Fred Hoiberg’s Iowa State Cyclones were one Aaron Craft shot away from taking Ohio State to overtime in the NCAA tournament Round of 32 last season. Alas, Craft’s clutch shot fell and it was the Buckeyes, not Iowa State, who booked tickets to Los Angeles for the West regional semifinals as a result.
With four of their top six scorers gone from that team, the Cyclones do have some work to do when it comes to role allocation. But they won’t lack for talent, with forwards Melvin Ejim (11.3 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and Georges Niang (12.1, 4.6) returning and Marshall transfer DeAndre Kane (15.1, 7.0 apg, 4.4 rpg) arrives to give Iowa State some much-needed firepower on the perimeter. With an eye towards the 2013-14 campaign Iowa State’s added an activity to its preseason workout routine: weekly hot yoga sessions.
Yoga can be very useful for athletes due to its effects on breathing techniques and flexibility, with the latter being an issue for some due to the weightlifting done in order to increase physical strength. Adding heat to the process, with the temperature in the studio reaching in upwards of 100 degrees, can act as a cleanser of sorts as noted in a story written by Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune.“With the added heat, you sweat a lot more, which is great for caloric burn,” Emily Hampton, owner of Ignite Yoga and the team’s instructor, said. “But really most importantly you get rid of toxins. In yoga we squeeze a lot, release toxins, flush them with water and then get them out with our sweat. It’s kind of cleansing.
“The heat is really an important aspect in my opinion.”
The players were hesitant at first, which is understandable given the fact that hot yoga was a departure from their regular training regimen. But they’ve begun to notice the benefits, both mentally and physically, of hot yoga.
“I feel like it’s definitely built our mental toughness,” Niang said. “If you’re not used to doing something, just pushing your body to a new limit and having yourself know at the end of the day that you can do it when you went in to it thinking that you couldn’t.
“When Emily is telling you not to let up, this is all in your head, it’s so true,” he added. “It’s like when you’re down five with 30 seconds to go. You have to tell yourself you can do it and fight through.”
Whether it’s boot camps or yoga, teams will do some “unconventional” things during the offseason and it’s a good idea. It deviates from the standard routine, and the forced adaptation could ultimately benefit teams on the court in crucial moments. It’ll be interesting to see just how much of an impact the yoga sessions have on Iowa State’s production this season.
