West Bromwich Albion footballer Gareth Barry is on the cusp of breaking the record for appearances in the Premier League. At the age of 36, he is about to make his 633rd top-flight appearance, edging past Ryan Giggs’ Premier League record of 632.
And what do both of these players have in common? They have both gone on record to say how much yoga has helped to prolong their career.
While many top-level footballers have a peak ‘shelf life’ of around 10 years – the likes of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney famously suffered burn-out in their late 20s – Giggs and Barry (and many others) have lengthened their careers by many years by embracing the benefits of yoga.
New yoga classes in Newcastle
And, with perfect timing, Newcastle Sports Injury Clinic is launching new yoga classes in Newcastle to help sports people (and the non-sporting) to improve core strength, posture, flexibility and even quality of life.
Ignore all the clichés about Yoga classes: Yoga is an incredibly effective tool for helping serious sports people to develop their strength and improve their game.
Giggs even brought out his own yoga-inspired DVD. Now, we disagree with attempting to use a DVD to master yoga – a proper instructor should be on hand to help correct tiny errors with posture and technique – but we do wholeheartedly agree that yoga can help to improve your game.
Benefits of yoga for sport
Here are just some of the benefits that yoga can bring to sportspeople at any level:
Core Strength
Many athletes focus on the ‘big’ muscles but under-develop the supportive core muscles that provide stability and strength. This can lead to injuries and inefficiencies in performance. Yoga can address that, creating a more balanced and optimally functional overall strength.
Balance
Yoga will improve coordination and balance immensely. Why is this important? Better balance and coordination means enhanced control over how an athlete moves their body, which in turn leads to better technique and form.
Flexibility
Yoga improves joint and muscular flexibility, which is crucial to the body’s overall structural soundness. Enhanced joint and muscle pliancy translates to greater range of motion, or an increase in the performance latitude for a particular movement or series of movements.
Our new Newcastle yoga classes are starting from Friday, 6th October – contact us on 0191 233 0500 to book your place.
