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Is Bikram yoga good for baseball players? Bikram Yoga is a common brand of hot yoga, in which a room is heated for the duration of the class.
Back in college, I was very inflexible, to the point where it was impacting my performance and likely my arm health. But is it something that all ballplayers should do? Is it better than other forms of yoga for the common athlete?
So, I set out to change this. After becoming injured, I spent a fairly good amount of time in the studio of Bikram Yoga Baltimore both before and after my Tommy John surgery. It was a new experience for me, one that really opened my eyes.
Bikram Yoga makes a lot of health claims, some of which may or may not be true, but overall I think it’s a great practice and will improve the health, flexibility, and recovery time of those who might bring a chronic injury into the studio.
The Basics of Hot Yoga For Athletes
My sister wrote a nice piece for school explaining the Bikram phenomenon, and it’s a good read. But the class is relatively straight-forward : 90 minutes in a 105 degree, 40% humidity room which consists of 26 postures, each repeated twice. If it sounds difficult, that’s because it is. However, nothing worthwhile is easy and Bikram is no exception.
To class one brings a large jug of water, a yoga mat and towel to cover the mat, and a scant outfit to allow ease of movement and a cooling effect. One class costs about 14-20 dollars depending on the studio, which is actually pretty reasonable considering the length of the class (most yoga classes are an hour) and the intensity of the workout. Buying class cards brings down the cost per class down even more.
Why I Chose Hot Yoga as a Baseball Player
I turned to Bikram Yoga to help both with my hip and inflexibility and my elbow rehab.
I needed something drastic to loosen up my hips and quads, which were very tight and limiting my torso rotation in my pitching motion, which in turn was adding to my elbow pain. I needed my hips to loosen, but my own stretching wasn’t making a dent.
My reasons looked like this:
- Loosen up my hips
- Become more flexible in rotational movements
What a Bikram Yoga Session Looks Like
I also hoped that the extensive bloodflow promoted by the heat would aid my elbow recovery, as well as reduced the chance for tightness in the surrounding muscles. Tommy John patients notoriously get tricep tightness, yet I never had any. Maybe it was the yoga.
Difficult Postures Even for Good Athletes
Bikram Yoga is hot and intense. The postures are demanding, as many are balance oriented. Check out 30dayyogi’s blog for some good pictures and insight into all of this.
The above posture, the standing head-to-knee, is just one of many that challenge by requiring balance, strength and flexibility at the same time. For this reason athletes can really benefit, as sports are performed on the feet, not laying on the ground. My balance was amazing after just a week or two.
I can’t really say that I enjoyed the yoga- it was so demanding that it just wasn’t something that I looked at as fun. Many people really enjoy it, but I wasn’t one of them. However I did believe it was good for me, and I definitely saw results. I also felt great when the class was over. These reasons were enough to keep me coming back for a while. My hips, quads and hamstrings loosened tremendously, and I still enjoy the enhanced flexibility to this day from maintenance stretching.
You May Lose Weight: Is This Good For You and Your Goals?
I once wore a heart rate monitor to the class, and my heart rate averaged 140 for the entire 90 minutes, peaking at 184 during the standing head-to-knee pose. I burned over 1000 calories, though I can’t remember the exact number. While this large energy expenditure is great for those who want to lose weight, it was not a good thing for me. Ever wonder why yogis are thin? I don’t.
I eat 4000-5000 calories each day to maintain my 185 pound bodyweight. I work out an awful lot, which when combined with a naturally voracious metabolism, requires me to eat a ton while staying lean. Add on another 1000+ calorie deficit from yoga and I was getting into the stratosphere of calorie intake to prevent weight loss. 185 is the playing weight I have settled on, and while I can easily add on, I try not to dip below it too much.
So going to Bikram Yoga while in the same week running intervals, lifting 3-4 times, having 5 practices and additional conditioning was just too much activity. I found I could maintain my newly gained flexibility through a daily stretch routine, and so I left Bikram behind.
For many, Bikram Yoga is their only form of exercise, and that is perfectly fine. But it couldn’t replace any of my training, and so as an add-on it was too much.
Are Loose Joints Good For You?
One thing that concerns me about Bikram Yoga and yoga in general is the stretching of the lumbar spine, or lower back. From all my weightlifting experience, I was always told that keeping a tightly arched lower back is crucial to preventing back problems when lifting.
Roman arches were used to support great weights, and the principle is much the same with your lower back. If it arches (not round like a cat) and stays short and strong, it keeps the lower back stable, and the ligaments and muscles from straining, stretching and becoming injured when lifting.
If one stretches the lumbar spine too much, it can put the back at risk. Much of this was brought to light by this article by Mike Robertson, who is a top strength coach, and a chiropractor with whom I had a conversation.
The Bottom Line
Bikram yoga is pleasant for some, but a tradeoff for others. The heat is oppressive, but also works wonders. The postures are demanding, but make you stronger in different ways than other exercise. The class is long, but you leave feeling accomplished and refreshed.
I don’t think it is perfectly suited to everyone, but can be great for many populations. For athletes, it can be that jumpstart that is needed to loosen up severely tightened joints, which is often the ticket to higher performance. And if you want to lose weight, it’s definitely the ticket. Take some ice water and give it a go.