Is hot yoga a good workout? Yes, for most healthy adults the hot yoga workout is a real workout. A University of Wisconsin study found a 90-minute hot class burned about 333 calories for women and 460 for men, at roughly 80% of maximum heart rate. A hot yoga workout builds stamina and flexibility together, though it isn’t a replacement for every kind of training.
That answer comes with a catch, and the catch is the point of this article. A single class and a full week of classes are different things, much like one jog and a marathon block. At YogaFX in Bali, Mr Ian Terry watches trainees take six hot days in a row. What the body does across those days tells you more about the hot yoga workout than any one-off class can.
Is hot yoga a good workout? What the research says about the hot yoga workout
Start with the hot yoga workout numbers that are least likely to be argued about: energy and heart rate. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin measured people in a standard 90-minute Bikram class (Porcari and colleagues, 2014). They reported 333 calories for women and 460 for men, at about 80% of maximum heart rate. We can’t link the paper because the host site blocks automated checks, so please search the title yourself.
Those figures put a hot yoga workout in the same range as a brisk jog or a steady bike ride of similar length. That is a useful comparison, but it isn’t a promise about your body. Your size, your fitness and the room all change the result. Treat the numbers as a fair average, not a target. That’s the right way to read any hot yoga workout data.
Strength is the second question people ask about the hot yoga workout. A 2013 study by Tracy and Hart reported a 20% increase in posterior chain strength after Bikram practice, along with gains in flexibility and body composition. A 2025 review by Willmott and colleagues pooled 43 studies and 942 participants. It reported benefits for flexibility, bone density and well-being, with the usual caveat that study quality varies.
Johns Hopkins gives a plain-language summary of yoga as exercise too. In a podcast on yoga as exercise, its exercise physiologist says yoga addresses both strength and flexibility, and improves balance over time. It adds that the stress relief supports all-over health. None of this is medical advice, and it isn’t specific to heated rooms.
Hot yoga as a full body workout
People often ask whether the hot yoga workout reaches the whole body. The honest answer is that it covers a lot, in a particular way. The 26 postures take your spine, hips, shoulders, legs and core through a set order, and most are held for a fixed time.
- Legs and hips: standing postures hold the quads, glutes and calves under load for long stretches.
- Spine and back: backbends and forward folds work the muscles along the spine in both directions.
- Shoulders and arms: postures that raise the arms for many breaths build endurance in the shoulders.
- Core: balance work and twisting keep the trunk switched on throughout the class.
- Heart and lungs: the heat and the pace keep your heart rate elevated for most of the 90 minutes.
What the hot yoga workout doesn’t do is heavy lifting. If you want to add maximum strength, you’ll need weights as well. If you want flexibility, balance and steady cardio in one hour, a hot yoga workout is a sound option. That is why runners, lifters and swimmers often add it as a second sport.
There is also a skill side. The class follows a scripted dialogue, with no music and no demonstration, so you learn to listen to cues. Many students say that listening is the hardest part of the first week.
What six days of hot yoga workout ask of your body
Most articles about the hot yoga workout describe one class. Our trainees take six days of hot classes in a hybrid format, with an online pre-course first and an intensive in Bali. Guests check in on Sunday and check out on Friday. That rhythm gives us a window on how bodies cope when the load stacks up.
Here is the arithmetic. If you took one Porcari-style class a day for six days, the energy figures add up to about 1,998 calories for a woman and 2,760 for a man. That is an illustration, not a measurement of our training, because real days vary. It does show why a first-time trainee feels hungry and tired by Wednesday.
| Measure | Women | Men | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories, one 90-minute class | 333 | 460 | Porcari et al., 2014 |
| Calories, six classes (one a day) | about 1,998 | about 2,760 | Simple multiplication |
| Average heart rate, one class | about 80% of max | about 80% of max | Porcari et al., 2014 |
| Room conditions | 40°C, 40% humidity | 40°C, 40% humidity | YogaFX class standards |
Notice what the table can’t tell you: how recovery works. Heart rate, sleep, food and water all change by day three. That’s why the best advice in week one is boring. Eat enough, drink steadily, sleep early and don’t compare yourself with the person on the next towel.
Day by day: what trainees tell us
Day one of the hot yoga workout is novelty. The heat feels dramatic, and people overreach. Day two is often the hardest, because muscles are sore and the postures are no longer new. By day three most trainees have found a pace they can keep.
Days four and five are where the stacking effect shows. Strength feels better, balance steadies and the mind quiets down. Day six carries a different feeling. People are tired, but they are also proud.
This six days yoga journey was very challenging and deeply rewarding. We all became physically stronger and mentally and spiritually. (Condensed from the video transcript.)
Olga, YouTube review, 2025
Her words match what we hear most. The week is hard, and it’s also rewarding. One does not cancel the other. A second graduate said something similar in a different register.
Thank you for teaching me to keep calm and get full into this movement. What I loved most about you is pushing me beyond my limits. (Condensed from the video transcript.)
Erinc, YouTube review, 2019
How to make a hot yoga workout work for you
Whether you try one class or a full week, a few habits decide how good the hot yoga workout feels. They are simple, and they work for most healthy adults.
- Hydrate before you arrive. Start the day with water, not just during class.
- Eat light, early. A heavy meal an hour before class makes the first backbend miserable.
- Rest on purpose. Plan one easy evening between hard days if you can.
- Back off when you need to. Sitting out a posture is normal and wise.
- Cool down slowly. Don’t jump into cold water straight after class.
Notice that none of these are tricks. Most new students lose the benefit of a good workout by skipping the basics. A teacher who watches the room can improve your hot yoga workout, which is why good teachers learn to read faces as well as postures.
Myths about the hot yoga workout
A few ideas about the hot yoga workout keep circulating, so let’s deal with them. The first myth is that more sweat means a better session. Sweat is your body’s cooling system at work, and it varies by person. It tells you little about how hard you worked.
The second myth is that the heat makes you more flexible in a safe way. Warm muscles do stretch more easily, which can tempt people to go deeper than their joints are ready for. A hot yoga workout rewards control, not depth. The posture is the tool, not the goal.
The third myth is that you must be fit before you start. You don’t. You must be honest about where you are. Plenty of our trainees arrive stiff, nervous and out of practice. Most manage the week because the teaching pace is steady and sitting out is always allowed.
Finally, some people say hot yoga is only for the young. The research we cited did not test only young people, and our own graduates range widely in age. What matters is your health on the day, which is why a short chat with a doctor is sensible for anyone with a condition.
A gentle first-week plan for a hot yoga workout
If you’re new, don’t copy a trainee’s six-day schedule. Build up. Here is a simple plan that suits most healthy adults who want to try a hot yoga workout without burning out.
- Week one: two classes. Stay near the back, rest often and focus on breathing.
- Week two: three classes with a rest day between each. Try holding postures a little longer.
- Week three: three or four classes. Notice which postures feel steadier than before.
- Week four: review. Ask yourself whether your sleep, mood and energy have changed.
After a month you’ll know whether the hot yoga workout suits you. If it does, you can increase gradually. If it doesn’t, you’ve lost nothing, and a different style may fit better. Either result is useful, because you’ve learned it from your own body rather than an article.
Who should be careful before a hot class
Any hot yoga workout changes the demands on your heart and your body’s cooling system. If you have heart disease, high or low blood pressure, are pregnant, take medication that affects hydration, or feel unwell, speak to a healthcare professional first. A good studio will also ask about this at intake.
Warning signs in class are plain: dizziness, nausea, chest pain, blurred vision or a pounding head. If any of them show up, stop, sit or lie down, drink water and tell the teacher. Powering through is never the goal.
Men, women and older students can all do hot yoga with sensible pacing. If you’d like to read how it feels for men specifically, see our guides on whether hot yoga is harder for men and whether men can do hot yoga. They cover the same class from a different angle.
Hot yoga workout versus other workouts
A fair comparison helps, and a few honest limits belong in it. Nobody should sell a hot yoga workout as magic. It’s a well-structured session with real effects and real limits, and we’d rather describe both than oversell.
The hot yoga workout isn’t better or worse than running, lifting or swimming. It’s different. It offers moderate-to-high heart rate, long holds, flexibility and a calm mind in one session. It doesn’t offer heavy loading or sport-specific speed.
Many of our trainees come from other sports. Runners say the hips open up. Lifters say their posture improves and the lower back feels less tight. Swimmers say they breathe better. Those are stories, not trial results, but they match the direction of the research above.
If you’re deciding where hot yoga fits, ask what you want from your week. If the answer is a steady, full body session that also calms your head, the hot yoga workout is a strong candidate. If the answer is a bigger squat, keep lifting and add hot yoga once or twice for balance.
When the hot yoga workout becomes a training course
Some students try a hot yoga workout a few times, then ask what it would take to teach. That is how many of our graduates began. The 6-day MasterClass is a hybrid course with an online pre-course and a Bali intensive. The next batch checks in on Sunday 24 January 2027 and checks out on Friday 29 January 2027 at the Soham Wellness Center in Seminyak.
The course leads to Yoga Alliance RYT 200-Hour and the Bikram Hot 26&2 200-Hour International Yoga Certification. If you want to know how the online and in-person halves fit together, read our guide to hybrid yoga teacher training in Bali. For what a normal practice day looks like, see teaching practice day.
Mr Ian Terry holds E-RYT 500 and has more than 12,000 teaching hours. YogaFX has trained more than 1,500 graduates from over 80 countries since 2017. We say this not to boast, but so you know who is watching your body in week one.
Disclaimer: this article is general information and not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any heated exercise, especially if you have a medical condition.
FAQ: common questions about this topic
Is hot yoga a good workout for weight loss?
It can help, because a 90-minute class burned about 333 calories for women and 460 for men in one University of Wisconsin study. Weight change depends on food, sleep and consistency too. Treat hot yoga as one part of a plan, and speak to a healthcare professional about your goals.
Is Bikram yoga a good workout compared with running?
They suit different goals. A Bikram class reached about 80% of maximum heart rate in the Wisconsin study, which is comparable to a brisk run, but it adds flexibility and balance. Running builds speed and impact fitness. Many people combine both for a rounder week.
Is the hot yoga workout a full body workout?
Mostly yes. The 26 postures work the legs, hips, spine, shoulders and core in a set order, and the heat keeps your heart rate up. It doesn’t replace heavy strength training, so add weights if maximum strength is your goal and your doctor agrees.
How good of a workout is hot yoga for beginners?
A hot yoga workout can be a solid first workout if you pace yourself. Beginners often find the first class hard because of the heat, so start with fewer postures, rest when needed and hydrate well. A healthcare professional can advise you if you have any condition.
How many days in a row can you do hot yoga?
Healthy trainees in our programme take six days in a row, with food, water and rest managed carefully. That is a supervised course, not a rule for everyone. If you’re new, start with two or three classes a week and build up.
Curious about a week of hot classes with Mr Ian? Ask the team about the next batch. WhatsApp to Enrol
