New class offers hot yoga and hot high intensity interval training

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (KABC) -- These people are talking about a new class called FIRE. "It's such a great, explosive workout. You get everything fit in an hour," said Melanie Reed of Laguna Niguel.

"That's probably the best thing I do on a daily basis," said Gary Roney of Laguna Niguel.

"It is not common, no. It is new. There is nothing like this," said Eric Jeffers of Life Time Athletic.

FIRE is Life Time Athletic's latest concept, bringing yoga to an exercise format known H.I.I.T. or high intensity interval training. That's when you do bursts of high intensity exercise for small bouts, like 30 seconds, then return to doing something else, like strength or yoga. The intervals are then repeated throughout class.

But during FIRE they've turned it up a notch. Hot, but not so hot it should cause a physical challenge.

After a round of high-intensity bursts, they take the student back into a yoga breath. It's quite a unique way to work out.

"In the nature of yoga it's all about coming back to the breath so that the end of high intensity interval training we ask people to stand still and notice how quickly they can come back to nose breathing," said Glick.

"I think every guy like myself at my age should do something like that because it's amazing how you feel not only mentally but physically," Roney said.

Roney said the yoga session reduces his time in the weight room and adds a sense of calm to his life.

The new class is available a couple times each week at this Laguna Niguel gym where they welcome people to give it a try.