Bikram Yoga

Training Bodybuilding
1

I am doing “The Waterbury Method” program of three full body workouts per week. I decided to try adding yoga once a week to help with flexibilty and posture and hopefully speed recovery. I’m going to a bikram yoga place, so it’s an hour and a half of stretching and postures in this room that starts out really hot, and progresses to something closer to the fires of hell as the session goes on. Phrases like “If you feel dizzy, like you’re going to throw up or pass out, you’re doing it right” are common from the instructors.

I’m tempted into thinking that anything that painful has to be making you stronger at something but i’m not real sure.

Aside from being in a room full of twenty-something chicks in spandex sweating and contorting themselves into postures that most girls i know wouldn’t do in a bedroom, does anyone know how beneficial Bikram Yoga really is? I’m wondering how advisable it is to do and how often is necessary, etc.

None of the guys i’ve seen doing it, especially the regular ones, seem either unremarkable or downright scrawny, so i’m wondering if it’s actually a good way to induce catabolism.

2

Knowing this place, you’re not going to see many open-minded responses concerning yoga, so I feel obligated to chime in.

Yoga, in general, is a phenomenal way to improve and maintain flexibility. If you’re following a Chad Waterbury program, additional flexibility work is a great idea.

That being said, Bikram yoga is intense. Unless you have a lot of experience with yoga, I would say stay away from Bikram. They heat the studio up so your muscles can stretch better, and that’s a great idea. The half naked women is also pretty cool. The problem is the practice is stressful. Catabolic you say? Absolutely. And it can quickly dehydrate you, which can have serious effects on your training, and your health.

If you want to take yoga, good for you. I would, however, suggest something a little less stressful. Hatha yoga is probably your best bet. It will work on your flexibility, you can meet women who can contort their bodies into bizzare positions, and you can take it your own pace.

Nausea and fainting are NEVER good things. Don’t let those skinny, hyper-flexible yoga boys tell you otherwise.

In case you were wondering, I don’t take yoga, but I appreciate its benefits (and it’s female practitioners). Someday when I get older, with the proper female guidance I hope to incorporate yoga into my workouts. Till then, I’ll just deadlift in front of the yoga studios, and try to impress the little yoga chicks.

Stay diligent.

3

I would agree that Bikram would be aggresive while also using some of Chad’s programs, at least in the beginning. I have done power yoga in the past, and do some form of yoga deep streatching almost daily. It has helped with aleiviating stifness and pain from 16 years of heavy compound movements. My recomendation is start with a less intensive form. Even doing sun salutations daily may be enough. Consistency is key - then add in the higher intensity yoga.

As far as the skinny folk in Yoga, I think that has more to do with the fact that smaller frames with less body weight are more accesible to yoga. How many 250 pound marathon runners do you see? We tend to gravitate to what we do best.

The nice thing about Yoga is that it is about you and the stretch, not what anyone else can do. I will never be making yoga videos, but it has made me feel much better!

4

yes most guys hardcore into yoga look like walking corpses but then agian alot are vegans and hate weights. and before i get attacked for knocking ppl who dont eat meat or milk and eggs. yes i know big M doesnt but then he eats a shit load of protien. most vegans dont take in 300 grams of protien powder a day. and they few i know who do use MRS are using soy. i guess its a yupie hippie thing

but yoga is amazing to do while u lift. when i was in peak shape before i got hit by a car i was doing yoga classes twice a day 5 days a week and lifing 5 days a week. i never had any problems. but then i succked down a protien shake 4 times a day [free premade packaged ones] and ate alot. i think more ppl should do it. if you look at the building olympic bodies article on here or big M’s article on body weight excersises all of those are dont in yoga…

unfortunatly yoga has that stigma that most huge beefy men dont like.[cause of the walking copses in it and hippies] but i love the stuff. i always wondered if powerlifter did it inbetween work out for active recovery how much more intence they could train. and the poses wouldnt hurt the arch in the bench at all

5

I was just reading over this again and i noticed that i put the completely wrong word at the start of the last paragraph. I meant to say most, not none of the guys ive seen. Sorry if that was confusing.

6

[quote]samdiesel wrote:
Knowing this place, you’re not going to see many open-minded responses concerning yoga, so I feel obligated to chime in.

Yoga, in general, is a phenomenal way to improve and maintain flexibility. If you’re following a Chad Waterbury program, additional flexibility work is a great idea.

That being said, Bikram yoga is intense. Unless you have a lot of experience with yoga, I would say stay away from Bikram. They heat the studio up so your muscles can stretch better, and that’s a great idea. The half naked women is also pretty cool. The problem is the practice is stressful. Catabolic you say? Absolutely. And it can quickly dehydrate you, which can have serious effects on your training, and your health.

If you want to take yoga, good for you. I would, however, suggest something a little less stressful. Hatha yoga is probably your best bet. It will work on your flexibility, you can meet women who can contort their bodies into bizzare positions, and you can take it your own pace.

Nausea and fainting are NEVER good things. Don’t let those skinny, hyper-flexible yoga boys tell you otherwise.

In case you were wondering, I don’t take yoga, but I appreciate its benefits (and it’s female practitioners). Someday when I get older, with the proper female guidance I hope to incorporate yoga into my workouts. Till then, I’ll just deadlift in front of the yoga studios, and try to impress the little yoga chicks.

Stay diligent.[/quote]

samdiesel:

Come on man! Are you saying that we are not open minded around here? Okay…that did it, right now as I type, I am in “lotus position.” HA!

7

There are better ways to get flexible.Many of the postures stretch ligamentous structures and do not improve flexibility through increased nerous control of strengthened muscles.Simply from a cost in time vs. benefit:craptacular.

8

An earlier comment spoke of ‘Bikram’ and ‘Hatha’ as being separate entities, when in fact, Bikram is Hatha. It is a series of 26 poses, derived from Hatha yoga, performed in a high heat/humidity environment.

Forget the negativity surrounding Bikram yoga. It is the only yoga I will ever practice. I’ve been active in Bikram for a little over a month now, attending class 3 times a week (on average).

At first, like many of you, I was skeptical about how beneficial the dehydration and fatigue would be in my normal weight training regimine. I must say though, your body will adapt…quickly.

After a month of this training, I find myself in the best shape (cardio wise) that I have ever been in. In addition, I have gained noticeable strength in my power lifts (squats, bench, and deadlifts), and I’ve even lost a few inches in the waist area.

I agree that the first week or two is absolutely brutal, and will sap up a lot of your energy. But again, the results far outweigh the initial sacrifice.

My only regret is that I did not incorporate Bikam into my training sooner.

9

Skip the bikram. Iyengar yoga is tough enough and will provide benefits in flexibility as well as promoting…other benefits e.g. stress reduction.

10

I’ve attended Bikram classes in NYC, Boston and Manchester, NH. Bikram’s niece (Pubali) owns the Manchester, NH studio. She’s a hottie.

The classes are brutal, but it’s the fastest 90 minutes of the day. I always feel high, but beat, after class.

I’ve been doing Waterbury workouts for over a year now and at the same time I’ve avoided Bikram. Doing Bikram the same day as a workout seems like too much in one day. Even doing it on an off day, seems like too much.

11

I am looking forward to reading other responses to your post later, but let me type a quick summary of my thoughts

1- Get Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar, it’s mostly hatha yoga and it’s a great guide for anyone interested in yoga

2- You can get more benefit from yoga by doing it every day, but don’t do it for a long time unless you have time/feel like it. I think everyone could benefit from 1-3 poses a day, the most important being savasana (corpse) -it lowers cortisol levels, promotes relaxation, and lowers stress levels overall when practiced regularly and correctly. Another important one is shoulder-stand, can’t remember the real name, but it’s easy to get into and helps circulate blood through the body and stimulates glands.

3- Yoga is good for the nervous system (which is important for lifting, think CNS/body link) and you don’t have to go all out when doing yoga, it isn’t necessarily supposed to be a comprehensive program - keep in mind that even a few poses will benefit you. Classes are good but the book I mentioned may be enough for someone who isn’t trying to get into it completely.

And everyone, keep in mind that being flexible is not the main goal of true yoga. The link between body and mind is the main premise of yoga. When one becomes more flexible one can achieve more advanced poses, and one may benefit from the change in prana (or, if you wanna get Western, a temporary change in the CNS that affects the brain and body) that come with advanced poses.

Check out Itzak Bentov’s book Chasing the Wild Pendulum for info on changes to the CNS through yoga. He was a scientist who believed that yoga was one way to repattern the nervous system (which is much more open to development than the physical external body) and “evolve” past normal human capabilities - for example, the yogi who is able to stop his heart beat for 17 seconds and can change his body temperature 10 degrees in two spots on his hand 1" apart.

12

[quote]samdiesel wrote:
Knowing this place, you’re not going to see many open-minded responses concerning yoga, so I feel obligated to chime in.

Yoga, in general, is a phenomenal way to improve and maintain flexibility. If you’re following a Chad Waterbury program, additional flexibility work is a great idea.

That being said, Bikram yoga is intense. Unless you have a lot of experience with yoga, I would say stay away from Bikram. They heat the studio up so your muscles can stretch better, and that’s a great idea. The half naked women is also pretty cool. The problem is the practice is stressful. Catabolic you say? Absolutely. And it can quickly dehydrate you, which can have serious effects on your training, and your health.

If you want to take yoga, good for you. I would, however, suggest something a little less stressful. Hatha yoga is probably your best bet. It will work on your flexibility, you can meet women who can contort their bodies into bizzare positions, and you can take it your own pace.

Nausea and fainting are NEVER good things. Don’t let those skinny, hyper-flexible yoga boys tell you otherwise.

In case you were wondering, I don’t take yoga, but I appreciate its benefits (and it’s female practitioners). Someday when I get older, with the proper female guidance I hope to incorporate yoga into my workouts. Till then, I’ll just deadlift in front of the yoga studios, and try to impress the little yoga chicks.

Stay diligent.[/quote]

Ive done Bikram yoga before. I agree with everything you say except for one thing. I dont really see it is all that catabolic, especially if done only once a week. As long as this kid is eating big and lifting heavy, its really not gonna be any worse than doing 30 min of cardio 2 times a week. Catabolic? Maybe a slight slight slight amount. But in all honesty, there isnt that much, and I think the tradeoff is worth it.

You can’t live in a world that revolves around your workouts, and doind anything outside of the gym is catabolic and detrimental to your workouts. I could see if this guy was playing pickup basket ball for an hour or going on long jogs. But as a big functional training outside of the gym guy myself, I would say an hour a week of Bikram yoga to be near the bottom of catabolic things to do.