Confused By Fusion?
These combo workouts are all the rage for a reason

FUSION WORKOUTS have been building momentum for years. We have yoga with Pilates (including two competing systems known as "Yogilates" and "Yogalates"), yoga with weights and cycling in swimming pools. We have Eastern mixed with Western, the spiritual tied to the physical, and cardio connected to the core. There are reasons for this smorgasbord:

We get bored with the same old, same old.

We don't have time, so a cross-training package makes sense.

The body and mind are connected.

It seems like a deal.

And, like it or not, we are a multitasking culture.

Gyms, video-makers and publishers know this and have responded with all kinds of combinations.

"Fusion classes are absolutely more well-rounded in that they add variety to any workout regimes, allowing participants to focus on more than just one fitness component," says Pete Fuentes, group exercise director at Seattle Athletic Club downtown.

His club offers 75-minute classes featuring cycling-yoga, cycling-strength training and cycling-Pilates. The cycling/yoga class is longer than the traditional fitness class to allow participants transition from the cycles to the mind-body studio. They cycle for 45 minutes to attain a cardiovascular workout, then spend 25 minutes practicing yoga.

Harbor Square Athletic Club in Edmonds has a number of fusion classes incorporating the BOSU, an unstable half-circle of a stool. Participants exercise with various regimens but return to the BOSU to promote strength and balance.

"People get bored and they like to try new things," says Sue Berger, group fitness director at Harbor Square. "The nice thing about the BOSU is that you can't master it. You are always challenged."

The yoga-Pilates blend is hot. The core-strength emphasis of Pilates can aid certain yoga poses, and yoga can help stretch muscles that can tighten when doing a lot of Pilates work. A New York health-club chain has begun what it calls "Nautilates," which combines Pilates and supervised weight training on Nautilus machines.

Many of the fusion classes around our area incorporate the tried-and-true. Even exotic combos can make sense, though. Underwater cycling, in which participants sit about waist-deep and pedal a bicycle beneath the surface, seems especially good for people with lower-body joint issues but who still seek resistance training and a cardio workout.

Michelle Beaumont, a Washington, D.C.-based fitness expert, has developed her own fusion program that she calls "Synergetics." It involves some yoga, Pilates, meditation and resistance ball, but any combination of styles can be used, she says, because it is all about balance and peace of mind. Beaumont says her search for fusion work was driven by necessity. "I wanted to do Pilates and yoga and everything else. But I was a single mom and couldn't take 10 different classes."

Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, says anyone trying out a fusion class should make sure the instructor is properly qualified to teach each discipline he or she is offering.

"A potential drawback is that some fusion workouts or classes combine activities like yoga and Pilates that require a reasonably high level of concentration and focus to ensure that the moves are properly performed."

Also, consider your goals before diving in. Want to get strong and limber? Lose weight most of all? Is keeping your cardiovascular system humming at the top of your list? What is lacking from your regimen? Think about movements that complement one another. Don't be afraid to ask your instructor questions, and remember, despite exercising with a group, you should go at your own pace.

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. He can be reached at rseven@seattletimes.com. Kristopher Lee is a Seattle Times news artist.