Yoga For Male Athletes
Are you a male athlete looking to improve your athletic performance, boost recovery and prevent injuries?
Yoga might be just what you’re looking for. Yoga offers an impressive list of benefits for male athletes, with research showing regular practice can enhance muscle torque, decrease low back pain, delay DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), increase flexibility and balance and even improve cardiovascular performance.
The practice is especially effective at preventing injuries with studies suggesting that it can increase core strength and stability, enhances range of motion and promotes relaxation. No wonder why so many athletes are incorporating yoga into their training programs.
But with so many styles of yoga out there, finding the right style for your needs can be overwhelming. Read on to find which yoga practice is best for you based on your own, unique training goals.
What is yoga?
The ancient Indian philosophy of yoga focuses on achieving deeper awareness of the body and mind. It incorporates many different practices including a range of posture (asanas), breath retention exercises (pranayama) and meditation.
While this article will focus on the benefits of yoga for male athletes, it’s important to keep in mind that yoga isn’t confined to just poses. It’s a complete lifestyle that has the potential to transform your life physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Learn everything you need to know about getting started with our Beginners Guide to Yoga For Men.
Which Yoga Practice is Best for Male Athletes?
There is no one-size-fits-all style of yoga that is best for all male athletes. Each style of yoga offers its own range of unique benefits ranging from restoration and relaxation to sweat-inducing cardio workouts. I’ve categorised the most popular yoga practices by intensity level to help you narrow down your search and find a style that will help you achieve your athletic goals.
Low-Intensity Yoga Practices
Low-Intensity yoga practices focus on rest and recovery and incorporate slower transitions between poses. These types of yoga practices are best suited for athletes with demanding training schedules.
Hatha Yoga
If you’re new to the world of yoga, Hatha is a great practice to start with. Hatha is the most common form of yoga taught in the West, encompassing a number of styles of yoga such as Ashtanga, Iyengar, Bikram, Kundalini and more. This style of yoga aims to purify the body and mind through physical transformation.
Hatha involves holding specific poses (asanas) for a short amount of time before slowing transitioning to the next pose. The slow nature of Hatha helps athletes develop body and breath awareness, while the poses also focus on flexibility. This practice is also great for calming the mind which can help with relaxation and recovery.
Benefits: Flexibility, balance, stress relief, relaxation, recovery, body awareness
Intensity level: Low
When to use: Mornings, post-workout, before bed, rest days
Best for: Beginners, rest and recovery
Yin Yoga
Yin yoga offers athletes enhanced recovery, improved flexibility and a way to relax and unwind
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga that incorporates principles of traditional Chinese medicine with asanas (postures). Poses in yin yoga are held for far longer than traditional Hatha yoga. Usually from 45 seconds – two minutes for beginners and up to five minutes or more for advanced practitioners.
Athletes looking to enhance recovery, improve flexibility or work out any soreness in the body would benefit greatly from this style of yoga, as each posture is held for a longer amount of time than the previous. Yin focuses on cultivating a meditative state of mind, helping athletes to relax and unwind.
Benefits: Flexibility, recovery, relaxation, stress relief
Intensity: Low – very low
When to use: Recovery days, before sleep, days leading up to competition
Best for: Rest, relaxation and recovery
Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga is a fantastic tool for athletes as it can improve the body’s ability to heal. This form of yoga can also combat stress as it activates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for rest, digestion, energy conservation and slowing down the heart rate.
A typical restorative yoga sequence incorporates only five or six poses and incorporates props such as blocks and straps that allow you to relax. Restorative yoga poses are held up for five minutes or more and include gentle twists, seated forward bends and light backbends.
Benefits: Flexibility, recovery, relaxation, stress relief
Intensity: Very low
When to use: Recovery days, before sleep, days leading up to competition
Best for: Rest, relaxation and recovery
How to Program Low-Intensity Yoga Sessions
Low-intensity yoga sessions are incredibly beneficial for athletes of all levels. They are best done on rest days. If your training schedule is extremely demanding, it would be best to focus on these lower intensity forms of yoga, rather than the more strenuous forms.
High-Intensity Yoga Practices
Unlike low-intensity yoga practices, the following forms of yoga are more demanding and should be used as a stand-alone workout rather than a restorative practice.
Vinyasa Yoga
Vinyasa is a common form of yoga that involves moving or “flowing” between postures while coordinating the breath with movements. This type of yoga is also referred to as power yoga. This form of yoga is great for athletes looking to improve their cardiovascular endurance. Since vinyasa involves constant movement, it can really get your heart pumping and can serve as a stand-alone cardio workout.
Another unique aspect of vinyasa is that it incorporates a variety of different poses meaning no two classes are ever the same. Perfect if you find slower forms of yoga boring.
Benefits: Body awareness, strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance
Intensity: Medium-high
When to use: As a stand-alone workout
Best for: Athletes looking for an intense cardio workout
Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga is a form of vinyasa yoga that involves moving between a series of postures in a fixed order. Since the sequence of postures does not change from session to session, this type of yoga would suit athletes who enjoy consistency and repetition.
Traditionally, Ashtanga yoga is practiced early in the morning as yogis believe that our body’s vital life energy or “prana” is highest early in the day. While you can definitely practice Ashtanga at any time you like, the dynamic nature of the practice makes it a great way to begin the day.
Benefits: Body awareness, strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance
Intensity: Medium-high
When to use: As a stand-alone workout
Best for: Athletes looking for an intense cardio workout
Bikram Yoga
Infamous yoga guru Bikram Choudhury
Bikram yoga was made popular in the 1970s by the now-infamous Bikram Choudhury in California. The practice is similar in ways to Ashtanga as it involves repeating the same 26 poses in a 90-minute class. Classes are typically heated up to a sweltering 41 degrees celsius and kept at 40 percent humidity.
The added heat can cause blood vessels to expand, improving blood flow and pushing fresh oxygen to broken muscle tissue, helping athletes recover faster. Heat can also make muscles more pliable and elastic which can lead to deeper stretching.
Note: Bikram yoga is sometimes called “hot yoga”, however hot yoga refers to any form of yoga done in a hot room.
Benefits: Body awareness, strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, active recovery, muscle repair
Intensity: High – very high
When to use: As a stand-alone workout
Best for: Athletes looking for an intense workout
Hot Yoga
Hot yoga can include any of the above types of yoga performed in a heated class. This style of yoga will provide the same recovery enhancing benefits as Bikram yoga.
Benefits: Body awareness, strength, balance, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, active recovery, muscle repair
Intensity: High – very high
When to use: As a stand-alone workout
Best for: Athletes looking for an intense workout.
How to Program High-Intensity Yoga Practices
High-intensity yoga practices are best approached as stand-alone training sessions. Depending on the intensity of your weekly training schedule, it might be wise to limit these forms of yoga to just once or twice per week.
Which Practice is Right For Me?
The table below compares the types of yoga covered in this article to help you choose the best style based on your individual goals.
The Wrap Up
Yoga can be incredibly beneficial to athletes of all ages and skill levels. Athletes involved in any sport can benefit from increased body awareness, better flexibility, improved strength, and cardiovascular endurance and enhanced recovery that regular yoga practice offers.
Another great benefit of yoga is that it is flexible, and can be done anywhere, anytime. It can also be a great way to reduce stress and calm the mind before competition.
No matter which type of practice you choose, yoga will help you become a fitter, healthier, happier and more well-rounded athlete.