Yoga Strength & Flexibility/Pilates as Strength Training?

LivyB14

The title says it all; does it count? I have a Yoga S&F DVD and it is HARD! I not a yoga expert or anything, but I can successfully get through a full body vinyasa and feel rejuvenated. However with the S&F, I have to stop a few times. With Pilates, aren't you using your own body as a weight, per se?


I understand that this may be an overly debated topic, but after reading a few other threads, I am left unsatisfied.

mfpcopine

The title says it all; does it count? I have a Yoga S&F DVD and it is HARD! I not a yoga expert or anything, but I can successfully get through a full body vinyasa and feel rejuvenated. However with the S&F, I have to stop a few times. With Pilates, aren't you using your own body as a weight, per se?


I understand that this may be an overly debated topic, but after reading a few other threads, I am left unsatisfied.

Yoga and Pilates are nice exercise systems, but if you want build muscle or become strong I would use weights, machines, or do body weight exercises such as push ups and dips.

meshashesha2012

depends on your strength to begin with.

if you can barely do girly pushups, then working up to chattarangas in yoga will help build muscle and get your stronger, but if you're well able tocrank out 100 military style push ups then those chattarangas arent going to help in building strength.

if you weigh 150 pounds and are able to squat 200 pounds, then body weight lunges and static lunges in yoga wont help you increase strength.

tinamina78

I think this article on Runners World (.com) is really interesting. I say yes. Here is the link & the article:

http://beginners.runnersworld.com/2009/04/do-yoga-and-pilates-count-as-strength-training.html

Do Yoga and Pilates Count as Strength Training?
April 6, 2009 4:05 pm

Do yoga and pilates count as strength training even though you can't "bulk up" with either of them? Sarah

Scott Murr replies:

Sarah, any exercise that challenges or overloads your muscles will help your muscles become stronger (notice I didn’t say “bigger”). I think that strength training is important for everyone. I like to think of myself as a fit person who runs, rather than a runner who is fit.

There is an endless approach to strengthening your muscles. Free weights, machines, body weight as resistance, medicine balls, etc. are all methods that people use to challenge, stress, overload their muscles.

I think the real key to improving your muscular strength is to overload your muscles. For example, if I do 10 push-ups every other day for 4 weeks, how many push-ups will I be able to do at the end of 4 weeks? The answer is 10.

The human body is amazingly adaptable. If you present the same challenge to you body, you body will eventually adapt. In order to continue to improve, it is important that you continue to increase or modify the challenge.

I think yoga, pilates, and core training are all valuable and important approaches toward being a well-balanced and fit person. Both yoga and pilates challenge your flexibility, balance, core fitness and strength; all of which are valuable to a runner.

So why is strength training important to a runner? When you become fatigued, your form deteriorates (poor running economy). It is not just because of tired legs, but it is also due to tired arms and a tired back and abdominals. Having a strong torso helps hold your form together in the latter stages of a workout or a race.

Strength training has many benefits for runners including the following:

Prevents the gradual loss of strength and bone mineral content that occurs naturally with aging.
Eliminates muscle imbalances between opposing muscles.
Improves running economy (one of the key determinants of running performance).
By improving running economy, a runner should be able to run faster over the same distance due to a decrease in oxygen consumption.
Improved running economy would also increase a runner’s time to exhaustion.
Improves running performance as a result of neuromuscular adaptations that ensures that muscle activation remains high during the duration of a workout or race. In one study, after ten weeks of resistance training, 10K times decreased by an average of a little over one minute.
Improves rapid force production when the foot is on the ground, reducing ground contact time and thereby ensuring a higher running speed.
The goal of strength training for runners is not necessarily adding muscle mass but…
1. Improving muscular strength,
2. Improving local muscular endurance,
3. Maintaining current muscle mass,
4. “Pre-hab” for injury prevention, and
5. Post-injury rehabilitation.

I think the real question is: Can yoga and/or pilates help accomplish these goals? I think the answer is “possibly.” The answer to this question is whether or not the yoga and pilates you are doing is progressive. Do the workouts gradually and progressively increase the challenge to your muscular fitness? If so, then you may be fine to continue with your current approach. However, if a progressive aspect is missing in your yoga/pilates workouts, then you may want to consider modifying your approach.

Here's an idea for your consideration: complete your yoga/pilates workouts as normal and add one day of a more traditional strength training program. The combination and variety may be just what your muscles need.

LivyB14

I think this article on Runners World (.com) is really interesting. I say yes. Here is the link & the article:

http://beginners.runnersworld.com/2009/04/do-yoga-and-pilates-count-as-strength-training.html

Do Yoga and Pilates Count as Strength Training?
April 6, 2009 4:05 pm

Do yoga and pilates count as strength training even though you can't "bulk up" with either of them? Sarah

Scott Murr replies:

Sarah, any exercise that challenges or overloads your muscles will help your muscles become stronger (notice I didn’t say “bigger”). I think that strength training is important for everyone. I like to think of myself as a fit person who runs, rather than a runner who is fit.

There is an endless approach to strengthening your muscles. Free weights, machines, body weight as resistance, medicine balls, etc. are all methods that people use to challenge, stress, overload their muscles.

I think the real key to improving your muscular strength is to overload your muscles. For example, if I do 10 push-ups every other day for 4 weeks, how many push-ups will I be able to do at the end of 4 weeks? The answer is 10.

The human body is amazingly adaptable. If you present the same challenge to you body, you body will eventually adapt. In order to continue to improve, it is important that you continue to increase or modify the challenge.

I think yoga, pilates, and core training are all valuable and important approaches toward being a well-balanced and fit person. Both yoga and pilates challenge your flexibility, balance, core fitness and strength; all of which are valuable to a runner.

So why is strength training important to a runner? When you become fatigued, your form deteriorates (poor running economy). It is not just because of tired legs, but it is also due to tired arms and a tired back and abdominals. Having a strong torso helps hold your form together in the latter stages of a workout or a race.

Strength training has many benefits for runners including the following:

Prevents the gradual loss of strength and bone mineral content that occurs naturally with aging.
Eliminates muscle imbalances between opposing muscles.
Improves running economy (one of the key determinants of running performance).
By improving running economy, a runner should be able to run faster over the same distance due to a decrease in oxygen consumption.
Improved running economy would also increase a runner’s time to exhaustion.
Improves running performance as a result of neuromuscular adaptations that ensures that muscle activation remains high during the duration of a workout or race. In one study, after ten weeks of resistance training, 10K times decreased by an average of a little over one minute.
Improves rapid force production when the foot is on the ground, reducing ground contact time and thereby ensuring a higher running speed.
The goal of strength training for runners is not necessarily adding muscle mass but…
1. Improving muscular strength,
2. Improving local muscular endurance,
3. Maintaining current muscle mass,
4. “Pre-hab” for injury prevention, and
5. Post-injury rehabilitation.

I think the real question is: Can yoga and/or pilates help accomplish these goals? I think the answer is “possibly.” The answer to this question is whether or not the yoga and pilates you are doing is progressive. Do the workouts gradually and progressively increase the challenge to your muscular fitness? If so, then you may be fine to continue with your current approach. However, if a progressive aspect is missing in your yoga/pilates workouts, then you may want to consider modifying your approach.

Here's an idea for your consideration: complete your yoga/pilates workouts as normal and add one day of a more traditional strength training program. The combination and variety may be just what your muscles need.

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thanks to everyone who replied!!