Yoga versus lifting for strength training?

Yoga instructor:



strength trainer:



Yoga has it's great benefits but strength training isn't it's strong suit. Yoga will get you fit and greatly help with flexibility but your strength training is going to taper off fast and early on vs lifting if you are looking for strength gains.

D2, I agree with you to a point, but do you really think something like this doesn't take great strength:



Or some of these:

http://tinyurl.com/7855dwk

They can take great strength but it's balance and core more than strength training. Not to mention with yoga you aren't doing reps of said exercise or even doing those that often. Having gone to yoga classes, unless you are training with pink 2.5lb dumb bells for your strength training you aren't going to get anywhere close to the strength gains as you would from lifting.

I do a combo of both, personally, and I love it. I feel like the benefits and results are different, but I won't lie, after a 90 minute hot yoga class, I need to take a shower and lay down! It's exhausting!

I know plenty of people who use yoga and pilates as their only form of strength training (in conjunction with a moderate cardio routine) and are in great shape, with optimal body fat percentages. My yoga instructor runs and does yoga, and that's it...homegirl is in amazing shape and I would venture to say she's somewhere around 19-20% body fat. She looks great.

It depends on what you want to achieve. If you want to increase muscle and strength, add in some weights. But if you are more interested in maintaining lean muscle mass and not major strength gains, yoga is great. There are some really intense yoga classes out there, and although you can't increase body weight (well, you can, but you know what I mean), I've found that there is always a way to challenge yourself further in yoga classes, whether it be a more intense version of a pose, adding resistance, etc.

I do both! I switch it up I do yoga and pilates for abs 4 days a week and strength train 3 days a week and I do Zumba rush maybe 3 days a week also! Just do what is more comfortable to you.

D2, I agree with you to a point, but do you really think something like this doesn't take great strength:



Or some of these:

http://tinyurl.com/7855dwk

They can take great strength but it's balance and core more than strength training. Not to mention with yoga you aren't doing reps of said exercise or even doing those that often. Having gone to yoga classes, unless you are training with pink 2.5lb dumb bells for your strength training you aren't going to get anywhere close to the strength gains as you would from lifting.

"Core" *is* strength training. And the bit about reps and frequency doesn't really add up in what you're saying either.

That said, of course if you lift heavy weights you are going to get more muscular than if you just do yoga. It depends what type of physique you want - the yoga guy looks muscular enough to me.

So in summary, yoga gives you some muscularity and lots of flexibility and weight training gives you more muscularity, but can restrict movement.

Thanks everyone--interesting to learn about the strength vs. lean muscle differentiation.

I am just *so* sore after this class, I figured it was the same as lifting weights.

I may do zumba and weights instead now, since I pretty much hate yoga, yet it's the only thing that makes me that sore.

If you hate yoga, don't do it! You can achieve your goals without it.

Soreness =/= good workout

I would say both also. With weights, you can increase the amount of weight you lift, whereas yoga will always just be body weight. So that should be taken into consideration if you want to lift more than just your own weight.

However, for many people body weight can be enough, and you still get the same benefits as other forms of strength training, plus flexibility. And yes, if you're curious, yoga has been shown to help increase bone density; weight training isn't the only thing that helps with that.

I'm in my best shape now doing running, weight, and yoga. Cardio, strength, and flexibility. They work together well!

That's not my actual instructor. It's a picture from the internet to show what she looks like.

Man, that guy has some serious washboard action going!

My apologies. I suspect your instructor still practices a lot more than you'd expect. My students (kung fu) often ask why I move more fluidly than them. Practice!

As for that guy, well, at least his abs distract you from his unusually sculpted peepee. :bigsmile:

I dunno, though....this is more what my teacher looks like:

http://www.yogacentercarmel.org/instructors/katie.jpg

Rawr...I'd be okay with these results.

She's an ex-gymnast... her body has been well-conditioned and yoga is just keeping it in good condition. Plus she probably runs classes all day. Are you prepared to do 8 hours of yoga a day?

But it is interesting. Once I've achieved my first goal, I was planning on going back to bodyweight exercises and training like a gymnast to see what can be achieved.

That's not my actual instructor. It's a picture from the internet to show what she looks like.

Man, that guy has some serious washboard action going!

I'd place a large bet that he hits the weights as well as trains in gymnastics. It's all about balance and to be the best you have to be well rounded.

I have seen the most transformation in my body from barre3 (combination of yoga, pilates and ballet barre - probably any of the barre based workouts are quite similar, but that is the only one I have experienced). I'm not looking for the strength gains that everyone on here raves about though. I like the long, lean muscle tone that I get from barre3 and have zero interest in anything like crossfit or other heavy lifting programs. It's a total body workout in each class and my body has absolutely never looked better (well, maybe when I was about 19, but certainly not since). I'm sure it just depends on your ultimate goals, but (and I know I'm likely to get criticized for saying this) I greatly prefer body weight exercise like yoga or pilates and/or light weight circuit training and I have experienced results that I'm thrilled with. Again, it's all about what you want though.

Exactly but at the same time, women especially need to realize that you aren't going to get big and bulky by lifting heavy at the same time. That is such a myth.

I dunno, though....this is more what my teacher looks like:

http://www.yogacentercarmel.org/instructors/katie.jpg

Rawr...I'd be okay with these results.

She's an ex-gymnast... her body has been well-conditioned and yoga is just keeping it in good condition. Plus she probably runs classes all day. Are you prepared to do 8 hours of yoga a day?

But it is interesting. Once I've achieved my first goal, I was planning on going back to bodyweight exercises and training like a gymnast to see what can be achieved.

That's not my actual instructor. It's a picture from the internet to show what she looks like.

Man, that guy has some serious washboard action going!

I'd place a large bet that he hits the weights as well as trains in gymnastics. It's all about balance and to be the best you have to be well rounded.

Yup, strength training will be part of his regimen.

I have seen the most transformation in my body from barre3 (combination of yoga, pilates and ballet barre - probably any of the barre based workouts are quite similar, but that is the only one I have experienced). I'm not looking for the strength gains that everyone on here raves about though. I like the long, lean muscle tone that I get from barre3 and have zero interest in anything like crossfit or other heavy lifting programs. It's a total body workout in each class and my body has absolutely never looked better (well, maybe when I was about 19, but certainly not since). I'm sure it just depends on your ultimate goals, but (and I know I'm likely to get criticized for saying this) I greatly prefer body weight exercise like yoga or pilates and/or light weight circuit training and I have experienced results that I'm thrilled with. Again, it's all about what you want though.

Exactly but at the same time, women especially need to realize that you aren't going to get big and bulky by lifting heavy at the same time. That is such a myth.

I hear what you're saying and certainly will not say you're incorrect. I know a lot of women who look amazing from doing many different forms of exercise, some lifting heavy, some not. However my (female) cousin is a crossfit instructor and, trust me, she has built bulk. A lot of it (at 5'6, she's about 165lbs and VERY low body fat %). And, while that works for her and she loves the strength in her body, it is not a goal I share. I won't say it's unattractive because of course that is all relative, but I definitely don't want my body to look like hers. And, admittedly, she does far more heavy lifting than any other person I know, not just females.