You might have heard of the new workout created by former wrestler Diamond Dallas Page called DDP Yoga and are wondering if you should dedicate your time and money to trying it for yourself. I personally practiced DDP Yoga for the first year of my yoga journey and had amazing and lasting results that I attribute mainly to DDP Yoga. But does DDP Yoga really work? And will it work for you?
Not The Yoga You Expect
When I went to my first DDP Yoga class I had never heard of DDP Yoga before and had no idea how it was different from traditional yoga. Some instructors will tell you that it is not yoga, it is a workout designed to get men to take yoga that also caters to injuries.
The reason some say DDP Yoga was designed to get men to take yoga is because when men first think of yoga they think of relaxing, easy stretching and not really a physically demanding workout. DDP Yoga is the opposite of relaxing as you have an instructor whose background is most likely going to be fitness training and they are going to test your limits physically. If you are still not convinced that men can do yoga, check out my take on the matter here.
The foundation of DDP Yoga has four parts and I am going to break down each part individually to help you determine if DDP Yoga will really work for you.
1. Traditional Yoga
DDP Yoga incorporates many of the same postures that you will find in traditional yoga but has given them slightly different names. For example, in traditional yoga there is a posture called the ‘Warrior’ but in DDP Yoga the same posture is called ‘Road Warrior’. ‘Child’s Pose’ in traditional Yoga is called ‘Safety Zone’ in DDP Yoga (you’ll come to love safety zone the most).
Even though the names might have changed in order to appeal to a different audience than traditional yoga, the intensity and postures themselves are still the same. I have since furthered my yoga practice into a different variation of yoga but I still apply the fundamentals that I learned in DDP Yoga even when I’m not specifically doing a DDP Yoga workout.
Also, DDP Yoga does not expect you to have any prior yoga experience. Every posture is explained and there are multiple variations of each pose that can be done so no matter what level you are at, there is something for you. Whether you’re a complete beginner, young, old, or anywhere in between, DDP Yoga can be done by anyone.
2. Dynamic Resistance
In order to really make DDP Yoga work for you it is all about using dynamic resistance during the workout. Dynamic resistance is basically keeping every muscle in your body as tight and flexed as you can throughout the entire workout.
The best way to describe how your body should feel when you are moving through the postures and exercises is as if you were trying to move through quick sand. Every muscle in your body should be flexed from your fingers, arms, glutes, legs…everything.
If you’ve ever watched a body builder contest then you will see that they are using dynamic resistance while posing for the judges due to the amount of heat it creates.
When you are flexing every muscle in your body while also doing yoga your body will begin to heat up from the inside and your heart rate will increase drastically. If you wear a heart rate monitor during class you will see that you are officially doing cardio without moving from your mat (but you won’t need a heart rate monitor to see the vast amounts of sweat pouring from your body).
Since I was doing DDP Yoga for so long it became second nature for me to flex my muscles throughout my practice which has led to a drastic increase in muscle definition. I still use dynamic resistance today in my practice even though I’m not doing a workout specifically designed for DDP Yoga and will continue to use it because it allows me to heat up and really loosen my muscles.
3. Traditional Fitness
One of the key differences of DDP Yoga is that it adds traditional fitness exercises in with the yoga postures such as fast and slow push-ups, mountain climbers, rows, curls, punches, and more. Since every muscle in your body is flexed due to dynamic resistance and you are including traditional fitness exercises to the workout, the amount of heat that is produced in your body is amazing.
Even though your heart rate is already highly elevated, adding traditional fitness exercises to the mix forces you to focus on your breathing so you are able to maintain a steady heart rate. If you are able to really focus on your breath and keep it under control during the intense cardio that you are doing, your stamina will increase drastically and you will eventually be taking fewer and fewer breaks.
As long as you stick with it, overtime you will be able to maintain your steady breathing all while your heart rate is through the roof.
4. Sports Therapy
I didn’t realize how much my body had deteriorated until I started practicing DDP Yoga. I have had chronic lower back pain since I was 15 so I was really hoping that yoga would be able to help me get rid of some of that pain. Since DDP Yoga was created by a former professional wrestler who needed a way to workout while also catering to his injuries from wrestling, I couldn’t have asked for anything better than DDP Yoga for my body.
Amazingly enough, my DDP Yoga instructor was also a massage therapist who suffered from lower back pain just like me. With his help and sticking with my DDP Yoga practice I was really able to dig deep within my body to start releasing the tension that was causing me so much pain.
DDP Yoga focuses heavily on static poses that really allow your body to heat up and build strength from the inside. You might be holding one posture for over a minute and your body is begging you to come out of it but the longer you are able to push through the better your results will be.
One of the most important things to remember is to check your ego at the door with DDP Yoga. If something doesn’t feel right in your body then listen to it. The only way your body is going to heal is if you give it the time it needs to work out all of the aches and pains that have built up over the years. Naturally letting your body move the way it wants to move during the workouts will allow it to heal much faster than pushing yourself too hard and getting injured.
Not Intended To Clear Your Mind
So now you should have a little bit of a better understanding of what you should expect to be doing if you decide to start practicing DDP Yoga. If you are looking for a way to burn fat, lose weight, increase your cardiovascular health, and increase muscle definition and stamina then you might want to give DDP Yoga a try.
However, if you are looking for a yoga practice that is going to help you clear your mind, DDP Yoga is not that practice. The workouts resemble more of a traditional exercise class where you have a trainer that is going to push you. DDP Yoga is not for those looking to have a meditative experience during their practice.
Does DDP Yoga Really Work?
So does DDP Yoga really work? If you’re goal is to get in amazing shape without worrying about the calming effect that other types of yoga can offer, then I would say go for it.
I have since moved on from my DDP Yoga practice because I was looking for something that would help me clear my mind as well as shape my body. No matter what yoga practice you decide to do as long as you commit to it and stick with it overtime you will find relief.
Stick With It!
I find the kind of post like yours the most amazing for me to discover on internet.
I didn’t know about DDP, so after reading your post a went to sneak a bit around.
Impressive, the marketing, the results, the concept.
Most of it, the changing it deliver to people with real will power.
I will definitely dig more on it.
Thanks a lot
Hi Andrea!
I’m glad you enjoyed my post about DDP Yoga! It really is life changing if you are able to stick with it and really want to change your life for the better.
Thanks!
Wow! What great insight on DDP Yoga. I love yoga, and in the past I did it a lot as part of my exercise routine. I must confess I don’t do it as much anymore, but recently I was talking to my daughter about getting back into Yoga. It is great to know that DDP offers more benefits than just relaxation. It is also good to know that they use normal yoga poses (I hope I am right about this). Your website is beautiful, wonderful graphics and tons or information. Will definitely be back.
Thanks for the comment!
DDP Yoga is definitely not the regular yoga class that you would walk into. The poses are the same shape as traditional yoga but they are just called different names so they appeal to a wider audience than the usual yoga community. I hope you are able to find some time to get back into your yoga practice!
OK, TRUTH be told I didn’t and couldn’t read all of this but the more i read the more taken I became with this concept…I WANT TO BE APART OF THIS FE NOMINAL exercise program. I hope others reading this would do more then give it some thought.
However as a christian I have one discrepancy yoga is known the world over to be the worship of the sun and as Christians we don’t worship more then one God. How is this form of exercise mediation different from the original Yoga.
I have a Hindu friend a pharmacist who was more then willing to teach me these meditation techniques but I changed my mind. After considering the fact.
Is it possible though to practice Yoga without the sun salutes?
My job can be a bit stressful at times and for this reason I was considering it. We’ve been out of constant contact or my question would be answered but seeing as you are a specialist in the same field so to speak would you and or anyone else consider answering my question.
My last child is ten and I owe it to my body to flatten and tighten up in a positive environment, (mind body and soul).
Hello and thanks for your comment!
It is true that yoga has its origins in Hinduism and Buddhism but just like most everything else that Western culture takes from ancient practices, Western yoga has changed drastically.
Now, if you take a traditional yoga class you will be doing the movement which resembles a sun salutation but the original meaning and philosophy from ancient times has lost most of what we are doing today.
With DDP Yoga, most of the same movements are being done but they are called different names to appeal to a wider audience. For example, a traditional sun salutation would include ‘Mountain Pose’ but in DDP Yoga it is more geared towards sports and sports therapy so the same movement is called ‘Touchdown’. Same idea with Crescent Pose in traditional yoga has been renamed to Lunging Touchdown in DDP Yoga.
So although the movements are still the same and the benefits that you will be getting from the movements are the same, the idea and purpose behind the practice has changed from what it originally started as.
Practicing yoga, even if it’s just for a quick 10-15 minutes, will increase your mood drastically and your stress levels will decrease automatically. Since you are moving your body and tightening your muscles in such a way that causes your heart rate to increase and your blood to flow faster, the health benefits from even just a short session are still there.
I hope you decide to give yoga a try and let me know if you have any questions along the way and I’d be happy to help!
Stick with it!
Hello,I think you did a good job with your website. I like the food for thought section. I like the different yoga mats you posted. I would just suggest you add some color to your background on your front page. Also do you plan on putting more content about Yoga?
Hi Valerie!
Thanks for the feedback! I am definitely going to be posting more content about yoga and how it can positively change your life. Keep checking back for more info!
What’s up, yup this article is really pleasant and I have learned lot of things from it
I found this great! I am deciding if I should do this program or another. I have been in and out of lifting weights but always end up hurting my back and my hamstrings are super tight no matter how much I stretch. I was thinking yoga would help with these. Any thoughts to help me?!