Yoga is good for you. Not only does it improve mobility, balance and posture but it’s also a great way to build strength without weights.
However, not everyone enjoys yoga. It can feel too slow for some and most types of yoga don’t incorporate cardio. If that sounds familiar, you may find DDP Yoga more your speed.
It’s named after its creator, former wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, and the practice combines some of the poses and sequences from yoga with low-impact cardio.
I do slow, relaxed yoga sessions every week, mostly because I find it supports my mental health and improves my mobility. I was interested to see how a more intense DDP Yoga workout would make me feel.
I chose a 25-minute workout, which began with 10 minutes of light stretching and breathing. Generally speaking, the types of yoga I’m familiar with encourage mindfulness and relaxation, but DDP Yoga is focused on building strength and boosting health, which was evident during this routine as the instructor spent a lot of time speaking about the benefits of each exercise.
Even during the stretching part of the workout, there were options to modify the movements, so DDP Yoga is suitable for beginners. The exercises in this section included downward-facing dog, cat-cow pose and tabletop.
There were then a number of strength-based exercises, including planks, a three-legged-dog hold and lunges. Most of the workout involved holding positions, rather than moving in and out of them, and there was lots of stretching as well as strength exercises.
It certainly got my heart rate up and engaged muscles all over my body, while also helping me to stretch. However, DDP Yoga seems mostly aimed at beginners looking to incorporate low-impact cardio and mobility work into their routines and I didn’t find it as challenging as some of the HIIT and strength sessions I usually do.
That said, I’m aware I need to incorporate sessions which boost mobility and stability into my regime, so I may return to DDP Yoga for that purpose.
The easiest way to try DDP Yoga for yourself is to use the seven-day trial of the app.
