Yoga flow strength workout
This post is sponsored by Gap Factory GapFit.
Hi friends! Hope you’re having a wonderful morning. Today, I have another all-new workout for ya: yoga strength! It’s a bodyweight workout you can do at home to increase strength, balance and flexibility.
Yoga Flow Strength Workout
When I get in at-home workouts, they very often look something like this. I’ll roll out my yoga mat, flow some of my favorite yoga poses together, and add strength variations. Yoga workouts give me an awesome burn in a short amount of time, plus they challenge my balance, core stabilization, and increases flexibility. My hip flexors and hamstrings get soooooo tight during the day, and it feels amazing to strength while also focusing on building strength. The best part: you don’t need any equipment! Just grab a yoga mat and a little motivation.
Here’s the workout: (as always, talk with a doctor before making any fitness changes. Honor your body and modify as needed!)
At-Home Yoga Strength Workout:
Exercise tips and form cues:
1. Leg raise to warrior 3: start standing, and using your core, bent one knee up to hip heights. As you tilt forward, keep your back straight as you extend the same leg behind you. Flex your foot and keep your hips parallel to the floor. Exhale to rise up to standing, bringing your knee back up to hip height. Complete all 10 reps on the same side.
2. Eagle squat: take the same knee that’s raised, and bring it up and over into eagle pose. Keeping your spine as straight as possible, bend down into an eagle squat, and exhale to press up. Complete all 10 reps on the same side.
3. Crescent lunges: step your lifted leg back so you come into a crescent lunge. Keep your shoulders down, arms extended, and straighten the back leg as much as possible. Keep the front knee bent, and stacked right over your front ankle. Inhale to bend your back knee towards the floor, and exhale to straighten and press back up. Complete all 10 reps on the same side.
4. Warrior 2 lifts: rotate your back heel so that your toes are angled (45 degrees) and your entire foot is pressing into the floor. Keep your front knee stacked over your front ankle, with a deep bend in your front knee. Reach your arms out to the side and relax your shoulders. As you exhale, straighten your front leg and reach your arms up overhead. Inhale to lower back down to Warrior ii. Complete 10 reps.
5. Goddess squats: rotate your body to the side, so you come into a pile squat. Try to bring your thighs close to parallel to the floor, keeping your chest lifted, core engaged, and knees pointing towards your toes (but not extending PAST your toes). As you exhale, straighten your legs (squeeze your glutes and inner thighs), reaching your arms up overhead. Inhale to sink back down to your squat. Complete 10 reps.
6. Chatarunga push-ups: step back into a plank position, so your body is a straight line, from your head to your ankles. If you need to modify, drop down onto your knees but keep your hips down in line with your body. Squeeze your elbows in, and bring your chest down so your elbows hug into your torso (stop them in line with your torso). Exhale to squeeze your chest and press up. That’s one rep. Option: hold a forearm plank instead.
7. Downdog to beast: press back into downward-facing dog, lifting your hips, letting your heels move towards the floor, and gently pressing your chest towards your thighs. Start to move forward, so your shoulders are above your wrists, and drop your knees towards the ground, keeping your core engaged. Exhale to press back to down dog. Complete 10 reps.
8. Spinal balance and pulse: come onto hands and knees (hands under your shoulders and knees under your hip bones). Extend one arm and the opposite leg, keeping your hips parallel to the floor. Flex your foot and gentling pulse your heel up towards the ceiling (or sky!). Squeeze your glute to lift your leg and keep your core engaged. Complete 20 pulses, making sure to take even breaths the whole time.
9. Side plank toe tap: rotate to a side plank (modify: keep your bottom knee on the ground). From here, either complete hip lifts or extend your top leg and exhale to bring it up and tap with your top hand. Complete 10 reps.
10. Single leg raise and bridge: come onto your back, and keep your up back pressing into the ground and bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor. Exhale to press your hips up, squeezing your glutes. You can complete single leg hip lifts, or do these with both feet on the mat. After your hip lifts, hold bridge pose for 1 minute, taking deep breaths.
Rest in child’s pose and complete the series one more time, leading with the opposite leg.
Bonus: end the workout with 5 minutes of meditation.
Hold poses as longs as it feels good and move carefully from each exercise to the next. Yoga is a great to build muscle strength, mind-body awareness, and you can get a full workout with your own bodyweight. This type of yoga is a blend of yoga and strength, but there are so many different types out there! From ashtanga to vinyasa, I’m a firm believer that there’s a yoga out there for everyone.
Please keep in mind that while I’m a certified yoga instructor, I’m not a medical professional. This post doesn’t serve as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. As always, talk with a doctor before making any fitness changes.
In the workout pics above, I’m wearing some of my favorite new gear by GapFit from Gap Factory.
Confession: I sometimes use new workout clothes to motivate myself.
There are worse things, right??
I especially love clothes that are high in performance and function, while also being stylish and versatile for different types of workouts.
I’m loving the high neck tank (it’s super stretchy and soft),
and the reflective leggings, which are especially awesome for early morning or nighttime runs. The detail on the sides shines brightly at night and add a unique element to the classic fit.
I love that the leggings are made of soft technical fabric that doesn’t get super sweaty, and it’s also not see-through (<— necessary).
So tell me friends: if you have 20 minutes to work out at home, what do you usually do?
Yoga friends: where do you usually practice or take class? I’m definitely living up as many cacti-surrounded practices as I can.
xoxo
Gina
Photos: Scott Hubbard
47 Comments
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Love those leggings! I’m definitely in need of some new workout clothes at the moment, so this is motivating me to go shopping 🙂
i always encourage shopping lol
I love them too
I miss Arizona so much.
ahhhh it’s the best <3
If I have 20 minutes to work out at home, I usually choose a quick workout video on youtube to follow. Thank you for sharing this amazing workout with us. I will use this next time I work out at home.
please let me know what you think!
So cool where you shot those photos. Sabino Canyon?
thank you! yes 🙂
Love this!!
I took a yoga class last night, and I haven’t taken a traditional yoga class in what felt like a dog’s age. WHOA – Eagle pose. WHERE DID YOU COM FROM? Ha. (But seriously, my balance is waaay off.)
This looks like an awesome way to add a yoga sequence into my regimen, without having to add in a new membership.
Thanks for sharing!
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
hahaha. it’s so crazy when you’re gone for a while- it feels SO much more challenging when you’re back
Totally use workout clothes as motivation, mainly just putting them on in the morning so I feel guilty if I don’t get around to doing at least something! Today is was a 20 min cardio and abs youtube vid. Def will have to try this strength flow!
hahah or i wear them all day thinking maybe i’ll work out later 😉
These pics are totally making me crave some desert yoga haha. That might need to happen soon!
yes, doooooooo it
Love this! I am in need of some extra stretching after my tough OTF workouts! I will do this tonight before I go to bed.
Also, speaking of tough workouts, do you have any recommendations on recovery drinks? TIA!
please let me know how it went!
YES! tart cherry juice is magical
I did the yoga stretches last night and this morning it was great. I feel energized!
I will have to check out the tart cherry juice. Thank you.
so happy to hear! xoxo
Ahhh I love this kind of workout!! Please add in more yoga! Thank you!
so happy to hear you like it! k i will 🙂
Hi Gina!! Not sure if it’s just my computer, but I wanted to let you know that words that might be hyperlinked to other websites just aren’t showing up for me. For example, when you start talking about the new workout gear the sentences show up as, “In the workout pics above, I’m wearing some of my favorite new gear by ” (no last word in the sentence). Or “I’m loving the (it’s super stretchy and soft), and the , which are especially awesome for early morning or nighttime runs. The detail on the sides shines brightly at night and add a unique element to the classic fit.”
I’m assuming there are words there that link to where you can purchase the items, but for whatever reason, the whole word is gone for me! Not sure, again, if it’s my computer, but figured you’d want to know just in case! 🙂
P.S. The pics are gorgeous and the workout looks great!
that is so weird! thank you for letting me know! i’ll look into it now.
thank you. please let me know if you try the workout!
Ok, did a little investigating and when I use Safari as my web browser, the words/links show up. But when I use Google Chrome (which has an ad blocker extension) the whole word/link is missing from the sentence. I’m guessing it’s related to the ad blocker, but it never used to happen before on your blog so I’m not sure if there’s a way to fix that! I also used google chrome when looking at your last “Friday Faves” post and all the words/links show up there, so it apparently doesn’t happen all the time, just in this post. Sorry if this is a random amount of detail, but I figured I’d share what I noticed in case it helps! 🙂
Mine is doing the same thing and I’ve never seen that happen on a post from you or anyone else! I first read it in feedly (on google chrome) and the hyperlinks didn’t show up so I clicked through to the post and am still not seeing the words. Just wanted to let you know!
that is so weird. the company sent me adclick links to use, and i’m thinking that may be why. thank you so much for letting me know!
got it!! thank you so much for the update. so i think it’s because of the links. the company sent them to me and they’re adlink links, and that may be why chrome is blocking them
xoxo
Just wanted to let you know this is happening for me as well! I’m also Chrome with ad blocker. Also the first time it has happened on your site.
thank you so much for letting me know! i think it might be due to the ad blocker. the company sent me the links to use, and they’re adclick links. i think that may be why
Hey I don’t judge you! I’m exactly the same with new clothes haha. I need to incorporate more yoga as cross training for my running but for some reason I can’t make myself like it completely. I’ve done it in the past looking at YouTube videos but I still feel like I need something more. Any tips?
If I had 20 minutes to workout at home I’ll do planks, burpees, and squats.
ahah i’m glad i’m not alone! have you tried bad yogi? she may be exactly what you’re looking for. i’ve also heard great things about yoga with adrienne
Gorgeous Tucson pictures. I usually either do yoga from Sara Beth yoga or go for a walk/run
thank you!! i haven’t checked out her classes- off to google!
Are you doing yoga in the middle of the road?? I love those leggings.
I did a 2 hour restorative yoga class recently with live cello music and 3 massage/yoga therapists moving around the room doing relaxing head, neck or back massages. I never wanted it to end!
thank you! no, it’s a hiking trail, but it’s paved for cyclists
that sounds like the most incredible practice!! #jealous
Great photos! Keep the photographer :-))
yes! he’s pretty amazing 🙂
Looks awesome! Yoga with Adriene.
i’ve heard so many great things about her videos!
This workout looks awesome!! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you!
please let me know what you think! 🙂
While in chatarunga, your shoulders shouldn’t be lower than your elbows, you will hurt your shoulders in the long run; I don’t know if you have a certification, but be carefull with your form (in down dog, legs and hands seem to wide), not to be rude, just because you have pictures and people take example.
yes, i’m RYT 200 hours. i thought my elbows were just in line with my shoulders? i need to take another look. it’s ok to have hands and legs wide in down dog- it’s personal preference depending on how you feel. thank you for chiming in!
i loved your past 2 yoga workouts (“kick you asana” 😉 ) so i cant wait to try this! luckily i’ve been having plenty of time to go to the gym lately but this would be a great way to change it up 🙂
please let me know what you think!
I can’t wait to do this workout tomorrow! I so badly need the stretch of yoga but as a crazy busy mom like you, it sometimes feels like a “waste” to spend 30-60 minutes stretching when I could be doing a strength or cardio workout. This is a perfect combo though, thank you!
i feel the same way, but sometimes i really need the zen and stretching time 🙂
hope you enjoy it!