When I was approached about offering a yoga class at the studio I knew it would be a good idea though. Even though I wasn't into it I knew it is very popular and many of our clients would enjoy it. So I figured I would give it another chance. Courtney does an amazing job blending yoga and strength together. As I write this now I can feel my sore shoulders from all the push up variations we did the other night. Each week I can see dramatic differences in how strong I feel in each pose or flow and I notice a great increase in flexibility, which is really helping me with my strength exercises.
So being the nerd that I am I wanted to research yoga and see if it really is an important component to your fitness program. After review a number of research articles I created a list of my top 5 reasons you should add Yoga to your routine.
1. Yoga training can help reduce muscle soreness after a strength workout
A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that after a bout of eccentric training (workouts that cause muscle soreness the next day), a single bout of yoga significantly improve soreness the the next day. While I know some people enjoy feeling muscle soreness the next day after a workout, some people do their best to avoid it. If you want to reduce your muscle soreness try yoga out. It may also be helpful for those who have a race or competition coming it. It is important to continue to train but soreness can hinder performance.
2. Yoga can improve posture
There are three main factors you want to consider when trying to improve posture and yoga addresses all of them. First, you need chest opening stretches to release tight muscles such as the pectorals and lats. Next you need core integration. A strong core builds the foundation for solid posture. And finally you need back strengthening exercises. Yoga will help improve all three of these resulting in much better posture.
3. Yoga reduces back pain
A study took a group of individuals who suffered from low back pain. Some where the control group who did nothing and two other groups either took yoga classes or were given a yoga video to do on their own. After 12 weeks the group who took the classes and those who followed the videos at home saw significant improvements with lower back pain compared to the control group.
4. Yoga improves balance, flexibility, and muscular strength
Another study took a group of people who never performed yoga before. They completed two sessions per week for 8 weeks and saw significant improvements in balance, flexibility, and upper and lower body muscular strength. Another similar study found that yoga even helped improve muscular endurance. Although there were no significant changes in body composition these were pretty amazing results.
5. Yoga can help with depression
While if you are suffering from serious depression you should be seeking help from a professional therapist, we all have suffered from times when we are feeling down. A study was conducted with cancer survivors who complete 7 weeks of yoga training. They found that after the 7 weeks those who did the yoga experienced positive changes in emotional function, reduced depression, and reduced mood disturbances. One of the most beneficial aspects of yoga is its ability to help reduce stress. If you are feeling run down, depressed, or just stressed out, give a yoga class a try and see how you feel after.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you consider trying yoga out. And of course a shameless promotion, we are now offering Vinyasa Yoga at San Diego Premier Training every Tuesday at 6pm. First class is free to try it out and see if you experience any of these benefits. I am always there so see if you can keep up!
You Stay Healthy San Diego,
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training
My Workout Creator
