Fusion Fitness is Hot! Yoga, Pilates, Ballet and More

Bored of straight-up Vinyasa yoga? Wish you could both pirouette and feel the burn? Consider some of these new fusion classes and you won’t have to choose.

Yoga Pilates

Yoga Pilates fuses the advantages of yoga and Pilates into one hybrid class. The practice is also called "yogilates." Yoga Pilates is a dynamic workout that strengthens the core and improves flexibility. It also harnesses the psychological benefits of both workouts. Yoga Pilates ideally helps both flexibility and muscle strength.

Pregnant women, however, should not engage in Yoga Pilates. (Prenatal Pilates is a safer bet.)

Yoga Pilates emphasizes lateral thoracic breathing-a specialized technique of inhaling and exhaling through the abdominal muscles and rib cage to support the spine from pose to pose. To participate in a Yoga Pilates class, grab a towel or a floor mat to protect your spine, a small towel for under your head, and a "Thera-Band," which emulates the resistance created by a Pilates reformer. (Most sporting goods stores should be outfitted with these.)

Bar Method

The Bar Method is one of the latest exercise techniques to makes waves among celebrities and exercise aficionados. It combines vigorous ballet barre routines (hence the name) with gentle, rehabilitative movements. Classes borrow techniques from Pilates and yoga as well as ballet and aerobics.

In a typical class, participants perform isometrics using their own body weight, which helps target various muscle groups. Classes may also incorporate exercise balls and light weights. Routines are completed on a mat or using a ballet barre (though at home, a sturdy chair will do in a pinch).

The Bar Method is said to tone the legs, abs and butt and shed fat. Practitioners say it affects arms and legs particularly quickly.

The Bar Method works the body much like ballet does. As with Pilates (and ballet), correct form is vital.

Tracy Anderson

How about some modern dance in your workout? The Tracy Anderson Method is based on an exercise regimen created by personal trainer to the stars Tracy Anderson. Since not everyone can make it to one of Anderson's LA- or NYC-based gyms, she developed what has become known in the fitness world as the Tracy Anderson Method.

The workout is broken up into two segments; half is dedicated to aerobic dance and the rest is reserved for strength training and stretching. Many of the movements draw from Pilates.

Because the workouts are available on DVD, the Tracy Anderson Method is cost-effective and convenient. Workouts are completed using three-pound weights, or no weights at all. The method encourages participants to complete a high number of repetitions using light resistance. According to Anderson's theories (but certainly not all trainers'), this is meant to avoid bulking up biceps and other muscle groups.

The Tracy Anderson Method is geared towards ladies who love working out and staying physically fit. The exercises are intended to transform the female form so it appears lean and muscular, and Anderson insists that anyone can achieve a "teeny tiny dancer's body" using her techniques.

Tracy Anderson's method should be performed six days a week for a minimum of 60 minutes. There are no excuses for skipping a day. Workout routines change every 10 days.