Yoga
Regular yoga practice for flexibility, strength and a calmer nervous system
Postures held or flowed through, paired with slow breathing. Vinyasa, hot yoga and yin are the styles named most. People here use it for what lifting and cardio miss: hip and spine mobility, balance, and a nervous system that has been told to calm down for an hour. Two sessions a week is a common target. Hot studios add heat exposure on top.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Chris BumsteadDoes it
Bodybuilder · Six-time Classic Physique Mr. Olympia
Hot yoga is the workout he says he reaches for after a competition, and he tries to fit it in once a week. Travel and prep leave his muscles tight, and he credits the practice with helping him manage stress, improving mobility and sharpening the mind-muscle connection he relies on in bodybuilding. Not a workout most people associate with the sport, but one that keeps him balanced.
Source: The Standard newsletter: Lessons From My Olympia Journey“One of my favorite workouts is hot yoga … Competing takes a toll on the body, and with all the travel, my muscles get tight and stiff. But it’s not just about flexibility. Hot yoga helps me manage stress, improve mobility, and even strengthens my mind-muscle connection, which is key in bodybuilding.”
The Standard newsletter: Lessons From My Olympia Journey (opens in a new tab) · 17 Oct 2024 - Jennifer AnistonDoes it
Actor · Friends and The Morning Show
Any kind of yoga practice counts as her meditation, she told People in 2021, in the same breath as sitting quietly and writing. She offered it as part of what keeps her centered rather than as a fitness routine.
Source: Bustle: Jennifer Aniston Talks Therapy, Meditation, and Staying Positive (quoting People) - LeBron JamesDoes it
Basketball player · NBA all-time leading scorer
He has practiced yoga since his Cleveland years and took an 8 a.m. class at the team hotel between games of the 2014 Finals after cramping in Game 1. His own hedge stands: he says it works for him and that he is no guru on conditioning.
Source: Sports Illustrated: LeBron James credits yoga class for helping alleviate cramping issues in Game 2“I do Pilates and yoga, just try to stay above the curve to get to this point, … Does it work for everybody? I don't know. I'm not a guru about how to be in the best condition, don't let me sit here and tell you that. But it works for me.”
Sports Illustrated: LeBron James credits yoga class for helping alleviate cramping issues in Game 2 (opens in a new tab) · 9 Jun 2014 - Mark HymanDoes it
Physician · The Dr. Hyman Show · author of Young Forever
Hot yoga whenever he can find a studio, vinyasa a couple of times a week, and a little stretching most days to stay flexible.
Source: The Doctor's Farmacy: My Personal Longevity Routine - Novak DjokovicDoes it
Tennis player · Record 24 Grand Slam singles titles
Groups yoga with meditation and says he does both out of a need for peace and calm, and for happiness and joy. He linked leaning on them to a stretch of poor results and, more than that, lost emotional balance on court.
Source: VICE: Novak Djokovic: Meditation, Yoga and Veganism Helped Shape My Success - Oprah WinfreyDoes it
Talk show host and producer · The Oprah Winfrey Show
She practices yoga with the help of an app she named in her 2016 column, Yoga Studio by Gaiam, and counts it among the changes that shifted her health.
Source: Oprah.com: What Oprah Knows for Sure About Healthy Living - Shane ParrishDoes it
Writer · Farnam Street and The Knowledge Project
Books a yoga class at lunch rather than training in the morning, which stays reserved for deep work.
Source: My Morning Routine interview - Zac EfronDoes it
Actor · the Baywatch body and what it cost him
Yoga arrived during the pandemic break, when Men's Health reports he leaned on stretching and yoga alongside strength training. The magazine credits that shift with turning his workouts into something more mindful.
Source: Men's Health: Zac Efron on His Baywatch Body Transformation
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under fitness or stress.
- Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Running
Regular running, from a short daily loop up to ultramarathon distance
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 5 do it, 1 recommends it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Swimming
Lap swimming as low-impact cardio and a reset for the head
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Sports massage
Regular hands-on soft-tissue work from a trainer or therapist
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 has discussed it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Tennis
Singles or doubles on court, played as a lifelong sport rather than a workout
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Grappling practice used as training, stress relief and humility
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Foam rolling
Pressing body weight into a dense foam cylinder to work through tight muscle
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 recommends it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.