Like other exercises, yoga sculpt burns calories, but how many depends on a number of factors. However, in general you'll just about double the amount you'd burn in a traditional yoga class.
Finding Burn Rate
Unfortunately, current calorie calculators and charts fail to include workout-oriented yoga classes. Since yoga sculpt is similar in intensity and duration to circuit training or high intensity interval style workouts, which provide a combination of strength and cardio exercises, it the best way to know how many calories you're burning is to check out the numbers for these modalities. According to an article written by the Harvard Medical School, you'll average between 240 to 355 calories in 30 minutes depending on your current weight. Here's a chart to help you find the amount of calories you're burning.
| 30 minutes | 45 minutes | 60 minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 110-120 | 209 | 313 | 417 |
| 121-130 | 227 | 340 | 454 |
| 131-140 | 245 | 367 | 490 |
| 141-150 | 263 | 395 | 526 |
| 151-160 | 281 | 422 | 562 |
| 161-170 | 299 | 449 | 599 |
| 171-180 | 318 | 476 | 635 |
| 181-190 | 336 | 503 | 671 |
| 191-200 | 354 | 531 | 708 |
Individuals who weigh more burn more calories. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is because they spend more energy than those with lower body weights.
Yoga Sculpt Exercises
The specific amount of calories you burn during your class will depend on the exercises the instructor includes that day. Exercises could include any of a number of activities including pushups, squats, planks, and other movements.
Compound movements, or movements that incorporate more than one muscle group (i.e. pushups and squats), and exercises that work larger muscles (i.e. glute bridges) burn more than those that work smaller muscles (i.e. bicep curls and lateral raises). Since many yoga sculpt classes have you hold yoga poses while lifting weights, you usually get the best of both worlds.
Workout Intensity
Another factor that affects the amount of calories you burn during class is the intensity at which you complete the exercises.
- Modifications - If the basic exercises are a bit challenging and you find yourself modifying, this will reduce the intensity and lower your calorie burn. Examples include completing pushups on your knees, choosing to keep both feet on the floor during a single leg glute bridge, or using dumbbells that are lighter than recommended.
- Progressions - If you pick up the intensity of each exercise by choosing more challenging versions, the intensity increases and the number of calories burned rises. Completing a pushup on one leg versus two or holding weights during a lunge instead of a performing them bodyweight style are great examples.
- Plyometrics and Cardio - Some yoga sculpt classes include more plyometric and cardio than others. Included in this category are lunge jumps, squat jumps, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, and a variety of cardio kickboxing moves. They burn more calories per minute than their strength-based counterparts.
Individual Differences
The final elements in the calorie burn equation are individual differences.
- Age - In 2016, the U.S. News and World Report wrote a piece describing how metabolism declines as people get older. This is due to a shift in hormones that decreases the amount of muscle mass you have over time. The result is less energy output, which equates to less calories burned.
- Current activity level - People who are in shape will naturally expend less energy performing the same workout as their classmates who may be out of shape or new to the yoga sculpt format. Over time, as you get used to the exercises, you will need to increase your intensity in order to keep your levels of calorie burn high.
The best way to know for sure how much you're burning is to wear an activity tracking device or use a calorie counter.
Burn More With Yoga Sculpt
You can directly build muscle, sweat more, and burn more calories during yoga sculpt than your typical yoga class. Add it to your routine once a week to challenge yourself physically through a combination of strength work and cardio. Your local studio may offer it under this name or something similar, such as yoga chisel or yoga burn.
