Buff up your yoga

By Elaine Paoloni | amNewYork Features Editor

February 7, 2007

If fusion cuisine is your weakness, now you can balance out your splurges with a little fusion fitness.

Jess Gronholm, yoga director at Crunch Fitness, teaches a cross-over class called Buff Yoga. The workout melds yoga and strength training, building strength, stability and flexibility.

"This is a great workout because yoga students benefit from the additional strength training that they don't receive in their traditional yoga classes, and cardio/weight-lifting students, who may feel yoga isn't enough of a 'workout,' still get that strength work while also getting the flexibility/stretching benefits of yoga," Gronholm says.

This is a routine you can do at home -- it targets your shoulders, back and core. Use 2- or 5-pound weights for each of these exercises.

1. Spinal balance/awkward airplane
Begin on your hands and knees with a weight on the floor near your right hand.

Lift your left leg into the air. Bring it in line with your torso and parallel to the floor.

Support your body with your left palm as you pick up the weight with your right hand and extend your arm straight out, keeping your arm the same height as your torso and parallel to the floor. Draw in your navel toward your spine, keeping your lower back supported.

Bring in your left leg and your right arm, drawing your elbow to your knee. Then extend your right arm and your left knee away from each other.

Keeping your arm and leg lifted as high as your torso, open your right arm out to your right side while extending your left leg out to your left side. Bring your arm in line with your shoulder and your leg in line with your hip. Then extend your leg and arm away from each other.

Do eight to 12 reps, then switch sides. Repeat three times.

2. Warrior three with arm rows
Start with your weight on your left leg, using your right toes as a "kickstand." Hold a weight in each hand.

Tip your body forward, bringing your torso parallel to the floor while lifting your right leg and keeping it parallel to the floor. Extend your arms straight down.

Keeping your torso and right leg lifted, bend your arms drawing your elbows up as high as your torso, and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

Release and extend your arms toward the floor. Do eight to 12 reps, then switch sides. Repeat three times.

3. Chair pose with shoulder lifts
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Place two weights on the floor in front of your feet.

Bend your knees deeply, keeping the weight of your body in your heels and your chest lifted. Pick up one weight in each hand.

Press your legs straight while extending the weights out to your sides and over your head in a wide, upward arc, creating a circle with your arms.