Yoga: strength or cardio?

lisabert
lisabert Posts: 12 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi - MFP lists yoga as a cardio exercise. Funny, it feels more like strength-building to me. Thoughts please and thanks.

Replies

  • sasfitter
    sasfitter Posts: 4 Member
    I think it depends on the type of Yoga you do. I attend Bikram Hot Yoga and I would classify it as both Cardio and Strength. I can get my HR up quite high during some of the poses, and I use a lot of my strength holding some of the poses. However I too found it strange that they classified it as cardio, I thought I should have found it under Strength in this database.

    Not answering your question, but just adding my 2 cents :)
  • lisabert
    lisabert Posts: 12 Member
    That's helpful - thanks so much for taking the time to reply.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").
  • JamesBurkes
    JamesBurkes Posts: 382 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").

    I'm not sure I agree - I wore my HRM for some power yoga last night and my average heart rate was 67% of my max and it spiked at 80% of my max at times. That was consistent work, with no breaks (as in weight training) over 65 minutes. That certainly seems like cardio to me. Not very high intensity maybe, but certainly up there with a brisk walk.
  • Stacyanne324
    Stacyanne324 Posts: 780 Member
    I log it as Cardio because I don't think Strength counts the calories.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").

    I'm not sure I agree - I wore my HRM for some power yoga last night and my average heart rate was 67% of my max and it spiked at 80% of my max at times. That was consistent work, with no breaks (as in weight training) over 65 minutes. That certainly seems like cardio to me. Not very high intensity maybe, but certainly up there with a brisk walk.

    I decided not to go into detail, being reasonably sure that someone would bring this up and I would be able to address it separately.

    I am aware that there are some hybrid, "yogaesque" types of classes out there that are structured in such a way that they try to enhance the cardiovascular component. What you are describing might be such an entity (can't say for sure since I don't know how the class is choreographed). In any case, at that point, it is no longer traditional yoga, but something different (which is absolutely not meant as a negative comment about the class).

    My statement was aimed at traditional yoga exercises.
  • hefd
    hefd Posts: 1 Member
    Maybe yoga should be a third category on MFP. I've often pondered your same question. Thanks for posting!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,045 Member
    I think it depends on the type of Yoga you do. I attend Bikram Hot Yoga and I would classify it as both Cardio and Strength. I can get my HR up quite high during some of the poses, and I use a lot of my strength holding some of the poses. However I too found it strange that they classified it as cardio, I thought I should have found it under Strength in this database.

    Not answering your question, but just adding my 2 cents :)
    Bikram Hot Yoga is still strength and not cardio. While you heart rate goes up, it's due to anaerobic exercise and not aerobic exercise. Higher heart rates during anaerobic exercise don't burn as many calories as aerobic exercise at the same heart rate.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    The increase in HR achieved during Bikram (hot) Yoga (over other types of yoga) is due primarily to thermal stress--it has little or nothing to do with the exercise at all.
  • kmeekhof
    kmeekhof Posts: 456 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").

    It absolutely can be considered cardio.....and how is it not strength? Just because you're not lifting weights doesnt meant its not strength.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,045 Member
    The increase in HR achieved during Bikram (hot) Yoga (over other types of yoga) is due primarily to thermal stress--it has little or nothing to do with the exercise at all.
    I agree here.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • blondishandbookish
    blondishandbookish Posts: 31
    I was told by one instructor that yoga could be cardio or strength in that some of the poses can be done for cardio e.g sun salutation repeated fast several times while other poses could focus on strength.

    In other words, it depends on the focus of the class/ practice.
  • unicornassassin
    unicornassassin Posts: 141 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").

    It absolutely can be considered cardio.....and how is it not strength? Just because you're not lifting weights doesnt meant its not strength.

    Agreed. I've been doing a lot of yoga the last month and a half and I am WAY stronger than I used to be.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,045 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").

    It absolutely can be considered cardio.....and how is it not strength? Just because you're not lifting weights doesnt meant its not strength.
    He didn't say it wasn't strength training. But he is absolutely correct on it not being cardio. It's anaerobic exercise, so it's NOT cardio.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mimojo72
    mimojo72 Posts: 2
    How many calories do you burn doing Bikram? I've read you burn a considerably higher amount than what MFP logs.
  • ep2175
    ep2175 Posts: 5 Member
    I think it depends quite a lot on what kind of yoga you practice. Vinyasa and power Vinyasa - hot or otherwise - are more sustained and less like the short bursts of max intensity that is required for weight training. It feels a lot more like jogging for an hour than weight lifting for an hour. This is not true of most Hatha practices. While it's probably not accurate to call it cardio, I don't think it's purely anaerobic either. Perhaps think of it more like interval training which is anaerobic with periods of aerobic?

    As for calories burned in Bikram, it varies person to person. Only real way to know is to wear a heart rate monitor next time. I burn around 360 in an hour of heated (80+ degree room) Vinyasa; I don't practice Bikram so I'm not sure if it would be more or less.
  • keridoveMFP
    keridoveMFP Posts: 1
    I wore my heart rate monitor today at Bikram, and I stayed primarily in Zone 2 for heart rate, which is the fat burning zone, so that means it is Cardio to me. It's not pushing heart rate thresholds but it's burning the fat, which is what so many of us do Carido for. I do think it's strength building but not lean muscle mass building, like weights, just wonderful isometric toning, and stretching.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,045 Member
    I wore my heart rate monitor today at Bikram, and I stayed primarily in Zone 2 for heart rate, which is the fat burning zone, so that means it is Cardio to me. It's not pushing heart rate thresholds but it's burning the fat, which is what so many of us do Carido for. I do think it's strength building but not lean muscle mass building, like weights, just wonderful isometric toning, and stretching.
    Any exercise will burn glycogen first. Until it's depleted, fat isn't used. Also, there's no such thing as isometric "toning". Isometric contractions yes.
    Heart rate monitors are also pretty inaccurate for caloric burns when monitoring exercises that are anaerobic in nature.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Not sure it belongs to either category, but it is definitely NOT cardio (and that includes "hot yoga").

    Try doing 108 Sun Salutations and then come back and let me know if you think you might have done just a little bit of cardio.

    edit: Regarding strength, building strength under yoga is more to do with what is known as "time under tension" - the amount of time you subject a group of muscles to working under load. An example might be slowly moving through or holding a high plank down to a low plank or Chaturanga Dandasana - will build strength in the triceps and pectorals, also core muscles and even into the thighs (if the pose is done properly), calf muscles and feet.

    What is lacking, especially in the more primary of yoga movements is pulling exercises, but these can easily be supplemented in by adding pull-ups and chin-ups at whatever variation you are at for your own strength.

    I hope this helps and - try it!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories