Why Lifters and Runners Are Flocking to This One Sweat-Inducing Class to Fix Their Posture and Flexibility
Over the past few years, there's been a subtle shift in the fitness space, with more people placing greater focus on functional fitness, mobility, and longevity over just building big muscles and chasing aesthetics. Few trends illustrate that change better than yoga's rise in popularity, specifically for men. According to ClassPass's 2025 Look Back Report, yoga was the second most-booked workout on the platform globally last year, with bookings increasing 28 percent year-over-year. Within that trend, heat-based classes are an even bigger hit, with attendance for hot fitness classes rising more than 39 percent year-over-year.
"Historically, we've associated men's boutique fitness with strength training and HIIT, while yoga and Pilates have often been marketed more toward women," says Jeff Bladt, Playlist's SVP of Marketplace. "Now, that perception is evolving. I think more men are recognizing that mobility, recovery, and functional movement are key to building a stronger routine."
Such a shift is evident in formats such as CorePower Yoga's Hot Power Fusion, a heated class that blends yoga-based movement, mobility work, and athletic sequencing. Participation in the respective format increased by more than 19 percent in 2025 compared to 2024. And for men who lift weights, run, cycle, or regularly engage in high-intensity workouts, classes like these can help round out a training program for a more complete fitness foundation.
Part of the appeal for men is how intense, heated yoga feels. Elevated temperatures create a sweat-inducing environment that can make the experience feel more familiar to people who only think their workouts count if they're sweating buckets.
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"I think heat is a gateway into yoga for a lot of men. The Power Fusion format feels athletic: they're sweating, moving through strong sequencing, and feeling that measurable effort. It helps strip away some of the hesitation men may have historically had about walking into a yoga studio," Bladt adds.
For years, many men have fallen guilty of waving off yoga as nothing more than glorified stretching. But that perception has gradually changed as more athletes and recreational exercisers discover the performance benefits it can offer. Beyond flexibility, yoga can improve mobility, balance, stability, and body awareness, which help support better movement patterns and can reduce physical limitations in daily life.
"We hear from many of our students that yoga gives them a way to balance high-intensity training with more intentional recovery so they can continue performing at a high level without feeling like they constantly have to push harder," says Heather Peterson, Head of Yoga for CorePower Yoga. "One of the biggest surprises they describe is that heated formats like Hot Power Fusion are incredibly challenging in their own right while also leaving them feeling more restored, mentally clear, and better able to sustain the activities they enjoy long term."
Rather than giving up on their typical training to become a full-time yogi, classes like Hot Power Fusion are designed to complement an existing routine. After years of focusing on lifting heavier, running farther, or training harder, many realize that things like mobility, balance, posture, and stress management have fallen by the wayside, when these very qualities are what help support long-term performance. Heated formats can help address those gaps, while still delivering a physically demanding workout.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fitness section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 10:26 AM.