These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a yoga or barre studio that didn’t offer some kind of heated class. They’ll be hidden with buzzwords like “power flow” or “sweat and sculpt,” but fact of the matter is, you’ll be dripping by the time you leave, regardless of how much effort you actually exert during the workout.
Years ago, the only heated exercise I’d heard of was Bikram yoga, which is a specific, physically taxing flow based on (now disgraced) yoga guru Bikram Choudhury’s teachings, popularized in the ‘70s. These days, though, studios are heating any type of flow they offer – basic vinyasa; yoga sculpt, which usually incorporates light weights and cardio; slow-flow, meditation-based yoga; you name it. And, what’s more, you’ll see barre and pilates studios using heat to up the ante in their lower-impact classes.
Originally, Bikram yoga classes, at 105 degrees F and 40 percent humidity, were designed to replicate the climate of India, where the style was created. Today, classes are typically heated to between 85 to 95 degrees, which is more palatable to the average Millennial woman.
Whereas I get overwhelmed if a gym is slightly too warm on a summer’s day, some gym rats actually prefer to be as warm as possible while working out. Think: that guy at your local gym who races up the stairmaster in head-to-toe velour. Or Bradley Cooper’s garbage bag vest in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Does increasing the heat during a workout actually do anything for your body? Or is the placebo effect at play here?
To get real science-y about it, training in the heat can increase your blood plasma level, as well as your VO2 max, both incredible for your cardiovascular health. It also, counterintuitively, raises your endurance in cold climates, which can be helpful for marathoners, always at risk of being dealt a chillier-than-average day.
So, yeah, there’s a point to the trash and sweat suits – training cardio with a higher core body temperature ultimately keeps your heart working at its best. But is the same true for yoga, a much more slower-paced, low-intensity form of exercise?
Sure is. The fact is, even though yoga (and other workouts, like pilates and barre) isn’t as physically demanding on the body, increasing the heat adds an extra challenge for your muscles and heart, so you can keep leveling up your fitness. (Don’t forget, you burn calories when your heart is pumping, so we can also technically say that hot yoga burns more than the average, normal-temperature yoga class.) Heat also loosens up your muscles and joints, so you can get more bend-y, work deeper into the poses, ease any soreness or kinks, and make your blood circulation more efficient.
Are these reasons enough to mess up your hair-wash schedule or sweat through your umpteenth pair of lululemon leggings? That’s for you to decide, but I like the idea of turning up the literal and figurative heat of a low-impact workout – make it work harder for me, rather than the other way around.
That said, don’t let the yogis scam you – if a fancy schmancy yoga studio isn’t in the budget this month (or any), just crank the heat in your living room, push up into a downward dog and call it a day.