Broga comes to Utah State
At the start of this semester the Aggie Recreation Center (ARC) launched one of its most original fitness classes: Broga.
According to the official website for Broga, “Broga is a yoga class geared for men, where it’s okay if you can’t touch your toes.”
Michelle Leachmen, the fitness coordinator at Utah State’s ARC, said she brought Broga to USU because she didn’t see many men show up for the group fitness classes.
“Our idea is to get males into the yoga setting because yoga is so therapeutic, and it’s so necessary for everything from muscle recovery to strengthening,” Leachmen said.
Are the traditional yoga names changed to fit a more masculine audience?
“Unfortunately not, they’re all familiar names. We keep a lizard as a lizard. We keep a ‘happy baby,’ as awkward as that one is for males or even females, a ‘happy baby,’” Leachmen said.
In traditional yoga, Leachman said, different parts of the male body are overworked and under stretched. Broga is focused more on lengthening out those different areas that a lot of powerlifters like to work out: the biceps, the triceps, the back and the lower extremities.
“It’s very therapeutic and very strengthening for the upper body — dealing with the pecs and dealing with shoulder mobility,” she said. “Whereas, when it digs into the lower extremities, you see a lot of hamstring, groin and quad control.”
Leachmen said the class is open to both girls and guys.
Class sizes are small, which Nicole Mastroluca, the Broga instructor, likes because it allows her to tailor the routines more to the needs and abilities of her students. She encourages all of the participants to speak with her after class with suggestions and requests.
Mastroluca says she likes the inclusive environment of Broga.
“A lot of people turn away from yoga because it’s so flexibility based. Especially guys often feel like ‘I’m not flexible, I’m not going to do yoga,’ or that it is girl-dominated.”
Mastroluca said there is no specific body type that Broga caters to. She invites all to participate.
“Everyone should give it a try,” she said. “I think it’s a great supplement to your daily workouts, whether you’re a weight trainer, a cycler, or you’re into sports, on the football team or the basketball team. I think yoga itself has a lot to offer, and I think the non-judgemental, different focus of Broga is more inviting and welcoming to all people. I think it can add a lot to your fitness lifestyle that you don’t typically get in other workouts.”
The results of Broga are evident in other forms of physical activity.
Ryan Garcia, a current Broga student, said, “Just going in and squatting on a squat rack, my hips feel so much better. It feels like my body actually wants to continue the movement. I actually feel a bit stronger because I can do the movement correctly.”
Ryan says that his Broga instructor’s theme is, “You’re in there trying to nurture your body.”
Broga is held every Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:20 p.m. in the Aggie Recreation Center.