Definition for Ladies Spring 2014 Issue 001 April 2014 | Page 84

There’s an insidious rumor among strength athletes and bodybuilders that yoga is not
much of a workout. I’m a yoga instructor and a figure competitor and I’m here to tell
you, yoga is a workout and much, much, more. Here are the top five reasons why adding
yoga to your competition training will help you reach your goals.

1

Yoga sculpts beautiful bodies: Yoga is not just passive stretching. It builds well
balanced strength in every part of your body, making it a perfect addition for
those of us who are looking for an aesthetically pleasing physique. Yoga styles

such as Ashtanga, vinyasa flow, and power yoga will build lean shapely muscle. It develops your body in a way similar to gymnastics, dance and acrobatics. Just try holding
Chaturanga for a few breaths and you won’t doubt it!

2

Yoga calms your nervous system: You can reduce your mental experience of
exercise stress with yoga breathing techniques. This means more output with
less exhaustion. Have you ever heard of athletes being “in the zone” where they

feel amazing, unlimited, and are performing at the top of their game? You can actually get to “the zone” on purpose; it has to do with the connection between your breath
and your nervous system. Breathe through your nose, deep into your belly in a slow
steady rhythm, even while doing fast cardio. It took me a few months to be able to
breathe through my nose while running, but the benefits are worth it. Breathing this
way bypasses the stress receptors in the upper lobes of the lungs and keeps your nervous
system calm, even while putting out a ton of physical exertion. A calmer nervous system
equals a decrease in perception of difficulty. Not to mention we could all use a little
stress relief, especially on a rigorous competition training plan.

3

Recovery, Recovery, Recovery! I can’t say this enough. I do a few sun salutations
after every workout. You will work the lactic acid out and prevent soreness and
stiffness, and you will maintain & increase flexibility. Even with two-a-days, with

the help of yoga my body was able to recover so that I could turn around and head right
back in the gym day after day.

4

Cut Body Fat: If you are looking to lean out for a competition or lose body fat to
find a healthy weight, add yoga to your schedule. If you compete, I am sure you
have experienced the long mornings of fasted cardio to cut that last bit of body fat

down! I used yoga as my fasted cardio for a figure competition and I got better results than
I did with running. Plus you are more likely to feel renewed rather than drained after

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spring | 2014 | definitionforladies.com