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I’ve been a competitive runner for greater than 20 years and for many of that point, I’ve intentionally disregarded yoga. I’d assumed way back that it wouldn’t offer anything meaningful to my workout routine. But as I’ve turn into older—and, it seems, wiser—I’ve found the precise opposite to be true.
After racing on the Division I level in college, I shifted my post-collegiate focus to intense training for half-marathons, marathons, and other road races. It wasn’t until after I recently began incorporating core-strengthening poses from yoga into my gym workouts that I started to feel stronger than ever.
Yoga poses tend to have interaction the core muscle groups often ignored by runners, hikers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and other outdoor athletes. Those include the transversus abdominis and other deep core muscles, the side abdominal muscles, the spinal stabilizers, and the missed pelvic floor muscles.
The advantage of incorporating yoga isn’t just the poses that you simply practice. It’s the way you practice them. I’ve found that the static holds and breathwork emphasized by yoga have enhanced my endurance, my balance, and my ability to tap into the mind-body connection.
I take a “training wheels” approach by incorporating yoga poses into my usual ab or core workout. This ensures that I’m not neglecting traditional or dynamic core strength training. Yoga won’t ever supplant my gym workout, but it will probably complement it.
7 Core-Strengthening Yoga Poses That Every Athlete Needs
Following are the core-strengthening yoga poses that may profit runners and any outdoor athletes. Depend on them as a whole core workout or incorporate three or 4 into your existing core exercise routine by replacing an exercise with a pose targeting an analogous area. Change out Plank or Forearm Plank for Chaturanga or replace V-ups or toe-touch sit-ups with Boat Pose.
(Photo: Andrew Clark. Clothing: Calia)
1. Cat-Cow
Cat–Cow is a dynamic exercise that mobilizes the whole spine, which is usually missed during core-strengthening exercises. It’s principally a slow transition between two poses, and as you sync your movement along with your breath, you bring awareness to your ability to isolate your vertebrae. You furthermore may train yourself to have interaction your deep transversus abdominis muscles every time you attract your belly, which helps stabilize your core.
(Photo: Andrew Clark; Clothing: Calia)
2. Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Staff Pose)
This core exercise is comparable to the familiar Plank and Forearm Plank drills. But Chaturanga demands that you simply draw your pubic bone toward your belly button to take care of your balance in your forearms and your toes, which engages your pelvic floor muscles. This is significant because the pelvic muscles are crucial for improving your respiratory mechanics and your stability as you run, squat, bike, or practice whatever outdoor adventure you most love.
Also, be sure you squeeze your glutes to alleviate strain in your low back and find protected and optimal alignment.
(Photo: Andrew Clark)
3. Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)
All Warrior poses in yoga engage your core, but Warrior 3 is one of the best for strengthening your core muscles. The total-body balancing pose requires engaging your entire core muscles in a 360-degree manner to search out and maintain your stability. You experience an analogous demand on the core in running, climbing, and weightlifting exercises, even though it’s easier to cheat in your form because you’re upright quite than steadying yourself on one foot.
(Photo: Andrew Clark)
4. Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose)
Boat Pose is a static, isometric hold that requires tons of core control. This yoga core exercise strengthens not only your abs but supporting muscle groups, including your quads, hip flexors, and spinal stabilizers.
It’s vital to maintain your back and shoulders straight, quite than rounded, because this helps construct your core strength and balance while also supporting proper posture. It also practices engaging the lower abs and lower back, which synergistically support your form. To maximise the advantage of this pose, bend your knees if it’s essential to quite than allow yourself to slouch.
(Photo: Andrew Clark; Clothing: Calia)
5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)
Among the finest yoga core-strengthening poses in your tricky-to-isolate obliques (side abdominal muscles) is Side Plank. It also shifts the load to your shoulders and demands support out of your back and front core muscles, which must engage in various degrees to support your balance.
(Photo: Andrew Clark; Clothing: Calia)
6. Eka Pada Utkatasana (One-Legged Chair Pose)
This variation of Chair Pose is essentially like holding a single-leg squat but by lifting one foot any amount It’s a robust pose for runners, cyclists, and outdoor athletes since it requires engaging your core to maintain your trunk upright and body balanced while concurrently strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and back. It not only strengthens your muscles but your sense of proprioception, which is an awareness of where your body is in space.
(Photo: Andrew Clark)
7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)
Downward-Facing Dog is among the finest yoga poses for any athlete because it stretches the whole posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves, and Achilles tendons), which is just not only essential but feels incredible after biking, running, climbing, rowing, using the elliptical machine, and almost any workout. It also strengthens the shoulders and core, which are sometimes missed by those that engage in these endurance sports.
Deal with drawing your belly button toward your spine and squeezing your inner thighs and pelvic floor muscles. This approach engages your core in a whole and balanced manner. Engaging your quads and glutes will increase the intensity of the pose.
Additional Core-Strengthening Exercises for Athletes
In the event you’re trying to switch up your routine and work in several core-strengthening exercises, consider including bicycle crunches, reverse crunches, Pallof press using a resistance band or cable machine, Russian twists, and either hanging leg raises or stability ball jackknives.
RELATED: 8 Yoga Poses to Strengthen Your Core and Your Confidence
About Our Contributor
Amber Sayer is a fitness, nutrition, and wellness author and editor. She holds a master’s degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in prosthetics and orthotics. She is a NCSA-certified personal trainer, UESCA-certified running coach, triathlon coach, and endurance nutrition coach.