A Bodybuilder's Yoga Journey

Do you even stretch, bro?

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Yoga inspired mobility flow.

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Any of my heavy lifting, yogi peeps runners? I've decided to take running seriously this year and add it to my fitness repertoire. I was gifted a peloton bike which has an app with various workouts including running to complement their treadmills. So far, I've been running consistently 2xs a week for 5 weeks. Although I'm still not loving it, I am beginning to enjoy process. Slow and steady.

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Post run yoga /stretching routine.

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Feeling cute today. Won't be deleting later.

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Can we agree there lies a mutually beneficial relationship between yoga and strength training? Isn't the windmill just a Trikonasana (triangle pose) variation with a kettlebell added?

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That yogi life.

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The Skill of Balance - Training to Not Fall On My Face — Nyree's Bodies, LLC

Balance. The even distribution of weight which enables someone or something to remain upright and steady. A state of equilibrium. The abili

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The Skill of Balance - Training to Not Fall On My Face

Balance. The even distribution of weight which enables someone or something to remain upright and steady. A state of equilibrium.

The ability to balance is a combination of trained sensorimotor (sensori - input, motor - output) function and neuromuscular (nerves to muscles connection) coordination which allow for control of muscle function through multiple joints.

Balance is a skill. In conjunction with stability, balance is a representation of strength which needs to be trained in order to develop, in the same way we lift weights regularly to develop strength. There are two types of balance; dynamic balance (the ability to maintain body position during movement) and static balance (maintaining bodily position while sitting or standing). The practicality of balance training is present in one’s ability to carry items up and down a step ladder and place it on the top shelf. Or sitting and standing from a low chair holding a glass of water without using the arm rest. This example may seem as though it is strength based, but not completely. It also requires balance. Here’s another example, you are really drunk. You haven’t lost any strength since you began drinking, but now your balance is impaired. Would you be able to still sit and stand from that same chair smoothly holding that glass of water or would you possibly topple over and get wet? There is strength to stand with no balance. The professional balancers such as tightrope walkers, gymnasts and ice skaters, the extreme examples of training for balance practitioners, fall now and then. Why do you believe you’re exempt?

I will usually get push-back from clients and students when I add balance exercises to the day’s program. Maybe that’s because it can be uncomfortable and embarrassing to fall, especially in front of a group. What most don’t know is that the body learns to balance through falling; the process where the central nervous system is learning which muscles to engage and in which order to achieve balance. For many, balance lies in that uncomfortable place where one has resigned themselves to the fact of their inability to balance, already having failed before even beginning. Also present is the aggravation of having to work extra hard to do an otherwise simple exercise if it were done without that balance part. For example, performing a one arm bent over row but performing it unilaterally (on one leg), when the same exercise could be accomplished while standing on two legs or leaning on bench without the worry of falling on their face. The unilateral deadlifts, the planks with alternating arm and leg reaches, the lateral hops on one leg or in my case in yoga class, the half moon pose on a particularly wobbly day, brings distress when announced and relief when it’s over. I am not immune to those feelings; I get it. However, as with every other skill, there will be no improvement without a continuous and consistent amount of practice and effort.

For the 40 and below age group, the group that when it comes to fitness, rarely thinks far beyond their current situation age when it comes to health, it’s time to board this train to balanceville. If someone, in the age group considered “their prime”, is having difficulty balancing, it will not improve on its own. That’s not how the neuromuscular system works. Specific balance training exercises (i.e. balance board work, unilateral exercises) should be added to a general workout program.

For us 40 somethings and higher, who have also neglected balance training, there is no better time than the present to add this type of work to your program . We are at that age where our capacity to balance decreases. Falls due to lack of balance and stability are leading causes of injury and death in older populations. In my humble opinion, balance training is as important as strength training and should be trained equally. Equilibrium of training modalities.

Too many training programs center on the “How will it make me look?” principle. Understanding how the esthetics of working out is an important factor in strength training and that balance training is not, balance training can feel like a waste of that precious gym time eked out of your schedule and not prioritized over other types of training such as strength or cardiovascular. Remember, balance training is a functional thing; for overall quality of life. As a fitness professional, my goal is to create healthy bodies with longevity, not only those that are selfie worthy.

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Core balance flow. This is bodyweight training. This is yoga practice.

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IMHO,

Vinyasa is suffering. It is becoming a practice of too fast flows which lack of control.

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This simple flow is slow for most vinyasa practitioners (I also posted the sped up version for comparison). However, strength, balance and stability is developed here. True strength shows in the ability to control movement. In short: Slow the f*ck down. Namaste 🙏🏾 🧘🏾‍♀️

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Core balance flow. This is bodyweight training. This is yoga practice.

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IMHO,

Vinyasa is suffering. It is becoming a practice of too fast flows which lack of control.

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This flow, in its simplicity is actually 2 minutes long (I have also posted the 2 minute version for comparison or trial.) For most who practice vinyasa, this IS real speed or not fast enough. True strength shows in the ability to control movement. In short: Slow the f*ck down. Namaste 🙏🏾 🧘🏾‍♀️

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TRX decline pushups

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A TRX Thursdays Trifecta!

TRX reverse plank

TRX pushup to side plank with hip drop

TRX walkups to chaturanga pushups

Nyree's Bodies, LLC

This is a fitness and yoga blog.

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My 40 Something Ego (Edited & Clarified)

I hate beauty culture. At the same time, my ego has lead me to the party. I used to only wear lipstick. This year, I started using a little liner & mascara to add some freshness around my eyes. They don't lie. It seems aging occurs around the eyes first, and next to the hands and neck, you can't hide those years of truths.

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I find the whole makeup thing a hassle. I wear my hair braided instead of free so I don't have to comb it daily. Young girls looking like old women wanting to be young. My eyes roll at those lip numbing plumpers and the freezing of emotions through botex culture. And yet, my late 40s ego has lead to me falling victim after tripping over my vanity. I don't want to need it to stay me.

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It's still a hassle, mostly, and I remain 90% makeup free as my stash of product calls for my attention. #nomakeup #blackandwhite

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The Practicality of Grip Strength Training

I Lift Heavy I Do Yoga blog — Nyree's Bodies, LLC

This is not a yoga blog. A bodybuilders’s yoga journey

There is a correlation between life expectancy and grip strength. According to the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass & strength associated with aging), grip strength is an indicator of overall muscle strength and function and is "strongly associated with preserved mobility, higher activities of daily living and decreased disability. Any training program worth its weight in kettlebells should incorporate this type of exercise such as the farmers walk, step ups holding dumbbells, hanging crunches or assisted pull ups.

Grip strengthening exercises have significant practical, real world applications. For example, carrying those heavy ass Trader Joe's paper bags with the wide handles up the stairs of the subway while knocking people out the way. How about being able to hold tight to that corkscrew while you desperately open that much needed and anticipated after work bottle of wine(You know what I'm talking about!).

Here I demonstrate a TRX reverse plank hold which can also be done with rings. This isometric hold builds strength in the muscles of the hands and forearms as well as the muscles of the back body, the SITS muscles in the shoulder joint, the biceps & triceps.

I regularly incorporate this hold in my TRX classes at @yogaworks_nyc, holding for at least 30 seconds. Once the fear subsided, the grips developed where 30 seconds feels short!.

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TRX pec fly in plank. #fitover40

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So, You Wanna Do Yoga; Advice From A Former Yoga Newbie

I am considered an unconventional yoga teacher, possibly because I started out as a bodybuilder. For many years I performed West African dance in Harlem based dance company, then got into bodybuilding, which eventually lead to a very tight muscly body. This inspired me to begin practicing yoga in addition to my lifting heavy things. I guess due to my unique yogi beginnings, I am often asked how to begin practicing yoga, by those who come from backgrounds like mine and those who are just plain nervous about the whole yoga thing. We have all read about the benefits of yoga, how good yoga is for our bodies, minds and souls, while simultaneously being inundated by images of contortionist in yoga poses. on social media. For the beginner, these images represent what they think yoga is; a practice for people who are already incredibly flexible and/or strong. This is far from the truth. While I do know some who started practicing yoga already flexible, they were not necessarily strong or vise versa. The practice of yoga can accommodate ALL. I started out very strong, not flexible at all. However, what I deemed strong was a different kind of strong, I have noticeably increased my flexibility and mobility through my years of practicing and I’m very new to the practice still. So, from a relatively new yogi who was once a beginner, to the yoga curious, nervous and/or intimidated, here’s some advice to get you practicing.

First, why do you want to do yoga? Like most new ventures, we need to have a reason as to why we want to do it. It’s like joining a gym because your partner says you should do it for your health but when you do, you hate it and everything about it then quit all together. Identify for yourself you why you want to do this. It could be for the most base reasons. Honestly, I started yoga because I thought it would be cool to be flexible. Years of heavy lifting and no stretching in my 20s/30s lead to increased tightness and mobility issues. I have also suffered from back spasms most of my life noticing the reduction in my mobility coincided with an increase in spasms; some of which keep me immobilized for days. As I got older and more knowledgeable, my reasons for practicing changed, but initially being able to put my leg behind my head is what motivated me. (I still can’t do that by the way.) Identifying what will motivate you to take up this practice is essential to sustain your practice. Yoga is a continuous and to obtain the benefits, a level of commitment is required.

Secondly, once you’ve decided why you want to practice, find a good place to start. In my humble opinion, that place IS a yoga studio and NOT a health club. I teach at one of the best health club chains in the country. I also teach at a yoga studio chain, so I have experience with and can offer perspective on both. 

Here's my analogy. Health clubs are like your supermarkets and the yoga studios is your specialty shop. You can get all kinds of food at the supermarket, but if you’re in the market for a particular cut of beef imported from wherever, the supermarket would not be your first choice. A health club is your supermarket, a yoga studio is that specialty butcher on the other side of town.  In a health club, you have access to all kinds of fitness offerings, from your weight lifting areas, to the cardio machines, and your fitness studio and yoga classes. This allows for health clubs to cater to a wider audience and in turn bring in more people. “So, you have no interest in lifting weights? Allow me to offer you classes instead.” A yoga studio offers primarily a variety of yoga classes with sprinklings of fitness classes like barre or pilates. “So, you're interested in yoga? Great! What type are you interested in? We offer beginner to advanced, Iyengar to vinyasa.” For the newbie, this is where you want to be. Let me use a fitness example. You’ve decided you want to be a mixed martial artist or MMA. Where are going to train for that? To your health club?! Your health club offers kickboxing classes that are choreographed to the beat of some really good music. You taking those skills into the octagon?! OR… are you going to a boxing gym or a martial arts studio to develop your skills because that’s what they do? This is the same approach you should take when starting to practice yoga. Yoga classes at most health clubs are not designed for newbies and mainly offer classes that will attract the most participants, which in most cases are not beginner classes. Health clubs generally offer mainly generalized vinyasa yoga in various forms (power, alignment flow, etc) because at the moment, the masses want vinyasa (a flowing or continuous movement yoga form accompanied by breathing techniques. It’s what the cool kids take.) Also, when beginner classes are offered at health clubs, they are few and far between and at less desirable hours. In comparison, yoga studios offer all levels, at all hours, all the time as well as a variety of yoga styles, giving practitioners the opportunity to choose which form they prefer and allowing for deeper study into that form. What’s most important about beginning and foundational yoga classes, beginners are taught to use props such as blocks and straps and how to modify postures if necessary and learn posture variations which make practicing fun. Once a yoga foundation has been established, in most cases you will be able to take any class (even the ones in the health club), safely. A safe practice is a sustainable practice.

Next on my list is the studio’s vibe. When searching for your yoga home, look for an atmosphere that will get you in the building day after day.  It could be demographics, it could be gender, it could be the price point (yes price point can lead to a vibe) etc. I have tried various studios and the energy is EVERYTHING! I’ve loved the space and hated the teachers. I’ve loved the teacher and hated the students. If you don’t vibe with the space, your practice will suffer which in turn will eventually turn you off to practicing all together. You need to want to walk into that building. Take advantage of studios that offer a free class or week of yoga to try the studio or check out Class Pass or Groupon for deals, travel around and sample a variety of classes and studios and see how you feel during and after the experience. If you like it, that may be your new yoga home.

Lastly, short and sweet, where is your studio? Location, location, location, right? The distance to and from your chosen studio is important. If it feels like work to get there, you’re not going to go there. I’m relatively lazy when it comes to these things. I live in Brooklyn and won’t travel past Chelsea to do most things. Anyone living in the city knows what I’m talking about.  Luckily for me, I have found quality offerings, at most, 30 minutes from my door.

After so many years of practice, I know just how important has been to my overall wellness and regularly encourage everyone I know to start. I am a movement practitioner, and in my late 40s, my primary initiative is to move well for as long as possible. I have no intention to stop lifting heavy things as I find strength sexy as hell. However, I want to move my sexy freely, uninhibited and for many more years to come. Practicing yoga has aided in this endeavour. I hope to see you practicing in your favorite yoga studio soon! Namaste!