Strength Training Using Yoga.

Yoga has a long tradition, whose origins go back to the 7th century BC.  The fact that it has its permanent place in the modern fitness world is not least due to its versatility and uncomplicated execution. Find out why yoga is the ideal addition to strength training and how it helps you to become even stronger, more flexible, and more efficient.

Whether you wish to use yoga against back pain, tension, or against depression,  they all underline yoga’s versatile effects. And how does it look with bench presses, power lifts, and biceps curls?

• How do strength training and yoga fit together?
• How does yoga work?
• What is yoga good for?

Thanks to its functional character, the “fitness philosophy” from India, together with strength training, forms the ideal team to achieve maximum strength and performance and to minimize the risk of injuries and pain. Here are 5 reasons that prove it:

1) Using your Body as Weight Training.

Yoga makes effective use of one’s body weight. Several muscle groups are actually used, which sustainably improve your functional strength and muscle endurance. This includes those muscles that increase core stability, such as those in the lower back, pelvis, or abdomen. Also, yoga can help prevent sore muscles after intense strength session as it helps muscles, joints, and bones recover more quickly from the strain. Whether at home or on the go: Yoga goes everywhere with your body.

2) Stimulates Synovial Production.

Strength training supports the muscles and ligaments around the joints and gives them stability for everyday life stresses. Too much of it can also lead to the opposite: painful joints. Here is where yoga comes in. This stimulates synovial production, also known as “synovial fluid,” which covers the joints like a film. This prevents the bones from rubbing against each other. Synovial also supplies the cartilage with oxygen and important nutrients.

3) You Always Stay Relaxed.

Yoga is one of the most effective methods of relieving tension in the muscles that often result from a lack of exercise. For example, people with desk jobs rarely have time to stretch or do quick exercises. Static and dynamic stretching  increase flexibility throughout the body. Also, restrictions in the musculoskeletal system caused by intensive strength training can be treated, and freedom of movement is restored. So if you regularly do intensive strength training, we recommend that you try yoga.

4) Yoga Brings Balance to Your Body.

You don’t necessarily need weights to carry out effective core training and thus give the body more stability. In yoga, a large part of the movements consists of balance training, which positively affects your core, coordination, endurance, reaction time, and general body awareness. Overall, this leads to an improvement in your movement efficiency, so that you can achieve the same amount of strength with less effort in the future.

5) Deep Breaths.

There is a saying that health is like salt: you only notice when it is missing. The same is often the case with correct breathing. Neglected by many, the right breathing technique has a major impact on our performance. This is always the focus of yoga. Here, the focus is on regular deep inhalations and exhalations to fully utilize the lung capacity. For your strength training, this means longer breath for even more repetitions. If you think the next lift will definitely be the last, a deep breath can mobilize the last of your strength.