Yoga / Pilates

Training
#1

Further to my ramblings on the Training thread earlier, i have finally committed (hopefully) on my path to doing some yoga.

Mrs GB started a 30 day course ‘Breath’ with Adriene, so she’s a few days ahead of me. I finally picked up the courage and motivation and did my first one at lunchtime today. The plan is to kick on and keep with the whole 30 day course as a target. Hopefully from there i’ll entrench some good routines, even if this drops down to say 3 times a week.

Anyone else got any thoughts or advice to share. Also links to any other programmes after this month would be great for variety.

Usual difficulties for me today - basically everything i struggle with at the physio. Hips and hams are stupid tight, calves are pretty tight and glutes and core are as weak as a kitten. But i have to say i really, genuinely enjoyed it.

Onward and upward though. Hopefully.

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#2

My wife is longing for Pilates classes to start, but it’s not going to happen.

We may have a crack at this together.

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#3

Got into Yoga15 through the Suffestfest App:


As implied, the sessions are 15min long, so easy to fit into a lunchtime or evening routine.
#4

Can’t comment on Yoga, I have only done one class by Jack Matiland’s partner and really enjoyed it. I did a fair bit of Pilates years ago and enjoyed that.

Has your physio explained where your tightness comes from?

#5

Many times :see_no_evil:

But there’s this fella called gingerbongo that doesn’t seem to listen and doesn’t do the prescribed strength and mobility work to correct it thus sitting in an endless loop. I’m hoping this is the start of the path to righteousness.

Seriously, she’s a really good physio. Impressed me from day 1 where, unlike the many others i had tried, she looked for the cause of the problem and didn’t just dive into a superficial fix of the presentation of the injury. I’m just a lost cause.

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#6

:laughing: You should get your physio to do the strength sessions with you as the appointment. That sort of thing is becoming more common with physio’s/therapists. However, having googled Breath with Adrienne I could certainly take a punt.

#7

Yep i’ve always thought that.

If it was a class or a session set by someone else i’d work myself to the ground. But when it’s self managed (like my whole time in Uni for example) then i lapse very quickly into CBA.

If i could afford it i would go down that route - £40 odd a session isn’t going to work. I shold just pay some random to let me into their lounge and tell me what exercises to do! :rofl:

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#8

I’ve got a free trial of Down Dog app going which I can recommend highly. Not sure if they still do the free trials any more but if they do I really recommend it for shorter sessions.

You select yoga type, length of session, pace of session, difficulty etc etc and it creates a one off routine for those particular parameters.

I always do the same parameters and it’s been a different routine every single time. Excellent for a ten minute session, and the variety is good to keep it interesting and ensure you’re hitting many different poses / stretches.

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#9

Sufferfest for me. I ache for days when I can be arsed to do a video.

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#10

My Pilates instructor has an online subscription and she’s quite good. She’s also got January “specials” on at the mo - look up Pilates with Leila on facebook. She has a YouTube channel but doesn’t do her client specials via that.

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#11

me and Mrs FB do a weekly yoga session with a local instructor (when classes are running - not at the mo in Tier 4). it’s more of a cross between yoga and pilates and focuses on strength and flexibility. my groaning keeps the class amused!

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#12

Another +1 for downward dog. Not done ‘breath’ but done other yoga with Adrienne. Thought she was alright but didn’t see any reason to add to her existing popularity/success compared to anyone else so usually try alternatives.
I’d echo thoughts of using it much more for strength, ease of motion and balance over increased reach.

Not specific to @gingerbongo knowing nothing about him and I’m not even vaguely qualified compared to the physio you’ve already seen, but speaking generally I think there’s some decent logic from what I’ve read behind questioning most people’s perceptions of Hamstring “tightness” needing stretching, compared to more likely weakness.

#13

My hams are tight due to being sat down all day at a desk. But it’s really the not firing glutes that seem to be the brunt of the cause.

Fwiw I don’t have any hammy stretching exercises prescribed at all.

#14

good one for hammies, lay on back feet by bum, bent legs. link figers behind one knee and straighten leg. Its not pulling them like toughing toes and is reasonably dynamic as you move leg up and down. glutes, a good one is lay on floor like swimming, lift leg up like a swim kick, slightly out (straight leg still) and back and down. hip flexor stretches are also done by activating the glutes. (standing and kneeling both work there) As ever be warmed up for all of these.

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#15

started doing lots of classes with Adrienne - there is tons of stuff on YouTube including specific sessions for runners and cyclists - haven’t done any of the cycling ones but the run ones I find really good

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#16

One thing that I’ve picked up from all decent yoga teachers is don’t push yourself. Do what is comfortable, if it hurts stop!

The teachers have been doing it for years and are incredibly bendy!

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#17

Well we did that first Adrienne class last night & unsurprisingly I’m utter shite at it.

I can’t sit like her, my hips & back ache.

I can’t kneel like her as my right knee just won’t.

Palms on the ground, she can fuck right off.

The wife is looking forward to this evenings class, I’ve created a monster.

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#18

:rofl:

I said last night to Mrs GB that the hardest part of the whole session was sitting up straight at the start. I’ve got awful bent back posture, so my back was aching like mad trying to not slouch!!

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#19

If you find sitting series of exercises difficult - particularly with legs out straight - sit on a block or thick book. It’ll save your lower back.

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#20

Thanks - i’ve already got a folded up towel under (at the advice of the instructor), but i’ll boost it further if it’s still rubbish. For me it’s low to mid back.

I’m hoping that after a week or two i’ll start to get a fair bit stronger. When i did daily core work to rehab from an injuy a few years ago, i was amazed at how quickly my core strength improved. Hoping for a similar curve!!! We’ll see!

Now i have the added difficulty of trying to actually fit it in to my day. :frowning_face:

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