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Does Yoga This exclusive ACE- sponsored study Really evaluates the modern-

Do oga may be all the rage at your local , day body but the truth is—it’s old news. Experts can trace the origins of yoga all the way back to 2250 B.C. as the Harrapan civilization in benefits Northern India began to develop postures and breath-control techniques that they the hoped would enable them to enter an altered conscious- of the Yness and access the spirit realm. Today, exercise enthusiasts are flocking to yoga studios and fitness centers in the hopes of reaping more tangible body benefits like improved muscle tone and strength, 5,000- better and, of course, pretzel-like . Body “Mind-body exercise” has been the fitness buzzword du jour for at least five years now and, according to year-old recent stats from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, more than 11 million Americans current- ly practice yoga. practice of Good? Yet despite yoga’s long history and the enormous number of faithful participants, very little real research has been conducted regarding its physical By Mark Anders benefits. That’s where the American Council on Hatha yoga Exercise comes in. We know anecdotally, and from firsthand experience, that yoga is a valuable fitness activity, but we decided to tap the research experts at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, to find out just how effective it really is. THE STUDY Led by Dawn Boehde and John Porcari, Ph.D., researchers from the University’s Human Performance Laboratory recruited 34 healthy women (average age: 33) for the study. To guarantee an Continued on page 8

ACE FitnessMatters • September/October 2005 7 Does Yoga Really Do the Body Good? Continued from page 7 to the study) to uncover any possible even playing field, all of the subjects changes in their fitness levels. were sedentary and could not have been involved in a regular exercise program or yoga training for the six months THE RESULTS prior to the study. After analyzing the data, researchers The test subjects were then randomly found that the regular practice of Hatha divided into two groups: a yoga group and yoga significantly improved the subjects’ a non-yoga control group. In an effort to flexibility, muscular strength and establish a baseline, all subjects were given , and balance. After eight the same battery of tests that evaluated weeks, the average flexibility of the yoga their flexibility, muscular strength and group improved by 13 percent to 35 per- TESTING PROTOCOL endurance, balance, pulmonary function cent and the gains were significantly Each subject was tested prior and fitness level (see “Testing Protocol”). greater than the non-yoga group, especial- to and following the two-month Then the yoga group participated in ly in shoulder and trunk flexibility, and 55-minute Hatha yoga classes, three ankle range of motion (for complete data study period using this stan- days a week. During the eight-week tables, visit www.acefitness.org). dard battery of tests: study period each participant complet- “Focusing on holding the yoga poses FLEXIBILITY: ed an average of about 21 classes. for 30 seconds helps increase your flexibil- Back Scratch, Functional Though there are many forms of yoga, ity,” says Boehde. “Some poses have you Reach Test, Trunk Rotation, Hatha yoga was chosen because it’s leaning forward so you’re lengthening the Trunk Flexion and Extension, beginner-friendly and classes are wide- back of your body, and the ones where Trunk Lift, Shoulder Elevation, ly available throughout the nation. you’re arching back are out the Ankle Plantar Flexion and Dorsi- All of the yoga classes were taught by front of the body.” flexion, Modified Sit-and-Reach Boehde, a certified yoga instructor. Similarly, the yoga group’s muscular Each started with five minutes of relax- strength and endurance was also boosted BALANCE: ation and yoga (pranaya- by regular Hatha yoga. In particular, chest One-Legged Stand ma), followed by 10 minutes of warm- and abdominal strength and endurance MUSCULAR ENDURANCE: up exercises including sun saluta- was increased significantly, enabling the ACSM Modified Push-up Test and tions, 35 minutes of yoga postures yoga group to perform an average of six Curl-up Test (asanas), and, finally, five minutes of more push-ups and 14 more curl-ups fol- relaxation and yoga breathing in lowing the study period (see Tables 1 PULMONARY FUNCTIONS: the corpse pose (savasana). and 2). “Different yoga poses improve Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced Simultaneously, the non-yoga your muscle endurance because you can’t expiratory volume in the first second group was prohibited from partici- just flop down and do a pose,” Boehde (FEV1) pating in any form of exercise. says. “You have to have good posture and AEROBIC CAPACITY: At the end of the eight weeks, poise, and good core strength to hold • yourself up in the poses.” Poses such as the Maximal rate and VO2 max. both groups were given another battery of tests (the same as prior plank, half moon, boat, camel and

Table 1. Table 2. Changes in push-ups as a result of yoga training. Changes in curl-ups as a result of yoga training. 30 50

25 * 40 *

20 30 ■ Pre-testing ■ Pre-testing 15 ■ Post-testing ■ Post-testing 20 10

5 10 Number of Curl-ups Number of Push-ups 0 0 Control Experimental Control Experimental * Significantly different from pretesting (p < .05) * Significantly different from pretesting (p < .05)

8 September/October 2005 • ACE FitnessMatters revolved triangle may be among the best for improvements should have very good car- improving strength because they require one ryover to everyday life.” to support his or her upper body. But Porcari advises exercisers to As for balance, the yoga group experi- assess their fitness goals and make sure enced a 17-second increase in their one- that yoga can indeed help them meet YOGA INTENSITY legged stand time and a modest boost in those goals, especially if they’re look- ACE study analyzes calorie- their functional reach scores. Besides the ing to lose weight, build significant burn and aerobic benefits of obvious improvements yielded by simply strength or get a good cardiovascular Hatha and Power yogas practicing the variety of one-legged moves workout. As a companion to the Hatha that are common in Hatha yoga, “People’s expected benefits need yoga study, Porcari and Stefanie researchers point to increased proprio- to be in-line with reality,” suggests Spilde analyzed the exercise intensity ception and strengthening of the muscle Porcari. “People often try to make and caloric expenditure of two types in the ankles and legs as part of the rea- yoga into this all-encompassing of yoga. For this study, researchers son for the better balance scores. thing. Americans have changed recruited 15 participants, with at least However, with regards to aerobic fitness yoga and tried to morph it into an intermediate level of yoga experi- improvements, there were no significant programs that will hit every aspect • ence, and monitored their exercise changes in VO max or maximal of fitness but it was never designed 2 intensity as they participated in two in the yoga group over the course of the that way.” 50-minute yoga sessions (one study (see Table 3). “You get changes in Sure, Hatha yoga will improve Hatha yoga, one Power yoga) fol- strength and muscular endurance, flexibili- your strength, but you’ll get much lowing a videotaped routine for ty, balance—all those types of things—but stronger, more quickly, by simply lift- in order to improve aerobic capacity you ing weights, he says. As for a cardiovas- consistency. really have to be working in the aerobic cular workout, yoga isn’t the answer for Researchers found that a 50- training zone,” says Porcari. “Based on that either. In fact, you’d have to jog minute session of Hatha yoga burns what we found, the intensity just wasn’t or cycle to the yoga studio if you’re 144 calories, equivalent to a slow there.” (For more details, see Yoga looking to improve your cardio fit- walk, and provides no substantial Intensity sidebar.) ness level. aerobic benefit (see Table 4). As for That said, the researchers stress Power yoga, it burns about 237 calo- that Hatha yoga is still an excellent ries in 50 minutes and boosts heart THE BOTTOM LINE addition to any fitness routine, par- rates to 62 percent of heartrate max “For the average person off-the-street ticularly because it targets those (HRmax), providing just a mild aerobic who doesn’t have a fitness program, this aspects of fitness—flexibility, bal- workout. “It’s a great muscular - study shows what would happen if you did ance and relaxation—that are out and you certainly sweat, but it’s not eight weeks of Hatha yoga,” explains most often skipped or over- an aerobic workout,” says Porcari. Boehde. And good things would happen looked. Beyond that, researchers warn that indeed—including increased strength and efforts to boost the cardio benefits of endurance, improved balance, and of This study was funded solely by the yoga will only result in reduced flexibility course, better flexibility. American Council on Exercise (ACE) and balance benefits. “It’s always a trade- and conducted by Dawn Boehde and “We saw very nice changes in flexibility off,” says Porcari. “Yoga was designed for of the entire body, the shoulder girdle, John P. Porcari, Ph.D., at the La Crosse Exercise and relaxation, primarily. The more aerobic you twisting, bending, reaching, good low-back Program of the University of make yoga, the less improvements you’ll see flexibility—all those types of flexibility Wisconsin, La Crosse. in those other areas.” improved,” says Porcari. “And those

Table 3. Table 4. Changes in aerobic capacity and maximal Average physiological responses to heart rate as a result of yoga training. Hatha and Power yoga.

Hatha Yoga Power Yoga Variable Pre-testing Post-testing X ± SD X ± SD HR (bpm) 89+5.8 115+8.0 • VO max (ml/kg/min) % HRmax 48+3.4 62+5.4 2 • Experimental 32.8 ± 7.1 35.5 ± 7.2 VO2 (ml/kg/min) 9.8+1.3 18.7+1.3 Control 33.4 ± 7.2 35.4 ± 8.3 • % VO2 max 24+4.1 46+4.8 Maximal heart rate (bpm) RPE 10.6+0.79 14.3+1.8 Experimental 178.6 ± 11.3 179.7 ± 14.4 Kcal/min 3.1+0.78 5.9+1.0 Control 182.5 ± 11.9 181.3 ± 12.9

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