We all know that exercise is important, but who wants to hang out with a bunch of muscle-bound jocks at the gym or Stepford Wives at the yoga studio? Thankfully in the past few years a host of books, DVDs and studios have popped up that are geared toward rockers who feel out of place in traditional workout environments. Below are three products that every body-conscious rock fan should possess — unless you don’t mind having your vintage Les Paul overshadowed by your beer gut on-stage.
Punk Rock Yoga
If you think that the loud, aggressive sound of punk rock is the antithesis to the art of yoga, think again. Originally started in 2003 by Kimberlee Jensen Stedl “to scrub the rigidity out of yoga,” Punk Rock Yoga has grown into a bonafide movement with classes available in cities across the country and in Canada. Like punk music, punk rock Yoga essentially strips away the trendiness and exclusivity surrounding yoga culture and replaces it with a fresh do-it-yourself approach to this 6,000 year old art. That doesn’t mean that Punk Rock Yoga features stagedives or circle pits, it just means that the organization has liberated Yoga from elitists and forged a viable community of people who care about underground music as much as they do healthy bodies. Learn more about Punk Rock Yoga.
Punk Rock Aerobics
75 Killer Moves, 50 Punk Classics, And 25 Reasons To Get Off Your Ass And Exercise: If you like the Clash andhave been looking for a book that will motivate you to get off the couch then look no further than Punk Rock Aerobics. This isn’t your mother’s Step Aerobics and this book features exercise suggestions from Dinosaur Jr’s J. Mascis, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and K Records’ Calvin Johnson. Additionally this tome contains tons of easy exercise moves, photos, motivating question & answer columns and much more. The best part is that the book contains a discography that helps provide the soundtrack for an inspiring workout time after time. Can you say that about the Jane Fonda VHS tape that’s gathering dust in your basement? We didn’t think so. You can buy Punk Rock Aerobics here.
Pilates For Indie Rockers
Chaos, the same person who brought fitness freaks the Yoga For Indie Rockers DVD does one better wtih Pilates For Indie Rockers, a DVD that is guaranteed to improve your (hard)core. (Sorry.) But seriously, this certified yoga instructor and physical trainer takes you through the basics of Pilates in a 45-minute-long DVD that’s perfect for advanced Pilates students as well as beginners. The coolest part is that you’re in charge of the soundtrack and you can pick between three channels of music which feature bands like Dillinger Escape Plan, Criteria, Two Lone Swordsmen and Jet Lag Gemini. Or, you know, you can just throw in your favorite Ramones album and get pumped up — no matter what you’re guaranteed to have fun while you burn off those excess calories. Learn more about Pilates For Indie Rockers here.