Why Runners Hate Yoga (Ways to Flip that Mindset)

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.