Incorporating Yoga or Pilates

YoungJr42

I try to workout 3 days a week and do cardio 2 or 3 days a week and was THINKING about incorporating yoga or pilates into my routine. Can anyone tell me which would be benefit my workouts and my "routine" the most. When would be the best time to do it...after cardio, after my workout, every morning, every evening, my rest days, etc?

Chenoachem

It really depends on your goals. There are so many different types of yoga out there and you can even get DVD's with a mix of Morning, evening, relaxing....yoga types on it.

I personally do yoga each morning after I get up and before I go for a run. It is a nice easy way to easy into my day or my workout. I typically do hartha which is slow and gentle but I also have astanga (power yoga) for runners that I do 1 time per week right now.

Ashia1317

I love both Yoga and Pilates! It's a great workout to start doing! I find when I do cardio first as a warm up, my yoga goes a little better. Muscles are warm and I feel a little more limber that way to get in some poses. But the best time to do it is really up to you. I like it at night sometimes to release stress and stretch out from the day. And sometimes it's just when my schedule allows me too. My best advice is to try each and then go by what your body says. If you're more of a morning person, probably the AM is for you. If you're like me and rather sleep as much as possible before the dreaded 6 AM alarm, then PM is best.

I stress a lot. So for me, the best time is after work, after dealing with the issues and just release all my energy a few hours before sleep and before dinner.

Good luck! I think you're going to really enjoy it!! They are both great for body and mind!

rachi20024

I do Pilates after a cardio workout or on the days that I don't work out. It really stretches those muscles that worked hard after cardio and helps me to cool down. :flowerforyou:

Ang8178

I do yoga twice a week at home. I use the Firm DVD Power Yoga. I don't know if I would think of it as power yoga though. I've done some and this seems like hartha to me. I get really really sore at the gym and this really relaxes my muscles and helps my upper back pain. I don't use it for stress or anything like that, I just like to really stretch out my body

MacMadame

Yoga is too zen for me. I do various "core strength and flexibility" workouts instead. They often incorporate yoga positions into the workouts and pilates too, but it's all big hybrid designed to improve my triathlon performance.

I think a minimum set of workouts should be 2 days of cardio, 2 days of strength and conditioning for 45 min. each day.