I just ordered and received my "Yoga for Swimmers" DVD. I have watched it a few times and attempted many of the poses....it is harder than I thought and I'm way less flexible than I thought.Can anyone out there attest to the benefits of yoga when it comes to swimming? I'm trying to decide whether to do a consistent weight lifting routine or if I should practice yoga - I don't have time for both right now.
Well it depends. Using myself as an example, I find the best return on investment to be Yoga. I'm fairly muscular and strong already so I need more work on core strength, range of motion, balance and overall flexibility.
But YMMV. In the end it's all about ROI, working smarter, not harder.
Well it depends. Using myself as an example, I find the best return on investment to be Yoga. I'm fairly muscular and strong already so I need more work on core strength, range of motion, balance and overall flexibility.
But YMMV. In the end it's all about ROI, working smarter, not harder.
I have been investing much more time on core work and flexibility and cut back a little on the weights. At the beginning I was shocked at my low flexibility but have seen a vast improvement in the last couple of months both in and out of the pool.
I'd agree that it depends on your body and what your end goals are, but I think weights and yoga are both important in different ways. I think the benefits of weight training are probably obvious, but I like yoga to aid with my flexibility (which, despite the fact that I have danced all my life, I am serisouly lacking in flexibility) and it helps me mentally. Yoga helps me focus on "being in the moment" so I can put everything else out of my mind. It helps me deal with stress and makes me a more focused swimmer. When I am focused, I can get more out of my other workouts whether they are with weights or in the pool.
I like bodyweight exercises(which is basically weight training with your bodyweight), like pushups, pull-and chinups, squats etc.
I also like free weights and do stretching for flexibility.
I think doing that supports your swimming more than yoga. Then again you can do both.
I say yoga because you can do it at home and depending on the poses, you'll get different benefits. I'm reading a lot about flexibility benefits from yoga, but lots of yoga poses (plank, warrior(s), chair pose, etc) can really build strength. I guess it all depends on the poses and how long your yoga session is...just 10-15 minutes probably won't do much for your strength if you're mostly doing a flexibility set.
there is a huge variety of yoga practices out there and they range from slightly physical to extremely physical, static isometric to flowing and dynamic. there is also a huge variety in weight lifting routines.
the important thing is to have an idea of what you want to get out of your routine.
i haven't lifted weights in 20 years but my work is pretty physical.
i find ashtanga yoga to offer an excellent balance to my heavy swimming schedule.
i would prefer above all else to swim 2 workouts a day rather than one swim and one yoga class.
