Piyo Workout – A Low-Impact Mix That Gives Your Body A Better Shape

People get into sports for different reasons: they desire to show off peachy-shaped buttocks and strong core, and they admire the idea that exercise generally promotes better mental and physical feelings. Sometimes we work out because we are full of negative emotions and would rather spend this energy on sports instead of quarrels with loved ones or relatives. That said, diving into a sports routine is no easy feat because people might face health restrictions they hadn’t been aware of before starting any exercise at all. Some may face severe pain in their knee joints, while others may feel like they are out of breath during strong cardio. Here comes a logical question – is there any golden middle between cardio or bodyweight exercises that demands no jumps or lifting weights? Piyo is the best answer. This is a combination of yoga, pilates, martial arts, and even aerobics. This is a low-impact workout that is perfect for beginners who haven’t done sports a lot and people of all ages and gender. The most convenient thing about it is that it demands no equipment, spacious room, and shoes. You can do it barefoot on a yoga mat and burn calories without crazy jumps. Piyo workout – a low-impact mix that gives your body a better shape and strengthens your core without difficult actions. This article covers piyo exercises, their benefits, and downsides. Get ready to delve into a new sport challenge!

What Is A PiYo Workout?

What popped into your mind when you heard the word “piyo”? Got intimidated or already figured it would be something different from high-intensity workouts? If you went for the second option then you were right. 

You are aware that pilates and yoga are low-impact activities that aim to improve our balance and core strength. Plus, anyone can do them, feel positive changes in their mobility and boost physical and mental wellbeing (6). 

Well, piyo – is a mix of engaging pilates and flexible yoga. This is an 8-week fitness total body program that targets all the muscles in your body. This program was created to provide core strength and calorie burning with the help of compelling and energetic moves to specific music. 

Pito sequence is especially beneficial to our core muscles and we don’t need to neglect them because they are responsible for making other physical activities easier. Core exercises in general improve body stability, tone abs, and aid us to reach our fitness goals (1).

What does the program look like and how is piyo different from yoga or pilates? 

It is known that yoga blends physical poses with breathing techniques while pilates is focused on challenging your core. Both of them have a lot of benefits: 

• Improve posture
• Increase flexibility
• Enhance sleep
• Ease low-back and neck pain
• Reduce weight (3).

That is why the piyo 60-day program will be a great choice for people who aim to lose weight, improve physical performance, and enhance flexibility. However, you don’t necessarily need to spend money on purchasing the piyo exercises since you can upload them for free on Youtube. 

Moreover, there is a piyo workout calendar free of charge. You can download it, get a yoga mat and start working out. A lot of people enjoy this program since it involves no jumping, puts less pressure on knee joints, and invigorates the mood. It is not about getting ripped or gaining a humanless strength. Piyo yoga training is good for amateurs who would love to reduce extra calories and get a stronger, thinner, more flexible body. 

An interesting fact about the Beachbody piyo workout is that you can do it barefoot. Nevertheless, it is still recommended to wear shoes to avoid the risk of unnecessary injuries.

Read More: Foam Rolling Benefits: Make Your Workout More Effective And Safe

Is The Piyo Workout Good For Weight Loss?

Unfortunately, obesity has become a common thing among people around the world. Excess weight can raise the risks of diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer (4). That said, when you lose weight you do not only improve your appearance which affects your relationships with people and self-esteem. You also reduce the risk of getting a serious disease which gives you a chance to live a sustainable life. 

On top of that obese people are more likely to become depressed and depressed people have bigger chances to gain extra weight (2). Depression leads to unhealthy relationships with yourself and others, poor sleep, difficulty working, and more (5).

You are able to burn calories with the piyo workout youtube. Being low-impact it proposes a high level of intensity. Thanks to a combination of pilates, yoga, and aerobics, you cut off more calories compared to these activities done separately. 

The average man or woman burns approximately 250 to 400 during the intensive workout. Of course, the number depends on a lot of factors. That is why it is recommended to use a fitness tracker. 

You can amp up your intensity using additional weights during some exercises. Piyo advanced workouts might be too difficult at the beginning. Thus, you’d better use lighter weights and gradually move to more challenging loads. 

The process of weight loss becomes more effective with the Piyo Get Lean Eating plan. There are four plans but you can choose the most suitable one after calculating the number of your calories. 

Your diet should consist of 40 percent of carbs, 25 percent of fat, and 35 percent of protein. Therefore, everyone can lose excess weight due to sticking to the workout program and the food plan. These are the fundamental factors that affect any kind of high or low-intensity training.

How Many Days A Week Should You Do Piyo?

No matter whether you bought the program or found exclusive videos on the Internet for free you need to be aware of the schedule. According to the 60-day piyo workout calendar, you need to do exercises 6 days per week. 

The workout lengths range from 20 to 45 minutes. However, most of the exercises take 30 minutes. 

Piyo Workouts And Lengths

1. Upper body (20 minutes). This type of workout is focused on core strength and the upper body. It includes push-ups, planks, roll-ups, and beasts. They are not extremely challenging but they are going to prepare your upper body for harder exercises.
2. Lower body (20 minutes). This workout consists of a traditional-ish vinyasa flow and uses low lunges, triceps pushups, high lunges, Warrior series, and balance series. This stretches and leans your body.
3. Sweat (35 minutes). A lot of people admire this workout because it increases the heat rate through different exercises mixed in. The fast sweating is guaranteed. You work out the lower body, using lunges with balance exercises and skaters. The next thing you do is plank and core work. In addition, do a lot of push-ups. The last part of the workout is power, which includes burpees and squat variations. This is a perfect full-body piyo workout that targets all the muscles.
4. Drench (48 minutes). You start this workout with Heat (sun salutations, planks, and push-ups).  Then you switch to Legs (Warrior 3, low lunge, knee lifts, and speed skaters). Your next move is Plank and Core, Power (lunges, squats, and burpees). You end everything with Stretch which consists of strength and flexibility exercises.
5. Buns (28 minutes). A killer piyo workout that starts with Heat and then gradually moves to your lower body. You are going to delve into a lot of squats and sumo burpees in this one. This will crank up your heart rate and make your buns burn. With the help of this workout, you are going to tone your buttocks by giving them a peachy shape.
6. Strength intervals (22 minutes). Like many other workouts, this one starts with Heat,  Legs, Plank + Core, etc. However, there is something that makes it unique – cardio.  You won’t stop sweating and cut off excess calories with these strenuous cardio moves.

These are the most essential piyo workouts. If you feel like 6 days per week is too exhilarating for you then you can do them at your own pace. Plus, you can implement a piyo workout into your bodyweight routine or simply add some exercises while training at the gym. Remember, if you feel a slight pain during piyo exercises immediately stop them and consult a doctor.

Whether you’re looking to simply pep up your fitness routine, jazz up your diet with mouth-watering low-calorie recipes or want to get your act together and significantly drop that number on your scale – BetterMe app has got you covered! Improve your body and revamp your life with us!

Is Piyo A Good Workout For Beginners?

Being a low-impact piyo workout will benefit either amateur in sport or an experienced sportsman who can combine piyo with other exercises. Also, if you were into sports in the past, made a pause, and have to start all over again your body might feel pressure from the harder workouts. 

Moreover, the piyo workout program includes intermediate and advanced options. When you get tired of simple moves you can switch to a more advanced level by adding weights and doing more challenging workouts. 

Here are a couple of easy-to-start piyo exercises you can get the hang of in your home space with only a yoga mat and comfy clothes: 

Downward-Facing Dog Plank Flow

The combination of yoga pose and plank is a winning exercise to train your upper body. 

How to do it:

1. Get in the plank position.
2. Press into your hands and raise your hips slowly.
3. Drop your heels toward the floor.
4. Pause in this position for a few seconds and move back to the starting position.
5. Repeat from 8 to 12 times.

Piyo Cross

This exercise is a perfect warm-up for your core and legs. Plus, it alleviates the upper-body tension and loosens your hips. 

How to do it:

1. Put your feet a bit wider than your hips.
2. Extend your arms to the side and bend your elbows drawing your shoulder blades together.
3. Squat down and bend forward with your upper body.
4. Place your arms overhead and cross your wrists to put your hands between your legs.
5. Alter this movement and return to the starting position.
6. Then lower into a squat, fold forward, and continue the movement.
7. Do it for 30-40 seconds.

Static Beast

This piyo exercise targets your core and flexibility. It is especially important not to forget to breathe properly during the process. 

How to do it:

1. Get on all fours in a tabletop position.
2. Raise on to your toes and lift your knees a few inches from the floor.
3. Hold in this position for 1 minute engaging your core.

Runner’s Pose

Tone your legs and butt with this easy exercise and work out your calves. This will allow you to improve stamina and mobility. 

How to do it:

1. Stand on your left leg and raise your right foot off the floor.
2. Bend your arms keeping your left arm forward and right arm back.
3. Tilt forward with your right knee bent, press your leg behind you, and alter the position of your arms.
4. Bring your knee forward as high as your waist and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat on the opposite side.
6. Repeat from 8 to 16 times.

As you can see these easy exercises can be performed by beginners. You can try them even right now, either with shoes or on your bare feet. Please note that you should start every workout with a 5-10 minute warm-up activity which reduces the risk of injuries and prepares your body for better athletic performance.

Read More: Is It Good To Workout Before Bed? The Pros And Cons Of Late-Night Exercise

Are Piyo Workouts Effective?

Performing a piyo workout for beginners or a more advanced version can bring you a whole range of benefits that improve your emotional and physical health. When you take the program seriously you not only end up having a flexible toned body but will feel positive changes in your mood. So, why is piyo workout so important? Here are 9 decent reasons to implement it into your life: 

1. Piyo fitness defines and sculpts your whole body. The class includes a warm-up, stretches, full body fusion, and separate lower-body and upper-body training. With no equipment, you are able to get the needed body shape in 60 days.
2. Piyo workout reduces pain. Most of the training put big pressure on the knees and ankles. Piyo is not one of them since it is a low-impact but not less effective activity.
3. Piyo training will improve your stamina. How long can you do one exercise? 20, 30 seconds? Do you feel too exhausted after it? Well, due to the piyo program you work out different muscles, and the more you train them the better for your heart. This gives you excellent body strength and lets you come to terms with longer workout lengths gradually.
4. It improves posture. Throughout the workout, your mind and body are focused on core strength and stability which are essential to better posture. And good posture is a healthy recipe to avoid back pain.
5. Piyo workout burns calories and reduces fat. One of the greatest reasons why people try this challenge is because you cut off excess weight by not going to the gym or performing bodyweight exercises with extra equipment. Instead, you move fast in different music directions, become more flexible, and sweat enough to feel proud you did the piyo workout. On average, people lose 100-200 calories after only one training session.
6. Piyo boosts confidence. When we change something in our body we start feeling good about ourselves. No matter how other people define real beauty but when you look at yourself in the mirror after the piyo workout program and see positive changes in your physical appearance you automatically get inspired to continue this process. It is because you see the results, big or small but you notice them and you like the way you look. The better we look, the more confidence we gain to communicate with relatives, and friends or even negotiate with workers at our jobs.
7. It builds lean muscles instead of bulky ones. Tastes differ of course but an athletic woman with a lean body looks more attractive than a bulky lady with giant male muscles. At the gyms, women often lift enormous weights which is quite impressive but eventually brings them the male look. If you are not a fan of this physique then piyo is definitely a better option because you won’t have to use loads and put enormous pressure on your shoulders and arms.

If we take drawbacks into account then it is important to highlight one of them: the chance to get an injury during piyo fitness is still possible. It is however lower but you can deal with negative consequences when you don’t perform the workout right. It is recommended to talk to your doctor before starting any training to avoid unnecessary pain and protect yourself from future unpleasant situations.

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Does Piyo Work For Guys?

As we have learned, the piyo program is versatile which means a person of any gender, age, and sex can give this training a shot. Piyo for men has no differences from piyo for women. In case men feel that some exercises are too easy for them then they can amp up the exercise with additional weights or perform more reps and sets. 

Speaking of that, we are now talking here about athletic guys. But if a man is new to the sport then practicing piyo for the first time will be quite something to him. Moreover, sometimes the start is the hardest part. In this case, we need to use these tips for starting not only piyo but any other sport activity: 

• Set a goal. Reasons to start something motivate us and when we keep them in our mind we desire to go on with the process.
• Work at your own pace. Do not try to impress yourself by doing too much too quickly since it can increase the risk of injury. When you did the first day of the program or hit the lighter weights celebrate it by setting many challenging targets for the next time. Plus, make the process of becoming better not a burden but a compelling experience.
• Use the service of a personal trainer. When you purchase the program or watch piyo lessons on youtube listen to the trainer carefully and pay attention to their performance. On top of that, a good teacher is another motivation to not give up on the workout.
• Alter exercises. Luckily, the piyo program involves different exercises and mixes them so that you wouldn’t get bored during the performance. Plus, besides piyo men and women can do other cardio activities or challenge their muscles more at the gym.
• Make the exercises your habit. When you do exercises regularly your body gets used to them and demands something much more challenging. That is why it will be even unusual for you to make some pauses in your training or skip the days (7).

The Bottom Line

Piyo workout – a low-impact mix that gives your body a better shape. This training is a combination of pilates and yoga which makes up the name itself. This kind of training stands out from others because it is a low-impact activity that demands no equipment whatsoever. Still, it burns a lot of calories by performing yoga and pilates actions quicker to funny music. You can purchase the 60-day program which includes high-intensity full-body exercises you should do 6 days per week. To make your progress even more effective you can stick to the special eating piyo plan created for the users. 

However, there are different youtube videos you can watch for free and enjoy the process of stretching your body. 

Piyo training gains a lot of benefits. It improves posture, burns fat, reduces the risk of injuries, boosts confidence, and makes your body toned and flexible. 

If piyo workout feels too easy you can always amp it up with weights and additional bodyweight exercises. 

Men and women of different ages can perform this workout but it is still advisable to talk to the specialist before doing any sort of training. This will give you a chance to eliminate the risk of negative consequences.