- UFC fighter Dustin Poirier said he makes time for weekly yoga to keep his muscles loose.
- Poirier said yoga poses are tough even for him, challenging flexibility and core strength.
MMA pro Dustin Poirier, a veteran of more than 30 fights in the UFC, is no stranger to trading brutal blows and hard takedowns in the octagon.
But what really pushes him to the limit is a good yoga class, Poirer said.
"I don't think it surprises people that I do yoga, I think it surprises the moms and older ladies in the room who are doing the poses with ease and I'm struggling and dying," he told Insider in an interview coordinated by his partnership with energy drink brand Celsius.
The former interim lightweight champion said he often does yoga in the mornings before the rest of his training, and tries to find time for it at least once a week to keep his body flexible and durable.
"A long muscle is a strong muscle, and that's injury prevention as well. It helps keep my muscles and joints loose," Poirier said.
Yoga is great for working on flexibility, balance, and strength, especially for the core and other stabilizing muscles, he added.
"A lot of positions are very hard. My body is strong but positioning my body in some of the weird ways that yoga puts you — I don't know, maybe those muscles just haven't been worked," Poirier said.
Going from a jiu jitsu mat to a yoga mat is part of what Poirier said is his overall philosophy as an athlete of trying to constantly improve and challenge himself.
"If somebody thinks yoga isn't tough, go do a real yoga session," Poirier said.
To improve your fitness, aim to learn new things and improve a little at a time
Poirier said he took his first yoga class more than 10 years ago, and has tried to make time for it ever since. Learning new things and incorporating them into his routine is part of his "keep grinding" approach to the complex sport of mixed martial arts that helped him achieve the success he's had today.
"Just keep grinding, because it'll pay off," he said. "It wasn't done overnight. It's an evolution that never stops."
His best advice to aspiring athletes, in MMA or otherwise, is to continue learning from every opportunity.
"Be a student. Never act like you know more than anyone. If I remain in the student mindframe I can always learn from everyone," Poirier said. "There are a million ways to make different techniques work so I ask questions. When you lose that, that's when everything starts to crumble."
To stay on top in the UFC, Poirier said it's important to excel at every aspect of martial arts, training to build endurance, strength, and speed with skills like striking and grappling.
Poirier said his strenuous routine is fueled by Celsius products, which he was a fan of before he started an official partnership with the brand.
"For me, the caffeine they have in Celsius is the perfect amount. I don't get jittery," he said. "It's a little boost in the morning, before a meeting, between training sessions. I use it all the time."
A philosophy of working hard and learning new things helps him stay ready for the inevitable surprises that come from professional combat sports, Poirier said.
"It's the theater of the unknown, even if you outwork them, you're rolling the dice every time you get in there and I think that's why we love the sport so much," he said. "Anything could happen at any moment."