bikram yoga

Bikram is great. You will sweat a bunch and lose some water weight. I would be very surprised though if you burn thant many calories. It isnt a real cardio workout for 90 minutes but it isnt easy by any means. I used to log about 400 cals for the 90 minutes but that was oretty much just a safe estimate.

Hiya, I happen to be a Bikram yoga teacher. Your first time will be challenging but mostly b/c of the heat. Don't worry! After the first few times you'll get used to it & after a few months of regular practice you won't notice it much.
I'm no calorie burning expert but I do believe you can burn that much in a class. There is a lot of water weight sure. But to disagree with another poster here there is a lot of cardio happening here. You don't move around much but you're holding some challenging poses for 30-60 seconds at a time. Your heart rate will shoot up just as it would if you were running. If that's not happening in your Bikram class and you'd like it to, tell the teacher. You can work harder.
Two more tips: one is to drink at least 4 glasses of water about an hour BEFORE class. It takes 20 minutes for your body to absorb water once you've drunk it so drinking water during class is mostly feels refreshing and provides a distraction but it's not necessary for most people. Also please do not chug a bunch of water during class. Little sips else that water sitting in your belly might make you nauseous. Lastly, wiping off sweat with hand towels is also a habit to distract & pointless since it's just going to come back anyway. Sweat is the body's cooling mechanism. Wiping it off makes you feel hotter. Hope this helps!

Then there is that. It's a wonderful, blissful feeling you have after class that you carry with you the rest of your day. Thanks for reminding me Risya!

I am definitely going to have to try this

Like I said before, I'm no calorie-burning expert but with the Bikram yoga room heated to an average of 105 degrees I think this 90 minute experience would be an exception.

Btw, the few times I've done it I've LOVED kickboxing.

Hiya, I happen to be a Bikram yoga teacher. Your first time will be challenging but mostly b/c of the heat. Don't worry! After the first few times you'll get used to it & after a few months of regular practice you won't notice it much.
I'm no calorie burning expert but I do believe you can burn that much in a class. There is a lot of water weight sure. But to disagree with another poster here there is a lot of cardio happening here. You don't move around much but you're holding some challenging poses for 30-60 seconds at a time. Your heart rate will shoot up just as it would if you were running. If that's not happening in your Bikram class and you'd like it to, tell the teacher. You can work harder.
Two more tips: one is to drink at least 4 glasses of water about an hour BEFORE class. It takes 20 minutes for your body to absorb water once you've drunk it so drinking water during class is mostly feels refreshing and provides a distraction but it's not necessary for most people. Also please do not chug a bunch of water during class. Little sips else that water sitting in your belly might make you nauseous. Lastly, wiping off sweat with hand towels is also a habit to distract & pointless since it's just going to come back anyway. Sweat is the body's cooling mechanism. Wiping it off makes you feel hotter. Hope this helps!

The heart rate increase is almost entirely due to thermal stress--there is no increased calorie expenditure involved over the modest burn that one achieves with regular yoga. As a responsible instructor, I'm sure you want to give your students accurate physiological information.

And, depending on the relative humidity, wiping off sweat can actually have a transient cooling effect. If humidity is high, then sweat is not evaporating as quickly , and the accumulation can begin to act as a thin layer of insulation. Wiping the sweat off allows the cooling process to "recharge" albeit briefly. In any case, the effect is very small, but overall, there is no negative effect to wiping off sweat.

Like I said before, I'm no calorie-burning expert but with the Bikram yoga room heated to an average of 105 degrees I think this 90 minute experience would be an exception.

Btw, the few times I've done it I've LOVED kickboxing.

Since there is no real heart rate raise from aerobic exercise (yoga is anaerobic) the calorie burn is correct. If you ran in desert heat or on a cool day, the calorie burn is approximately the same (maybe a little more in colder weather). Sweating is NOT and not always an indication higher calorie burn.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Hi ninerbuff,
You folks are really making me work for it.
Just because the students are not jumping around does not mean the heart is not pumping faster. I would argue there is much happening aerobically with the heart as with running.

We're holding strenuous poses in 100+ degrees of heat. The breaks between postures can seem painfully short.

Let's take one example. Utkatasana, Awkward Pose. It comes in 3 parts, each about 20-30 seconds long. The whole time your arms oustretched in front of you and students are instructed to continuously stretch them forward to counterbalance the other movements in this posture. With the feet hip width distance they first sit down in a squat and then arch the upper body back. The abdominals must be contracted the whole time to get into and out of this posture safely. Second part they rise up on their toes and then sit into another full squat (thighs parallel to the floor) while staying on the balls of the feet. Hold 20 seconds. The spine is straight (there's a tendency to lean forward), arms stretched outwards. Third part they bring their knees together and in a slow count of ten slide all the way down with a straight spine until their hips hover a half inch from their heels. To get the thighs parallel they must pitch their knees forward a bit (squeeze the knees!) and lean the upper body back, core strength is crucial to stay balanced here. On the second set they are asked to bounce with big, "juicy" bounces a few times, freeze at the upswing and come up slowly. We do 2 sets of all the postures.

Again I don't have the advantage of a fitness certification or degree of physiology and I'm growing weary of this argument but I'm glad this was brought up. If anyone's paying attention I would gladly go back to my books to find more solid evidence of the efficacy of this class for cardio and strength (as well as meditation and overall health). Suffice it to say that this is not your average hatha yoga class and I would encourage you to try a few to see for yourselves.

This class will kick your *kitten* in the very best way.
Namaste!!!

Hi ninerbuff,
You folks are really making me work for it.
Just because the students are not jumping around does not mean the heart is not pumping faster. I would argue there is much happening aerobically with the heart as with running.

We're holding strenuous poses in 100+ degrees of heat. The breaks between postures can seem painfully short.

Let's take one example. Utkatasana, Awkward Pose. It comes in 3 parts, each about 20-30 seconds long. The whole time your arms oustretched in front of you and students are instructed to continuously stretch them forward to counterbalance the other movements in this posture. With the feet hip width distance they first sit down in a squat and then arch the upper body back. The abdominals must be contracted the whole time to get into and out of this posture safely. Second part they rise up on their toes and then sit into another full squat (thighs parallel to the floor) while staying on the balls of the feet. Hold 20 seconds. The spine is straight (there's a tendency to lean forward), arms stretched outwards. Third part they bring their knees together and in a slow count of ten slide all the way down with a straight spine until their hips hover a half inch from their heels. To get the thighs parallel they must pitch their knees forward a bit (squeeze the knees!) and lean the upper body back, core strength is crucial to stay balanced here. On the second set they are asked to bounce with big, "juicy" bounces a few times, freeze at the upswing and come up slowly. We do 2 sets of all the postures.

Again I don't have the advantage of a fitness certification or degree of physiology and I'm growing weary of this argument but I'm glad this was brought up. If anyone's paying attention I would gladly go back to my books to find more solid evidence of the efficacy of this class for cardio and strength (as well as meditation and overall health). Suffice it to say that this is not your average hatha yoga class and I would encourage you to try a few to see for yourselves.

This class will kick your *kitten* in the very best way.
Namaste!!!

This is always one of the more difficult discussions when it comes to fitness. Trying to separate fact from assumption, trying to define common meanings for words, and trying to work through the defensiveness that can arise when the presenting of facts is perceived as denigrating the activity as a whole.

Just the facts:

increased heart rate does not always equal either cardiovascular (aerobic) training or increased caloric burn; neither does increased sweating; neither does muscle fatigue.

an activity or class can "kick *kitten*" without achieving significant calorie burn or cardiovascular training.

Cardiovascular training/high calorie burn are not the only criteria for determining the overall effectiveness/benefit/enjoyment of a fitness activity. Saying an activity does not have a high cardiovascular training component is NOT a perjorative statement.

"Fitness", "well-being" are terms that mean different things to different people. The physical effects of a particular exercise or program mean different things to different people. Our ability to function physically is affected by our cardiovascular fitness level, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. A person's individual physical and psychological makeup has a significant influence on the types of physical activity they will enjoy and find rewarding. The efficacy of a program is ultimately determined by the person doing it.

Every activity evokes a set of physiological responses. Again, there is no moral value associated with this. It just is.
People need to match the specific effects of the activity to their needs.

Yoga, for the most part, has a modest cardiovascular component (I am referring to typical yogic poses, not some hybrid); the strength and flexibility training adaptations are also unique as well. The physiologic responses that occur during yoga are not the same as those that occur during running or during traditional weight lifting. Doesn't mean yoga is better or worse, just different.

The physiology is the physiology. The only problem I see is that if a proponent of a particular type of exercise (whatever type that is--yoga, pilates, HIIT, super slow, marathon training, you name it) overpromises what that particular activity will achieve and tries to make all exercise activities equivalent.

Hi ninerbuff,
You folks are really making me work for it.
Just because the students are not jumping around does not mean the heart is not pumping faster. I would argue there is much happening aerobically with the heart as with running.

We're holding strenuous poses in 100+ degrees of heat. The breaks between postures can seem painfully short.

Let's take one example. Utkatasana, Awkward Pose. It comes in 3 parts, each about 20-30 seconds long. The whole time your arms oustretched in front of you and students are instructed to continuously stretch them forward to counterbalance the other movements in this posture. With the feet hip width distance they first sit down in a squat and then arch the upper body back. The abdominals must be contracted the whole time to get into and out of this posture safely. Second part they rise up on their toes and then sit into another full squat (thighs parallel to the floor) while staying on the balls of the feet. Hold 20 seconds. The spine is straight (there's a tendency to lean forward), arms stretched outwards. Third part they bring their knees together and in a slow count of ten slide all the way down with a straight spine until their hips hover a half inch from their heels. To get the thighs parallel they must pitch their knees forward a bit (squeeze the knees!) and lean the upper body back, core strength is crucial to stay balanced here. On the second set they are asked to bounce with big, "juicy" bounces a few times, freeze at the upswing and come up slowly. We do 2 sets of all the postures.

Again I don't have the advantage of a fitness certification or degree of physiology and I'm growing weary of this argument but I'm glad this was brought up. If anyone's paying attention I would gladly go back to my books to find more solid evidence of the efficacy of this class for cardio and strength (as well as meditation and overall health). Suffice it to say that this is not your average hatha yoga class and I would encourage you to try a few to see for yourselves.

This class will kick your *kitten* in the very best way.
Namaste!!!

There have been clinical studies done by the ACSM on yoga. A lot of the poses are isometric. Isometric exercises don't burn that many calories. I know it seems like your working hard enough to burn high calories, but again anaerobic exercise just doesn't.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Hi ninerbuff,
You folks are really making me work for it.
Just because the students are not jumping around does not mean the heart is not pumping faster. I would argue there is much happening aerobically with the heart as with running.

We're holding strenuous poses in 100+ degrees of heat. The breaks between postures can seem painfully short.

Let's take one example. Utkatasana, Awkward Pose. It comes in 3 parts, each about 20-30 seconds long. The whole time your arms oustretched in front of you and students are instructed to continuously stretch them forward to counterbalance the other movements in this posture. With the feet hip width distance they first sit down in a squat and then arch the upper body back. The abdominals must be contracted the whole time to get into and out of this posture safely. Second part they rise up on their toes and then sit into another full squat (thighs parallel to the floor) while staying on the balls of the feet. Hold 20 seconds. The spine is straight (there's a tendency to lean forward), arms stretched outwards. Third part they bring their knees together and in a slow count of ten slide all the way down with a straight spine until their hips hover a half inch from their heels. To get the thighs parallel they must pitch their knees forward a bit (squeeze the knees!) and lean the upper body back, core strength is crucial to stay balanced here. On the second set they are asked to bounce with big, "juicy" bounces a few times, freeze at the upswing and come up slowly. We do 2 sets of all the postures.

Again I don't have the advantage of a fitness certification or degree of physiology and I'm growing weary of this argument but I'm glad this was brought up. If anyone's paying attention I would gladly go back to my books to find more solid evidence of the efficacy of this class for cardio and strength (as well as meditation and overall health). Suffice it to say that this is not your average hatha yoga class and I would encourage you to try a few to see for yourselves.

This class will kick your *kitten* in the very best way.
Namaste!!!

This is always one of the more difficult discussions when it comes to fitness. Trying to separate fact from assumption, trying to define common meanings for words, and trying to work through the defensiveness that can arise when the presenting of facts is perceived as denigrating the activity as a whole.

Just the facts:

increased heart rate does not always equal either cardiovascular (aerobic) training or increased caloric burn; neither does increased sweating; neither does muscle fatigue.

an activity or class can "kick *kitten*" without achieving significant calorie burn or cardiovascular training.

Cardiovascular training/high calorie burn are not the only criteria for determining the overall effectiveness/benefit/enjoyment of a fitness activity. Saying an activity does not have a high cardiovascular training component is NOT a perjorative statement.

"Fitness", "well-being" are terms that mean different things to different people. The physical effects of a particular exercise or program mean different things to different people. Our ability to function physically is affected by our cardiovascular fitness level, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. A person's individual physical and psychological makeup has a significant influence on the types of physical activity they will enjoy and find rewarding. The efficacy of a program is ultimately determined by the person doing it.

Every activity evokes a set of physiological responses. Again, there is no moral value associated with this. It just is.
People need to match the specific effects of the activity to their needs.

Yoga, for the most part, has a modest cardiovascular component (I am referring to typical yogic poses, not some hybrid); the strength and flexibility training adaptations are also unique as well. The physiologic responses that occur during yoga are not the same as those that occur during running or during traditional weight lifting. Doesn't mean yoga is better or worse, just different.

The physiology is the physiology. The only problem I see is that if a proponent of a particular type of exercise (whatever type that is--yoga, pilates, HIIT, super slow, marathon training, you name it) overpromises what that particular activity will achieve and tries to make all exercise activities equivalent.

You're right Azdak, the enjoyment and effectiveness of any physical activity is subjective.
And yes, it can get personal. I apologize if I got snippy. Up until a few posts ago I was typing from my iphone and my short responses came off as curt or rude. If I'd had more patience I would have written more elaborately to my point then. SORRY! I don't want to misrepresent my yoga teacher community by getting heated on this subject.

Bikram yoga is not really hybrid. It's traditional hatha yoga poses with heat added to replicate the conditions in India where the creator of this series comes from.

And that's all I'll say on this subject. If anyone else is reading this, I'd encourage you to try a class and add comments to your experience.

I am curious about other types of exercise. My weight issues have more to do with emotional or "stress eating" than my exercise of choice. I have muscle definition and tons of energy but when it comes to my other job as a freelance illustrator or other social stressors, I choose the wrong coping mechanism. I only have 10lbs. to lose (the cursed 10 lbs.!!!) and that's why I'm here.

If anyone has other types of physical exercise they think I or anyone should try please let me know. Just speaking as a physical exercise, I like Bikram because it is an intense physical 90 minutes for me and I tend to keep my weight down more effectively with it than with other yoga classes or gym classes I've had. Boxing was intense for me too but injury risk was high. Same with running. I had to quit both for those reasons. I had a short career as a swing dancer and again injury or the risk was too high to be comfortable. So where to go from here? Maybe this should be a new post. Sorry to hijack this one, carro585!

If anyone has other types of physical exercise they think I or anyone should try please let me know. Just speaking as a physical exercise, I like Bikram because it is an intense physical 90 minutes for me and I tend to keep my weight down more effectively with it than with other yoga classes or gym classes I've had. Boxing was intense for me too but injury risk was high. Same with running. I had to quit both for those reasons. I had a short career as a swing dancer and again injury or the risk was too high to be comfortable. So where to go from here? Maybe this should be a new post. Sorry to hijack this one, carro585!

You are well accustomed to intense exercise already, so the next level would be to increase the resistance. Considered heavier lifting at 6 repetitions with as much resistance as you can handle with good form. "New Rules for Lifting for Women" has been a great program for many females here looking to help knock off extra weight that is tough to get rid of. High intensity raises RMR and a higher RMR burns more fat at rest.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

No problem at all! Just checked in for the first time since my last post. Even if the calorie burn is not as high as I may have thought (it's been very interesting to read the debate), I can already tell that Bikram can majorly improve overall strength and flexibility - and who doesn't want that?

Yes--not everything is about calorie burn. Certainly none of my comments are meant to disparage or criticize any form of yoga in any way.

Like I said in an earlier post--physiology is physiology. All I try to do is sort out the facts for people so that they can make informed decisions about their fitness programs.

I think there is a misapprehension about yoga that it is just a load of stretches when really you are working a lot of different muscle groups simultaneously in many of the poses. That said 885 kcal in 90 minutes does seem like a lot. It's difficult to estimate how many, I put down about 350/hr for Ashtanga which is quite a lot of movement, but I don't know how Bikram compares.

defnitely will try one day