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Gatorgal04 · 08-09-2012, 09:46 PM

Frankly, the most athletic thing I do is climb up on a bar stool.

Don't you just love that line? I have to credit my Mom.

Seriously, I took my first Yoga class tonight. About half way through I was thinking, "make it stop!" but now I'm glad I persevered. Stress, bad posture, and lack of movement landed me in the Emergency Room a couple of weeks ago with neck spasms that nothing was going to untangle except drugs. While I was getting the prescription filled the pharmacist suggested Yoga and I thought, what the heck?

I'm not very flexible, but I'm sure I'll get better and probably strengthen muscles too. Anyone else have experience with Yoga?

Dreamliner · 08-09-2012, 10:30 PM

I wouldn't say I'm a fan of yoga but I do incorporate certain postures into my workout cool-down. I do forward bend, up-dog, down-dog, pigeon pose, et.al. It lasts 5-10 minutes and there is a certain flow to it. It's relaxing.

LeafUF · 08-09-2012, 11:10 PM

I like taking the occasional yoga class. I'd go more but most studios are far too expensive for the once or twice a week I would attend a class.

FLfan · 08-09-2012, 11:20 PM

Yoga enthusiast here.

I started about 4 years ago after micro fracture knee surgery. I finished my rehab and began with a very gentle format class that this small studio near my home offered.

I have very tight IT band issues and hamstrings, but both have improved over time. The one thing about yoga is that you absolutely have to have patience with your progress unlike other forms of fitness activities. Postures I vowed I would never be able to do, I am now doing.
I enjoy Ashtanga these days.

Gatorgal04 · 08-10-2012, 06:38 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I signed up for 20 classes so I'll definitely take all of them and stay patient about my progress.

Dreamliner · 08-10-2012, 11:41 AM

This is not a knock on women, just an observation. I've noticed that it is generally women, who are already more flexible than men (and sheer flexibility is not what it's cracked up to be), who are drawn to yoga. In a sense, we are drawn to do what we are already relatively good at. For this same reason, men, who are stronger than women, are drawn to strength training.

I wish that more women would investigate strength training. Meanwhile, men could stand to work on their mobility.

FLfan · 08-10-2012, 04:38 PM

It is after years of cardio coupled with strength and conditioning activities that eventually led me to yoga after the knee surgery.
I am a female and have a certain degree of flexibility, but have always neglected a couple of aspects of fitness that I am finding in yoga. Just the obligatory 5-10 minutes after a class or session of cool down and stretching and out the door I ran.
Well that, and age, caught up with me. I would warn anyone looking into yoga, that just as in all forms of exercise, be careful. At the very least, make sure your instructor has at a minimum the 200 RYT, 500 even better. That is not like looking for someone certified by ACSM or NASM etc, but it will give you a bit of reassurance.
Oh, and, I get what I want out of the practice and happily leave some of the "cultish" aspects inside the studio.

Dreamliner · 08-10-2012, 06:25 PM

Well, there are plenty of quacks out there with ACSM and NASM certifications. Hell, there are plenty of quacks with degrees in exercise. Whatever you do, trust but verify. Get help by all means. But read up on what you're doing as well. And run from anybody who wants to force you into positions that cause pain. I stopped going to a chiro, last year, because she was stubborn with my hamstrings and wound up worsening the pain I originally sought her help for.

Yoga can injure you as easily as almost any exercise I can think of. I know two people who required shoulder surgery due to yoga-related injuries.

LeafUF · 08-10-2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

Yoga can injure you as easily as almost any exercise I can think of. I know two people who required shoulder surgery due to yoga-related injuries.

FLfan · 08-10-2012, 11:09 PM

No doubt. Be careful.

**kkg8r** · 08-10-2012, 11:56 PM

Huge yoga fan. I'm a vinyasa girl myself. I started taking yoga because of a bad back and way too much stress in the shoulders and neck. I'd find myself unable to run my head at least 3-4 times a year. Ever since I have committed to minimum 2x per week, my issues have all but gone away. Im also so much stronger in my upper body than I have ever been.

Lots of guys in yoga classes here in NYC. They tend to be much better at the strength aspects. I think it evens out.

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Dreamliner · 08-11-2012, 12:07 AM

That's what I'm saying. Chicks should not be content to claim the mobility advantage and concede the strength advantage, particularly when muscle (and bone) loss hits women so hard as they age. Do women really want to be flexible but frail and saggy as they age ? I see that all the time. It doesn't have to be the case.

Dreamliner · 08-11-2012, 12:10 AM

Case in point: I trained a 77 year-old woman last year. She could bend at the waist and palm the floor. Flexibility manifestly was NOT her problem. She was frail and weak. Yet, as I would coach her through a strength routine, it seemed like every time I turned my back ... she'd be down on the floor stretching!

It's just what women do! They also seem to be drawn to small, poodle-like dogs. I don't understand that either.

oI2ange · 08-11-2012, 01:58 AM

I don't enjoy Yoga much but I see its benefits in my other workouts. I used to do Yoga maybe 1x a week for a few months...but I haven't been in a while. I think it can help certain people and if people need help with that flexibility/etc, Yoga is an okay option...but obviously pretty piss poor for strength stuff. I personally used it to help me become more flexible...

**kkg8r** · 08-11-2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

That's what I'm saying. Chicks should not be content to claim the mobility advantage and concede the strength advantage, particularly when muscle (and bone) loss hits women so hard as they age. Do women really want to be flexible but frail and saggy as they age ? I see that all the time. It doesn't have to be the case.

I'm not saying that we concede it. I'm saying that if you take two beginners, one man and one woman, their start level will be different. She will most likely be more flexible and he will be better at strength moves. Of course, I am talking about vinyasa yoga- not just restorative types that are low strength high alignment focus. In order to get better at yoga, you will need to have both strength and flexibility. There is no way you can take more advanced classes if you're flexible an flabby. The amount of planks and "push ups" (chaturanga) alone will kill you.

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Dreamliner · 08-11-2012, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkg8r

I'm not saying that we concede it. I'm saying that if you take two beginners, one man and one woman, their start level will be different. She will most likely be more flexible and he will be better at strength moves. Of course, I am talking about vinyasa yoga- not just restorative types that are low strength high alignment focus. In order to get better at yoga, you will need to have both strength and flexibility. There is no way you can take more advanced classes if you're flexible an flabby. The amount of planks and "push ups" (chaturanga) alone will kill you.

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Oh, for sure. If you're weak to begin with then forms of yoga which include the poses you mentioned, along with the Crane and Chair Poses, will get you stronger. On the other hand, I don't know any women who cannot adapt to these poses rather quickly. In fact, women seem to adapt to the Crane Pose more quickly than men. I showed my 57-year old wife and 19-year old son how to perform it ... and my wife held hers longer than my son held his and he's a bodybuilder!

Chirogator · 08-12-2012, 08:26 PM

Orthopedic injuries generally occur when people don't have control at joint end range. You see this a lot in the yoga population with people who can contort into ridiculous positions but can't even deadlift half their bodyweight (just a blanket statement, not saying all yoga folks are like this), but you also see it in people who are so limited in mobility in certain areas (most often hips, ankles, and thoracic spine) that they're forced to compensate by moving to end range in other areas (namely the low back, knees, etc.) and subsequently suffering injuries there. I'm honestly much more biased towards strength training but I think a lot of people would benefit from certain yoga postures while a lot of yoga folks would do their bodies good by picking up some weights. Get good joint mobility and then put some strength on top of it.

Dreamliner · 08-12-2012, 09:12 PM

Good points! I mostly square the difference and perform strength movements that challenge ROM. Single-legged deadlifts, for example, have done more for my hamstrings than stretching has.

Chirogator · 08-13-2012, 07:41 AM

Absolutely. Once adequate ROM is achieved, nothing works better to keep it than full ROM strength exercises.

Dreamliner · 08-13-2012, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chirogator

Absolutely. Once adequate ROM is achieved, nothing works better to keep it than full ROM strength exercises.

And I will say that it seems to be the case that the dynamic stretching leads to more productive post-exercise, static-stretching. Seems to open things up a bit.