yoga classes, and expect that you will be using hand weights in class.
However, the weights are always optional; you don’t have to use dumbbells.
Even doing Yoga Sculpt without dumbbells will give you a great full-body workout, but adding the dumbbells will certainly increase the muscle-strengthening benefits and will increase the intensity and calories burned in the yoga workout.
Another thing to expect is that your heart rate may get higher than normal, and you might feel especially sore and tired afterward.
Again, this goes back to the fact that you are going to be using weights and doing blasts of cardio in between some of the regular yoga poses, all of which increase the intensity and muscular demand of the yoga class.
One of the main questions that people have for their first class is: “Which weights should I use during Yoga Sculpt?”
In terms of the weights used for the workouts, you will grab two pairs of dumbbells on the way into the studio.
The lighter dumbbells are mostly used for upper-body exercises, and the heavier set of dumbbells will be used for some of the exercises that work the lower-body muscles or larger muscle groups.
It is also important to start with the lighter dumbbells through the warm-up, especially if it is your first class.
For example, start with the light dumbbells for the first Sun B sequence because your body will still be warming up.
It is much more important to use the right technique and form for all of the poses and sequences rather than push yourself to use heavier weights than you are able to handle.
How Often Should I Do Yoga Sculpt Classes?
Because these classes have aspects of weight training, HIIT workouts, and yoga, the recommendation is to do no more than 3 to 4 classes per week.
Try to take at least one day in between each class to give your muscles a chance to recover, just as you would after resistance training workouts that target the same muscle groups.
You can supplement your Yoga Sculpt classes with other CorePower yoga classes, like C2, Hot Power Fusion, and CoreRestore, or you can do other types of exercise outside of the yoga studio to challenge your body in different ways and work on other aspects of your fitness.
Tips for Taking CorePower Yoga Sculpt Classes
Here are a few tips for preparing for a Yoga Sculpt class at CorePower studio, whether it is your first workout or your 51st!
#1: Drink Plenty of Water
CorePower yoga is considered hot yoga, which means that the yoga studios are heated.
This means that it is extremely important to drink plenty of water before, during, and after any Core Power yoga class, but especially the Yoga Sculpt classes since they are particularly intense.
You will be sweating a lot in these classes, not just because of the workout but because of the heated studio itself.
#2: Bring a Towel
Because this class is hot yoga, you are going to be sweating a lot. Bring an extra towel to wipe down your body in between poses.
You may also want to dry off your hands before grabbing weights for different exercises so that the weights don’t slip out of your hands.
#3: Refuel Afterwards
We tend to think of yoga as a fairly low-intensity workout.
However, with the added challenge of using weights for yoga, the bursts of cardio, and the very nature that it is hot yoga in a heated studio, you are going to burn more calories in Yoga Sculpt and work your muscles more intensely than with a regular yoga class.
Even if you are trying to lose weight with yoga, it is very important to refuel your body within 15 to 30 minutes after finishing Yoga Sculpt classes.
Make sure to have at least 20 to 25 g of protein to provide your muscles with reparative amino acids.
Carbohydrates will help replenish glycogen and assist in the recovery process.
#4: Listen to Your Body
It is always most important to listen to your body and just do what you can do within your own means rather than “competing“ with a classmate on a yoga mat next to you or in front of you, or trying to keep up with the instructor.
If you need to take a break or if a certain Yoga Sculpt move or exercise is bothering you or too challenging, do so.
CorePower yoga gets a reputation for being super intense, but this does not mean that getting a good sweat or calorie-torching yoga workout is supposed to come at the expense of your safety, physical comfort, confidence, or sanity.
Always go at your own pace and do what you can do. While it is good to push yourself and accomplish things that you feel intimidated by, use your head and listen to your body.
Don’t push yourself so hard or get caught up in the energy or intense vibe of the Yoga Sculpt class that you push through pain or take on exercises that you aren’t ready for.
Ultimately, there are some great benefits of Yoga Sculpt workouts, but if you really want to build muscle, consider focusing on hypertrophy-focused strength training workouts either in addition to—or instead of—yoga for strengthening and building muscle.
You can also learn about the pros and cons of yoga vs pilates here.
