Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Dean Pohlman
Yoga for Athletes, Accessibility, and the Evolution of the Practice

Dean Pohlman has made a name for himself as the go-to internet yoga instructor for men and those interested in improving their fitness with yoga. His first internationally published book, Yoga Fitness for Men, was published in 2018 and has since been translated into French, German, and Mandarin. His second book, Yoga for Athletes, was internationally published in December 2021. His DVD series, Body By Yoga, includes multiple top-10 best-selling programs made for all fitness levels, and his website, manflowyoga.com, is one of the most popular resources on the internet for on-demand fitness-centric yoga workouts and programs.

He has worked with physical therapists to create yoga programs for back health and spinal recovery. A former collegiate lacrosse player, his workouts and programs have been used by professional and collegiate athletes, athletic trainers, and personal trainers; and have been recommended by physical therapists, doctors, chiropractors, and other medical professionals; and his work has been featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Mens’ Health, The Chicago Sun, New York Magazine, and many more major news media outlets.

Dean is an E-RYT 200 certified yoga instructor. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Marisa, their son Declan, and their 2 dogs, Flowtron and Kaya.

For more info about Dean, visit his website and follow him on Instagram and FaceBook.

Books, Gurus, and Dexter Scenes mentioned in the episode: 

04:30  Dean and Kelly first met at a conference where they were basically having a Pigeon-off in the back of the room
05:55  Dean is currently promoting his new book, Yoga for Athletes, for which Kelly wrote the foreword
06:50  One of the original inspirations for Yoga for Athletes was that Dean himself was an athlete that stumbled into a yoga class which revealed some major deficiencies and weaknesses
08:25  A big focus of the book is to identify common challenges that athletes have and then giving solutions in the form of poses and quick 10-minute routines
08:40  The Starretts are huge fans of yoga
09:30  “Test your fitness in someone else’s swimming pool” -Kelly Starrett; Connor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather
10:30  Dean describes his first yoga class, which was Bikram
11:15  Yoga really tested Dean with isometrics, breathing, and pushing deep into range-of-motion and mobility
12:48  Dean’s mission is to make yoga more accessible to people not familiar with the practice, but why men in particular?
18:05  The BASL intro talks about Kelly going into a yoga class
18:30  Things are starting to change – in the S&C world, athletes are now using many movement modalities as part of training, and in the yoga world there has also been a shift away from the guru mentality and yoga athletes are doing strength and conditioning
20:27  Dean’s awkward yoga story
22:43  Yoga for Athletes breaks down yoga into 10 minute chunks which is accessible and yet still makes a noticeable improvement
26:20  The 10 minute routines are categorized as cooldowns, warmups, or stand alone workouts
27:05  Dean’s 7-day workout schedule
30:05  Defining yoga
33:02  B.K.S. Iyengar
34:54  “The goal is not to mirror what I’m doing, the goal is to feel the posture as it applies to your body” – Dean Pohlman
40:19  The Dexter yoga scene
41:40  The world has changed pretty significantly in the last decade – when SFCF opened, you couldn’t buy a kettlebell in the city of San Francisco, now you can buy one at Target; Joseph Pilates
42:45  The Science of Yoga, by William J. Broad
44:42  Do you have to have a teacher?
46:13  Dean’s socials

Full Transcript

Sponsors

This episode of The Ready State Podcast is sponsored by LMNT, our favorite electrolyte drink mix. It was created based on a science-backed electrolyte ratio, with no sugar, no coloring, no artificial ingredients, or any other junk. Everyone needs electrolytes, but if you’re an active person and/or on a low-carb diet, you really need electrolytes to feel and perform your best. We drink LMNT every single day and it is our go-to drink for mountain biking. For more info and to get a free sample pack (just pay shipping), click HERE!