7 Responses to People Who Say Yoga Isn’t a Good Workout

Other than "you're wrong."

There are few things that get to us more than a so-called fitness know-it-all who thinks they have a lock on everything related to wellness.

…except for a so-called fitness know-it-all who thinks they have a lock on everything related to wellness AND claims that yoga isn’t a route to strength or health.

Oh, we’re sorry. We didn’t quite hear you.

Yoga? Not a good workout? That sounds straight-up crazy to us.

We understand how this myth got started. There are plenty of practicing yogis out there who use their time on the mat to ease anxiety or tap into their mindfulness. They focus on stretching, on getting centered, on clearing their head. And that’s totally cool for them! Yoga is obviously great for all of those things.

ICYMI, though, we do yoga a little differently around here. Our brand of yoga is cardio-driven, intense, and, well, hard. If this is the kind of yoga you swear by, we’ve put together a list of go-to responses you can use next time someone questions whether or not it’s giving you fitness benefits.

1. “Have you seen how much I sweat after an intense class?”

Anyone who questions how effective an hour on the mat can be for strengthening and challenging your body obviously hasn’t experienced our kind of power yoga. Snap a pic of yourself after a particularly tough practice and wear that as a badge of honor next time you’re fielding questions about yoga as exercise.

And, if you want to learn a bit more about power yoga in general, check out this video.

2. “yoga is actually awesome for your core.”

In other workout classes, a plank or two at the end of the hour is considered the height of the challenge. LOL to that. Have you ever tried a boat pose? No? Do it and get back to us. Your abs will thank you (after they’re done hating you, at least).

3. “I’ve got three little words for you: yogi push-ups.”

Far from the so-called “modified push-ups” of your middle school days, yogi push-ups — in which we repeatedly push ourselves up and down from low to high planks — are no joke. And don’t even get us started on arm balances. You think it doesn’t take serious muscle to pull off a crow pose or flying lizard? Puh-lease. Think again.

4. “Holding yoga poses gives you killer legs.”

We spend a lot of time hanging out in various lunge poses over the course of a yoga class. Once you push beyond the point where your quads can’t stop shaking, they actually get insanely strong.

5. “Using your own body weight as resistance is a great way to tone and strengthen.” 

Some of the classes at bulldog do involve resistance bands for an added challenge, but even those that don’t offer great strength training advantages. The Mayo Clinic confirms that training with body weight only is, in fact, an important part of any strength-building routine.

6. “No one can motivate me in a workout like my bulldog fam.”

There’s nothing like a tight-knit, vibrant community to help hold you accountable to the workout goals you’ve set for yourself. That’s where our bulldog family comes in. Whether you’re tapping into those vibes in the studio or online, you’re going to reap the benefits of a high-energy group that pushes you to make the most of the time you have to exercise.

7. “You need to try this kind of yoga.”

If there are still questions, just hand over the link to our online classes. Maybe an amazing workout just needs to speak (and flow) for itself.

What do you tell people when they question the power of yoga? Tell us on Facebook + Twitter!

***You can get the bulldog experience anywhere, anytime with our online classes — and make sure you check out our full line of bulldog swag, too! Don’t forget to subscribe to the bulldog blog so you can get e-mail notifications about every new post.***

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