Yoga for Guys?

gregholmes1974
gregholmes1974 Posts: 28 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So my weight loss is doing pretty well - about alb a week.

Thinking of adding an exercise routine to my life to speed things up and to improve health etc.

Was thinking of maybe doing yoga - but as bloke is this a bit 'meh'? Or am I better off just joining a gym and doing plenty of cardio?

Any advice most welcome.
«1

Replies

  • captainheadkick
    captainheadkick Posts: 27 Member
    Try it.

    I was sceptical the first time I went as well, but it was a good workout.

    It really is good strength training and will do wonders for your flexibility. Hot yoga will make you melt!
  • runnergrlfl
    runnergrlfl Posts: 82 Member
    There are always a couple men in the Yoga classes I go to, and a few of my male friends also practice.

    Plenty of male Yogis out there too.

    Also: 10 (Male) Athletes and Teams You Might Not Think Would Practice Yoga
    http://www.stack.com/2012/09/17/yoga-athletes/
  • vms4evr
    vms4evr Posts: 106 Member
    Doing Yoga or Pilates, is NOT for girls. That is an old school mentality that is seriously flawed. I used Pilates to recover from back surgery. I use Yoga about once a week to stretch my body. Both have value regardless of sex. Try both with an open mind. And with the Yoga, you don't have to use it as religion, I skip that part. Breathing and doing the moves. You'll be surprised at how much strength and flexibility is needed.
  • 1PatientBear
    1PatientBear Posts: 2,089 Member
    Yoga is absolutely on my workout bucket list. Anyone who thinks yoga is just for women is either stupid or ignorant. The little bit of yoga that I have tried is TOUGH.
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    I've been doing hybrid yoga (DDP Yoga, specifically) for over a year. It's the best decision I ever made.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    if the objective is losing weight, then i think you should primarily keep focusing on the diet.

    my personal philosophy is that dieting is for weight loss and excercise is to look a certain way/be healthy.

    yoga goes a VERY long way to improving strength and flexibility. not strength in the sense of how much you can bench press, but strength in the sense that you can spend the entire day gardening, or changing the struts on your car and not experience any back pain the next day.

    its a form of exercise that reaps many benefits in daily life. plus, if you've done a lot of cardio and lifting, its something of a new challenge and worth it just for that.
  • 4Pick
    4Pick Posts: 25
    I do it as my "rest" day, and there is no rest involved. kick's my butt
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
    If my husband decided to do yoga I'd probably pick on him - just fun teasing though - and would really encourage him to do it. It is such a good strength builder adn is so much harder than people realize. Who couldn't also benefit from additional strength and flexbility?
  • hkristine1
    hkristine1 Posts: 950 Member
    There are some pretty "ripped" guys who take the same spin classes that I do on M, W, and F over the lunch hour. Some of those men also, religiously, take the Tuesday lunch-time yoga class. Some of them also take a Thursday "body works + abs" class. Personally, I think it's AWESOME that they are willing to do something that's a little less traditionally "masculine" because they recognize that flexibility is important for overall health - and they are secure enough to not care if someone else might think they're less "masculine" by attending these classes that generally attract more women than men. And these are definitely NOT men who are at the gym for the purpose of hitting on women - that would be creeperiffic. I say that if it sounds interesting to you, DO IT and don't care what anyone else might think.

    Also, you should commit to going at least 3 times before you decide if you're going to quit or keep at it. I think it takes at least 3 times to feel comfortable enough with what is happening (whether it be spin, or zumba, or yoga, or anything) to really be able to judge whether you like it or not.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I've yet to take a yoga class that didn't have men in it.

    My boss was a Navy helicopter pilot/officer and he's into yoga. All the men I know who are marathon runners swear by it.
  • gregholmes1974
    gregholmes1974 Posts: 28 Member
    About 18 months ago I had a real painful time as I pulled my sciatic nerve and was in agony and couldn't walk properly for weeks and am now scared of it happening again - so have ruled out running.

    Wasn't accusing yoga as being only for girls - just wanted some opinions on it, seems like they are mostly positive :)
  • NinjaUnicornPirate
    NinjaUnicornPirate Posts: 43 Member
    I don't know about where you live, but here in the Boston area they have a place called "Broga" that is a yoga studio designed for men to take away that stigma.

    http://www.brogayoga.com/
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    Last I checked, yoga was not a gender specific activity. Go for it if it's something you're interested in trying.
  • AtticWindow
    AtticWindow Posts: 295 Member
    All of my yoga classes have had loads of muscled men in them. I would definitely say try it out!
  • KseRz
    KseRz Posts: 980 Member
    Doing Yoga or Pilates, is NOT for girls. That is an old school mentality that is seriously flawed. I used Pilates to recover from back surgery. I use Yoga about once a week to stretch my body. Both have value regardless of sex. Try both with an open mind. And with the Yoga, you don't have to use it as religion, I skip that part. Breathing and doing the moves. You'll be surprised at how much strength and flexibility is needed.

    I agree. Done properly, yoga is no joke.
  • LC458
    LC458 Posts: 300 Member
    Yoga is solely for women while
    Lifting is solely for men....

    I thought everyone knew that!!

    :wink:
  • AtticWindow
    AtticWindow Posts: 295 Member
    I don't know about where you live, but here in the Boston area they have a place called "Broga" that is a yoga studio designed for men to take away that stigma.

    http://www.brogayoga.com/

    I love when men's egos are so fragile that they have to "man up" otherwise gender neutral activities and objects, like yoga or moisturizer or yogurt. :laugh:
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    About 18 months ago I had a real painful time as I pulled my sciatic nerve and was in agony and couldn't walk properly for weeks and am now scared of it happening again - so have ruled out running.

    Wasn't accusing yoga as being only for girls - just wanted some opinions on it, seems like they are mostly positive :)
    If you go, make sure you inform the instructor of your injury and any limitations it causes.
  • TattooedNici
    TattooedNici Posts: 2,141 Member
    Last I checked, yoga was not a gender specific activity. Go for it if it's something you're interested in trying.

    This 100%!
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    Though I'm not a man, I'm one of the most inflexible women you'd ever meet. I definitely thought yoga was for people who were flexible and felt silly going into a class not even being able to touch my toes at first.

    I got hooked, and got into Bikram yoga (hot yoga, lots of men in my class there too!) and realized that yoga is literally for *everyone* no matter your gender, age, flexibility, ability, weight, height - whatever! Yoga is the type of practice that you do at your own speed, it's not about keeping up with everyone else or being able to stretch the furthest (like a particular exercise we were graded on in gym class that I HATED)

    After doing yoga for a whole year consistently, I can stretch my palms way past the soles of my feet when I'm sitting down, it's pretty amazing. I've increased flexibility everywhere in my body that I didn't think even had flexibility. Start out just focusing on breathing, relaxation, and do what you can, and after a few months you'll see some amazing progress within yourself.

    I think the #1 benefit of yoga for weight loss is stress reduction. When I'm stressed, I don't lose weight. It doesnt matter calories in vs calories out, my stress hormones kick in and weight loss comes to a complete stop. Yoga helps this because it lowers my stress level and calms my mind to be able to control stress and anxiety so that I am able to lose weight.
  • blairf83
    blairf83 Posts: 33 Member
    There are a handful of guys who do yoga at the studio I practice at. Get in, get the basics, and get moving. It's an amazing all-over workout when you learn how to take poses up to their edge.
  • sisterlilbunny
    sisterlilbunny Posts: 686 Member
    I'd say give it a try!!

    Make sure you take a beginner's class to get used to proper form since you have back issues. I'm dealing with tendonitis in the bicep and if I don't keep my shoulders in the correct position, I can be a hurting fool later on. The guys in our class seem to really enjoy it and take a lot away from it (and not just the hippie ones). We had a class a few Saturdays ago that kicked an ex-Marine's hind end. Made me really re-evaluate yoga practice being "easy". :D

    Oh and let us know what you think after you try it out!!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I do yoga regularly along with weight training and cardio work as part of a well balanced fitness regimen.
  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
    I enjoy yoga. Honestly, I've only ever done it for wii fit (not "man" enough to do a class in public or whatever), but I've enjoyed it. Great for stretching and for those days when you want to take a break from lifting or running. Just get in some dedicated stretching and some yoga and you're good. The sun salutation and half moon feel awesome in the morning, get those joints cracking.
  • gregholmes1974
    gregholmes1974 Posts: 28 Member
    Thanks for all the replies - looks like I'll be just fine in a yoga class :)
  • ohpiper
    ohpiper Posts: 697 Member
    I used to do it as part of the regimen when I was doing P90X. Every now and then I will do it when I'm especially sore.
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
    I think it's cool for a guy to do yoga.

    My boyfriend has in the past and he is very masculine and not at all granola or whatever you might think a yoga dude might be. I think it's just all about being confident with yourself. It's just about embracing it...if you enjoy it, then go for it! It will make you a more well rounded person.

    It can be a really hard workout too.
  • gregholmes1974
    gregholmes1974 Posts: 28 Member
    Thanks for the reply - and it's good to see you spelt your name correctly :)

    FYI my daughters name is Caitlin :)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Last I checked, yoga was not a gender specific activity. Go for it if it's something you're interested in trying.

    precisely... there are no gender specific "exercises"

    before anyone says "keigals"- it could go either way- but technically there is a male version of that as well.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
    I used to take yoga classes at my gym and it was usually a pretty even split of guys and girls. I don't think it's a big deal. Yoga will do great things for your body, I highly recommend it.

Categories