Yoga guide
Yoga can give sprinters steadier hips and a stronger trunk, some extra range on easy days and a way to wind down after hard sessions. But almost no trials have tested yoga in sprinters, and nothing shows it prevents hamstring strains or makes you faster: stretching doesn't prevent injuries, and long holds just before an all-out effort sap a little power.
Used well, it's an extra alongside your sprinting, strength and hamstring work and your coach's warm-up. This guide covers the hamstrings and hip flexors, the lower back, what yoga does and doesn't do for recovery, starts, when to fit it into a training week, and a 25-minute class for rest days with every pose shown in 3D. Our sprinting and hurdles guide covers training and injury prevention in full.
Hamstring injuries were the commonest diagnosis at international athletics championships, twice as common in men, and the sprints had the biggest share of injuries of any event group. A previous strain and older age are the strongest risk factors.
Stretching programmes made no difference to sports injuries in 25 trials, hamstring flexibility predicted injury no better than chance in professional footballers, and an international expert panel doesn't recommend stretching for injury prevention in general. We found no trial of yoga to prevent injuries in sprinters or track athletes.
Programmes that included the Nordic curl went with about half as many hamstring injuries, though the properly randomised trials alone were inconclusive and almost all were in football. Sudden spikes in high-speed running raise the risk; regular exposure to near-top speed went with fewer injuries. Yoga never replaces coaching, strength and conditioning, or sprinting itself.
There are two small trials in school track athletes: an unreviewed preprint, and a trial in a journal outside MEDLINE whose gains look implausibly large. In rugby players, 8 weeks of yoga kept hamstring flexibility but didn't change sprint speed.
Holding a stretch for 60 seconds or more per muscle cut strength and power by about 4.6% on average, while short holds inside a dynamic warm-up don't harm sprinting. So flow before speed sessions and races, and save long holds for rest days and after easy sessions (our reading of stretching studies, not tested in sprinters).
Stretching after exercise doesn't meaningfully cut soreness or speed the return of strength. In one small trial, 15 minutes of yoga after intervals settled breathing and heart rate faster than static stretching. Sleep and sensible training load matter more.
Our sprinting and hurdles guide covers sprint training, injuries, prevention programmes and hurdles in full; this page covers where yoga fits.
At international championships, the hamstrings' share of leg muscle injuries rose with each event's running speed. Across 13 championships, short-distance events had a third of in-competition time-loss injuries, and thigh strain was the commonest diagnosis.
Hamstring injuries made up 17.1% of injuries at 16 international championships, 22.4 per 1,000 registered men against 11.5 per 1,000 women; across 14 championships, the sprints had 24% of men's and 26% of women's injuries, more than any other event group. Hamstring strain was the commonest time-loss diagnosis among elite British athletes and the commonest injury in US college track and field. These studies use different measures and can't be compared directly.
Of 165 elite track and field athletes with a first hamstring strain, 13.9% had a second within 2 years. Strains that run into the tendon took longer to return from and came back more often.
Rectus femoris injuries, at the front of the hip and thigh, "are common in sports requiring maximal acceleration and sprinting", though far less common than hamstring injuries in elite British athletes. In one cross-sectional study of junior sprinters, a bigger psoas muscle relative to the thigh went with faster 100 m times: a hint that hip flexor strength matters, from a single study.
Back pain is common in sport: about half of athletes report it in a year across 86 studies, and a previous episode is the strongest risk factor. In 99 German elite track and field athletes, 83.8% had back pain in the past year. Pars stress fractures (spondylolysis) were about twice as common in track and field athletes as in adults generally, and block starts involve a lot of arching of the lower back.
In growing athletes, a sudden forceful effort can pull a tendon away with a piece of bone at the pelvis, most often where the hamstrings attach: 203 such injuries were collected in adolescent athletes. The warning signs cover what to do.
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Yoga for sprinters means four different things, each with its own timing:
In 78 studies of 71,324 athletes, mostly in football, "Older age and a history of HSI are the strongest risk factors for HSI" (HSI means hamstring strain injury). Any previous strain raised the risk 2.7 times, and a recent one 4.8 times.
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Footballers who were later injured had slightly less hamstring flexibility in one study, but in 450 amateurs sit-and-reach "was not related to hamstring injuries", and in 438 professionals injured and uninjured players differed by 1.8 degrees, findings with "little clinical value in predicting the risk of future hamstring injuries". None of these was in sprinters, and in sprinters "it is unclear whether improving flexibility reduces hamstring injury risk".
In 30 elite sprinters, every hamstring injury happened on the weaker side. In 44 sprinters, a low ratio of hamstring to thigh-front strength went with a higher risk, but only 8 were injured. In 152 elite footballers, short biceps femoris muscle fibres and low eccentric hamstring strength each raised the risk about 4 times.
In 44 sprinters, 58.3% of hamstring injuries came in the first 100 hours of the season. In team sports, "large and rapid increases" in high-speed running raised the odds of a strain, and the International Olympic Committee's consensus says "poor load management is a major risk factor for injury". In Swedish elite athletics, training load and a severe injury the year before predicted injury. At one large relay meet, masters athletes strained hamstrings more often than younger athletes.
In elite British track and field athletes, low back pain and hamstring cramping or tightness in the week before were each "present in 30% of injuries". A new tight or crampy hamstring is a reason to tell your coach, not to stretch harder (our reading).
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Across 25 trials and 26,610 people, stretching showed "no beneficial effect" on sports injuries, while strength training cut them to about a third. A 2025 panel of 20 experts "does not recommend stretching for injury prevention in general", while noting early evidence of fewer muscle injuries with possible trade-offs. Slow, extreme stretching can itself strain a hamstring: dancers injured that way took a median of 50 weeks to return, against 16 for sprinters.
Programmes including the Nordic curl went with about half the hamstring injuries in 15 studies of 8,459 athletes. But only 5 of those trials randomised people to the Nordic itself, and their pooled result was inconclusive; a reappraisal concluded "At best, only conditional recommendation can be provided (for soccer)". A 2026 review of 11 football trials found "a modest non-significant reduction", while a review of 108 trials found eccentric training cut hamstring injuries a lot.
In 840 athletes, an unsupervised 15-minute programme twice a week (planks, balance, lunges, hamstring stretching and strengthening up to the Nordic, and calf work) made no difference: 64.7% against 65.0% had an injury complaint. Only 6 athletes did it twice a week as asked.
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Sprint training lengthened hamstring muscle fibres more than the Nordic in 32 footballers, and "maximum sprinting activities appear to be the only way to achieve high hamstring muscle activity". Regular, gradually built fast running is part of prevention.
Our searches found no trial of yoga to prevent or treat injuries in sprinters or track athletes. Keep your strength and hamstring work and build sprint volume gradually; use yoga for hip and trunk control, range on easy days and winding down (our reading).
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In a meta-analysis of long-term stretching, "No significant influence of static stretching on sprint performance was obtained". In a tiny study of 10 trained men, stretching "did not exert a significant effect" on 40 m sprints.
In 20 well-trained sprinters, 6 weeks of extra eccentric hamstring work raised hamstring strength by 10% to 22% and flexibility by 4 degrees.
Set-position angles vary widely and "do not appear to be directly associated with block phase performance"; "Greater average force production during the push against the blocks, especially from the rear leg and particularly the hip, appears to be important". That's active hip extension under force, which glute and lunge strength train, not passive range (our reading).
No study gives a number. Enough hip extension and hamstring length to reach sprint and block positions without pain, with control, is the aim (our reading); even the international consensus on hamstring rehab couldn't agree flexibility benchmarks.
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The usual test, the modified Thomas test, isn't a valid measure of hip extension unless pelvic tilt is controlled. A 3-week hip flexor stretching programme raised passive hip extension, but running movement stayed unchanged, and one stretching session changed pelvic tilt by about a degree.
In 118 adults, less hip extension didn't independently predict back pain, and across 23 trials stretching didn't change posture. In elite Swedish track athletes, differences in hip flexor flexibility weren't practically relevant for overuse injuries.
Strength for driving the knee through, and enough length for the block and toe-off positions. The strength point rests on one cross-sectional study in junior sprinters. The class lengthens the front of the hip with the back leg's buttock working, then strengthens the hip flexors; our yoga for hip flexors guide goes further.
In 99 elite track and field athletes, 83.8% reported back pain in the past year, significantly more than active students. Across sports, a previous episode was the strongest risk factor.
Pars defects were found in about 12% of track and field athletes in pooled studies, against about 6% of adults generally, and this pain is typically "exacerbated by extension or twisting of the spine". Block exit involves a lot of lower back arching.
The NHS says "Activities like walking, swimming, yoga and pilates may also help ease back pain." If arching hurts, leave out deep backbends (wheel, full bow, camel) and keep locust and cobra low; a young sprinter with back pain that's worse arching needs checking (our suggestion, see the warning signs).
Tiny, single-site, mostly unblinded studies, some in journals outside MEDLINE or never peer reviewed, and none with injury outcomes.
In 45 school sprinters in India, adding vinyasa yoga to sprint training for 12 weeks reportedly cut 30 m times by 0.3 seconds. The journal isn't in MEDLINE, no blinding is described, and the gains are implausibly large; the authors themselves say "the results should be interpreted with caution". A 20-athlete preprint, never peer reviewed, found a yoga warm-up no different from dynamic stretching for 100 m.
A 2025 review of yoga in track and field athletes gives no number of studies or athletes in its summary, and notes that some studies "found little impact on stress or performance".
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In 31 rugby players (19 finished), 8 weeks of twice-weekly yoga kept hamstring flexibility but "did little to improve sprint performance during the season".
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A study often cited for yoga in athletes compared a soccer team that did yoga with a baseball team that didn't. It wasn't randomised, so its flexibility and balance gains can't be separated from the sport.
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A meta-analysis of yoga and mindfulness in young athletes found no significant effect on anxiety and has reporting errors.
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Stretching "does not produce clinically important reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness", about 1 point on a 100-point scale, and didn't speed the return of strength. In 99 studies, active recovery, massage, compression and cold reduced soreness, but not stretching. The expert panel "does not recommend stretching as a post-exercise recovery routine".
In 20 male athletes, 15 minutes of yoga after interval training lowered breathing rate and raised heart rate variability more than static stretching over the next 10 to 15 minutes. That's a short-term settling effect, not faster recovery of speed.
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"Elite athletes are particularly susceptible to sleep inadequacies", and sleep needs are individual. A calm evening practice can sit alongside good sleep habits; no trial has tested yoga for sprinters' sleep (our reading).
Holds of 60 seconds or more per muscle cut performance by 4.6% on average, against 1.1% for shorter holds, and when dynamic activity followed, no clear effect remained. Holds under 60 seconds can be part of a warm-up without harming maximal performance, but in high-performance athletes short static stretching "has to be applied with caution" before competition.
No prolonged static stretching (over 60 seconds per muscle) before maximal or explosive efforts; "short-duration static stretching incorporated into a dynamic warm-up and dynamic stretching do not cause such impairments". Dynamic stretching suits a warm-up meant to raise range and power.
We found no UK or world athletics guidance on yoga for sprinters. World Athletics' medical manual, last updated in 2012, still recommends stretching to prevent injury, which newer trials and the 2025 expert panel don't support. England Athletics describes the RAMP warm-up (raise, activate, mobilise, potentiate), which our sprint warm-up follows in spirit.
Use our sprint and hurdles warm-up and, if you like, 2 or 3 slow sun salutations and lunges moved with the breath, keeping any hold under 30 seconds. Save the held poses and the class for rest days, after easy sessions or the evening, and leave long holds and hot classes out of the 24 to 48 hours before a race. This comes from stretching studies, not from trials in sprinters.
One 20 to 30-minute session a week in the competition season and up to two in general preparation, on rest days or after easy sessions, plus a 5-minute breathing wind-down after hard sessions if it helps you settle. Trials in athletes used 2 to 4 sessions a week, but your speed and strength sessions come first. No trial has tested a dose for sprinters.
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Away from speed work, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) suggests "a total of 60 s per exercise" of stretching on at least 2 days a week for healthy adults.
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In 56 Swedish elite sprinters and jumpers, a lengthening programme returned athletes to full training in an average of 49 days, against 86 with conventional exercises; injuries involving the tendon near the sitting bone took longer. Rehab with mild to moderate discomfort recovered more strength than pain-free rehab, without speeding return.
"Early-stage rehab should avoid high strain loads and rates", with progress based on capacity and symptoms and "pain-free criteria supported for sprinting".
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Follow our hamstring strain guide and a physiotherapist, not a yoga class. The NHS says "If your injury is taking longer to heal than expected, or you've had previous hamstring injuries, you may need to see a physiotherapist." Keep deep forward folds and long hamstring holds out until sprinting is pain-free, as our hamstring injury yoga guide does; its class works the muscle without deep folds.
Under the British Athletics approach, with scans and a full medical team, athletes returned to full training in an average of 18.6 days with a 2.9% reinjury rate; 13.9% of 165 Greek elite athletes had a second strain within 2 years.
Sun salutations, 2 or 3 slow rounds, stepping back rather than jumping (our editorial starting point). World's greatest stretch: "4 slow reps each side, moving with the breath, 1 or 2 rounds, as part of a warm-up" (the move page's dose). 90/90 switch: "10 slow switches, pause at the ends" (the move page's dose); for hurdlers it rehearses the hip turn of the lead and trail legs. Keep any hold under 30 seconds, then do your sprint warm-up.
Low lunge, 45 seconds each side, tucking your pelvis and squeezing the back leg's buttock; high lunge, 5 breaths each side; standing hand-to-big-toe pose, 3 breaths each side, then let go and keep the thigh up for a breath; dead bug, 6 to 8 each side (all our yoga for hip flexors class). Standing quad stretch: "Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side" (the move page's dose). Lizard pose: "Hold 30 to 60 seconds, about 5 to 10 slow breaths, each side, 2 rounds" (the move page's dose), on rest days only.
3D demoLow lunge (Anjaneyasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoStanding quad stretchBeginner · A wall
3D demoLizard pose (Utthan Pristhasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoStanding hand-to-big-toe pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoDead bugBeginner · No equipmentGlute bridge, 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds, heels dug in (our yoga for hamstring injury class). 90/90 hamstring stretch: "3 sets of 12 slow straightenings each leg, stopping just before pain" (the move page's dose). Single-leg bridge, 8 each side; warrior III, 3 breaths each side, twice, hands on a chair; strap hamstring stretch, 45 seconds each side, to a mild pull of about 3 out of 10 (all our yoga for footballers class).
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demo90/90 hamstring stretch (active knee extension)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior III (Virabhadrasana III)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoSupine hamstring stretch with a strapBeginner · No equipment90/90 hip lift-off: "3 holds of 5 to 8 seconds each way, each side" (the move page's dose). Reclined figure four, 45 seconds each side; side plank, 2 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side; one-leg stand, 2 holds of 30 seconds each leg, knee and hip slightly bent (all our yoga for footballers class). Pigeon preparation, 60 seconds each side (our yoga for hips class). Locust pose, 3 to 5 lifts held 3 to 5 seconds, low and long (our yoga strength workout).
3D demo90/90 hip lift-offIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoReclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoPigeon preparation (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoLocust pose (Salabhasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wallDownward dog, 2 holds of 50 seconds, pedalling your heels; legs up the wall, 2 minutes, optional, with your hips on the floor if you have glaucoma; corpse pose, 3 minutes (all our yoga for runners class). Slow breathing, 2 minutes, in for about 4 and out for about 6 (our yoga for footballers class).
Before speed sessions and races, leave out any hold of 60 seconds or more per muscle, including long lizard, pigeon and forward-fold holds. After a hamstring strain, until sprinting is pain-free, leave out deep seated, standing and wide-legged forward folds, head-to-knee, pyramid, deep triangle and long strap holds. With a suspected hip flexor strain, skip the couch stretch and do the strength moves first. If arching hurts your lower back, leave out wheel, camel, bow and upward dog, and keep low cobra and locust low. Headstands and other advanced inversions add nothing for sprinting. If a pose leaves your hip sore, our hip pain after yoga guide covers what to change.
3D demoSeated forward fold (Paschimottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHead-to-knee pose (Janu Sirsasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoPyramid pose (Parsvottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoWide-legged standing forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoTriangle pose (Utthita Trikonasana)Intermediate · A step
3D demoCouch stretchIntermediate · A wall
3D demoWheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoCamel pose (Ustrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoBow pose (Dhanurasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoUpward-facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupported headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)Expert · A wallOur 25-minute class first, for rest days and after easy sessions, never in the hours before speed work. It's our own selection, untested in a trial, with doses from our hip flexor, footballers and hamstring injury classes. Before every speed session and race, the sprint and hurdles warm-up; for the work with better injury evidence, the strength and hamstring workout for sprinters. After a strain, the hamstring injury class.
A 25-minute yoga class for sprinters and hurdlers on rest days: hip flexors lengthened and strengthened, hamstrings working, hips, trunk and a wind-down.
25 minBeginner16 movesNo equipmentA 20-minute warm-up for sprinters and hurdlers: jogging, ankle circles, leg swings, hip mobility, skips, wall and arm drills, build-up runs and practice starts.
20 minBeginner12 movesCardio machine, wallA 50-minute sprint and hurdles session: athletics' injury prevention programme, from planks to Nordic curls, then squats, split squats and Romanian deadlifts.
50 minIntermediate18 movesCardio machine, wallA 45-minute speed session: running drills, five short accelerations and three flying sprints with full rest, then Nordic curls and calf raises.
45 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine, wallA 25-minute yoga class for the weeks after a hamstring strain: hamstrings working, not stretching, trunk and balance, and two lengthening moves from the trials.
25 minBeginner16 movesWall, dumbbellA 25-minute yoga class for tight or weak hip flexors: lunges and warriors to stretch the front of the hip, then poses and leg lifts to strengthen it.
25 minBeginner15 movesWall, firm cushionA 20-minute yoga cool-down for runners: calves, hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes, one balance pose and a rest, after an easy run or on a rest day.
20 minBeginner11 movesWallTwenty-five minutes of yoga for footballers: hip and groin range you control, hamstring holds, single-leg balance and side planks, then gentle stretches and rest.
25 minBeginner17 movesWallTwenty-five minutes of recovery-day yoga for rugby: gentle neck and upper-back moves, hip and groin range, hamstring holds, one-leg balance, then slow breathing.
25 minBeginner16 movesWallA 45-minute restorative yoga sequence: five fully supported poses held for 4 to 10 minutes each, with slow breathing and a long final rest.
45 minBeginner6 movesFirm cushion, wallA 6-minute breathing routine: slow breathing, crocodile breathing, alternate nostril breathing, box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing.
6 minBeginner5 movesNo equipmentA 10-minute cool-down for after a run, a class or a gym session: a few minutes of easy movement, stretches for the muscles you used, then slow breathing.
10 minBeginner9 movesCardio machine, wallA 15-minute hip opener: 90/90 switches, windshield wipers, CARs, Cossack squats, frog and pigeon.
15 minIntermediate8 movesWallThe Nordic hamstring and Copenhagen adduction programmes from the football trials: a 10-week build, three adductor levels, then once a week in season.
15 minIntermediate6 movesWall, anchor pointStrength plans that fit around sprint training; add the yoga class on a rest day.
A 12-week strength plan for runners: two sessions a week of heavy lifts, single-leg work, calf raises and hops, fitted around your runs.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginnerThese are the warning signs from our sprinting, hamstring strain, hamstring injury yoga, back pain and yoga guides, word for word, with one line of our own. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
The NHS says you may feel a sharp pain in the back of your leg, and with a severe injury a snapping sensation or a pop. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful or getting worse, there's a large amount of swelling or bruising, it hurts to walk or stand on the leg, or it isn't getting better after treating it yourself. A pop near the sitting bone with a big bruise high on the thigh needs checking the same day, as our hamstring strain guide explains.
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Same day: a pop near the sitting bone, a large bruise high on the back of the thigh, or you cannot put weight on the leg. The tendon may have pulled away from the bone, which needs assessing before you start these exercises.
Get help from NHS 111 if you think you've injured your hamstring and it's very painful, or the pain is getting worse; there's a large amount of swelling or bruising, or the swelling or bruising is getting worse; it hurts to walk or stand using the injured leg; your leg feels very stiff or is difficult to move; it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself; or you have a very high temperature or you feel very hot, but also cold and shivery, which could be signs of an infection.
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Same day, for an X-ray (our suggestion): a teenager with sudden pain at the sitting bone after a sprint, a kick or the splits, often with a pop, especially if walking or sitting hurts. While the bones are still growing, the tendon can pull off a piece of bone.
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Pain in the back of the thigh with tingling, numbness, or pain spreading below the knee: it may come from the back (sciatica).
Deep pain low in the buttock with sitting and running that is not settling: possible high hamstring tendinopathy, which has its own guide.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
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Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Same day: leg weakness that is getting worse.
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Back pain that hasn't improved after a few weeks of looking after it at home, stops you doing day-to-day activities, worries you, or you're struggling to cope.
Pain that doesn't improve with rest or is worse at night, or pain that is worse when you sneeze, cough or poo.
Back pain and stiffness that persists in a teenager or young adult. Ankylosing spondylitis tends to start at that age and can affect the whole spine.
Back pain that started before 45 and has lasted more than 3 months, especially if it started before 35, wakes you in the second half of the night, comes with buttock pain, gets better with movement or within 48 hours of anti-inflammatory painkillers, or you have or have had arthritis, pain where a tendon attaches to bone (enthesitis) or psoriasis, or a parent, brother, sister or child with spondyloarthritis. These can point to inflammatory back pain (axial spondyloarthritis, such as ankylosing spondylitis). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asks GPs to refer people with 4 or more of these 9 features to a rheumatologist, and to do a blood test for the HLA-B27 gene marker if exactly 3 are present, referring if it is positive.
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A teenage or young adult sprinter or hurdler with low back pain that's worse when arching backwards or twisting, or that keeps coming back, should see a GP or sports physiotherapist before more backbends or block starts, because a stress fracture of the spine (spondylolysis) is possible.
A sudden snap or pop at the back of the ankle, or not being able to stand on tiptoe, can mean a ruptured Achilles tendon. The NHS says to get help from NHS 111 if you think you've ruptured a tendon, and our Achilles rupture guide explains why it's urgent.
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Pain on a bone that's worse when you run or jump and hurts when pressed can be a stress fracture. Stop and get it checked, as our stress fracture guide explains.
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Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, or has sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn't go away.
Call 999 if:
A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
Stretching programmes made no difference to sports injuries while strength training cut them to about a third, flexibility barely predicts who gets injured, and the 2025 expert panel doesn't recommend stretching for injury prevention in general. Hamstring strength and gradually built sprinting have the better leads.
Long-term stretching didn't make anyone faster, start performance depends on force from the hips rather than set-position angles, and slow, extreme stretching can itself strain a hamstring, with a long way back. Enough range, with control, is the goal.
No trial shows it: in rugby players, 8 weeks of yoga didn't change sprint times either way. What does cost a little power is holding stretches for 60 seconds or more just before an all-out effort, yoga or not.
The trial claiming 0.3 seconds over 30 m in 12 weeks is small, describes no blinding, is in a journal outside MEDLINE and reports implausibly large gains, and the rugby trial found no change. Speed comes from sprinting and strength work.
The usual test isn't valid unless the pelvis is controlled, hip flexor stretching didn't change running movement, and stretching doesn't change posture.
We found no study showing this. The measurable cost of long holds is a short-lived loss of power just after them.
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Stretching after exercise doesn't meaningfully reduce soreness or speed strength recovery, and yoga's one recovery trial measured breathing and heart rate variability for 15 minutes, nothing more.
It can be a useful extra for hip and trunk control, range on easy days and winding down, but almost no trials have been done in sprinters, and none shows it prevents injuries or makes you faster. Keep it alongside sprinting, strength work and your coach's warm-up, never instead.
No study has shown it, and stretching programmes didn't prevent sports injuries in 25 trials. The better leads are hamstring strength work such as Nordic curls, mostly tested in football, and building sprint volume gradually.
Probably not directly. Long-term stretching didn't improve sprint times, and in rugby players 8 weeks of yoga didn't change sprint speed. One trial in school sprinters claimed big gains, but it's small and its results look implausible.
After easy sessions, on rest days or in the evening. Before speed work, flow through a few lunges and sun salutations and keep any hold short, because holds of a minute or more per muscle can sap power for a while.
Not if it's short. Holds under 60 seconds inside a dynamic warm-up made little or no difference to performance, while longer holds cost a few per cent of power. Before a race, many elite sprinters keep stretches very short.
Low and high lunges with the back buttock squeezed for the hip flexors, bridges and warrior III to work the hamstrings, the 90/90 lift-off and figure four for the hips, side plank and locust for the trunk, and downward dog for the calves. Our 25-minute class puts them in order.
Once or twice a week for 20 to 30 minutes is our suggestion, on rest days or after easy sessions. Trials in athletes used 2 to 4 sessions a week, but your strength and speed sessions come first.
It may help you settle: in one small trial, 15 minutes of yoga after intervals slowed breathing and raised heart rate variability faster than stretching. Stretching doesn't meaningfully reduce soreness, and sleep matters more.
Lunges held with the back buttock working add some range, and the class strengthens the hip flexors too, which help drive the knee. But the usual tight hip flexor test is unreliable, and stretching doesn't change posture.
Yes, but not the usual stretches. Follow your physiotherapist and our hamstring strain guide, and use the hamstring injury class, which works the muscle without deep folds. Keep stretches to a mild pull until sprinting is pain-free.
No trial has compared them. Pilates leans towards trunk and hip control and yoga towards range and winding down; both are extras to strength and speed work. Our Pilates for sprinters guide covers the other side.
The same advice applies, with more hip rotation work: the 90/90 switch rehearses the hip turn of the lead and trail legs. Hurdles need coached technique and strength, and no trial has tested yoga in hurdlers.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
