Yoga for runners?

skedaddle

Barefooters
Sep 3, 2011
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Anyone have any simple routines they can share?
Mainly to stay flexible. My gait seems to be shortening with all the long, slow mileage i've been doing, i'm also feeling very tight in the hamstrings even though I do dynamic stretching after each run.
I'm interested in whole body exercises, but there seems to be sooo much information out there it's hard to know where the good routines start and where the charlatans end, if you get my meaning.
A little point in the right direction would be most welcome.
Thanks.
 
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I do Salute to the Sun routine in the morning if I am feeling a bit stiff. About 6 rounds.
But, in my experience, stretching and yoga, like all other complimentary running exercises should be approached wisely. Know why you are doing it, be specific and don't over do it. I caused myself lots of injuries overstretching certain muscles to the point where they lost the elasticity and the all important spring.
At the moment, I am finding core strength exercises like clams,lunges etc to be better to give me the strength during the full movement of the running stride, and my flexibility has also improved as a result.
Lyno Therapy has two really good tests, The Bankie Test and The ROM Test, for identifying problem areas before they even manifest.
http://www.lynosport.co.za/
http://www.jeffcubos.com/2009/10/26/the-bunkie-test/
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/rerp/2015/780127/
I like the whole body connected aspect of this method.
 
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I do Salute to the Sun routine in the morning if I am feeling a bit stiff. About 6 rounds.
But, in my experience, stretching and yoga, like all other complimentary running exercises should be approached wisely. Know why you are doing it, be specific and don't over do it. I caused myself lots of injuries overstretching certain muscles to the point where they lost the elasticity and the all important spring.
At the moment, I am finding core strength exercises like clams,lunges etc to be better to give me the strength during the full movement of the running stride, and my flexibility has also improved as a result.
Lyno Therapy has two really good tests, The Bankie Test and The ROM Test, for identifying problem areas before they even manifest.
http://www.lynosport.co.za/
http://www.jeffcubos.com/2009/10/26/the-bunkie-test/
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/rerp/2015/780127/
I like the whole body connected aspect of this method.

Thanks Jaqa:)

I know runners are notoriously inflexible due to the very nature of running, it's finding the happy spot between being overly tight and too loose.
My main goal is to find a gentle full body routine and to loosen up my gait a bit. The discipline that goes with it won't hurt either.
I certainly don't want to end up in a contorted ball of limbs that you so often see in yoga videos. I even thought of tai chi just to keep everything moving, fluid and supple.
I know embarking on something like this commands upmost respect and focus, which is why i'm putting out feelers before I do myself an injury.

Thanks for the links.
 
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And thanks for the post skedaddle!
I forgot about a crucial stretch that I have to do, and that I need my dining room table to do it on. But my girlfriend has occupied it with her 5000 piece puzzle for the last 3 months until I put my foot down this past weekend LOL
Your post reminded me about it! Which explains my hip problem- https://www.thebarefootrunners.org/threads/hip-pain-now-what.19280/
 
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And thanks for the post skedaddle!
I forgot about a crucial stretch that I have to do, and that I need my dining room table to do it on. But my girlfriend has occupied it with her 5000 piece puzzle for the last 3 months until I put my foot down this past weekend LOL
Your post reminded me about it! Which explains my hip problem- https://www.thebarefootrunners.org/threads/hip-pain-now-what.19280/

Sorry to here about your hip problem Jaqa.:(
It was actually a slight hip related issue that caused me to write the post in the first place.
I was worried about my gait getting too tight and slight burning pain in the same area you describe. It appeared after I slipped back down a very muddy slope in rather unceremonious fashion and has been nagging me ever since. I'm going to get it checked out next week.

What you want to do is hide the last piece of puzzle from your girlfriend and she'll never want to do one again :playful:
 
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LOL That would only work if she progressed to well over her current 10% The puzzle has been boxed and we are trying to turn the spare bedroom into her Faerie Glen for all those things!
There is one stretch in the ROM Test that uses a table at just under hip height that targets that area very well.
Or you can do the Pigeon Pose http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/yoga-for-runners-3-poses-you-should-practice
Just be extremely gentle the first few times. This stuff can really hurt. Best to warm up properly and get the blood flowing.
 
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Thanks Jaqa:)

I know runners are notoriously inflexible due to the very nature of running, it's finding the happy spot between being overly tight and too loose.
My main goal is to find a gentle full body routine and to loosen up my gait a bit. The discipline that goes with it won't hurt either.
I certainly don't want to end up in a contorted ball of limbs that you so often see in yoga videos. I even thought of tai chi just to keep everything moving, fluid and supple.
I know embarking on something like this commands upmost respect and focus, which is why i'm putting out feelers before I do myself an injury.

Thanks for the links.

I'm a big fan of ashtanga for the reasons you posted above, moving, fluid and supple. I do the second video 3-4 times a week, but the first is a little shorter and easier for a beginner. I'm not one to believe all the shenanigans of yoga, to me its just a good practice for breathing, stretching and spending time getting up and down off the floor. 30 minutes seems to be the perfect amount of time to keep my attention. Its too bad the second video is kind of choppy and of poor quality, but the routine is very solid. I have yet to find another 30 minute version I like as much.


 
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LOL That would only work if she progressed to well over her current 10% The puzzle has been boxed and we are trying to turn the spare bedroom into her Faerie Glen for all those things!
There is one stretch in the ROM Test that uses a table at just under hip height that targets that area very well.
Or you can do the Pigeon Pose http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/yoga-for-runners-3-poses-you-should-practice
Just be extremely gentle the first few times. This stuff can really hurt. Best to warm up properly and get the blood flowing.

Yeah I do add the pigeon pose in a couple of times a week, its not usually incorporated in ashtanga from what I have seen but its a great runners stretch.
 
Anyone have any simple routines they can share?
Mainly to stay flexible. My gait seems to be shortening with all the long, slow mileage i've been doing, i'm also feeling very tight in the hamstrings even though I do dynamic stretching after each run.
I'm interested in whole body exercises, but there seems to be sooo much information out there it's hard to know where the good routines start and where the charlatans end, if you get my meaning.
A little point in the right direction would be most welcome.
Thanks.

I think you're going to need this little routine to heal your gut with all that slime you're consuming :rolleyes:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-24067/a-4-minute-yoga-sequence-to-jumpstart-digestion.html
 
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I'm a big fan of ashtanga for the reasons you posted above, moving, fluid and supple. I do the second video 3-4 times a week, but the first is a little shorter and easier for a beginner. I'm not one to believe all the shenanigans of yoga, to me its just a good practice for breathing, stretching and spending time getting up and down off the floor. 30 minutes seems to be the perfect amount of time to keep my attention. Its too bad the second video is kind of choppy and of poor quality, but the routine is very solid. I have yet to find another 30 minute version I like as much.

Thanks Abide, I too want to avoid the shenanigans.
I like the way one move flows into another in the videos, I shall load them on my TV and see how it goes.
Managed to pick up a tree rubber mat at the charity shop today which saved me fifty quid so i'm well happy. Just need to progress from yogi bear to yogi now, which for me will be quite the challenge.;)
 
Anyone have any simple routines they can share?
Mainly to stay flexible. My gait seems to be shortening with all the long, slow mileage i've been doing, i'm also feeling very tight in the hamstrings even though I do dynamic stretching after each run.
I'm interested in whole body exercises, but there seems to be sooo much information out there it's hard to know where the good routines start and where the charlatans end, if you get my meaning.
A little point in the right direction would be most welcome.
Thanks.

There's also a slight chance that hamstring tightness is not about too short hamstrings. It might be anterior pelvic tilt, which means that front side of the legs (quads and hip flexors) are tight (+weak abs and gluteus) and pulling hip to tilt forwards, which makes hamstrings tight... And when you stretch them, pelvis tilt gets even worse and makes hamstrings again tighter...

https://www.t-nation.com/training/hips-dont-lie

Sorry about this even little more information. :p

That theory sounded very plausible for my chronically tight legs.. Because if a lot of foam rolling, massage and stretching don't help, tightness is probably symptom of something else than thing to be fixed... So I started some days ago training to eliminate my anterior pelvic tilt. Nobody actually told me that it can cause tight hamstrings, I googled it later. I just asked one expert why my belly looks big although I'm generally thin, answer was that anterior pelvic tilt.. It was just aesthetic thing that I haven't paid much attention before. So if you have visible ab muscles or flat stomach you probably don't have this problem. I have already lost few inches from my belly circumference by just trying to fix that tilt (without weight loss). BTW, posterior pelvic tilt is also problem, so eliminating anterior pelvic tilt is not for everybody.

Here's some more stuff to fix anterior pelvic tilt.
http://www.swolept.com/posts/fixing...ture-tricks-to-make-your-butt-and-gut-smaller
 
There's also a slight chance that hamstring tightness is not about too short hamstrings. It might be anterior pelvic tilt, which means that front side of the legs (quads and hip flexors) are tight (+weak abs and gluteus) and pulling hip to tilt forwards, which makes hamstrings tight... And when you stretch them, pelvis tilt gets even worse and makes hamstrings again tighter...

https://www.t-nation.com/training/hips-dont-lie

Sorry about this even little more information. :p

That theory sounded very plausible for my chronically tight legs.. Because if a lot of foam rolling, massage and stretching don't help, tightness is probably symptom of something else than thing to be fixed... So I started some days ago training to eliminate my anterior pelvic tilt. Nobody actually told me that it can cause tight hamstrings, I googled it later. I just asked one expert why my belly looks big although I'm generally thin, answer was that anterior pelvic tilt.. It was just aesthetic thing that I haven't paid much attention before. So if you have visible ab muscles or flat stomach you probably don't have this problem. I have already lost few inches from my belly circumference by just trying to fix that tilt (without weight loss). BTW, posterior pelvic tilt is also problem, so eliminating anterior pelvic tilt is not for everybody.

Here's some more stuff to fix anterior pelvic tilt.
http://www.swolept.com/posts/fixing...ture-tricks-to-make-your-butt-and-gut-smaller

Thanks flammee

I think a lot of the problem is that i've been running a lot slower than I normally would of late, trying to build a base after the winter. I think it's really screwed with my form and i've got a bit sloppy. I've ditched the HR monitor now and am back to running by feel, thats the only thing I can think I changed this year as i've never suffered from tight hamstrings before.
Glutes could definitely do with some work, i'm on that one.
I do have a form check for hip rotation, standing tall and engaing the core is on the list, its engrained in my psyche now, but I could be over compensating one way or another.

Thanks for the headsup, you got me thinking.
 
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Lol Dama.

I'll have you know that the grand ritual of the slime is a right of passage, or was that right through the passage? I haven't quite worked out which yet, really must read the small print and add more loo roll to the shopping list.:wacky:

I thought you might get a good chuckle out of it but seriously, that little routine is a short good one. Not sure how good will be for digestive issues but for an overall gentle body workout it's good.

There is a real good psoas release exercise in the web using a tennis ball that has saved my back countless of times, good for the hammies too.
 
I thought you might get a good chuckle out of it but seriously, that little routine is a short good one. Not sure how good will be for digestive issues but for an overall gentle body workout it's good.

There is a real good psoas release exercise in the web using a tennis ball that has saved my back countless of times, good for the hammies too.

I got ya Dama:) Seriously i'm glad of any help I can get, but you left me an opening I couldn't resist. The mention of gut and slime in the same sentence activated my base humour gene.:wacky: I've been looking at some of the poses and there are definitely some i'd be comfortable with.
 
This I found informative, I think I've definitely got sloppy and slouchy. I'm my own worst enemy sometimes focusing on distance above everything else, mainly because that's the challenge I enjoy.
I'm going to take some time to focus on re-aligning myself and addressing some imbalances. I'm confusing hamstring tightness with bad posture, i'm really not sure where it crept in, complacency and having a singular focus I suppose. I'm on it now though.

Watch it all there's good explanation once the exercise has been explained. I can now touch my toes without bending my knees. Still a little tight but a massive improvement.

 
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Well I just spent some quality time with a full body foam roller session. It was actually quite therapeutic in between the trigger points, but some nice chilled music ironed them out.
I haven't spent this much time with myself for ages, I think I benefited psychologically from it too. I certainly feel more relaxed.:happy:
 
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Well I just spent some quality time with a full body foam roller session. It was actually quite therapeutic in between the trigger points, but some nice chilled music ironed them out.
I haven't spent this much time with myself for ages, I think I benefited psychologically from it too. I certainly feel more relaxed.:happy:

Nice, foam rolling, massage or yoga are kind of interchangeable for me too. The more you do with one the less the others seem to be needed.

I wish i could find an easy yoga routine with some chill music attached. Maybe I could put something together.
 
Nice, foam rolling, massage or yoga are kind of interchangeable for me too. The more you do with one the less the others seem to be needed.

I wish i could find an easy yoga routine with some chill music attached. Maybe I could put something together.

I've actually been thinking of moving the couch into another room for a month or so, and just live on the floor. It would just be so much easier to stretch and roll at any time without having to make it a thing, if you get my meaning. It certainly would help with posture and flexibility.

I thought any ambient music would work, no matter what routine you choose. Would be interesting to see if bpm would make a difference to the intensity of a session.
I've got the routine you posted down now, it seems like a nice stretch to start and end the day with.
 
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I think it was my eyesight that was causing me to hunch. Just noticed it on todays run.

I was in and out of the eye hospital a few months back as my eyesight rapidly deteriorate over the course of a few weeks, it was really quite a scare. :nailbiting: I also have cornea scarring and monocular double vision. :cyclops:
I wasn't stooping because of lack of core strength, I was stooping because I couldn't see very far ahead and looking down.
I've recognised the culprit now though, i'm sure it's something I can work on. Not much I can do about the eyesight but I know our brains are incredible at adapting given a little time.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in, it's help me resolve something that could have been potentially damaging for me. Plus a little more core work wont go amiss.
 
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