Greg Allon, one of Cyclebeat's founders, wasn't a "stretchy kind of guy" and didn't think that hot yoga was for him.  Here he explains how it transformed his running and cycling...

I’m just not stretchy.  I never have been, and in truth, it never used to seem like a big deal.  In fact I took a certain perverse pride in my inability to touch my toes.  Yoga?  Not really for me.  For a long time I figured I’d leave all that pulling and stretching to my super-flexible yogi sister.

Spinning?  But of course. Cycling?  Yes please.  Running?  Love it.  But I never saw myself as a yoga-kind-of-guy.

A few years ago, I entered the London Marathon for the second time.  My first effort had ended in disaster as although I had trained hard, I had also trained unintelligently.  I piled on the mileage every week, and ignored the fact that while my leg muscles were no doubt getting more efficient, the rest of my body was taking a pounding.  I regularly picked up injuries, which both limited my training, and caused massive problems on the day itself.  Come the big race, a combination of a sharp knee pain, a sore back and a serious case of the runs reduced me to hobbling between portaloos and staggering pitifully over the finish line. 

Second time around, my sister Olga (who is the founder and owner of Hot Yoga Society, and a co-founder of Cyclebeat) challenged me to introduce hot yoga into my training regime.  I was sceptical, but Olga is highly persuasive, so I gave it a go – and I’ve never looked back.

I practiced once a week at Olga’s swish Hot Yoga Society studio just across London Bridge, and in just a few months I experienced something of a transformation, going from treating it like a trip to the dentist to really looking forward to it.  And meanwhile my core got stronger, my flexibility improved no end (me - able to bend backwards and grab my own ankles – who knew?)  and I got through the whole training period without picking up any significant injuries.

I completed that second marathon in 3 hours 23 minutes, nearly an hour and a half quicker than the first time around, and while there are other reasons for the improvement, I’m confident that the whole-body strength which I developed through hot yoga made a massive difference.

 

As a former inflexible yoga-sceptic, here are a few things which I learned along the way:

-Doing a one off hot yoga class is fairly pointless, you really have to give it a chance.  I felt exhausted, and a little inadequate, after my first class.  But after a few weeks of taking class fairly consistently (once a week) I felt fantastic after a hot yoga session.

-Improvements come pretty quickly.  As I said at the start, I don’t see myself as a stretchy kind of guy, but after just a few sessions   I could stretch my spine further, raise my legs higher, and put parts of my body in places they’ve never previously wanted to go.  Over time my small regular improvements have led to big long-term gains.

-Every Sunday, I do a long run or a big ride.  I stiffen up a lot after an effort like that, so I try to take a hot yoga class early the next week.  And do you know what? I feel great afterwards – I stretch out all the stiffness, so there’s no more hobbling through the day as I recover from the efforts of the weekend.

Endurance activities are still my true love, and I still spend the majority of my fitness time indoor cycling or running.  But I now try to get in a regular yoga session – physical benefits aside, it’s a lovely escape from the endurance test of life, an hour of calm to collect your thoughts and strengthen your body.

Hot Yoga Society will be launching a high tech yoga space in the courtyard at Cyclebeat early Feb with a schedule of hot yoga classes on offer. Read here for more details...