Help-Pilates, yoga, stretching

As an old man hot yoga is what works for me. The heat loosens things up a little and I have a shot at doing the moves. In a regular room everything is too creaky and injuries often ensue.

I found it was possible to run/paddle WW/xc-ski/alpine ski/teleski/ road [HTML_REMOVED] mtn bike and still have a weak core which fusion or pilates will fix up

Hot yoga is what works for me. The heat loosens things up a little and I have a shot at doing the moves. In a regular room everything is too creaky and injuries often ensue.

Second this.

I've tried regular classes and they're too short and they throw in these awkward poses that are useless for me.

Birkams has 26 poses, you do twice, same ones every time. Allows you to work your whole body and progress at your own pace and go as hard as you feel you can.

People say they can't handle the heat. I thought it would be difficult too, but it wasn't.

Don't knock it before you try it…

Second this.

I've tried regular classes and they're too short and they throw in these awkward poses that are useless for me.

Birkams has 26 poses, you do twice, same ones every time. Allows you to work your whole body and progress at your own pace and go as hard as you feel you can.

People say they can't handle the heat. I thought it would be difficult too, but it wasn't.

Don't knock it before you try it…

As an FYI to this. The heat is what allows many people to get into some of those poses. If you're already quite flexible or have very mobile joints you can hurt yourself because the heat allows you to go way too far. In my experience the instruction in these classes doesn't really warn about this. Overall hot yoga is mostly beneficial but as with anything new, be cautious the first few times.

I realised that riding was causing a lot of imbalances, add in bouldering and trail building, and I was a bit of a mess. I started taking Vinyasa with Ryan Leech, and it's been amazing, even once a week makes a difference, it's a good blend of exertion and stretching. It's not too much, so it's a good Monday followup to a hard weekend, and I always feel reset afterwards. Chronic neck pain I have had in the past has not been an issue since I started.

As an FYI to this. The heat is what allows many people to get into some of those poses. If you're already quite flexible or have very mobile joints you can hurt yourself because the heat allows you to go way too far. In my experience the instruction in these classes doesn't really warn about this. Overall hot yoga is mostly beneficial but as with anything new, be cautious the first few times.

it does allow you to go deeper into the poses for sure. I've heard the criticism that you can hurt yourself more easily in Bikrams because of this.

I've personally not found that to be the case since I can feel when I'm at my max and stop there. You can push yourself too far in anything and cause injury. Learning your body's limitations and knowing how far you can push yourself is key to preventing injury.

The instructor doesn't know how you feel, or how flexible you are…

I used to do the hot yoga, I started with it in the early days and did it consistently for quite a number of years. I did more traditional forms of yoga before that, but when I did hot yoga I did both Bikram's and Moksha. However, there are a few poses that they do in the Bikram class that can lead to further injuries. Case being not everyone has the same body. Some of the poses in particular can promote knee injuries … I know knee injuries, I've had 2 knee operations already. As mentioned previously the Bikrams promotes "pushing" deeper into the pose on the second cycle. If you do this with too much gusto, it can lead to a foundation of joint injuries in the future. Just be cognisant of this when you go into it, I liked it quite a bit when I went and like Sharon says there is a simple routine that works the whole body. I wouldn't discourage anyone from going to give it a try.

Since then, I've gone back to traditional yoga practices. The philosophy being, you need to teach your body to generate its own "internal heat" to help you flow into the various poses. Yoga is also about submission of your body and mind (since a lot of times it's a head trip) into the poses when it is ready and internal control when you are there. I get into the same mindset in yoga when I ride a steep, gnarly tech line on my bike or the moment before I ride into a drop/jump etc.

I'm not sure what part of the city you're in, but check out these guys if you get a chance. They offer really good instruction without all of the hype of "holier than thou" yogis.

http://opendooryoga.bc.ca/

I try to do a quick 15 minute yoga/stretching session every morning, more if I'm going biking or snowboarding. I started with a Hatha DVD around 5 years ago and only really do those poses. Usually I do my stretching routine after morning shower which helps loosen my muscles up a bit first thing.

I'm sure I could be doing more but it's enough to notice a huge difference in my activities and it doesn't require a membership, stretchy yoga pants or much of my time

while i like and encourage yoga for certain aspects of overall health, it's definitely not a keep fit routine unto itself - it's incomplete in terms of overall fitness. and like XXX'er and biggles brought up, most activities on their own will not help you develop overall fitness. keep in mind that all those chicas with the hot bodies at yoga classes didn't get that way from doing just yoga.

one of the reasons i always suggest pilates (and strength training) is that it was designed to bring balance to your body and to help eliminate the imbalances that are caused by all the repetitive motion activities (work or play) that we do on a regular basis. try a few mat classes first and then pick up a dvd from somewhere like london drugs as there should be lots available at this time of year. the mat exercises will most likely be enough in regards to what you're looking for.

here's a decent link to give you some background on pilates:
http://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/pilates/origins-of-pilates.html

and one with plenty of sample exercises:
http://pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/Pilates_Mat_Exercises.htm

while i like and encourage yoga for certain aspects of overall health, it's definitely not a keep fit routine unto itself - it's incomplete in terms of overall fitness. and like XXX'er and biggles brought up, most activities on their own will not help you develop overall fitness. keep in mind that all those chicas with the hot bodies at yoga classes didn't get that way from doing just yoga.

one of the reasons i always suggest pilates (and strength training) is that it was designed to bring balance to your body and to help eliminate the imbalances that are caused by all the repetitive motion activities (work or play) that we do on a regular basis. try a few mat classes first and then pick up a dvd from somewhere like london drugs as there should be lots available at this time of year. the mat exercises will most likely be enough in regards to what you're looking for.

here's a decent link to give you some background on pilates.

Total agree. I've been pitching this way of thinking for years. It's amazing how many people are stuck in the 'I'll train for the sports I do by doing the sports I do' way of thinking.

Total agree. I've been pitching this way of thinking for years. It's amazing how many people are stuck in the 'I'll train for the sports I do by doing the sports I do' way of thinking.

yeah, doing only one sport or activity is a sure fire way to create injuries or an injury prone body.

yeah, doing only one sport or activity is a sure fire way to create injuries or an injury prone body.

It's hard to communicate how much more fun most sports are when you're really strong and flexible and have good power endurance. I have way more fun when riding is 'easier' and I survive crashes without issue.

go to classes first so you know what your doing. just flipping on a dvd wont get you very far.

for sure. if you are doing things wrong then you want to have an instructor be able to help correct those mistakes so you get the maximum benefit.

I usually go once a week. Power, Flow, Hatha and Pilates are what I aim for, whichever one suits my schedule, it's great to get an extra workout either mellow or intense depending on how you go about it. I'm not a Hot or Bikrams fan, I have been, I just don't enjoy the heat I sweat enough in some of the other classes. Yoga is great for body awareness and body weight strength workouts, it's also fantastic tool for clearing your mind, breathing and learning how to focus.

Most studios do introductory offers like unlimited for 2weeks for $49 including mat and towel. Also they offer 30 or 40 day challenges that will really progress your practice 10-fold, plus give you time concentrating on another activity to ease the stress of MTB on the body. These are always a reduced price too. The teachers in most classes are great and are really helpful to beginners, definitely worth going a few times to learn the basics, you won't regret it!