Hot Yoga: The Ultimate Way to Elevate Your Workout Intensity
November 5, 2024
When you think of a typical yoga class, you might picture a room filled with mats, with people quietly resting in Child’s Pose or Savasana.
While these calming postures are certainly part of the practice, yoga offers so much more—especially in certain styles where the poses can push your body to its limits, get your heart racing, and leave you feeling invigorated.
But can yoga, especially hot yoga, truly meet all your fitness needs and support long-term health and wellness? Many people wonder, Is hot yoga a good workout?
To help answer that, we’ll delve into how a consistent yoga practice, particularly hot yoga, can significantly contribute to your overall fitness goals, boost cardiovascular health, and even support longevity.
Whether you aim to build strength, improve flexibility, or add variety to your exercise routine, yoga—especially the heat-infused variation—might be exactly what you’re looking for.
What Does A Hot Yoga Practice Mean?
Hot yoga is not just a practice that strengthens breathing techniques, helping you take full, controlled breaths throughout the session; it’s also a body workout. Thanks to the combined effects of the heat and the movement, many practitioners leave the rooms feeling mentally and physically rejuvenated.
The intense heat in hot yoga practice, often set between 90 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, (32-40°C) promotes heavy sweating, which many believe aids in detoxifying the body. As you sweat, you flush out toxins and walk away feeling deeply cleansed and rejuvenated, both in body and spirit.
A key benefit of hot yoga is its remarkable effect on cardiovascular health. The heat forces your body to work harder to cool itself down, and during a 90-minute session, the calorie burn is significant.
A study found that men can burn up to 460 calories per session while women burn around 330 calories. That’s comparable to a moderate run but with the added bonus of improving flexibility, balance, and muscle strength.
Crunch Fitness offers diverse hot yoga classes tailored to suit everyone’s needs. Our expert instructors can help you to improve your poses and guide you toward effective weight loss. Experience the benefits of hot yoga at Crunch Fitness and begin your journey to transformative power and a healthier you today.
What do Hot Yoga Classes look like?
Hot Yoga classes are designed to be intense. The room is heated to 90-105°F (32-40°C), and you’ll feel the heat immediately upon entering.
The warm environment helps loosen muscles and increase flexibility, allowing deeper stretches. Classes typically last 60 to 90 minutes.
The structure often starts with breathing exercises to help you adjust to the heat and focus on your breath, a key aspect of yoga. You’ll move through standing and seated postures, including balance poses, stretches, and flows, such as Sun Salutations. Many classes incorporate long holds of poses to build strength and endurance, using the heat to aid in muscle relaxation.
For example, someone new to hot yoga might feel their hamstrings loosening up after just a few classes or a regular gymgoer could notice they’re sweating more in a 90-minute hot yoga session than during their typical strength workout routine.
The rise of yoga in the U.S. has been substantial, with over 34 million people practicing it. Hot yoga continues to grow in popularity as a versatile workout that challenges both body and mind, inspiring many to try something new.
Hot Yoga Styles:
You can incorporate different styles of hot yoga into your fitness routine. Each class offers a unique approach, allowing you to find the perfect fit for your fitness goals and personal preferences.
At Crunch Fitness, our hot yoga sessions are designed for all levels, from beginners looking to build a strong foundation to advanced practitioners seeking a rigorous challenge.
Whether you want to flow through poses in a heated room, build muscular endurance, or incorporate strength training into your yoga routine, we have various options to meet your needs.
Ready to join us at Crunch? Click here to sign up for your next yoga class and start sweating it out today!
Hot Yoga Workout vs Traditional Workout: Comparison
When choosing the right training, many people compare the benefits of hot yoga with more traditional workouts like weightlifting and running.
Each of these offers unique advantages, but hot yoga stands out due to its combination of cardiovascular intensity, flexibility improvement, and mental focus, as we mentioned before.
Let’s break down how hot yoga compares to these popular workouts.
Hot Yoga vs. Weightlifting: Strength and Flexibility
Weightlifting is widely known for building muscle strength, enhancing endurance, and improving bone density. Resistance training targets specific muscle groups, making it a go-to for those looking to bulk up or increase strength.
While hot yoga doesn’t target muscles like weightlifting, it offers full-body strength training through bodyweight poses. Poses like plank, warrior, and chair require considerable muscle engagement, especially in the core, legs, and upper body.
Additionally, the heat in hot yoga encourages deeper stretching, which can help increase flexibility—something weightlifting doesn’t focus on. Those who combine hot yoga and weightlifting often find they recover faster and improve muscle flexibility, reducing the risk of injury.
Hot Yoga vs. Running: Cardiovascular Health and Calorie Burn
Running is an excellent way to improve cardiovascular health, burn calories, and boost endurance. It’s a high-impact activity that elevates the heart rate quickly, making it ideal for those looking to shed pounds or improve stamina.
Though hot yoga may seem less intense than running, the heated environment forces your body to work harder to cool itself down, significantly elevating your heart rate.
As we mentioned, a typical 90-minute hot yoga session can burn up to 460 calories for men and 330 calories for women, comparable to a moderate-paced run.
Unlike running, which focuses mainly on cardio, hot yoga enhances flexibility, strength, and mental focus, offering a more well-rounded workout. It also has a lower impact, making it easier on the joints.
Why is Hot Yoga a Great Form of Exercise?
Physical activity, including yoga, is widely recognized for its mental health benefits. As noted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, practicing yoga can enhance mental and emotional well-being, reduce stress, and alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Additionally, yoga can promote better sleep quality.
Chronic inflammation, which has been linked to health issues such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis, may also be reduced with regular yoga practice. A 2022 review in Brain, Behavior & Immunity—Health suggests that yoga’s ability to lower cortisol, the stress hormone associated with inflammation, could play a role in reducing inflammation and other related markers in the body.
Furthermore, a 2022 review in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health highlights that yoga may improve overall fitness, particularly in areas like muscle strength and cardiorespiratory health. These benefits are most evident in more physically demanding forms of yoga, such as Hatha and hot yoga styles.
4 Smart Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice
Yoga is more than just a workout—it’s a journey of self-discovery, flexibility, and strength. Whether you’re new to yoga or a seasoned practitioner, here are four ways to maximize the benefits of your practice.
1. Make a Habit
Consistency is key to reaping the full benefits of yoga. Try to create a regular schedule, even if it’s just a few times a week. Over time, you’ll notice flexibility, strength, and mental clarity improvements.
Setting aside specific days or times for yoga can help you build a lasting routine, allowing the practice to become a natural part of your life.
2. Get an Assist
Don’t hesitate to seek help when needed. Whether you ask a yoga instructor for guidance or use props like blocks and straps, assistance can help you deepen your poses, maintain correct alignment, and avoid injury. Even experienced yogis benefit from using props and receiving feedback, so take advantage of your support.
3. Try Something New
While having a favorite yoga routine is great, exploring new styles can challenge your body and keep things exciting. Try switching up your practice with a different type of yoga, like Hot Yoga, Vinyasa, or Power Yoga. Experimenting with various styles will target different muscle groups and improve overall fitness.
4. Listen to Your Body
One of the core principles of yoga is tuning in to how your body feels. Pushing yourself too hard can lead to strain or injury, so it’s important to recognize your limits. Be mindful of what your body needs on any given day—some days, you may be ready for an intense session, while others might call for a gentle, restorative practice.
By building these practices into your yoga routine, you’ll find more enjoyment and benefit from your physical and mental workouts.
Join us!
Crunch’s group fitness classes promote a culture of fun with no judgments. It’s an environment for all types of individuals with various goals. Find a Crunch gym near you to try our free trial membership, or join Crunch now. Your goals are made to be crushed. With Crunch, you’ll have the tools, resources, and support to make it happen.
About The Author
