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Is Yoga an Intense Workout?

Do You Think of Yoga as an Intense Workout?

January 27, 2011

I'm beginning to get the feeling that a lot of people don't consider yoga a serious workout. Both colleagues and friends have shared this sentiment with me; one was even shocked at feeling hungry after an hour-long class:

Her: I don't get why I'm so hungry, I just had lunch.
Me: Because you just worked out for an hour!
Her: (whispering) But it was yoga — I don't know if I consider that a workout.

These people have definitely never taken a Vinyasa flow class like mine — my heart is pounding throughout the class and I'm drenched in sweat. I'm also the right amount of sore by the next day. Still, the idea of yoga not being a serious workout perseveres. As a friend of mine says: "I want more sweat, less stretch, and no chant." How about you?

Source: Flickr user lululemon athletica

18 Comments

a million suns 2 years

I think my ashtanga class is the most intense workout I've ever had, and I've had some pretty intense workouts before. My yin yoga class, on the other hand, is not an intense workout--a beneficial one for sure, but not intense. I also did a class where we did 108 sun salutations in sets of 20 with just a few-second break in between sets. So much sweat. One of my guy friends scoffed at me when I told him I do yoga and said, "Is that really a real workout?" I told him to try a power yoga class some time. He would pretty much die.

Diana615 2 years

As someone new to yoga, i have researched the many types there are. There seems to be so many hybrid styles that yes you can get a good work out. And, yes, I'm building muscle that I don't seem to get at the gym. I believe it comes down to what kind and what you put into it. When I want my heart rate to elevate I go for a 5k run.

courtneyd 2 years

I rarely sweat during yoga, but I do consider it an intense workout. Holding many of the poses for 5 or 10 minutes requires a lot of work from your muscles. I'm usually sore if I quit and start up again, but after I get into it that goes away. When I continually practice, I have better muscle definition than I get from cardio + weights at the gym. Not to mention my spine feels straight and my muscles more relaxed.

janetmouse 2 years

Yes...best overall workout I've ever had!!!

lizzylu49 2 years

Tend to agree with 11. I have taken different yoga classes and none have given me the same heart-racing/muscle-burning effect of other kinds of workouts. I know some people are yoga devotees, but its just not for me.

onlysourcherry 2 years

Anon 11, you've obviously never been a yoga studio yoga class. Yes you can sweat on the beach, but your heart isn't pounding, your muscles aren't shaking and you aren't sore for days after lying on a beach.

Gabriela Une Vie Saine 2 years

I think it CAN be a great workout, but I don't have the patience to get to that level! I prefer high-energy workouts with plenty of pavement pounding and loud music.

2 years

I guess everything is relative. When I first read this post, I actually laughed aloud, and said to myself, "uh, no". After reading some of the comments, I can concede that it can be somewhat intense, or at least certain classes can be as compared to others. But I think of an intense workout as a "bootcamp" style workout. The kind of workout where you feel like you are really pushing yourself to the absolute limit. Also, the fact that you sweat in so called hot yoga, does not mean it's intense or your body is getting a good workout: you can sweat relaxing on the beach on a hot day! All this being said, all you yogaphiles out there, please don't jump on me. Super intense or not, I think yoga's great and has a place in any fitness regime.

2 years

Wow. This is a silly poll. Yoga styles vary so much. An aerobic speed "flow" class, regular Ashtanga practice, any variation on "hot" yoga--these are all pretty physically demanding. A Restorative class, a slow pace Iyengar class, or relaxed "flow" class--much less so. The question should be CAN yoga be an intense workout.

2 years

Actually this article is mislabeled as the physical practice, which is only a small part of a much larger system, is called asana, not "yoga". But that may be semantic. What is not semantic is that asana isn't about working out. It's about working within. It is not intended to be step aerobics, a 10k, a butt-kicking, or a sweat lodge. It is simply a conduit for the practitioner to heal the body and know themselves more deeply. In that context it is simply irrelevant to anyone willing to look deeper than the topsoil as to whether it is an "intense workout".

radiowires 2 years

Depends. The hot power yoga class I went to? Yeah. The yoga I do in my room on Sunday mornings? Not so much.

imLissy 2 years

I would love a yoga class that left me drenched in sweat. Unfortunately, none of my DVDs, even the advanced or hard ones I have, even come close to anything like that. I'm left freezing and reaching for my sweatshirt at the end. Anyone have any recommendations?

kimretta 2 years

I was doing one of the Exercise TV on-demand yoga workouts this morning, and the instructor kept saying things like "think of all the calories you're burning!" Which was true -- I mean, I was sweating like nuts -- but it was still surprising because I don't usually think about yoga as calorie-torching exercise. I definitely think it's intense, but I also get so many other benefits out of it that I don't really think about how many calories I'm burning.

2 years

I think it depends on the type of yoga you're doing and your purpose for doing it. If you're doing something like vinyasa flow or hot yoga, then yeah you're going to work up a sweat. I'm more into doing yin yoga which is mostly done laying on the mat and a lot of stretching and thus less vigorous work. I run and use the arc trainer for intense workouts and do yin yoga for my stretching.

2 years

I take and teach Vinyasa style classes and they can be harder than any gym workout that I have ever done.

Slinkie 2 years

My vinyasa class sure is.

amber512 2 years

I think it can be, but not the kind I have ever done.

onlysourcherry 2 years

I have to say, after taking a few terrible, boring yoga classes in college, on cruise ships, and even in one college class, I was so not on board. Then one of my friends convinced me to go to a corepower class and it completely changed my fitness life! Off to hot yoga tonight and expect to be drenched in sweat and sore for a few days.

Link Love

18 Comments