As an instructor, I'm known for leading hard-charging, high-energy Badass Bootcamps filled with burpees, jump squats, suicides, shuttle runs, ladder drills and more. Cycling classes are just as intense, with hard-driving, bass-pumping music and plenty of steep climbs followed by fast descents.
Yet one of my favorite classes to teach each week is the one set inside a yoga studio, with a backdrop of mellow music and low lighting. My Sunday afternoon PowerCore at Yoga Quest is outside my fitness comfort zone, which makes me love it all the more.
It forces me to settle down, to enjoy the quiet - and to push my body and that of students in a different way. In many ways, this is one of the most challenging classes to take, and teach.
Twelve-plus minutes of planks, plus warrior crunches and wood chops will do that! My students groan with every plank. But here is why I push: athletic performance - whether you are a true competitor or a weekend warrior - starts in the core. It is what holds you up during the last mile of the triathlon. It makes you a stronger swimmer, a better cyclist, a more powerful force on the baseball field, the football field, the basketball court, etc.
So try this core routine, and tell me what you think. It will take about 45 minutes.
Not sure what a walkout plank is? Watch my demo here. Also check out demos for the walking plank and waist cinchers! Good stuff!
Coming up: Chicken "fried rice" you'll want to eat with a shovel, not chopsticks cuz it is just that good!