Yoga for Weightlifters (athletes)

[thvndercvnt]

Hey guys,

I've been dabbling in yoga in recent weeks and found it to be reasonably beneficial, but I feel like a lot of the video series online are aimed at the average person, with average muscular imbalances and average holding patterns, not tailored to athletes (or men).

I'm not interested in 'developing spiritually' by rolling around or stretching on a mat, if you can get your rocks off that way, then power to you. I like yoga for its passive stetching element and general emphasis on mobility -I want to do cool s**t with my body. In particular, I have recently taken up olympic weightlifting at my uni club, but am currently abstaining on -what is so far- a three month hiatus due to an SI joint injury. I'm getting better, and definitely improving, I'm back in the gym again at least, but weightlifting puts a lot of stress on the mid-section so I'm reluctant (and right to be) to go back to it straight away. For me, yoga is helping to strengthen my 'core' *cringe* and flexibility so that I can get into stronger and more stable positions under the bar.

With that in mind, I'm interested to here your insights and advice for furthering or improving my practice, I dare say "30 days of yoga with Adriene" is not the most efficient or effective way to increase my mobility or rehab my muscles.

[QW1RK]

typically people with a lot of muscle have their own challenges with yoga, a lot of men find it difficult to hold their own weight up in some poses, which doesnt mean that you cant do yoga, the weight of your muscle is just a challenge you have to work with.

i assure you, yoga is tailored for people. my arms are long, so i have to take account of that in poses, some of them will be harder or easier to get into, and it may not be exactly the same way the instructor with shorter arms does it. so, try not to get frustrated if you dont look as graceful as your instructor. i would suggest taking classes with a certified yoga instructor a few times, this way they can help you get in and out of poses so your home practices will be more successful.

yoga is different than weight lifting, it's a different thing that your muscles have to get used to. just like if a yogi we're to cycle, they wont be as good as someone whos been cycling for years even though theyre fit. so like weight lifting, you get better at it and you'll see and feel results with consistent practice. your body will do amazing s**t, trust me, just accept the state that your body is in currently and eventually, you'll find you can get into a one handed hand stand gracefully.

on that note, if you focus too much on the stretching aspect of yoga, then you wont benefit from the strength. even in a simple move like upward dog, your legs must be activated, and sort of pushing away from you. if you want to get into more advanced moves, it's not a matter of stretching some muscles and crunching the rest, doing it this way will make you lose balance and fall.

daimond dallas page, an x wrestler, does yoga and is a yoga instructor. i'm sure you can do it too, even the videos that seem like they arent for you. i would suggest looking into it actually, maybe that would be more appealing to you?

edit: just found this. this guy has three free videos on this channel for beginner, intermediate, and advanced. this is the beginner vid, i dont think it's that much different than adriene, but maybe this will be better for you?

[Theron_The_Wanderer]

One of the best ways to rehabilitate your core in paticular after a hiatus, is stretching it. I would recommend the yoga pose: "The Cobra", slowly arching until you feel the pull, hold it for ten, breathing down into your pelvis, then release. Do that a few times properly, then curl into a relaxed ball for about 30 seconds. Repeat. Then do some seated twists to stretch the lower back and hips. These stretches work wonders for me. Just always remember to breathe low, don't let your breath get caught up in your chest, or make you tense. It should be one continuous flow of air in and out. All and all though, push your limits, but know when you need to stop or ease off to avoid further injury. Though seeing as you're going into olympic weightlifting, I'm sure you already know that much. I hope this helped a bit. Wishing you all the best! biggrin

[[ Lady Marmalade ]]

Why not take a yoga class? I know they can be a bit expensive, but if there's a free class in your gym or around your area, then it might be a good idea. It seems to me that you do yoga at home with the use of online videos. That sounds good since it's free, but being in class can be pretty relaxing and you are challenged to hold the poses a little longer. Classes usually last for an hour to an hour and a half (with shavasana or lying down on the ground included).

By the way, some people might say that lying down on the ground for 5 to ten minutes after stretching "heightens their spirituality", but I think there is more to. It can be pretty boring, but that down time after a stretch is beneficial. ( Forgot what is was, but the hubby always tells me to do that after he helps me stretch. He's a PT certified by NASM.)

Also, there are different types of yoga. If you want to try a more fast paced yoga, then take a Vinyasa yoga class. Hatha yoga is the relaxing one, Kundalini is a bit harder than Hatha and is considered to be "the" yoga to heighten your spirituality or whatever people call it nowadays.

My hubby used to do yoga almost daily due to an autoimmune disorder. After he started working out and gaining a lot of weight in muscle, he said that doing yoga has been more difficult. Which is understandable. Yoga is a bit easier for individuals who are less bulkier, but there are still poses that aren't that hard to accomplish.

My personal favorite which I do as a warm-up before my workouts is the sun salutation.
There are variations to this but its basically: lunge, downward facing dog, plank to upward facing down then child's pose. Something like that!