Weight training and yoga - how?

Alynyr · August 2020

I really want to work on my flexibility, but simultaneously I'd love to do weightlifting. Currently I have a plan to work out four times a week, but I'm worried about how to incorporate yoga into my weekly workout routine.
Most places I look says it's fine to do yoga every day, however if I want to give my muscles time to rest, I probably shouldn't be doing yoga every day, since the yoga I do isn't meditative. (aka there's sweat involved

)

So I wanted to know if anyone is knowledgeable on the topic, since I can't seem to find my answers online.

Chieflrg · August 2020

Yoga in general is not enough stimulus to worry about recovery issues even coupled with strength training.

The only issue can be added flexibility of yoga can be counter productive to those who compete in some instances.

Also sweat is not a indicator of how strenuous a activity is. Only that your body performing a natural function to cool down. I may sweat laying down after a hot shower.

If you enjoy yoga, nothing to be concerned about.

quiksylver296 · August 2020

I lift heavy 5 days a week, usually in the mornings. Before COVID, I was doing a yoga class on lunch on Tuesday's at work. (I would have done a class or two more, if I could have fit it in.) I just did it. No problems.

SnifterPug · August 2020

Personally I would just do it, monitor how I am feeling/progressing and then tweak from there.

cncolligan · August 2020

I think yoga is a great compliment to weight training. I also do more rigorous yoga classes, a lot of deep positions and balancing, and they are tough! We sweat!! I also do HIIT 2-3x week and run (jog lol) on non HIIT days. I like to think that yoga fires up all the smaller muscles we may not use normally, especially during the balancing poses. And the deep poses are so good for flexibility. I'm not knowledgeable at all in terms of if that is true, but it feels good to do yoga as a compliment to the other activities. It's also great for mental reasons too :-) Happy exercising!

springlering62 · August 2020

My experience, FWIW.

I’ve done yoga for about ten years and weights for about a year and a half.

I find the two disciplines complement each other extremely well.

Lifting has developed strength that has really helped my arm balances. Squatting and lower body has helped with endurance, and positioning for chair, and even with Crescent, Archer, and warrior type poses.

Yoga helps me maintain focus during weight sessions. I find keeping a drishti helps tremendously with squats and bench press. My trainer also says I pick up on instructions quickly because I’m so used to responding quickly and automatically to instructions during flow classes. I also feel like I have a more intuitive understanding of both using breath during weights, and where I should feel or have my muscles, since it’s easy to imagine a similar position in yoga. For example, benching to me is a lot like a chatarunga push-up, just on my back.

My yoga has progressed to continuously more and more challenging flows, thanks to weight training. I can accomplish more in yoga. This morning we did a different version of Firefly, as well as an Eka balance that flowed into a seated position and back out again. I was able to get both the first time they were presented to me. That would NOT have happened a year ago.

I do various types of flow classes 7-9 times a week, Pilates usually 4x, trainer twice a week, and go to the gym by myself once or twice a week.

In all honesty, I keep up with the weights simply to improve my yoga practice (and to - the dreaded MFP word- “tone”). To me, at my age, it’s such a freaking buzz to “get” a new position. It’s like crack.

CipherZero · August 2020

I'm going to go against the grain and say that weigh lifting on its own will increase your flexibility. It's impossible to do a proper and weighty squat, press, and/or bench press without being flexible.

SnifterPug · August 2020

CipherZero wrote: »

I'm going to go against the grain and say that weigh lifting on its own will increase your flexibility. It's impossible to do a proper and weighty squat, press, and/or bench press without being flexible.

Which is why the likes of Sonny Webster sell mobility programs alongside their lifting programs. I don't, however, see how lifting alone would necessarily increase your flexibility.

CipherZero · August 2020

Because it's impossible to do either of these successfully with significant weight without having good flexibility

Alynyr · September 2020

I waited a bit before responding because I wasn't quite sure what to say.
A lot of the classes I used to do before my break left my body sore afterwards, which is why I was worried in the first place if I could just do yoga all nilly dilly. I'm not exactly resting my muscles if I stretch them every day, to the point of soreness.

Alynyr · September 2020

CipherZero wrote: »

Because it's impossible to do either of these successfully with significant weight without having good flexibility

Where you're right that weightlifting requires a certain amount of flexibility, weightlifting isn't going to make my whole body flexible, which is why I'm wanting to add yoga. I don't see myself getting into splits easier just because I lift weights.

tushitatravellogue · September 2020

Alynyr wrote: »

I waited a bit before responding because I wasn't quite sure what to say.
A lot of the classes I used to do before my break left my body sore afterwards, which is why I was worried in the first place if I could just do yoga all nilly dilly. I'm not exactly resting my muscles if I stretch them every day, to the point of soreness.

Yoga has different types too..
You could look Into restorative yoga , which helps your body relax and also aid your flexibility...
Eg/. Makarasana is great for complete body relaxation, shashankasana is another great relaxation asan, markatasana is great for back... It may look just too simple, but when done correctly, they will also help you get more flexible, provided you are able to hold the asanas for a longer duration.
You could balance between restorative yoga and the sweaty yoga(missed this earlier) ..

Alynyr · September 2020

tushitatravellogue wrote: »

Alynyr wrote: »

I waited a bit before responding because I wasn't quite sure what to say.
A lot of the classes I used to do before my break left my body sore afterwards, which is why I was worried in the first place if I could just do yoga all nilly dilly. I'm not exactly resting my muscles if I stretch them every day, to the point of soreness.

Yoga has different types too..
You could look Into restorative yoga , which helps your body relax and also aid your flexibility...
Eg/. Makarasana is great for complete body relaxation, shashankasana is another great relaxation asan, markatasana is great for back... It may look just too simple, but when done correctly, they will also help you get more flexible, provided you are able to hold the asanas for a longer duration.
You could balance between restorative yoga and the sweaty yoga(missed this earlier) ..

I just find with a lot of restorative yoga, they focus a lot on mindfulness, and that's not something I care much for. I'm not saying it has to be fast pased or wild, and I have yoga plans/classes on alomoves that I use for flexibility that are good and take their time in different poses.

But say, because of my weight, downdog requires my arms to be active, and if I've just had an upper body/arm day, I doubt my arms are then resting, as they're supposed to. Same with other poses like high lunge after a lower body/leg day.

tushitatravellogue · September 2020

Yes I get your point.

I do not have experience with weight lifting.

A combination of yoga and bodyweight/kettle bell based training has worked for me without any muscle soreness or injuries.

So bodyweight workout (with kettle bells) followed by a day of yoga worked for me, I did not feel sore the next day to practice yoga, I felt perfectly fine holding the asanas.
(This was all before a baby, now am on break !!)

The key would be to observe how your body feels during the asanas, if you are pushing yourself too much I did say to take a break.

Also, I did take one rest day in the week.

But if you feel this combination will not work for weight lifting, then you can try the option of practicing yoga before you lifting session. And see if this works for you.

Weight training and yoga - how?

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