Hi Everyone, I have been wondering about the benefits of Yoga especially how useful it would be for flexibility. The story behind this was just over a year ago I started playing 8-a-side football with a few friends. While my fitness picked up I was starting to get plagued with an issue that stopped me playing all the years before, shin splints. After getting it checked out by the GP and referred, it was concluded that I was loosing flexibility in my calf muscle coupled with having fairly large calf's from rugby and hiking, was was causing the muscle along my shin to start to tare hence the pain. It was recommended that I stretch the calf everyday which after a few weeks is fairly boring even at 10mins. This got me to looking at other exercises with Yoga being recommend. Does anyone on here do Yoga especially focusing on flexibility and have any tips for getting started? I assume joining a class is the best way to get up and running so to speak. All advice and tips welcome
Definitely join a beginners class and don't be the guys who puts his back out in the living room. There's always pilates too, which is suspiciously similar to Yoga but not quite, there seems to be as much spiritual bumph at a Pilates class. Stretches are indeed boring, for calf stretches setting up a bar on the floor so you can stand on it whilst doing something else is nice, just be sure it's somewhere you won't trip over it.
So I've been doing a cardio based yoga system called DDPY for years now. Yoga will help your flexibility no end so it's worth looking into, but as Spade says, go talk an actual trainer and maybe do a few lead classes.
Yeah don't do what i did and think "oh yeah yoga!" do a plank before anything else and give yourself a frozen shoulder for over a year. I think it's underrated, develops flexibility and alot of strength. Just do it right
Thanks for the replies. I'll look into local lessons first. Definitely don't want that to happen. Had quite a few friends injure themselves (mostly incorrectly doing weights) and end up not training or being very limited in what they can do afterwards. I'll check it out possibly after I get some basics down. I've always imagined yoga as quite a slow activity focusing on endurance, balance, flexibility and some strength but not cardio.
If you have one nearby, Hotpod Yoga is great if you struggle with flexibility. I go every now and then with the missus, and the shapes I can pull in here with the help of the heat are much more impressive than I can manage at room temperature... But it is seriously warm, and if you push yourself too much you can suddenly find yourself very light headed/sick!
DDPY leans heavily on a mix of calisthenics for a cardio/strength building workout and traditional poses and stretches for flexibility. DDPY actually has an app, which has a free trial. Can't remember what it entails to be honest, but it's worth a look. It starts right from 0 too so it covers everything. Still worth doing a guided lesson or two!
I have been going to yoga for a few years now to help a myriad of sports injuries. Best advice I have is to do a beginners course, you will be taught how to lift, and more importantly how to breathe whilst you do it so you get the max out of your classes. Home yoga I find to be quite dangerous as if you do a lot of intense poses, you need someone to watch you, correct your form and to help guide you through it. I use it for my posture, strength in my shoulders and flexibility as well if you have posture problems, your back is a mess up and down it.
