Exhale Core Fusion Power Sculpt contains 30 yoga and sculpting workouts. The disc has segments from other Core Fusion workouts, namely Lean & Toned, Boot Camp, Yoga: Energy Flow, and Cardio: Pure Intensity. There are 18 total segments, which break down as follows:

·         4 from Lean & Toned: upper body tone & stretch, thighs tone & stretch, flat/round back tone & stretch, & gluteal tone & stretch;

·         4 from Bootcamp: cardio flex, cardio sun salutations, jump backs part 1, & jump backs part 2

·         5 from Energy Flow Yoga: energy flow, sun salutations part 1, sun salutations part 2, chi gong & hip opener stretches, and core & gluteal;

·         5 from Cardio-Pure Intensity: energy moves, cardio flow, power flow, power sweat, & cardio curl.

The main menu options are:

Introduction: a text explanation of the program

Workout Options (detailed below)

Bonus Features: Motivational Tips, About Exhale, Fred and Elisabeth’s biographies

Selecting Workout Options takes you to a menu for Weeks 1 through 5. Selecting a week then takes you to a list of days. Here’s a sample week (Week 1 – Strength):

Day 1: Upper Body Tone and Stretch + Sun Salutations Part 1

Day 2: Energy Flow + Thighs Tone and Stretch

Day 3: Sun Salutations Part 2 + Flat Black/Round Back Tone and Stretch

Day 4: REST (or rest another day)

Day 5: Energy Moves and Gluteal Tone and Stretch

Day 6: Upper Body Tone and Stretch + Core and Gluteal

Day 7: Chi Gong and Hip Opener Stretches + Sun Salutations Part 1

Each segment is 10 minutes long, and each day has two segments listed, so your total workout time is around 20 minutes per day. The way the program is designed, you alternate strength and cardiovascular workouts for the first four weeks and then do both in the final week. The 10 minute segments are not unique—they are each repeated over the course of the 30 days. For example, the Upper Body Tone and Stretch segment appears twice just within the first week, and the Sun Salutation segments are repeated again in other weeks.

The set is basically the same in each segment—wood floors, light-colored walls, some red cloths like drapery in the back. Fred and Elisabeth are accompanied by a few others in each segment. Everyone has a yoga mat and some of the segments use light weights. All of the participants are barefoot and one person always shows an easier variation of most of the moves.

This program will definitely appeal to those who are short on time yet want to fit in a workout. These segments can be used as designed or added on to other workouts relatively easily. If you want to do the second segment from a particular day, you can go to that day and use your “next” button to move straight to that. These workouts would probably appeal to someone who enjoys fusion workouts, and prefers unweighted strength work or using lighter weights. The workouts helped strengthen my core (especially upper and lower back) and improve my balance. I also enjoyed getting some yoga work in with the barre-inspired sculpting.

I did not do the entire 30 day program; only did the first two weeks. I found that while many of the segments provided more of a strength challenge than I initially thought they would, none of them really got my heart rate up enough to be considered a cardiovascular workout. After two weeks, I did get a little bored with the segments—I sometimes thought I was repeating something from another day that week even when I was not. That said, I would use the DVD again, but not as designed. Rather than doing the entire 30-day program, I might select one or two segments to do when I wanted a short yoga or barre workout.

This DVD is a great value. So many segments from other discs are included that you could almost put them together to have those entire workouts (e.g. all of Energy Flow Yoga is here except the Savasana segment). If you are an Exhale Core Fusion fan, or even just curious about it, this might be a good way to try out a variety of their workouts.

 

 

© 2012 Pratima Sampat-Mar

 

Pratima Sampat-Mar is the Online Education Coordinator for an allied health school in Arizona. She holds an Association Montessori International Primary Diploma, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oberlin College, and Master of Education degree from Loyola University Maryland.