It’s my two year Bikram Yoga anniversary – so why am I still doing it?

Posted by David in Featured Articles, Injury and Overtraining, Training & Workouts on December 16, 2007 | one response

The end of December marks my two year anniversary of attending the Reston Bikram Yoga studio.

As a professional triathlete, I spend anywhere between 15-25 hours each week during the summer swimming, biking and running in order to prepare for my triathlon races. Even in the winter, the supposed “off season,” I am running 40-60 miles a week in preparation for a spring marathon. Consequently, I am constantly stressing my body physically. I do not have the time, the energy or even the motivation to do something “extra” just for the sake of doing it.

Classes are 90 minutes long and are conducted in a room heated to about 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. I will sweat out 9 pounds of water in a class. When you count travel time along with the need to arrive a few minutes early and stay a few minutes late, each class becomes a minimum 2 hour time commitment. On top of my swimming, biking and running, I make the time to take 2 to 4 yoga classes each week – a 4 to 8 hour time commitment.

Reston Class
Photo: A Reston Bikram Yoga class

So why do I still do Bikram Yoga?

This year, I competed in three Ironman races within a relatively short two month window, setting a personal best time of 8:51 in the first race, winning the second race overall and finishing the third race in a respectable time in spite of fatigue from the first two. I attribute my success this year in a large part due to regular Bikram Yoga practice.

Because of the high volume of repetitive movements, it is not uncommon for triathletes (like me) to frequently sustain overuse injuries such as Achilles tendinitis, rotator cuff issues, knee tendinitis and back pain. Because I make my living in the sport of triathlon as an athlete, race director and coach, I need to minimize any incidence of injury. I did not miss a day of training in 2007 due to injury.

In my opinion, there are three primary reasons why endurance sports athletes should consider practicing yoga:
(1) Increased flexibility. As a multisport athlete, we need a full range of motion in order to be more efficient in our movements.
(2) Improved core and stabilizer muscle strength. Because we maintain the same positions for extended periods of time (e.g. 5 hours in a hunched over position during the 112-mile bike leg or running upright for 2 hours during a long run), we need a strong core and strong joints to support our bodies.
(3) Both of the above will help reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries (assuming adequate rest and reasonable training volume). Consistency in training is a key success factor in endurance sports. It’s difficult to be consistent when injured.

At the end of the day, I truly believe that the 4 to 8 hours of time that I invest in the studio each week pays itself back many times over through improved overall health, which directly translates into improved performance for my passion – Ironman triathlon.

Bikram Yoga may not be the right yoga for everyone, but I would strongly recommend some form of yoga to anyone.

Bikram logo (from website)
For more information about Bikram Yoga, please visit the website.

Article by Nate Jenkins (2:14 Marathoner) about his first experience with Bikram: Trying bikram yoga for the first time.

Cheers,

David

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David B. Glover
Experiential Writer, Elite Athlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net