Can Athletes Use Hot Yoga As Preparation For Sports?

Opening up your studio to local athletes looking to get the edge

Ryan Giggs.  Source: Topnews.in

With hot yoga becoming more and more popular in the UK, more studios are rising to the demand and installing infra red heating and humidification systems for yogis to sweat it out.  Hot yoga attracts athletes of all kinds (Andy Murray, Ryan Giggs to name just a couple) to increase flexibility, tolerance and strength.



Hot yoga studios, or health clubs with the facility to heat a studio to 40⁰C could also benefit by offering heat acclimation training for local athletes, thus boosting revenue and profile in the area.

What is heat acclimation training?

Heat acclimation training is widely known in the sports performance arena as training under controlled hot and humid conditions, usually within a purpose built chamber where the athlete is rigged up to all sorts of apparatus to test heart rate, VO2 Max, etc, where test can be monitored to record the change in physiology that takes place.

Athletes Training in Heated Room.  Source: 80percentmental.com

Dr Christopher Minson and various other sports scientists have proven how training in the heat (heat acclimation) builds tolerance and triggers a response in the musculature of the athlete that boosts performance.

How do I set up heat acclimation training in my studio?

Simple.  Heat the room as normal, and add either a spinning bike, some aerobics equipment or simply hold a movement based exercise class that requires the athletes (pro or amateur) to perform at around 50% of their max.  You wouldn't want the participant to work out to the maximum, but enough to create a stress response within the body and to increase heart rate, breathing rate etc.  You could request the participants bring their own heart rate monitor to check on the level of intensity of the training, and to avoid any possible problems.  Hydration will be of great importance pre, during and post exercise.

Stay Hydrated When Training In The Heat.  Source: Juveleblog.com

It is not only yoga that can be practiced in the hot and humid conditions we find in hot yoga studios.  Athletes can take advantage of this training protocol to prepare for upcoming competitions and events.

Health club owners, and hot yoga studio owners can use the space for training athletes when there is a gap in the timetable, allowing for greater return on the investment on the heating system and creating a buzz around the brand.

What do you think?  If you are a hot yoga studio owner, would you entertain having athletes train in your hot environment?  How would you charge?