Jan. 11, 2026

Yoga for Ruckers: How Mobility and Flexibility Prevent Pain and Improve Performance

Yoga for Ruckers: How Mobility and Flexibility Prevent Pain and Improve Performance
The player is loading ...
Yoga for Ruckers: How Mobility and Flexibility Prevent Pain and Improve Performance

In this episode, I talk with Dean Pullman, founder and CEO of Man Flow Yoga, to break down how yoga for ruckers can improve posture, reduce pain, and increase longevity under load without requiring flexibility, experience, or long classes.

Dean explains why most ruckers struggle with mobility due to years of sitting, poor posture, and limited movement patterns and how rucking can expose those weaknesses if flexibility and stability are ignored. You’ll learn how rucking flexibility directly impacts back health, hip function, and recovery, and why short, consistent mobility sessions are more effective than doing nothing at all.

The episode also covers:

  • Why flexibility is a performance tool, not just stretching
  • Common yoga mistakes that lead to injury (and how to avoid them)
  • Simple pre-ruck and post-ruck mobility routines
  • How breathing improves movement, posture, and recovery
  • How ruckers can build a sustainable rucking recovery routine with as little as 5–10 minutes a day

Whether you’re brand new to rucking or looking to keep rucking pain-free for decades, this episode provides practical, no-nonsense guidance you can apply immediately.

Links & Resources

Notes:

  • Music Credit: "Play This Game" by Black Rhomb.
  • I'm not a doctor, and this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your physician before starting any new exercise or physical activity.
WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.940
Have you ever started rucking, felt stronger,

00:00:02.060 --> 00:00:04.559
but noticed your hips, back, or shoulders tightening

00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:06.940
up week after week and wondered if that's just

00:00:06.940 --> 00:00:09.480
part of getting older? In this episode, we break

00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.439
down why stiffness and nagging pain aren't inevitable

00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:15.300
for ruckers and how improving mobility and flexibility

00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:18.019
can dramatically change how your body feels under

00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:20.550
load. You'll learn how yoga, when taught correctly,

00:00:20.710 --> 00:00:22.890
can help ruckers move better, recover faster,

00:00:23.129 --> 00:00:25.309
and stay in the game longer without needing hour

00:00:25.309 --> 00:00:28.710
-long classes or complicated routines. You're

00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:30.609
listening to the Rucker's Edge podcast, a show

00:00:30.609 --> 00:00:32.689
all about rucking that is designed to help you

00:00:32.689 --> 00:00:34.850
improve your rucking routine, lose weight, and

00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:36.590
ultimately gain your strength and energy back.

00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.200
Each episode dives into the science, stories,

00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:41.619
and strategies behind rucking. You'll learn from

00:00:41.619 --> 00:00:44.280
top ruckers, coaches, health experts, and performance

00:00:44.280 --> 00:00:46.579
specialists who break down what it takes to train

00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:49.200
smarter, recover faster, and stay ready for the

00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:51.420
next challenge. So whether you're new to rucking

00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:53.579
or an experienced rucker that's already logged

00:00:53.579 --> 00:00:55.579
hundreds of miles, this is the show for you.

00:00:55.659 --> 00:00:57.520
I'm your host, Spencer. Thanks again for listening

00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:00.060
in. My guest today is Dean Pullman, certified

00:01:00.060 --> 00:01:03.280
yoga instructor and CEO and founder of Manflow

00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:06.150
Yoga. He explains exactly how ruckers can use

00:01:06.150 --> 00:01:08.510
simple practical mobility work to protect their

00:01:08.510 --> 00:01:11.150
spine, hips, knees, and shoulders, even if you've

00:01:11.150 --> 00:01:13.310
never done yoga before and don't think it's for

00:01:13.310 --> 00:01:15.790
you. Here's my conversation with Dean Pullman,

00:01:15.870 --> 00:01:18.629
certified yoga instructor and CEO and founder

00:01:18.629 --> 00:01:21.950
of Man Flow Yoga. Dean Pullman, thanks so much

00:01:21.950 --> 00:01:23.689
for joining the podcast today. I'm excited to

00:01:23.689 --> 00:01:26.950
get into how yoga can benefit ruckers and keep

00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:28.890
them limber between rucks. How are you doing

00:01:28.890 --> 00:01:32.010
today? I am doing well. I don't know if you want

00:01:32.010 --> 00:01:34.250
to give away dates, but as of now, we're two

00:01:34.250 --> 00:01:37.989
weeks into winter break. So it's, you know, you

00:01:37.989 --> 00:01:42.150
know, lots of lots of dadding. So I'm just just

00:01:42.150 --> 00:01:46.290
making it, you know. Yeah. I just recently put

00:01:46.290 --> 00:01:49.549
together an episode on doing a reflective rock

00:01:49.549 --> 00:01:51.469
and thinking about your previous year and getting

00:01:51.469 --> 00:01:53.890
ready for this next year. And I have yet to actually

00:01:53.890 --> 00:01:55.590
go on one. We're here into the new year and I

00:01:55.590 --> 00:01:57.769
haven't even done that yet. So that's a theme.

00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:00.780
I felt like as a health and wellness professional

00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:03.799
influencer slash community leader, yoga expert,

00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:06.180
whatever I am, that I needed to have like all

00:02:06.180 --> 00:02:09.460
of my 2026 plans laid out like before it started.

00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:13.740
And the reality is I'm just not at all there

00:02:13.740 --> 00:02:16.800
yet. So my plan is and if maybe this resonates

00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.159
with you and your listeners, but my plan is just

00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:21.960
to use like as much of January and as much of

00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:25.240
February as I need to to kind of create some

00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:29.419
clarity and create some. orientation around what

00:02:29.419 --> 00:02:32.879
is 2026 mean or what do I want it to mean for

00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:35.900
me? So anyways, that's my plan. No, yeah. I mean,

00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.020
you're a real person and you want to set good

00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:40.139
intentions. And I think it deserves some respect

00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:42.620
in terms of a timeline. You can't do too much,

00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:44.599
especially when the holidays come up. It's like

00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:46.759
you want to make sure you do the job right and

00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:48.620
you want to use it to improve your life or help

00:02:48.620 --> 00:02:51.080
your life. So, yeah, I mean. That's just part

00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:54.099
of it. Plus, you're a dad and you have priorities

00:02:54.099 --> 00:02:56.699
that shift daily. So yeah, you got to make time

00:02:56.699 --> 00:02:58.840
for what you can. But I kind of want to start

00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:00.599
out just asking you if you don't mind giving

00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:02.699
us a quick version of your background and how

00:03:02.699 --> 00:03:05.680
you ended up working in mobility and yoga. And

00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:07.759
I should take a step back. Dean, you're the CEO

00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:10.259
and founder of Man Flow Yoga, which is a fitness

00:03:10.259 --> 00:03:13.419
program for men trying to regain their flexibility

00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:16.379
and rejuvenate their fitness. But yeah, how did

00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:18.860
you get into that? Give us a bit of your background.

00:03:19.389 --> 00:03:22.069
Yeah, so I'm an athlete turned yoga instructor.

00:03:22.310 --> 00:03:24.810
And I don't say yogi because I don't really think

00:03:24.810 --> 00:03:27.289
of myself as, you know, like a yogi with a whole

00:03:27.289 --> 00:03:31.530
yoga lifestyle. My background is as a lifelong

00:03:31.530 --> 00:03:34.150
athlete, collegiate lacrosse player, went into

00:03:34.150 --> 00:03:37.150
a yoga studio completely on accident, was looking

00:03:37.150 --> 00:03:39.090
for the tailor, stumbled into a yoga studio.

00:03:40.169 --> 00:03:43.430
Did that first workout, was shocked at how challenging

00:03:43.430 --> 00:03:46.789
it was, and that inspired me to just keep up

00:03:46.789 --> 00:03:49.310
with yoga. One month in, I noticed my flexibility

00:03:49.310 --> 00:03:53.659
was... dramatically different for the better

00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:56.139
my body felt stronger but also kind of lighter

00:03:56.139 --> 00:03:58.960
at the same time I had more body awareness my

00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.539
breathing was so much better I had better balance

00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:05.020
my lifting was better so I was like wow this

00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:06.639
is really cool and I tried to get some of my

00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:08.860
friends to go with me and they're like yoga no

00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:12.360
and you know granted this was 2011 so I think

00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:15.139
that Our society's general beliefs about yoga

00:04:15.139 --> 00:04:17.259
have shifted as well. You go into a city, you're

00:04:17.259 --> 00:04:19.579
going to notice a lot more guys in their 20s

00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:23.439
and 30s doing yoga, going to yoga classes. But

00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:26.279
back then, and even now, especially with guys

00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:30.819
who are in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even in their

00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:33.240
40s too, they don't get excited about yoga because

00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:37.279
of all the connotations and associations that

00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:39.240
go with it. It's too feminine, it's too spiritual,

00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:42.600
it's not a good enough workout. That was kind

00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:45.360
of my experience. And I was like, well, that

00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:47.019
was kind of their experience when I asked them

00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:48.279
to come. And I was like, well, you know what?

00:04:48.339 --> 00:04:50.360
I'll just I'll do it with you guys. Right. So

00:04:50.360 --> 00:04:53.000
I led them through a few workouts. I was a lacrosse

00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:55.639
captain and I was the kind of the conditioning

00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:58.300
coach at the same time. And so I led them through

00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:00.620
some yoga. I led them through yoga a couple of

00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:01.939
times a week. And they're like, oh, wow, this

00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:04.100
is really cool. And I started recording on YouTube.

00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:08.730
And so. 12 years later, now we've got this community

00:05:08.730 --> 00:05:12.449
of tens of thousands of guys. I've reached probably

00:05:12.449 --> 00:05:14.750
over a million people at this point through books

00:05:14.750 --> 00:05:17.250
and DVDs, my YouTube channel, all the social

00:05:17.250 --> 00:05:20.970
media. It's very much a fitness -focused approach

00:05:20.970 --> 00:05:26.389
for men, for guys who want to feel stronger,

00:05:26.670 --> 00:05:28.550
who want to feel younger, who want to feel more

00:05:28.550 --> 00:05:33.720
flexible. would be who are open to maybe some

00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:35.540
of the breathing and mindfulness aspects of it

00:05:35.540 --> 00:05:38.279
but don't want to do it in this super you know

00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:42.199
yogi quasi -spiritual new age type of approach

00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:44.500
this is very much an approach to yoga that's

00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:48.939
focused on a functional approach like a and that

00:05:48.939 --> 00:05:51.379
that includes breathing that includes body awareness

00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:54.019
there's nothing woo -woo about i say the word

00:05:54.019 --> 00:05:55.759
woo and a lot of people get offended especially

00:05:55.759 --> 00:05:58.579
if they are into yoga but i say woo in the sense

00:05:58.579 --> 00:06:00.660
of just things that concepts that don't seem

00:06:00.660 --> 00:06:03.879
approachable to day -to -day life and so but

00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:06.279
when you focus on when you're focusing on your

00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:08.040
body awareness when you're focusing on your breathing

00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:10.279
that comes with a whole bunch of other aspects

00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:12.100
that helps with your physical fitness helps with

00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:13.980
being more aware of your body, knowing which

00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:16.579
muscles you should be engaging as you're moving

00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:19.079
as you're going through exercise. But it also

00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:21.000
helps with it carries over into other aspects

00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.899
of your life, you notice that, oh, I do have

00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:24.939
the ability to be patient in a stressful situation,

00:06:25.100 --> 00:06:27.720
or I do have the ability to notice when I'm stressed

00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:30.060
and start to check in with my breathing. Or I

00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:31.839
can notice my shoulders really tense right now.

00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:34.079
And I you know, why is why are my shoulders tense,

00:06:34.139 --> 00:06:37.100
maybe I can relax that. So There are tons of

00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:39.259
physical benefits. And if you're a lifter, you

00:06:39.259 --> 00:06:41.639
know, you're going to notice that lifting gets

00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:43.759
easier, that it doesn't hurt as much, that you

00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:45.459
have more awareness of your body. You're using

00:06:45.459 --> 00:06:47.920
the right muscles instead of relying on one muscle

00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:49.980
group and not using your glutes or not using

00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:52.410
your abs. you know, as that applies to rucking,

00:06:52.509 --> 00:06:54.370
that means that you're going to be using your

00:06:54.370 --> 00:06:55.910
core more, you're not going to be relying on

00:06:55.910 --> 00:06:57.850
your back, your knees aren't going to hurt as

00:06:57.850 --> 00:06:59.250
much because you're using your hips and your

00:06:59.250 --> 00:07:01.949
ankles properly. You're gonna have better posture

00:07:01.949 --> 00:07:04.269
just because you practice being in better posture.

00:07:04.329 --> 00:07:06.209
So your shoulders won't hurt as much, your neck

00:07:06.209 --> 00:07:09.209
won't hurt as much. So there are tons of, you

00:07:09.209 --> 00:07:11.790
know, physical benefits that go with it. It's

00:07:11.790 --> 00:07:15.120
kind of just, well, how is it taught and is it

00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:17.040
done in a way that resonates with me? And if,

00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:19.040
you know, if my approach doesn't resonate with

00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:20.959
you and you want to go traditional yoga, cool.

00:07:21.139 --> 00:07:24.360
You know, like that's great. But for a lot of

00:07:24.360 --> 00:07:26.439
guys who are more interested in kind of, I just

00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.000
want my body to feel good and I want to have

00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:31.279
a high level of physical fitness. And we're talking

00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:32.879
relative here, right? I'm not like, you know,

00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:34.579
I'm not trying to reach the professional basketball.

00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:37.120
players of the world. I'm mostly working with

00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:38.920
guys who are in their fifties, who are in their

00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:41.980
sixties, who are coming back into fitness after,

00:07:42.019 --> 00:07:44.500
you know, 15 years off because they had kids,

00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:46.819
they had the job that they had to, you know,

00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.019
that professional lives. They didn't have time

00:07:49.019 --> 00:07:51.160
to do these, the workouts and the self -care

00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:52.480
that they wanted to do. So they're coming back

00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:55.060
into things now and they're realizing that, oh,

00:07:55.100 --> 00:07:56.680
you know what? My body doesn't feel the way that

00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.279
it used to. Maybe I need to do something differently.

00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:01.639
And they do some research. They figure out, oh,

00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:03.040
you know what? I should work on my flexibility.

00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:05.399
I should work on my core strength. Or I need

00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:07.500
to do something that's going to undo this bad

00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:09.279
posture that I have. And that's kind of where

00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:11.579
I come in. But a ton of information there. And

00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:13.300
I appreciate that. And I think there are some

00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:15.319
similarities between the folks looking at your

00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:17.279
programs and some of the people getting into

00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:19.240
rucking. It's maybe they've been sidelined for

00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:21.699
X amount of time. They want to do something about

00:08:21.699 --> 00:08:23.040
their fitness. And it's like, where do I start?

00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:25.279
And so I know some people start picking up the

00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:26.899
rucksack and rucking. And then that's sort of

00:08:26.899 --> 00:08:29.930
like a gateway into other workouts. And I guess

00:08:29.930 --> 00:08:33.049
similarly with you, they might start doing a

00:08:33.049 --> 00:08:36.490
workout and realize how stiff they are and how

00:08:36.490 --> 00:08:38.409
maybe they're not nearly as limber as they were

00:08:38.409 --> 00:08:41.570
a decade or so ago. And so they turn to you for

00:08:41.570 --> 00:08:45.269
solutions. Full disclosure here, Dean, I don't

00:08:45.269 --> 00:08:48.629
do yoga regularly. I did yoga several years back

00:08:48.629 --> 00:08:50.950
with my then girlfriend, my now wife. We did

00:08:50.950 --> 00:08:54.490
some hot yoga sessions. She loves yoga. We've

00:08:54.490 --> 00:08:56.529
started to get my daughter into yoga. We do these

00:08:56.529 --> 00:08:59.840
kid yoga channels on YouTube. And I'll sit there

00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:03.179
and we'll do like a Disney themed yoga session

00:09:03.179 --> 00:09:07.899
with her. And it's not easy. Like the routines

00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:11.139
that they're doing. I mean. Kids are incredibly

00:09:11.139 --> 00:09:13.779
limber, and she's doing it no problem. Here I

00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:15.960
am, like, sweating, trying to reach, like, my

00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:19.539
ankle. I'm like, it's hard. And I remember the

00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:21.740
first time I did yoga back in, I think it also

00:09:21.740 --> 00:09:25.820
was, like, 2009, 2010. I was surprised. Like,

00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:28.220
looking around the room, you know, seeing people

00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:30.139
that have been going to that class routinely

00:09:30.139 --> 00:09:33.759
just have no problem. And here I am, like, as

00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:35.779
green as can be, you know, a new timer and just

00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:38.720
struggling. So, yeah, that was one thing I was

00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:41.039
surprised about. It's not an easy thing to do.

00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:43.220
And with all things, the more you do it, the

00:09:43.220 --> 00:09:45.639
easier it becomes. But it's something you have

00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:49.600
to work at. Yeah. I think people go into it thinking,

00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:52.700
oh, I'm not flexible, so I don't do yoga. And,

00:09:52.700 --> 00:09:54.879
you know, yeah, flexibility is something that

00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:57.799
you do work on in yoga. But at the same time,

00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:01.549
like flexibility is something that is. beneficial

00:10:01.549 --> 00:10:04.309
to everybody. And just because you aren't as

00:10:04.309 --> 00:10:08.370
flexible as someone else in the class doesn't

00:10:08.370 --> 00:10:10.730
mean that you aren't also benefiting from it.

00:10:10.789 --> 00:10:12.950
So I think what's really cool about working on

00:10:12.950 --> 00:10:14.529
your flexibility is it doesn't take that long

00:10:14.529 --> 00:10:17.769
to notice the results of flexibility work in

00:10:17.769 --> 00:10:20.490
the sense of your body feels better, you have

00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:22.929
less back pain, your knees feel better, you're

00:10:22.929 --> 00:10:25.149
recovering better because you're more flexible.

00:10:25.470 --> 00:10:28.100
You're not You're using your body more efficiently

00:10:28.100 --> 00:10:29.820
in the sense of you're using it the way that

00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:33.080
it evolved to be used rather than relying on

00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:36.559
certain muscle groups and not using other muscle

00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:38.600
groups. Like a lot of guys only use their quads

00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:41.320
when they're doing lower body stuff. And if you

00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:43.139
don't have flexibility, you're not going to be

00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:45.879
using all the other muscles in your hips. You're

00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:48.399
not going to be using the muscles in your ankles

00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.299
properly. You're not going to be using your abs

00:10:50.299 --> 00:10:53.740
properly. And so, you know, flexibility is not

00:10:53.740 --> 00:10:56.899
just something that. And it's not just a goal.

00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:00.879
It's also working on it leads to a huge, leads

00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:03.419
to a bunch of fitness benefits. And a lot of

00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:06.879
guys who are in yoga classes, like you had the

00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:08.779
experience, right? You're supposed to reach down

00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:10.659
and touch your feet. I'm like, well, that's like

00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:13.679
loading up a bar with 225, you know, with like

00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:17.840
245s on each side when you're brand new. appropriate.

00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:19.679
And so it also does create the sense of like,

00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:22.120
oh, well, yoga is not for me, or oh, it's too

00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:24.700
hard, or I'm discouraged because I couldn't do

00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:27.659
a basic pose. And it's just because most yoga

00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:31.419
isn't made for guys who are not flexible, right?

00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:33.799
It's made for women who are already flexible.

00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:36.820
Again, just kind of goes to you got to find something

00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:38.720
that is actually going to meet you where you

00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.019
are with your flexibility level now and help

00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:43.379
you feel encouraged about the work that you're

00:11:43.379 --> 00:11:46.320
doing and also is realistic for like where you

00:11:46.320 --> 00:11:50.750
are now. Yeah. I wanted to ask you, you know,

00:11:50.750 --> 00:11:54.269
what's the long -term cost for athletes or ruckers

00:11:54.269 --> 00:11:57.990
who ignore mobility at an early stage? Like let's

00:11:57.990 --> 00:12:00.950
just say a 40 year old completely ignoring mobility

00:12:00.950 --> 00:12:06.210
and stability. Longevity. I mean, longevity is

00:12:06.210 --> 00:12:08.490
the easiest way to answer that question, but

00:12:08.490 --> 00:12:11.450
also, you know, preventable injuries, you know,

00:12:11.450 --> 00:12:14.320
things that could sideline you for months. that

00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:17.960
could require, you know, surgery. And there are

00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:20.679
things that are preventable. I think there's

00:12:20.679 --> 00:12:24.700
also a mindset that people in their 40s, 50s

00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:28.080
tend to adopt when they realize that the workouts

00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:30.080
that they used to do aren't working the same

00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:32.259
way anymore. And they say, oh, you know what,

00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:33.980
this is just part of getting older and I can't

00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:36.399
do these exercises anymore. And so the question

00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:38.720
becomes like, hey, how do I modify this? Or like,

00:12:38.759 --> 00:12:41.159
how do I avoid doing this? And my, you know,

00:12:41.179 --> 00:12:43.789
my kind of... my interjection is, well, how about

00:12:43.789 --> 00:12:46.230
you just work on the weakness that's causing

00:12:46.230 --> 00:12:49.649
that issue? You know, how about you work on having

00:12:49.649 --> 00:12:52.730
just a basic level of range of motion? Like,

00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:54.789
how about you work on your hip flexibility, work

00:12:54.789 --> 00:12:57.210
on your shoulder flexibility? Let's move your

00:12:57.210 --> 00:12:59.809
spine. Because the reality for most of us is

00:12:59.809 --> 00:13:04.110
that we are sitting down or inactive for, you

00:13:04.110 --> 00:13:07.009
know, 12 hours a day. So you have to do something

00:13:07.009 --> 00:13:10.070
to work on undoing that poor posture. You've

00:13:10.070 --> 00:13:11.629
got to do something that is going to open your

00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:13.370
hips. That's going to get you to twist from side

00:13:13.370 --> 00:13:15.350
to side. It's going to make you do a backbend

00:13:15.350 --> 00:13:18.250
or get your arms overhead or behind you and do

00:13:18.250 --> 00:13:20.389
all these things that your body is meant to do,

00:13:20.389 --> 00:13:22.570
but isn't doing. But, you know, to go to the,

00:13:22.590 --> 00:13:25.250
go to your question, like if you're not doing

00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:27.009
some sort of, and I don't care if it's yoga,

00:13:27.190 --> 00:13:29.790
like there's tons of different mobility. You

00:13:29.790 --> 00:13:32.610
know, I think the, I think why, I think the reason

00:13:32.610 --> 00:13:35.490
why people like yoga as a mobility flexibility

00:13:35.490 --> 00:13:38.690
program is because it's in the, it's in the format

00:13:38.690 --> 00:13:42.429
of flow. It's not like a lot of people don't

00:13:42.429 --> 00:13:44.929
like doing a workout when it's like do 10 of

00:13:44.929 --> 00:13:46.450
these, then do 10 of these. And if you're just

00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:48.750
going down a list, cause it's just not fun. It

00:13:48.750 --> 00:13:51.590
takes more willpower in some ways and it might

00:13:51.590 --> 00:13:54.129
just not be fun. So, you know, I think one reason

00:13:54.129 --> 00:13:57.309
why people who, I think one reason people might

00:13:57.309 --> 00:14:02.220
like yoga. versus that is because they you know

00:14:02.220 --> 00:14:03.899
when you think of flexibility you do think of

00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:06.559
yoga so like okay yoga i'm gonna work on flexibility

00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:09.000
but also because if you can just press play and

00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:12.539
follow along it's a lot more it's a lot less

00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:16.139
mentally demanding than following a list of you

00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:19.759
know a list of exercises so point being is if

00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:23.440
you're not doing any sort of mobility work period

00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:28.100
then you are going to eventually run into some

00:14:28.100 --> 00:14:32.100
sort of injuries or you're going to deal with

00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:37.019
preventable pain in a way that yeah you can make

00:14:37.019 --> 00:14:39.179
it through it maybe you can push through it maybe

00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:41.679
you have to take some days off but like that's

00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:44.259
pain that you don't need to have that you could

00:14:44.259 --> 00:14:48.500
solve at the source with just you know, a few

00:14:48.500 --> 00:14:51.080
minutes of the appropriate movements on a daily

00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:53.100
basis. Or if you want to split it up and do like

00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:55.360
three times per week or even two times per week,

00:14:55.460 --> 00:14:58.419
you know, these are point being like, these are

00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:01.960
all, all those aches and pains that, that, that

00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:04.179
prevent you from doing what you want to do as

00:15:04.179 --> 00:15:07.059
you get older. Those are preventable with, to

00:15:07.059 --> 00:15:09.179
a certain extent, right? With the appropriate

00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:12.159
exercise and, you know, a well -structured yoga

00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:14.360
program, like, like what I do with Manful Yoga.

00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:16.919
is going to help with addressing the majority

00:15:16.919 --> 00:15:22.539
of those weaknesses that do lead to pain. More

00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:24.600
with Dean in just a moment, including a simple

00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:27.120
pre -ruck and post -ruck mobility routine you

00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.919
can do in just a few minutes. But I want to take

00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:31.700
a quick break to say thanks for listening to

00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:34.000
the podcast. Please text this episode with a

00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:35.700
fellow rucker that might find it interesting

00:15:35.700 --> 00:15:37.620
or a friend that could benefit from rucking.

00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:39.659
Sharing this episode would help the show grow

00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:41.820
and help more people improve their health and

00:15:41.820 --> 00:15:46.620
lives. Okay, back to it. I did want to ask you

00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:49.700
about how you practice yoga. I always see these

00:15:49.700 --> 00:15:51.740
yoga classes being offered and they're always

00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:55.820
guided. It's almost like a routine. Is it possible

00:15:55.820 --> 00:15:58.799
to use certain yoga stretches just independently

00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:01.879
or is it more beneficial to go through a routine

00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:03.980
where you're kind of building on different movements

00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:07.690
or stretches? I think the sequence is important

00:16:07.690 --> 00:16:10.809
in the sense of like, it wouldn't, there are

00:16:10.809 --> 00:16:13.470
poses that are more demanding than other poses

00:16:13.470 --> 00:16:16.269
in the same way that like, like, let's look at

00:16:16.269 --> 00:16:18.509
a squat, for example, right? Most people don't

00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:20.090
go straight into a squat. You're going to do

00:16:20.090 --> 00:16:22.389
some sort of warmup for that. Or you look at

00:16:22.389 --> 00:16:24.289
like a strict press, right? A shoulder press,

00:16:24.429 --> 00:16:26.330
holding a barbell and pushing it overhead, or

00:16:26.330 --> 00:16:28.850
even dumbbells and pushing overhead. And you

00:16:28.850 --> 00:16:30.730
probably wouldn't go straight into that without

00:16:30.730 --> 00:16:32.149
some warmup, especially if you're going to do

00:16:32.149 --> 00:16:34.450
heavy, right? And it's kind of the same way with

00:16:34.450 --> 00:16:37.970
yoga in the sense. And you don't have to even

00:16:37.970 --> 00:16:39.830
call it yoga because a lot of it is just isometric

00:16:39.830 --> 00:16:43.509
body exercises. different variations of lunges

00:16:43.509 --> 00:16:47.389
or squats or planks or, you know, core exercises

00:16:47.389 --> 00:16:50.230
or backbends or twists. So like, yeah, a lot

00:16:50.230 --> 00:16:52.450
of these are quote unquote yoga poses, but a

00:16:52.450 --> 00:16:54.470
lot of them are also just borrowed from other

00:16:54.470 --> 00:16:58.129
body weight exercises. The idea of what you're

00:16:58.129 --> 00:17:00.809
doing at a yoga studio being the same thing that,

00:17:00.809 --> 00:17:03.769
you know, an ancient yogi in the subcontinent

00:17:03.769 --> 00:17:07.250
of India was doing 2 ,500 years ago is, it's

00:17:07.250 --> 00:17:09.250
not true. Like a lot of the, most of the poses

00:17:09.250 --> 00:17:12.490
that they were doing, They are not found in modern

00:17:12.490 --> 00:17:16.269
yoga. Most of the poses found in yoga are borrowed

00:17:16.269 --> 00:17:20.329
from other types of exercise, notably British

00:17:20.329 --> 00:17:23.250
gymnastics. Like a lot of what we think of yoga

00:17:23.250 --> 00:17:26.710
now actually came over from like 19th century

00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:31.529
British gymnastics because Britain, you know,

00:17:31.529 --> 00:17:34.529
Britain colonized India. And so they looked at

00:17:34.529 --> 00:17:36.269
what the British soldiers were doing for their

00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:39.089
calisthenics and they integrated it into yoga.

00:17:39.369 --> 00:17:41.970
So point of this being a lot of these bodyweight

00:17:41.970 --> 00:17:44.829
exercises, it makes sense to start with sooner

00:17:44.829 --> 00:17:46.829
in the routine, right? So you want to do something

00:17:46.829 --> 00:17:49.299
that doesn't. take a ton of flexibility right

00:17:49.299 --> 00:17:51.460
at the beginning. It makes sense to go through

00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:54.960
a progression of exercises, which you can somewhat

00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:56.799
learn on your own. Like that's actually, I think

00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:58.480
one of the coolest things that I hear about from

00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.720
people in our community is they do manful yoga

00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:03.420
for a couple of years, three years. And then

00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:04.599
they're like, you know what, Dean, I think I

00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:06.319
got it from here. I'm like, great, good job,

00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:09.240
man. That means I'm a pretty good teacher, I

00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:10.960
guess. Like if you were able to figure everything

00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:13.819
out, like from... you know, from that. So it

00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:16.380
isn't, I mean, it is helpful to go through a

00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:18.519
progression of exercises to make sure that you're

00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.880
warming up the proper muscles before you're going,

00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:24.019
you know, too deep into the movements. But it

00:18:24.019 --> 00:18:26.000
also doesn't have to take 60 minutes. Like most

00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:28.460
of my routines are in the 20 to 25 minute range.

00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:30.500
I've got a ton on YouTube that are five minutes,

00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:34.259
10 minutes, 15 minutes. So yes, like there should

00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:38.700
be, sequencing is somewhat science, somewhat

00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:43.210
of an art. Um, but you don't have to, you know,

00:18:43.230 --> 00:18:45.630
it doesn't have to be this 60 minute long process

00:18:45.630 --> 00:18:48.269
if that's kind of the answer you're looking for.

00:18:48.390 --> 00:18:51.029
Yeah, it does. And you just mentioned warmup

00:18:51.029 --> 00:18:53.750
and I'm curious using your expertise, can you

00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:56.309
enlighten us, maybe give us a few pointers pre

00:18:56.309 --> 00:18:59.690
and post ruck, what sort of poses or routines

00:18:59.690 --> 00:19:01.869
we should be doing? Like if someone can only

00:19:01.869 --> 00:19:04.269
pick up maybe three moves before going on a ruck,

00:19:04.309 --> 00:19:06.650
what would you guide them or what would you say

00:19:06.650 --> 00:19:09.200
to them? So since you have that weight on your

00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.819
back and you're going to be kind of, you know,

00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:13.279
leaning forward, what I would do is what's called

00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:16.019
a bridge position, which, you know, yes, it is

00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:17.960
a yoga pose, but it also you'll find this in

00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:21.339
tons of non -yoga exercises, workouts as well.

00:19:21.519 --> 00:19:23.400
So I'd start with a bridge position because.

00:19:23.829 --> 00:19:26.349
That's going to get you in a bit of an open position

00:19:26.349 --> 00:19:28.049
with your chest. It's going to get your back

00:19:28.049 --> 00:19:30.630
into extension, meaning arching your back versus

00:19:30.630 --> 00:19:33.130
rounding your back, which is what you'll be rounding

00:19:33.130 --> 00:19:35.390
your back when you're rucking a little bit. Also

00:19:35.390 --> 00:19:37.309
get your glutes firing, which is going to help

00:19:37.309 --> 00:19:40.849
with your knees. I'd also do some sort of upper.

00:19:44.430 --> 00:19:46.990
back kind of thoracic opening so a standing side

00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:49.190
bend is a really good warm -up which basically

00:19:49.190 --> 00:19:51.089
if you can visualize standing up reaching up

00:19:51.089 --> 00:19:53.309
as tall as you can with your arms and then leaning

00:19:53.309 --> 00:19:56.490
over to one side while maintaining height that

00:19:56.490 --> 00:19:58.009
would be a really good one that's going to help

00:19:58.009 --> 00:19:59.869
open your rib cage that's going to help with

00:19:59.869 --> 00:20:02.710
your thoracic mobility and then inserting some

00:20:02.710 --> 00:20:08.220
sort of some sort of twist as well. So I like

00:20:08.220 --> 00:20:10.940
a side angle pose is a really good one for this.

00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:15.720
So getting some mobility to the upper back side

00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:19.319
angle is a little hard to explain. But you can

00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:22.940
visualize going into a lunge position with your

00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:26.420
hips facing out to the side, and then reaching

00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:29.779
one arm up and one arm down and kind of twisting

00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:32.829
to open up your chest. to the sky or ceiling.

00:20:33.089 --> 00:20:35.589
Those are three that would be really good, just

00:20:35.589 --> 00:20:38.049
kind of off the top of my head. Awesome. What

00:20:38.049 --> 00:20:41.950
about post -ruck? Same thing, or would you recommend

00:20:41.950 --> 00:20:44.849
a few different poses? So post -ruck, you want

00:20:44.849 --> 00:20:47.349
to focus on recovery in the areas that you've

00:20:47.349 --> 00:20:52.859
worked the most. I would say probably a child's

00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:56.180
pose would be a good way to wind down from a

00:20:56.180 --> 00:20:58.519
ruck. That's going to be a good shoulder stretch.

00:20:58.640 --> 00:21:01.059
That's going to allow your back to release at

00:21:01.059 --> 00:21:05.019
the same time. I'd also recommend probably a

00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:08.079
pigeon pose. A pigeon is just a really deep hip

00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:09.940
stretch for your glutes and your external hip

00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:13.420
rotators. So any sort of lower body workout,

00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:16.859
doing that afterwards would be a good idea. And

00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:19.170
then if you have a little bit of... I'd also

00:21:19.170 --> 00:21:23.849
go into that, maybe go into that cool down with

00:21:23.849 --> 00:21:27.049
a down dog. And since most people aren't, you

00:21:27.049 --> 00:21:30.190
know, yoga experts yet, what I would do is I

00:21:30.190 --> 00:21:32.049
would find a staircase where you can put your

00:21:32.049 --> 00:21:35.759
hands on maybe the second step. of that staircase.

00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:38.599
So you don't have to be as flexible versus if

00:21:38.599 --> 00:21:40.180
you did it like with your hands and your feet

00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:43.140
on the same level, you might have kind of crappy

00:21:43.140 --> 00:21:45.380
technique, but if you put your hands, maybe a

00:21:45.380 --> 00:21:48.019
foot up, right? So if you're using that staircase

00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:50.539
or a landing or something like that, where your

00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:52.640
hands are higher than your feet, that's going

00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:55.140
to help you with modifying for your, you know,

00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:58.079
your lack of flexibility slash yoga experience.

00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:00.460
That's a great tip. I appreciate that. Yeah.

00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:04.500
We have a yoga block, but with my... inability

00:22:04.500 --> 00:22:07.079
to do some of these poses. I've had to stack

00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:09.799
a few on top of each other to achieve what I

00:22:09.799 --> 00:22:11.859
needed to. Yeah, we actually made, we're in the

00:22:11.859 --> 00:22:13.559
process of renaming it, but we call it the big

00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:17.059
ass block. Nice. It's 60 % taller than the standard

00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:20.640
yoga block. So for those guys. Yeah, entry level.

00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:22.500
You need it so you don't get, don't hurt yourself

00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:25.079
or you don't do it incorrectly. Speaking of,

00:22:25.099 --> 00:22:28.299
I want to go into maybe a routine between rucks,

00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:30.299
but I wanted to touch base on this since we're

00:22:30.299 --> 00:22:32.660
talking about form. What are some of the... more

00:22:32.660 --> 00:22:35.880
common mistakes people make when trying a new

00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:38.380
yoga pose or what do we need to look out for?

00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:42.140
So I'm going to go through concepts instead.

00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.700
The first thing is mirroring, right? So most

00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:48.079
people approach yoga with the sense that I'm

00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:50.220
going to mirror what other people are doing.

00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:52.819
And some of this comes down to just poor instruction,

00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:54.880
right? If you're most yoga classes don't actually

00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:57.000
focus on technique and they say, everybody do

00:22:57.000 --> 00:22:59.920
a downward dog and breathe in and breathe out.

00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:04.430
And Imagine your body is a, I don't know, a tree

00:23:04.430 --> 00:23:06.349
and, you know, whatever it is, but like there's

00:23:06.349 --> 00:23:09.069
not enough focus on like actual technique. And

00:23:09.069 --> 00:23:12.170
so the first thing you want to do is avoid mirroring

00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:13.769
the instructor. You want to make sure that you're

00:23:13.769 --> 00:23:17.009
doing the poses or the postures, the stretches,

00:23:17.049 --> 00:23:20.789
exercises as it applies to your body. So you're

00:23:20.789 --> 00:23:22.589
not just trying, if you see the instructor like

00:23:22.589 --> 00:23:25.240
reaching down and touching her toes. or his toes,

00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:27.400
you don't want to go straight to touching your

00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:29.160
toes. You want to think, well, what's the goal

00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:30.880
of this pose? Well, it's a hamstring stretch.

00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:33.220
Okay. So I'm going to focus on stretching my

00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:36.279
hamstrings instead of just getting my hands to

00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:39.519
touch the ground. So avoiding mirroring and focusing

00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:41.359
on like, well, what is the goal of the pose?

00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.180
What are the target muscles? What am I supposed

00:23:43.180 --> 00:23:45.339
to be? You know, how does this apply to my flexibility

00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:47.740
level? The second thing would be using props

00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:50.599
appropriately. So props bring the ground up to

00:23:50.599 --> 00:23:54.009
you, or they help with shoulder flexibility if

00:23:54.009 --> 00:23:55.970
you're holding a strap so holding a strap instead

00:23:55.970 --> 00:23:58.710
of bringing your hands together um they're going

00:23:58.710 --> 00:24:00.509
to help you just modify the pose so that instead

00:24:00.509 --> 00:24:04.630
of you again like doing a 225 pound back squat

00:24:04.630 --> 00:24:06.509
when you're just starting lifting now you're

00:24:06.509 --> 00:24:08.490
doing just the bar instead right that's what

00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:10.970
props do they make it so that you can modify

00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:14.410
the exercise to fit your flexibility level and

00:24:14.410 --> 00:24:17.630
then broadly speaking most guys should be bending

00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:22.509
their knees um more in in hip stretches when

00:24:22.509 --> 00:24:26.029
you bend your knees that means that you're not

00:24:26.029 --> 00:24:28.670
putting as much strain on your back so like if

00:24:28.670 --> 00:24:30.309
you're trying to reach down and touch your toes

00:24:30.309 --> 00:24:34.910
and you lock out your legs to try and get your

00:24:34.910 --> 00:24:37.329
hands to your feet your hamstrings are tight

00:24:37.329 --> 00:24:39.009
the limit there's flexibility that's limited

00:24:39.009 --> 00:24:41.730
there and so you're going to make up for that

00:24:41.730 --> 00:24:44.150
lack of flexibility by trying to use your lower

00:24:44.150 --> 00:24:47.680
back to compensate And that's a really easy way

00:24:47.680 --> 00:24:51.059
to overstretch and injure your back. There's

00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:52.940
actually a lot of injuries that happen in yoga

00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:55.400
because people are just trying to force themselves

00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:57.900
into positions they're not ready for. So bending

00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:01.299
your knees and using blocks is going to help

00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:04.880
with hip stretches. Excellent. And sort of along

00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:09.019
the same lines as form, can you... Talk about

00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:10.880
breathing for a second, because I know breathing

00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:13.579
can be pretty critical to achieving these poses,

00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:16.220
if I remember correctly. How does breathing fit

00:25:16.220 --> 00:25:18.799
into a yoga routine and achieving these poses?

00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:21.799
So breathing helps you regulate your nervous

00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:24.539
system, and it complements whatever you're doing

00:25:24.539 --> 00:25:26.559
with your body. So if you're working on getting

00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:29.279
deeper into a posture and you are holding your

00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:31.559
breath, your body is going to resist. Your muscles

00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:34.980
are not going to open up. So if you can start...

00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:38.140
pause in a way where it doesn't feel that intense

00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:41.059
if you can aim for like the three four out of

00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:43.920
ten intensity range to start and Then you can

00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:46.079
use your breath to ease deeper into the pose.

00:25:46.339 --> 00:25:48.500
That's going to help you. That's gonna help you

00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:50.339
stretch more That's gonna help you increase flexibility

00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:53.079
more versus if you go straight to I'm gonna go

00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:54.799
as far as I can I'm gonna go to this eight out

00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:57.319
of ten intensity to start right away, and I'm

00:25:57.319 --> 00:26:00.319
just gonna hope I can breathe so you do really

00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:03.450
want to be able to So maintain awareness of your

00:26:03.450 --> 00:26:05.869
breathing as you're doing it. And if you're new

00:26:05.869 --> 00:26:07.829
to yoga, it is really overwhelming because you're

00:26:07.829 --> 00:26:09.450
like, ah, where does my knee go? Where do my,

00:26:09.450 --> 00:26:11.289
where does my hand go? Where's my shoulder go?

00:26:11.349 --> 00:26:14.410
Oh, it's just breathing too. Right. So you have

00:26:14.410 --> 00:26:17.490
to be just going to it, knowing that you're not

00:26:17.490 --> 00:26:20.119
going to remember. to be present with every single

00:26:20.119 --> 00:26:22.059
breath that you do. You're not going to be locked

00:26:22.059 --> 00:26:25.099
in awareness -wise to every breath that you do.

00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:28.079
But every time that you recognize, oh, I'm supposed

00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.160
to be focusing on my breathing, that's actually

00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:32.980
a win. So that's a big piece of advice that I

00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:34.940
give to people who are starting out is, yes,

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.519
breathing is very important, but it's going to

00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:41.039
take a lot of time and consistency to build awareness

00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:44.150
of your breathing. So you can... Every time you

00:26:44.150 --> 00:26:46.630
forget that you're breathing is actually a win

00:26:46.630 --> 00:26:48.910
because you're remembering that you're not breathing

00:26:48.910 --> 00:26:51.289
and therefore building awareness of it. Yeah,

00:26:51.309 --> 00:26:53.930
I like that. I appreciate you explaining that.

00:26:54.009 --> 00:26:56.690
Starting out, I definitely fell into that role

00:26:56.690 --> 00:27:00.829
of trying to achieve the max amount of the stress

00:27:00.829 --> 00:27:04.190
immediately going into that pose. And that's

00:27:04.190 --> 00:27:07.130
just not how that works. So let's say a rucker

00:27:07.130 --> 00:27:09.730
wants to develop some sort of routine between

00:27:09.730 --> 00:27:14.329
rucks. How do I want to phrase this? How often

00:27:14.329 --> 00:27:17.609
or how long should that routine or that session

00:27:17.609 --> 00:27:20.609
be? Or should they do multiple sessions between

00:27:20.609 --> 00:27:22.829
rucks? Let's just say, you know, maybe they go

00:27:22.829 --> 00:27:24.869
on a long ruck on the weekends, a Saturday or

00:27:24.869 --> 00:27:28.049
Sunday, and they want to maintain some stability

00:27:28.049 --> 00:27:31.569
and some limberness, I guess, between those rucks.

00:27:31.809 --> 00:27:34.109
They want to maybe start doing a yoga routine.

00:27:34.490 --> 00:27:37.289
Should they do it multiple days that week? Or

00:27:37.289 --> 00:27:39.769
how long should the average session be, I guess?

00:27:41.319 --> 00:27:43.319
I mean, it depends on what you have time for.

00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:45.720
Like, you know, it'd be great if everyone had

00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:49.940
time for a 60 minute, you know, active recovery

00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:53.380
yoga session on Sundays. But most people, myself

00:27:53.380 --> 00:27:56.259
included, don't always have time for that. So,

00:27:56.259 --> 00:27:59.200
you know, I think recognizing that even five

00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:04.259
minutes is beneficial is important. And there's

00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:06.759
also different approaches that you can use for

00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:08.700
your yoga routines. Like you mentioned wanting

00:28:08.700 --> 00:28:11.279
to do like a stability slash maybe a little bit

00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:15.259
of active recovery routine. And that's something

00:28:15.259 --> 00:28:18.799
that's great to do either, you know, maybe six

00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:21.259
to eight plus hours after your rucking session.

00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:24.180
So if you do like a Saturday morning ruck and

00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:26.960
it's Saturday evening now and you're like me

00:28:26.960 --> 00:28:30.079
and your Saturday evenings don't involve. you

00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:33.099
know, going to the bar or, you know, a club,

00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:35.299
then you can do some stretching while you're

00:28:35.299 --> 00:28:37.759
in front of the TV. Or if it's Sunday and it's

00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:39.740
the day afterward, then that's a great time to,

00:28:39.779 --> 00:28:45.279
you know, do this combination of yoga, stability.

00:28:46.410 --> 00:28:49.170
light strength work plus flexibility and recovery

00:28:49.170 --> 00:28:51.750
work. But then you can also use it like it's

00:28:51.750 --> 00:28:54.190
I think it's great to do it as a warm up before

00:28:54.190 --> 00:28:55.829
other workouts. So like you could definitely

00:28:55.829 --> 00:28:58.369
do it as a warm up before rucking to kind of

00:28:58.369 --> 00:29:00.549
prime your muscles like we talked about. And

00:29:00.549 --> 00:29:03.190
then it also is great as a cool down either immediately

00:29:03.190 --> 00:29:06.470
after the rucking session or like I said at the

00:29:06.470 --> 00:29:09.190
beginning of this answer like six to eight plus

00:29:09.190 --> 00:29:11.789
hours afterward as a way to kind of get out in

00:29:11.789 --> 00:29:14.329
front of the soreness. And then you can also

00:29:14.329 --> 00:29:16.170
do it as a standalone workout. So if you want

00:29:16.170 --> 00:29:18.009
to do a more intense yoga session where you're

00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:20.990
focusing on building hip strength, building hip

00:29:20.990 --> 00:29:23.250
stability and ankle strength so that you can

00:29:23.250 --> 00:29:25.349
support your knees better and your back doesn't

00:29:25.349 --> 00:29:27.410
hurt as much, then that's a great thing to do

00:29:27.410 --> 00:29:29.829
kind of on your non -rucking days if you have

00:29:29.829 --> 00:29:33.390
a little bit more gas in the tank, so to speak.

00:29:33.869 --> 00:29:36.789
yeah no that that makes sense and with that routine

00:29:36.789 --> 00:29:41.049
let's just say like everyone's crazy busy you

00:29:41.049 --> 00:29:44.250
know managing schedule for yourself your spouse

00:29:44.250 --> 00:29:49.410
your kids what's the number one like biggest

00:29:49.410 --> 00:29:51.289
bang for your buck mobility drill that you would

00:29:51.289 --> 00:29:53.670
recommend to ruckers if they only had you know

00:29:53.670 --> 00:29:55.750
just a few minutes a day to to maybe achieve

00:29:55.750 --> 00:30:00.210
some poses or some sort of routine I hate that

00:30:00.210 --> 00:30:04.089
question. I know, right? As I was asking, it's

00:30:04.089 --> 00:30:06.529
like, it's so dependent on each person. It's

00:30:06.529 --> 00:30:08.410
dependent on each person. And also like, I get

00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:09.750
a lot of people who are like, I'm just doing

00:30:09.750 --> 00:30:11.470
the same workout over and over again until I

00:30:11.470 --> 00:30:14.289
master it. I'm like, okay, that's, there's a

00:30:14.289 --> 00:30:16.549
lot of other exercises you could and should be

00:30:16.549 --> 00:30:19.349
doing. I think the important thing is just doing,

00:30:19.470 --> 00:30:22.410
I think the important thing is doing a sort of

00:30:22.410 --> 00:30:24.750
establishing some sort of cadence or a rhythm

00:30:24.750 --> 00:30:27.819
with it and doing. you know, again, five minutes

00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:30.299
is helpful, 10 minutes. The good thing about

00:30:30.299 --> 00:30:34.299
yoga is most of it is full body. So I mean, poses

00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:37.259
specifically for Rutgers, you and just for our

00:30:37.259 --> 00:30:41.480
modern kind of world, I do a lot of hip opening

00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:45.180
stretches, like with strength. So Something called

00:30:45.180 --> 00:30:47.559
a goddess or a horse pose is really good for

00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:50.380
your hip mobility, your groin. Something called

00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:52.880
like a high lunge or a crescent lunge is just

00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:55.680
a really good thing to do for opening your hip

00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.200
flexors, strengthening your core, opening up

00:30:58.200 --> 00:31:02.059
your chest. A standing backbend would be something

00:31:02.059 --> 00:31:04.319
that's really important, really good to do if

00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:06.519
you're rucking in particular, just getting your

00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:09.380
chest open, getting an arch to your spine instead

00:31:09.380 --> 00:31:12.910
of rounding forward. Okay, gotcha. Now let's

00:31:12.910 --> 00:31:15.349
talk about Man Flow Yoga. Who does Man Flow Yoga

00:31:15.349 --> 00:31:18.049
usually serve? What's your usual clientele like?

00:31:19.329 --> 00:31:24.849
Our guys are men who are interested in longevity,

00:31:25.130 --> 00:31:29.589
who are interested in pain relief, who want to

00:31:29.589 --> 00:31:32.470
be able to do the exercises that they're doing

00:31:32.470 --> 00:31:36.299
now or would like to do. for as long as possible

00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:40.059
without pain. So they want to enjoy the things

00:31:40.059 --> 00:31:42.039
that they're physically doing. They want to be

00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:45.099
able to be capable of doing those things. And

00:31:45.099 --> 00:31:48.440
they want to do it for as long as possible. So,

00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:51.039
you know, most of our guys, I'd say the sweet

00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:54.779
spot is guys in their 50s and early 60s. We've

00:31:54.779 --> 00:31:57.900
got guys in their 40s and 70s as well, in addition

00:31:57.900 --> 00:32:00.980
to, you know, guys who are in their 30s and 80s.

00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:04.779
the mostly it is in like that 40s to i would

00:32:04.779 --> 00:32:07.859
say the late 40s to 60s range for the most part

00:32:08.460 --> 00:32:10.680
It's not just guys who lift weights or guys who

00:32:10.680 --> 00:32:15.599
run. It's also guys who are office workers who

00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:19.180
have bad posture. They want to get back into

00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:21.980
fitness, and they don't know where to start.

00:32:22.099 --> 00:32:24.140
They know that they can't go straight to a boot

00:32:24.140 --> 00:32:26.200
camp class or a weightlifting program. They want

00:32:26.200 --> 00:32:29.599
to ease back into it. I've also had guys who

00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:32.099
have signed up because they're looking for sexual

00:32:32.099 --> 00:32:35.819
wellness. These are guys who need medication

00:32:35.819 --> 00:32:40.289
to... to perform. And so they're looking at this

00:32:40.289 --> 00:32:44.549
as a way to build that fitness. These are also

00:32:44.549 --> 00:32:48.829
guys who have chronic aches and pains, chronic

00:32:48.829 --> 00:32:51.509
back pain, chronic knee pain, chronic shoulder

00:32:51.509 --> 00:32:54.369
pain, poor posture from years of sitting at a

00:32:54.369 --> 00:32:56.910
desk and who are looking for fitness that will

00:32:56.910 --> 00:32:59.630
specifically work on these issues. And then we've

00:32:59.630 --> 00:33:01.450
also got a lot of guys, like I mentioned, kind

00:33:01.450 --> 00:33:03.660
of in that the athletes and runners category

00:33:03.660 --> 00:33:07.259
who have been lifelong, usually recreational

00:33:07.259 --> 00:33:09.799
athletes. I've got some pretty interesting professional

00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:12.740
athletes who have joined as well, but most of

00:33:12.740 --> 00:33:14.579
the guys are recreational athletes. And these

00:33:14.579 --> 00:33:16.640
are guys who just want to be able to keep doing

00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:18.509
what they're doing now. you know, they notice

00:33:18.509 --> 00:33:20.809
like, Hey, my knees hurt way more than they used

00:33:20.809 --> 00:33:22.390
to, or my back starting to hurt. And that never

00:33:22.390 --> 00:33:24.730
used to happen. So these are guys who understand,

00:33:25.130 --> 00:33:27.470
Oh, I do need to work on my flexibility, mobility.

00:33:27.950 --> 00:33:30.329
Okay. So this program, this manful yoga thing

00:33:30.329 --> 00:33:33.170
will help with that. But for the most part within.

00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:37.480
A month or two months, guys notice the improvements.

00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:39.779
They notice that their bodies don't have as much

00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:42.000
pain. They notice that they can do their other

00:33:42.000 --> 00:33:44.619
workouts with less pain. They notice less pain

00:33:44.619 --> 00:33:47.400
day to day. They start to increase flexibility

00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:50.740
and they're more aware of their bodies. So yeah,

00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:52.240
that's what we work with. That's what we do.

00:33:52.460 --> 00:33:56.339
And the program, is it 100 % online? It's all

00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:58.539
online. We have some community events that we

00:33:58.539 --> 00:34:00.059
do. So that's something that I started doing

00:34:00.059 --> 00:34:03.039
within the last couple of years, putting more

00:34:03.039 --> 00:34:07.579
effort into doing weekend events in cities with

00:34:07.579 --> 00:34:11.900
high member populations. So like Chicago, this

00:34:11.900 --> 00:34:16.159
upcoming year, we went to Chicago, we did Washington,

00:34:16.380 --> 00:34:20.400
D .C., we'll be doing Boston, Seattle, Denver,

00:34:20.679 --> 00:34:24.269
and Atlanta next year. That's a lot. That's a

00:34:24.269 --> 00:34:27.269
lot in person. That's great, Dean. Yeah, but

00:34:27.269 --> 00:34:31.730
mostly online. And we also have a cool community,

00:34:31.809 --> 00:34:34.929
which makes it more fun, more enjoyable, and

00:34:34.929 --> 00:34:38.389
also adds an element to it that ultimately makes

00:34:38.389 --> 00:34:42.489
it easier and helps with you doing it more. Because

00:34:42.489 --> 00:34:44.429
if you're just doing it by yourself, there are

00:34:44.429 --> 00:34:48.079
some people who like that. don't need any sort

00:34:48.079 --> 00:34:50.860
of extra motivation or push. But for a lot of

00:34:50.860 --> 00:34:53.119
people, they want more of a community sense.

00:34:53.199 --> 00:34:54.920
They want some sense of like, oh, I'm not the

00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:56.559
only person doing this. And so the community

00:34:56.559 --> 00:34:59.860
aspect really does help with that. And then it

00:34:59.860 --> 00:35:02.800
also, people get to, you know, meet each other

00:35:02.800 --> 00:35:05.039
at these in -person events that we do from time

00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:07.260
to time, people that they know from the community

00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:10.519
and the members area, community section. And

00:35:10.519 --> 00:35:12.480
also we have a Facebook group where a lot of

00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:15.480
that interaction happens. Okay. Good deal. Yeah.

00:35:15.539 --> 00:35:18.000
Lastly, if any of the listeners would like to

00:35:18.000 --> 00:35:19.559
learn more about it, where should they go to

00:35:19.559 --> 00:35:22.440
check it out? We've got a free seven day challenge.

00:35:22.599 --> 00:35:24.679
It's a beginner's yoga for men challenge, which

00:35:24.679 --> 00:35:27.659
is a really good way for you to see what this

00:35:27.659 --> 00:35:30.000
looks like and try it out. There's no credit

00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:32.179
card required. This is just solely like delivered

00:35:32.179 --> 00:35:35.139
via email. So those are 15 minute workouts. They're

00:35:35.139 --> 00:35:37.659
made with beginners in mind and to help you understand

00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:40.300
and kind of notice for yourself firsthand the

00:35:40.300 --> 00:35:43.510
benefits of what doing yoga on a, you know, regular

00:35:43.510 --> 00:35:45.909
basis can be. And it is a seven day challenge.

00:35:45.949 --> 00:35:48.650
So it's seven days in a row. But, you know, most

00:35:48.650 --> 00:35:50.789
of our guys are doing these probably about three

00:35:50.789 --> 00:35:53.289
times per week. So don't feel obligated to do,

00:35:53.309 --> 00:35:56.789
you know, or overwhelmed by daily, you know,

00:35:56.789 --> 00:35:59.590
things. So even two or three times a week will

00:35:59.590 --> 00:36:02.889
help with noticeable results. And that said,

00:36:02.949 --> 00:36:05.369
a link for that we'll put in the show notes for

00:36:05.369 --> 00:36:10.489
sure. But ManfulYoga .com slash 7DC. Excellent.

00:36:10.610 --> 00:36:12.539
Well, I'm gonna go. Check it out right now. I'm

00:36:12.539 --> 00:36:15.539
curious. Instead of doing Elsa yoga for the 13th

00:36:15.539 --> 00:36:18.900
time in a row, I'm going to mix it up. I'm sure

00:36:18.900 --> 00:36:21.659
this will resonate with your daughter. Well,

00:36:21.659 --> 00:36:23.760
Dean, thanks so much for coming on, man. I think

00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:26.099
you've provided a lot of value to us Rutgers,

00:36:26.219 --> 00:36:28.840
but I've enjoyed our conversation and I just

00:36:28.840 --> 00:36:30.380
want to say thanks again for joining us today

00:36:30.380 --> 00:36:33.239
and good luck to you with Manful of Yoga. Yeah,

00:36:33.260 --> 00:36:35.300
man. I appreciate you having me. This was a good

00:36:35.300 --> 00:36:38.000
conversation and best of luck to everything and

00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:39.440
let me know if there's anything else I can do

00:36:39.440 --> 00:36:42.019
for your community. All right, that wraps up

00:36:42.019 --> 00:36:44.019
my conversation with Dean Pullman for Manflow

00:36:44.019 --> 00:36:46.539
Yoga. To learn more about his program, head on

00:36:46.539 --> 00:36:49.260
over to manfloyoga .com or check out the seven

00:36:49.260 --> 00:36:52.219
-day challenge he mentioned at manfloyoga .com

00:36:52.219 --> 00:36:56.659
slash 7DC. That's the number seven, Delta, Charlie.

00:36:57.079 --> 00:36:58.739
If you want to reach out to me, head on over

00:36:58.739 --> 00:37:02.239
to theruckersedge .com or on Instagram at theruckersedgepod.

00:37:02.960 --> 00:37:05.059
If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to

00:37:05.059 --> 00:37:06.860
follow or subscribe to the show in your favorite

00:37:06.860 --> 00:37:09.099
podcast app so you're notified of new episodes.

00:37:09.300 --> 00:37:11.519
And in next week's episode, we sit down with

00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:14.199
Dan Vinson from Wild Gem. We talk about rucking

00:37:14.199 --> 00:37:16.760
in the snow and the packs that Wild Gem offers.

00:37:17.480 --> 00:37:19.780
Okay, that's it for today. Thanks again for listening

00:37:19.780 --> 00:37:21.579
to this episode of The Rucker's Edge.