That might sound harsh to some of you, which is because you happen to be a runner who has already found the benefits of yoga.
BUT if you’re the other 90%, like my husband who feel out of place, not flexible enough, horribly uncomfortable with the chanting then you understand what I’m saying, you’re convinced yoga is NOT for you.
Relaxing makes us type A runners more stressed. It’s like telling someone not to be mad…immediately they see red and want to rip your eyes out. But that doesn’t meant we should shun yoga, there’s some real benefits there and you might be surprised to find resources like bulldog yoga that bust all your stereotypes.Let’s dig in to your excuses and what you really need to know.
It doesn’t seem like a workout
They aren’t a one to one swap, you can’t try to take a runners marathon plan and swap out runs for yoga sessions. BUT with a little change in perspective you might find ways to incorporate those yoga workouts for a better training cycle.
But if you think it’s not a workout, ohhh boy do you have some things to learn.
- Try athletic yoga
- Try different instructors who understand runners
- Once you learn how to engage your muscles, even what looks easy becomes hard
One of the first classes to catch my attention on bulldog yoga was in their “Exhilarate” section because it’s definitely geared towards athletes with a higher level of cardio and even the use of bands to up the intensity.
We already have a passion
One of the things I often hear from runners is they just don’t need another thing. Looking at their yogi friends who are all in loving it as much as we do our endorphin high, it feels like you can’t opt to enjoy both…which let’s be honest is sometimes further proven by yoga friends telling us how bad running is for us, while yoga solves all.
This isn’t to bash yogi’s, it’s to say that just like we will fiercely defend running as the best possible sweat option because of how it clears our mind and releases stress, they feel that way about yoga!
It’s cool. Turns out you can do lots of things in life. Stop trying to pigeon hole yourself or others. Be the bendy runner who can toss around some weights too. (I think they’re called elite runners actually.)
Adding in a little yoga, doesn’t meant you need to detract from your time spent running. In fact, a great half marathon training schedule might look like this:
Monday: Rest or restorative yoga
Tuesday: 5 miles with 1 mile w/u, 3 miles at HMP, 1 mile c/d
Wednesday: 3 miles easy or hour long bike ride
Thursday: 5 miles with speed play
Friday: Exhilarate cardio and strength based yoga workout
Saturday: 3 easy miles
Sunday: 10 easy miles
Missing the benefits to your running
Once you get past the Ommm and the words you don’t understand (remember fartlek wasn’t always in your vocabulary) then you can get down to business. Becoming a better runner.
- Enhances the mental ability to move through discomfort
- Builds muscle strength in hips, core and glutes for injury prevention
- Helps you stand taller which improves running form
- Improve balance {important as running is on one foot}
- Improves lung capacity {one study showed asthma improvements}
- Helps to detox (great post Thanksgiving or girls night out)
Still not convinced? I did a super in depth post on the benefits and how to maximize them for your running >>
Not interested in the chanting
Let’s be real…some of you won’t go to yoga because you dislike the chanting and the music. While there’s a lot to be said for spirituality, it’s totally possible to enjoy yoga for just the physical benefits if you want to!
This is actually one of the driving forces behind the creation of bulldog yoga. Jon knew that athletes really could benefit from yoga if it was in an environment that initially felt more welcoming. Which is why they play tunes like Justin Timberlake and Brittney Spears during classes designed to invigorate and keep you engaged.
And along these same lines, I often hear that yoga is too pretentious… to which I say “let us with $300 watches and $150 shoes not judge.”
No Time to Go
- Try shorter classes (I’m using the bulldog bites to get back in to yoga post surgery)
- Do it at home, no one looking at your horribly inflexible hamstring
- Get the kids involved thanks to the good music, fun way to make them part of your active life
This is another reason that I like the Bulldog platform. It’s only $12/month to take unlimited classes on the platform. Which means it’s like one tip to the Whole Foods hot bar for total access to yoga you can do at home when it fits your schedule. Click here to checkout bulldog yoga online and get your rock star yoga on!
Bulldog about making yoga approachable, accessible and fun. For all the athletes who want the benefits of yoga, but aren’t in the headspace to chant or meditate just yet, these classes set to awesome music are the perfect way to feel comfortable and enjoy the runner benefits like core strengthening, flexibility, lean body strengthening, low impact cardio/endurance and focus.
You’ll automatically get 20% off your first purchase on the site, but with code runtothefinish you can get an additional 15% through 3/31/2018. At $12 a month for unlimited classes this is cheaper than a drop in to any studio I’ve found!
Have you tried different kinds of yoga?
What keeps you from doing it consistently?
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This post is sponsored by Bulldog Yoga, all opinions are my own.
Aimee from Run Eat Drink Podcast @runeatdrinkpod says
This is an AWESOME post. I am dedicated to yoga and it has actually helped me recover from injury and strengthen muscles so I was able to complete races that meant so much to me. Ekhart Yoga has a YouTube channel with a series for runners. That’s how I found Ekhart Yoga. Now I pay a yearly subscription to access their library. I can sort by duration, purpose, instructor (although Esther is my fav). They have an iOS app too! Thanks for this!
amanda says
Yes, I’m so thrilled to be doing bulldog at home where i can really recover stronger from surgery!
Sara says
I am one who loves running and yoga and finds them to balance one another out perfectly. I ran my first half marathon with no yoga and barely finished basically limped in pain across the finish line. I was in such bad shape my husband thought he’d have to carry me to the car. 6 months later I ran another half using the same training plan but adding vinyasa power and slow flow yoga at least 4x a week. Not only did a PR shaving 7 minutes off my time, I ran pain free, finished with a huge smile on my fave and drove the hour back home. I know yoga helps me be a stronger runner and helps me to breathe better as well as breathing into the aches or anxiety that happen to come up during my runs.
Baron Baptiste has a athletic style of Vinyasa yoga and he has taught football players and teams to use yoga to benefit their sport. The studio I practice at is a Baptiste affiliated studio so it’s the style I practice most.
I love YogaGlo for online classes though. They have all styles of yoga from super “yoga” Kundalini to a search option with numerous classes made for Runners. Their vast options for classes is amazing. It’s the site I go to most for at home practice.
amanda says
wohoo I love it when runners share these stories, I think it’s so key to getting others to start dipping their toes in the yoga waters!! I think runners have to understand the benefits to get going!
Emily says
I haven’t done yoga, mostly because I’m not really into the Eastern religion behind it, but I do like the idea of strength, flexibility, and stretching. This almost sounds like something I would like, because I think yoga moves would be beneficial for me as a runner; I love that you always encourage us not to get pigeon holed in our workouts Amanda!
amanda says
YESSSS you are so who bulldog was created for!!! They felt like a lot of people were missing out on the benefits because of things like that.
Hannah says
I love yoga, but NOT as a workout – I get enough of those from running and strength training, so I prefer restorative and yin yoga styles.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a yoga class that included chanting – I wonder if people who are hesitant about that aspect imagine it to be more common than it actually is?
Agness of Fit Travelling says
This was a great post to read. However, athletic yoga seems like so much fun and like something every runner should try, at least for stretching the muscles!