Questions on Yoga as replacement for weights?

Hi there. i started back doing yoga stretches as for recovery from my main sport.
I ask can one use yoga as good means to strengthen up the Core and ABs more?
can one use Yoga as a replacement to lifting weights? in general to just keeping healthy and good fitness, not really up to getting body builder physique
competitive cyclist somewhat so just looking at more fun ways to get the strength (non bike) workouts in. thanks

Replies

  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    Yoga would be good to strengthen your core if it involves those type of poses. It involves strength to hold those poses, but it's not a substitute for weight lifting. It's more like a supplement, for flexibility and injury prevention.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    htimpaired wrote: »
    Yoga would be good to strengthen your core if it involves those type of poses. It involves strength to hold those poses, but it's not a substitute for weight lifting. It's more like a supplement, for flexibility and injury prevention.

    This.. yoga is great for my flexibility and all of those tiny stabilizer muscles, yoga is not great for gaining strength beyond a certain point, increasing lean mass beyond a certain point, etc.

    It would be entirely sufficient if increasing strength beyond what you can accomplish with bodyweight exercises (which can get you pretty far, mind you) or optimal hypertrophy aren't really part of your end goal, which it seems they might not be based on your op.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    Plyometrics are designed for strength too. The power you can get from strength training is hard to give up. Especially when it helps you in your sport. Deliberate jumps, throws and sprints--explosive movements are a nice alternative to weights.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
    Sure.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Yes, yoga built muscle mass in my upper body. Arms and back gained muscle more than my legs. That was coming from a background of running, aerobics, very light weights.

    I have seen muscular guys in yoga, but also skinny guys who were very strong (in terms of being able to do press handstands, pushups, hold themselves in crazy positions with one arm and core strength - not strong like lift a car.) without much visible muscle, and people (usually women) who look fat and are strong in the same way.

    It's like doing adagio calesthenics. Push ups and lunges and planks and stuff but no jumping jacks.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Especially vinyasa yoga, which is a pretty active body weight version. But it would probably stall after a while
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    It depends on you, your goals, and what kind of yoga.
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    Power yoga will build some muscle
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,328 Member
    It isn't really a substitute, not that it is not good and won't build some strength.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Hi there. i started back doing yoga stretches as for recovery from my main sport.
    I ask can one use yoga as good means to strengthen up the Core and ABs more?
    can one use Yoga as a replacement to lifting weights? in general to just keeping healthy and good fitness, not really up to getting body builder physique
    competitive cyclist somewhat so just looking at more fun ways to get the strength (non bike) workouts in. thanks
    Absolutely. Yoga can build strength in core especially if your doing inverted stances. They are basically a variation of hanging leg raises which are one of the top core/ab builder.

    I have some new amazing rips in my my V-cut that are revealing after my most recent bulk.


  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Yoga has some strength elements, but it's not a complete strength program. A couple key points:

    - Yoga has a lack of pulling exercises, since there is nothing to pull. A good strength program balances pulling with pushing exercises, but yoga mostly involves the pushing muscles (chest, shoulders, trcieps, abs), and undertrains the pulling muscles (upper and lower back, biceps, grip). This can lead to imbalances which can affect functionality.

    - Yoga does not train lifting ability, meaning the specific coordination skills of lifting objects. For example, if you need to pick up a heavy box or a couch without injuring yourself, deadlifts will much better prepare you for that than yoga. Injuries outside the gym are often from unexpected or undertrained movements and situations.

    By the way - if you mostly do biking and yoga, i would also add some agility work to round out your fitness program. Agility is important for injury prevention and also for sports, plus it strengthens bones in ways that both yoga and strength training do not. :+1:
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    DDP yoga
    It ain't yo mama's yoga!
  • worldtraveller321
    worldtraveller321 Posts: 150 Member
    thanks
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »

    - Yoga has a lack of pulling exercises, since there is nothing to pull.

    That is subjective to what kind of yoga. There are resistance bands and straps that can be used for pulling and/or stretching of arms and legs.

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »

    - Yoga has a lack of pulling exercises, since there is nothing to pull.

    That is subjective to what kind of yoga. There are resistance bands and straps that can be used for pulling and/or stretching of arms and legs.

    My thought exactly.
  • coalz
    coalz Posts: 308 Member
    Ashtanga yoga is amazing
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    I think pulling occurs. Pulling could be raising up from a backbend or possibly through isometric holds. Perhaps it can be characterized as stretch-pull.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Sure why not?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited March 2016
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »

    - Yoga has a lack of pulling exercises, since there is nothing to pull.

    That is subjective to what kind of yoga. There are resistance bands and straps that can be used for pulling and/or stretching of arms and legs.

    My thought exactly.

    I've taken dozens of different types of yoga class and have instructors in my family. I love yoga. But using a band to enable stretches of arms and legs (which is how I've often seen bands used in yoga) does nothing to work pulling muscles in the way cherimoose is talking about. Adding resistance bands and strength pulling exercises is a variation on yoga, not classic yoga. So if you want to tell the OP that a complete strength workout will come from yoga, I would just add that qualifier.

    Nobody stated that "classic" yoga is a complete strength workout, only that certain type of yoga can build strength with the goals in mind the OP has stated.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »

    - Yoga has a lack of pulling exercises, since there is nothing to pull.

    That is subjective to what kind of yoga. There are resistance bands and straps that can be used for pulling and/or stretching of arms and legs.

    My thought exactly.

    I've taken dozens of different types of yoga class and have instructors in my family. I love yoga. But using a band to enable stretches of arms and legs (which is how I've often seen bands used in yoga) does nothing to work pulling muscles in the way cherimoose is talking about. Adding resistance bands and strength pulling exercises is a variation on yoga, not classic yoga. So if you want to tell the OP that a complete strength workout will come from yoga, I would just add that qualifier.

    Nobody stated that "classic" yoga is a complete strength workout, only that certain type of yoga can build strength with the goals in mind the OP has stated.

    I'm glad inversions have helped your v-cut. If you want to say "yoga builds strength, but it's potentially unbalanced strength unless you add in elements that are not yoga", then that sounds good to me.

    There are ways to build strength in a balanced manner through certain types of yoga as well. So I disagree one must have elements other than yoga. I do agree a mixture can be beneficial, just not a must.

    It's a given that a balanced strength regime is ideal for any means of training, hence why I didn't feel the need to want to say it.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,788 Member
    Sure, if that's what you're going for. Even as a yoga enthusiast, I would have to agree on that yoga does not usually involve "pulling" type training. You asked about core - which it can do, if you focused on that.

    Because I've been asked this question before, I went to get strength tested at the University of Texas Kinesiology department. I do not lift weights. I do cardio and yoga. I was in the 98th percentile in leg and ab strength and 66 percentile on the bench press - so I don't really see the point of adding weights to my fitness routine.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »

    - Yoga has a lack of pulling exercises, since there is nothing to pull.

    That is subjective to what kind of yoga. There are resistance bands and straps that can be used for pulling and/or stretching of arms and legs.

    My thought exactly.

    I've taken dozens of different types of yoga class and have instructors in my family. I love yoga. But using a band to enable stretches of arms and legs (which is how I've often seen bands used in yoga) does nothing to work pulling muscles in the way cherimoose is talking about. Adding resistance bands and strength pulling exercises is a variation on yoga, not classic yoga. So if you want to tell the OP that a complete strength workout will come from yoga, I would just add that qualifier.

    I'd argue that classic* yoga is not what you'd want for bodyweight exercises anyway, but styles that were influenced by the British colonial times, such as Ashtanga vinyasa and Power type styles.

    * Patanjali, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Upanishads, etc.

    http://www.yogajournal.com/article/philosophy/yoga-s-greater-truth/