Will Yoga Make Me Stronger You Ask?
Every time someone decides that they want to get in better shape, for whatever reason, be it for a sport, for weight loss, for strength, bone density, etc, the one thing about fitness that makes it unique, is that you have many options. Back many years ago, that wasn’t always the case. At least the multitude of options we see today weren’t quite as obvious back then. For example, you needn’t just join a gym if you want to get in a workout. You can join a Pilates studio. You can go to a yoga class, a rock climbing gym, a cycling gym, etc, etc. As a longtime Austin personal trainer and gym owner, I always have advocated the need for flexibility, especially as we get older, and yoga is a great way to attain that flexibility, but what a lot of people ask is, will yoga make me stronger?
Will yoga make me stronger? Of course it will. Anytime you exert your muscles on a regular basis, you are making strength gains. Are they going to be monumental gains, such as those you’d expect to receive when following a bodybuilding regimen? Of course not, but they are still gains nonetheless.
Will yoga make me stronger is a good question, and yes it will, but I generally prefer not to think of yoga predominantly as a strength builder, per say, but rather a flexibility builder. There are, however, plenty of poses in yoga, as well as different types of yoga, that will place an emphasis on strength. As I mentioned, yoga can definitely make you stronger, albeit in a different way than if you were to undertake a weightlifting program at a gym. The chair pose, for example is a good way to develop the gluteal, quadricep, and core muscles. Boat pose is another good example of a yoga pose that will work your abdominal muscles, core muscles, etc. The handstand that some people incorporate into their yoga practices is a very effective shoulder strengthener as well as a core muscle developer. It won’t compete with doing free weight squats in a gym, but remember, it isn’t intended to. Yoga is a different thing that offers bodyweight resistance, as opposed to using weights and machines.
Ready to Get Started?
Andy
Latest posts by Andy (see all)
- Workout Motivation: How To Get Motivated To Work Out - March 9, 2022
- Body Fat Types: Subcutaneous and Visceral Fats - June 1, 2019
- Why Diets Work If You Stick With Them - April 1, 2019
