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YOGA CONDITIONING FOR ATHLETES - YOGA CONDITIONING FOR ATHLETES
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22 new or used available from $5.07
Average customer review:
Product Description
Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 02/12/2007
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #53128 in DVD
- Brand: Gaiam
- Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
- Original language: English
Features
- FREE standard shipping on this item!
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The fact that basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a serious yogi, played professionally for two decades without once suffering the kind of shoulder, knee, hamstring, or other injuries that hamper so many other athletes' careers is no coincidence. Instructor Rodney Yee is therefore clearly on to something with Yoga Conditioning for Athletes, a yoga practice designed to promote overall balance, diminish the likelihood of injury, and enhance athletes' physical conditioning and "focused concentration." With two assistants demonstrating modifications for the various poses, Yee leads the user through a three-part, hour-long program. The first section, "Opening," requires the use of a folding chair and includes several bends and twists for the spine, hips, and hamstrings. "Conditioning," the second and most vigorous section, alternates basic standing asanas (triangle, warrior I and II, extended right angle) with balancing poses (tree, eagle) and several sustained forward bends; "Integration," the third section, combines seated and reclining backbends, lunges, twists, and hip work. All in all, this is a solid, reasonably complete (but not overly taxing) program that should deliver what it promises. That said, it's also true that almost any yoga workout is a good thing for an athlete. --Kelly Welldon
Customer Reviews
One of the best yoga or stretch videos ever!
If you're an athlete, you'd be foolish to pass Yoga for Athletes by. It's really one of the best yoga or stretch videos I've ever tried, and I think I've tried them all!
I'm an advanced-level fitness buff who has always considered myself to be pretty flexible..... Hah! .... It took Yoga for Athletes ("YFA") to show me how much tension I carried in my hips, legs and lower back. I'm humbled! It is, as the title suggests, ideal for opening up the pockets of tension that runners, bicyclists, and other athletes accumulate over time.
YFA is not at all a strenuous workout and it doesn't move at bullet-train speed (as with Rodney Yee's Power Yoga for Stamina or David Swenson & Bryan Kest's power yoga series). YFA lets you hold the stretches for a cozy length of time before you move on to the next pose. It should appeal to any garden variety athlete, even the New Age adverse, because is it a fairly straightforward yoga video with little mysticism.
Be careful, though. While the YFA postures aren't difficult for fit beginners, it can tax your range of flexibility if you aren't careful. Mr. Yee and his two yoga cohorts demonstrate different levels of flexibility. Follow their example. Respect your body's signals and don't push it past its range of flexibility -- be humble! This workout will help you extend your range of flexibility in time.
Overall, a superb 5-star yoga workout that you shouldn't miss.
Great yoga/stretching for EVERYONE, not just athletes!
Let me begin by saying that I am definitely NOT an athlete; I do work out regularly at home (with a recumbent bike and strength/yoga videos), but I've never participated in any kind of sports activity. However, I borrowed this video from the library after someone recommended to me as a good overall yoga tape, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't need to be an athlete to complete the workout.
Instructor Rodney Yee begins the workout with a 10-minute stretching segment using a chair. These are more traditional moves rather than yoga type moves, and they focus particularly on opening up the hips and hamstrings. Although I'm not at all flexible, I was able to do all of the stretches without modifications, but Rodney works out with a woman and another man, both of whom offer modifications if necessary. After the stretching segment, Rodney moves on to approximately 20 minutes of standing yoga poses. I particularly enjoyed this section and found it to be better than other yoga tapes I've tried, mainly because Rodney holds each pose longer, explaining how to increase your flexibility and move further into the pose over time. The standing toning is followed by 10-15 minutes of yoga moves on the floor consisting mainly of forward bends and twists. Finally, there is a 5-minute relaxation segment at the end.
This tape certainly IS appropriate for athletes, especially since throughout the workout, Rodney talkes about how the exercises will benefit your athletic performance. However, for those us who aren't athletes, this is an excellent, easy-to-follow yoga/stretching tape with an emphasis on flexibility and balance. I would say that virtually all of the moves are appropriate for beginners; however, because Rodney does not explain how to do the yoga poses--he simply gives the name of each pose--some prior familiarly with basic yoga would be helpful, but watching the entire tape before performing it should also be adequate. Rodney is an excellent instructor, and I found him to be pleasantly slower-paced and less new-agey on this video versus the others in the Living Arts series.
For beginners, I would definitely recommend this tape over Living Arts' "Yoga Practice for Flexibility"--although that is touted as a beginner's tape, I found about half the workout to be undoable for someone at my level. I highly recommend "Yoga Conditioning for Athletes" for anyone looking to increase their flexibility and balance, athletes or otherwise.
My favorite yoga tape
I have purchased or borrowed about 15 yoga tapes. This one is by far the most used....I LOVE Rodney Yee.... What appeals to me about THIS video are the following: NO tedious, boring, endless, repetitious, sun salutations. NO inversions. NO arm balances or really difficult back bends. There are modifications given that are presented during the tape (not after, or in little pop-ups) - the models demonstrate them as the tape rolls.
What it does have is this: really great hip openers & twists. The pace is good yet not so fast that I don't feel like I get something out of each pose. Rodney Yee is a great instructor, not irritating as several I have found ... It isn't power yoga. I don't enjoy sweating when I practice, I want to feel stretched and relaxed. This tape does that without making me feel at 39 that I'm so ancient I can't keep up with the young folks.
