Yoga or Cross fit?

positivevibes4u
positivevibes4u Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Currently, I do hot Vinyasa yoga and I love it BUT my friend has been doing cross fit for less time and is seeing better results...
I know, I know ... everyone’s body is different ...I just want to hear some thoughts.

Replies

  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    What sorts of results are you looking for?
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Do you think you would love cross fit as much as yoga? Over time, consistency is what matters.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    Do what you like. And yes everyone is different.
  • lalabank
    lalabank Posts: 1,009 Member
    Why not both?
  • thisPGHlife
    thisPGHlife Posts: 440 Member
    A lot of guns will let you have a trial day. Maybe see if CrossFit is something you would even enjoy doing. If it is, as @lalabank said, why not do both? If it's monetary, maybe you could start doing CrossFit and do yoga at home. I know it wouldn't be the same but at least you wouldn't have to totally cut out an activity you enjoy.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited December 2018
    I feel like they are suited for different goals. What are you hoping yoga and/or crossfit will help you achieve? What does "better results" mean? And does it have to be one or the other... is there a reason you can't do both?
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    depends on what your goals are
    (the hot does nothing)

    try both and do which one you'll stick with
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    What are you interested in doing, and what are your performance goals?

    I see them as two different things, so would likely do both. Yoga is really more about flexibility, maybe a little bit of cardio but not much, and some strength/core work. (The heat does nothing, except raise your heart rate -- which doesn't mean you're getting a cardio burn -- and cause you to lose some water weight.)

    I'm not a huge CrossFit fan, but that strikes me -- based on what I've read -- as more functional training, and strength training, with some cardio thrown in.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    I vote for both. Give Crossfit a try. You may like it or you may not but yoga is a good counter-balance for strenuous workouts.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    FireOpalCO wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    depends on what your goals are
    (the hot does nothing)

    try both and do which one you'll stick with

    Uh, no. Hot Yoga is very beneficial. It takes real muscle strength to hold poses for that long.

    OP, I do yoga (including hot) and also Orangetheory. Yoga is great for building core strength and improving flexibility, but it isn't a cardio workout. I get the cardio and strength training at OTF.

    I think you're misunderstanding...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    positivevibes1981 wrote: »
    Currently, I do hot Vinyasa yoga and I love it BUT my friend has been doing cross fit for less time and is seeing better results...
    I know, I know ... everyone’s body is different ...I just want to hear some thoughts.

    These are two completely different activities...night and day with completely different objectives. Crossfit is a far more intense workout than vinyasa.

    Personally, I don't see why you couldn't do both...I tried 3 different boxes and they all had a free intro class. I tried it for a month and determined it wasn't my bag and I'd rather hit the weight room for more traditional lifting and running and cycling for cardio.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    FireOpalCO wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    depends on what your goals are
    (the hot does nothing)

    try both and do which one you'll stick with

    Uh, no. Hot Yoga is very beneficial. It takes real muscle strength to hold poses for that long.

    OP, I do yoga (including hot) and also Orangetheory. Yoga is great for building core strength and improving flexibility, but it isn't a cardio workout. I get the cardio and strength training at OTF.

    high temperature classes does nothing different than regular temperature classes other than make you sweat more and typically more prone to injury due to hyperextension

    vinyasa can be a cardio workout but not to the extent of a hard run. it should be flowing and moving and my heart rate certainly gets elevated. probably more akin to a quick walk or low intensity hike
    hatha and some other styles are not cardio as you are more static and move less

    All yoga styles mentioned in this thread and that include asanas (postures/poses) are hatha yoga.

    https://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/yoga-questions-answered

    Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga are examples of yoga that are not hatha.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    FireOpalCO wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    depends on what your goals are
    (the hot does nothing)

    try both and do which one you'll stick with

    Uh, no. Hot Yoga is very beneficial. It takes real muscle strength to hold poses for that long.

    OP, I do yoga (including hot) and also Orangetheory. Yoga is great for building core strength and improving flexibility, but it isn't a cardio workout. I get the cardio and strength training at OTF.

    high temperature classes does nothing different than regular temperature classes other than make you sweat more and typically more prone to injury due to hyperextension

    vinyasa can be a cardio workout but not to the extent of a hard run. it should be flowing and moving and my heart rate certainly gets elevated. probably more akin to a quick walk or low intensity hike
    hatha and some other styles are not cardio as you are more static and move less

    All yoga styles mentioned in this thread and that include asanas (postures/poses) are hatha yoga.

    https://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/yoga-questions-answered

    Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga are examples of yoga that are not hatha.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga

    vinyasa is flow. which the OP specifically mentioned
    hatha is more static
    they both have asanas which is 1 out of 8 limbs of yoga
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited December 2018
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    FireOpalCO wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    depends on what your goals are
    (the hot does nothing)

    try both and do which one you'll stick with

    Uh, no. Hot Yoga is very beneficial. It takes real muscle strength to hold poses for that long.

    OP, I do yoga (including hot) and also Orangetheory. Yoga is great for building core strength and improving flexibility, but it isn't a cardio workout. I get the cardio and strength training at OTF.

    high temperature classes does nothing different than regular temperature classes other than make you sweat more and typically more prone to injury due to hyperextension

    vinyasa can be a cardio workout but not to the extent of a hard run. it should be flowing and moving and my heart rate certainly gets elevated. probably more akin to a quick walk or low intensity hike
    hatha and some other styles are not cardio as you are more static and move less

    All yoga styles mentioned in this thread and that include asanas (postures/poses) are hatha yoga.

    https://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/yoga-questions-answered

    Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga are examples of yoga that are not hatha.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_yoga

    vinyasa is flow. which the OP specifically mentioned
    hatha is more static
    they both have asanas which is 1 out of 8 limbs of yoga

    Anything with asanas is hatha yoga.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member

    i did also see a smaller amount of blogs saying that vinyasa was hatha but not all hatha is vinyasa. which is why they are typically labelled differently in class/studio schedules. at least, at the studio i work at, local studios, and other studios i visited

    below are links that also treat them as different styles
    gaiam
    fellow teacher
    list of styles
    hatha vs vinyasa

    so conclusion. fine, vinyasa is rooted in hatha
    but classes labelled as either differ greatly. and the OP specifically stated vinyasa. which means it is light cardio more so than a specifically labelled hatha class

  • jseams1234
    jseams1234 Posts: 1,219 Member
    I'm about as flexible as a baseball bat. All this talk of yoga is making my joints hurt. lol
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    This is like saying... which is better: apples or salmon?

    Better for what - Burning calories? Strength? Overall fitness? Trendy workout gear?

    Is this the only workout you would be doing? What is your overall activity level? Are you trying to lose weight, and how far do you have to go?
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    yoga and crossfit are nothing alike. Completely different. You can't compare the two. Depends what your goals are and what type of "results" you are looking for.
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    I was looking into CrossFit during one of my failed manic LOSE WEIGHT NOW!!!! phases and had several trainers steer me away from CrossFit and a couple towards "Zuu"

    To quote one:
    "If your goal is strength, functional fitness, movement and flexibility then start doing Zuu. CrossFit is only good if your goal is damaged joints, soft tissue injuries and brainwashing"

    Can't speak from person experience though as my crazed over the top approach to fitness/weight loss back then had burned out before I even managed to sign up to either
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    both
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
    What do you mean by better results? Yoga and cross fit are completely different, so it seems logical they'd each be suited to different goals.
    Also, I'm not sure if it's been brought up yet, but we are missing some of the information in determining that it is specifically the cross fit that is getting your friend better results. What is her calorie deficit in comparison to yours? What about her starting weight, physique, and fitness level compared to yours? Without controlling all those variables it's hard to say "x" produces better results than "y".
    As far as helping with a calorie deficit I concede cross fit probably has yoga beat, but if you have time or can afford to do both, why not do both?
    I love yoga and have no desire to do cross fit, especially if the huge monthly fee meant I had to cut out my regular gym that has spin classes in order to afford it. Depending on the type of yoga, it can be a fairly intense body weight training routine, but I wouldn't count on it burning many calories.
    I'd definitely follow the advice others have given you and try a few free classes first though before making the decision. A big part of being fitter is being able to enjoy that fitness, but if you give up yoga that you like and only go to cross fit because you think it will make you look hotter even if you don't enjoy it, are you really enjoying being fitter? Not to say that looking hotter is not a perfectly valid goal, because it is, just do what you actually enjoy as well.
  • Keladelphia
    Keladelphia Posts: 820 Member
    I currently Olympic weight lift and do yoga (hot Vinyasa) but I did Crossfit and yoga together for a long time. As far as results, in my personal experience Crossfit built more raw strength and gave me more of the aesthetic that I was looking for, however, yoga gave me much more mental/stress relief and greatly increased my flexibility. I think that that increased flexibility really helped my performance in Crossfit. I couldn't choose one or the other as better because they offered me different benefits and I truly feel they compliment each other perfectly.
  • jiggyj9
    jiggyj9 Posts: 90 Member
    You can't compare the two, but they could compliment each other nicely to achieve good results. It depends on your personal goals and interests.
  • mackfoo
    mackfoo Posts: 28 Member
    I do both and think they compliment each other nicely.

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