Challenging myself to a month of trying out at least two new fitness classes a week for the following month, today I headed to Fithouse for a Sculpt class. O.M.G. What a workout!

Prior to signing up to this class I had no idea what a sculpt workout was but it’s basically a total body non-aerobics conditioning class of little to no impact focused on sculpting a lean body.

When I really want to see changes in my body, I always add weight-lifting to my routine 3x a week because you can workout all you want but the truth is you will never see your body’s true potential without including weights. Since weight-lifting is not the most exciting thing ever and is sometimes just get plain ol’ boring, I thought it might be fun to try it out in a group setting.

I must admit that the Sculpt class at Fithouse ended up being much better than I was expecting. Using resistance bands, dumbbells and a mat, we had a total body workout where no time was wasted. As much as I enjoyed it though and keeping it completely honest here, I would not replace weight-lifting with a sculpt class because every body is different and there are certain muscles that I need to pay more attention to which may not be the same muscle group you need to work on more. Adding a sculpt class, once a week, to your fitness routine would be my personal recommendation to kick things up a notch and keep it fun.

Here are 5 benefits I’m taking away from doing a Sculpt workout:

SCULPT IS FUN

Sculpt class was fun! Yes, my muscles were burning and I was making all sort of faces as I kept pushing through but it was also fun fitness class. Like I wrote above, weight-lifting is essential in really sculpting our bodies but it can get boring so adding a sculpt class, once a week, to your fitness regime is a sure way to spice up your workout week.

STRENGTHENS YOUR CORE

Your core stabilizes your body so having a strong core helps you with everything, from having an easier pregnancy to eliminating back pain and will even make you less prone to injuries. A major focus in the sculpt class was to maintain your core muscles involved which I absolutely loved because after having two babies back-to-back, my core is one of the areas I need to work on most.

FULL-BODY WORKOUT

Something you will see a lot at gyms is certain people basically working on the same two muscle groups every time you see them. We become so focused on the area we want to improve that we completely forget that we need to strengthen our entire body so the fact that during this 50-minute sculpt class I was able to work my whole body was great. To have a fit and strong body you need to pay attention to all your muscles and like boxing, the sculpt class did just that.

CAN DO IT AT HOME

Of course you’ll be more motivated to keep going and not slack if you are in a group fitness class (this is true for me, at least) but if you can’t make it to the gym or prefer to exercise on your own, this is a form of workout you can do at home. All you have to do is buy a mat, a pair of 5 lb. dumbbells and a resistance band. Look up a total body sculpt routine and get to working!

LOW-IMPACT

Since your complete workout is done using dumbbells, resistance bands and a mat, this is considered a low-impact workout routine. Low-impact exercises are great for people who are new to working out as well as for anybody who has an injury but still wants to exercise. Yoga is another amazing low-impact workout which has many benefits of its own.

Low-impact workouts also help increase strength and flexibility around the joints to protect them better when you do high-impact workouts such as running. Adding a low-impact workout day in between your regular high-impact workouts also helps with muscle recovery.

What’s your favorite form of exercise?

You may also enjoy: Benefits Of Yoga and 3-Month Countdown Fitness Guide.