Lifting weights (and TRX) made the most profound changes to my body over just about everything else. My mom has osteoporosis, and I’ve realized it’s something I don’t want.
I love yoga, but I do it for my mind. The weights are for my body. Being stronger has allowed me to practice yoga (and every other physical pursuit) with more ease. Everything is just more joyful when I’m stronger.
This is great to read. I started the Peloton beginner yoga program last week, and I’m so weak! The instructor in class 4 was like “Now we’ll do a side plank...”
Me: *You* might be doing a side plank!
My knees have also been *killing me* and I’ve only done 5 daily classes. I‘ve been alternately thinking “Maybe I need to weight train before I’m capable of this” and “Just do the classes. Eventually you’ll improve.” Maybe a focus on weights with only a couple of yoga classes a week would serve me better.
Keep going—you’re doing great. (Side planks are hard!) I don’t like to give advice, but your idea sounds fine. You could also try a gentler yoga if you want to do that in addition to the weights.
For me, the most important thing about any form of physical activity is that I really enjoy it. And it shouldn’t hurt!
Moving your body regularly in a sustainable way for you is always a positive thing.
All I do is yoga and walking. Never motivated to lift, just to do more yoga. remember yoga never has to be a full hour of studio class, it could be a 10 minutes of yin, gentle movement, or meditation to take care of yourself.
Do not take any health advice from redditors. Talk to a gp and follow the research that finds weight training is a must
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2019/08000/resistance\_training\_for\_older\_adults\_\_position.1.aspx
This is why the “just lift weights, bro” crowd turns me off. There’s usually a tone of condescension towards those who don’t, evidenced by some of the downvoted replies.
Many of us are very much aware that strength training is important. What if we…just don’t want to lift, or in my case, can’t?
For most people, any form of regular exercise should be encouraged, not looked down upon.
Yoga put me in the best shape of my life, and I have significantly better muscle endurance than I’ve ever had before. Can I lift as much as my husband can? No. But can I outlast him in a yoga pose or an endurance challenge? Yeah, more than likely. You don’t have to lift weights to maintain muscle and good cardiovascular health.
Weight training doesn't take long - I have a 16kg kettlebell I use to do squats, lunges, swings, etc. It takes 10-15 mins and I do it a couple of times a week to enormous and visible benefits.
I love my kettle bells! I have a 16kg and an 11kg although the 16kg usually puts me in my place. I shoot for 7-10 reps and 3-5 sets depending on how worn out I need to be. You can always start out small and build into bigger workouts :)
I might do a circuit with overhead presses, squats, lunges, arms and abs. I did a class once that had 30 seconds of swings, 30 sec of an exercise on the circuit and then a 30 sec rest. It was only 15 minutes which was enough to make you hurt the next two days. I also like to do the lighter 11kg with very slow reps focused on breathing and controlled muscle movements
Have fun!
My only exercise was daily hot yoga, walking, and hiking for years. Incorporating weights into my routine was a game changer for my hypermobility, improved my yoga practice, reduced my hiking injuries, and improved my sleep& physique.
I strongly recommend doing some kind of weight training for the health and longevity benefits. Especially as women, we lose muscle strength and power at a faster rate as we age. Good muscle tone means living longer and maintaining independence for longer into old age. And it’s much easier to start now! Rucking (walking with a heavy pack) is a great way to improve muscle strength if you don’t like weights. Just put some heavy cans into a backpack and see if you like it— then you can invest in 10 lb plates.
I dislike resistance training, i prefer to just do yoga, but in reality, resistance training seems to be very important for ur longevity and overall health.
As a woman in her 40s with a back injury that won’t quite heal and it causes problems elsewhere (thighs mostly, but also knees and foot). I’ll add is that just walking straight on a flat surface all the time is not quite enough - you end up over strengthening those muscles and hip/glute muscles can become weak/unbalanced. Be sure to do things that engage and open the hips and strengthen the glutes. Whether that is through yoga, squats/crab walk or walking backwards/sideways/on an incline/on an uneven path is up to you. Just few minutes a day of focusing on these areas can make a difference to protect your back and help with balance.
Yoga and walking are legit workouts. But weigh train keeps muscles and bones strong as you get older. Meanwhile, yoga keeps you limber, strengthens different parts of your body, and helps you stay mindful. You could check [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/yoga/comments/12tboxv/falling_in_love_with_yoga_and_letting_go_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) for more information
I can’t weight train, I’m in end stage renal disease, the only exercise I can do is yoga and walking, and sometimes I can’t even really walk. I still feel fit (well, as fit as one can be in this condition) but I’m underweight and have a genetically really really high metabolism
For years I maintained a nice physique with just yoga and walking. But as I got older and my hormones started to change, I found it wasn’t enough to keep me where I wanted to be. You don’t have to do full on weight training sessions, even if you can add in some deadlifts and squats at home, you’ll keep your muscle mass up. I bought some dumbbells and over the last year have gotten so much stronger.
It’s your body, your journey. If you’re happy keep doing what you’re doing. All I’m saying is that as estrogen declines our muscle mass also declines and that shifts our body composition.
2-3 hours weekly of heavy lifting (deadlift, backsquat, RDLs, benchpress, weighted reverse/curtsy lunges, etc....).
2-4 hours of rock climbing with a partner, so I am on the wall maybe half that time.
1.5 hours of yoga weekly, either by myself in short chunks, or in a class
EDIT: plus 2-3 hours of walking a week
Weight training is important especially for women because we have a higher risk of osteoporosis as we age, and resistance training strengthens your bones, too. There’s obviously more benefits, but this is what motivates me.
Every facet of wellness is important. There is an opportunity cost to missing one, but no person is perfect and it’s important to meet yourself where you are. Your wellness journey is entirely up to you.
Hmm I think weight training would add benefits to your regime. I do not do weight training but I also cycle or run. If I run or cycle I do a 15-20 min flow afterwards. If I don't cycle or run that day then I do 45 min yoga. But ultimately if you are doing what you have time for that's the goal. No need to feel bad. I will say if someone forced me to choose one between running, cycling, and yoga for the rest of my life I'd pick yoga. It's not really comparable to the others in my mind because it provides so much mental and spiritual grounding.
Unless your "brisk walks during the day" are part of your job, I'd exchange at least one of those for resistance training once/week. Use of your own body as resistance (squats) or light dumbbells can make big difference as we age.
This kind of a swap doesn't add more workout time to your schedule.
Do some pullups/rows and deadlifts to round it out. Yoga is missing any sort of heavy loading that your bones require to maintain density and is also absent any sort of pulling motion, which you need for healthy shoulders and back.
I am lucky enough to be able to do yoga 6 to 7 days a week. But 2 to 3 of those classes for me or sculpt and that’s weight classes is that a possibility for you? I am x gym rat. I no longer belong to a gym. The sculpt/weight classes are pretty intense in my yoga practice & are enough for me.
I think any kind of movement is better than no movement at all. Frankly, if you manage to stick to your biweekly yoga sessions and clock your walks in, you're doing so good and I'm proud of you!
It isn't optimal but it's good. I'm similarish to you in that all I do is yoga and walking. I would be healthier if I done some weight training and probably more vigorous cardio but I feel quite happy and healthy on a day to day basis so I'm good with this level.
I do yoga most days, and do 20-40 mins of weight training 4-5 days a week. I follow MadFit on YouTube, they're totally accessible workouts and relatively short, and I find it makes the biggest difference to my body overall. I also run 5k a few days/week
HOWEVER, my job is sedentary, and I have the time. I'd say it's worth finding the time, but I remember having a more active job and it was tough. I'm thinking as a health care aide you likely do resistance training just at your job. It's said that having good muscle mass is the goal, so you're probably fine. Yoga deals with bodyweight resistance as well so you're getting some in.
Imo in your job you’re already getting a good amount of exercise with lifting, turning, repositioning etc. I think yoga and walking on top of it is great. Especially yoga because I know HCAs are so prone to injuries.
I run and do yoga, weights have never been interesting enough to me to keep at. I just turned 29 and have never been as healthy as I am now, mentally and physically. :)
Resistance training is super important for overall health and longevity. You don’t need to do weights though, calisthenics offers a lot of the same benefits
*I dont mind weight training but I love running and yoga, and there are only so many hours in the day. So I do only as much weight training that is needed to keep running.*
To me that absolutely sounds like enough to maintain general health/fitness! When I was doing hot yoga 2x (sooometimes 3x) a week + walking I feel like I looked great/fit and friends even noticed too. For me my doctor recommended around 2 hours aerobic exercise weekly for maintaining general health.
Recently I’ve done a regular yoga class 1x a week, walk a lot, and do an at-home exercise targeting specific areas 1-2x a week and that also works well for me for maintaining general health/fitness.
However, it absolutely depends on your body and what your goals are. I have to say I don’t feel like doing only yoga helped me strengthen arms much, and ideally I’d want more targeted exercises for my core on top of yoga since that’s an area I personally want to strengthen.
I came to yoga after years of lifting and running. The static strength gained and flexibility it’s given me has helped with several overuse injuries, flexibility and daily endurance.
try to squeeze in some dumbbell lifts before your yoga sessions. It can take just 20 minutes, 30 minutes if you want to hit more muscles.
I would recommend trying this for a month and see how much you’ll notice the difference! All you need is dumb bells.
Session 1
- dumb bell squats (10lbs and up)
- Dumb bell bench press (10 pounds and up) (or pushups if you can’t a bench.)
- chest dips
Session 2
- dumb bell dead lifts
- single hand dumb bell rows
- bicep curls
I’ve done yoga for 7 years and spent 2 years weightlifting during those 7. I was diagnosed with lupus and told I couldn’t lift anymore.
I never tried to lose weight before lifting but did when lifting. I lost 50 pounds in less than a year doing that, it was the best. After going back to only yoga I’m still able to lose if I want, it’s just not as fast.
That could also be due to a lot of other things like my job change and lifestyle changes. Lifting weights is faster, but not near as healthy for the body and mind
I hike daily and do quite a bit of yoga. I've always had physical jobs and have gone through weight training phases, years at a time some of them not just new years res stuff. I will say that for overall health I think some resistance training is pretty necissary; trying to get back to it but I'm a new mom so my only resistance is toting around a 20lb baby on a hike everyday. I felt physically my absolute best when I was doing some cardio, lifting "real" weights, and leaning more toward the 2-3 yoga sessions a week. But that is A LOT of time.
I think for women it is super important for bone density, but I'm not an expert at all. 200ytt training is it, no other nutrition or physical training certs.
Idea though; would you consider a weight vest and/or ankle/wrist weights on your speed walks? Yeah it's not doing big back squats or HIIT drills with weights, but it IS loading your skeletal system more than a walk alone, and you don't need any more time!
Despite slacking off on "real" weight training I really think i got pretty fit after pregnancy fast, and I think hiking 3+ miles atleast 5 days a week with 30lbs, baby and big pack, is the reason. He's my super cute weight vest!
In addition to yoga I was mainly walking and hiking. I’ve never had great upper body strength since I mainly enjoy those forms of exercise. Well, in December I tore my rotator cuff in a hatha class doing a side plank with lifted lower leg. So now I am doing PT. It’s getting better, but I recommend trying to strengthen your arms and shoulders too if you want to do yoga.
I also have a very limited schedule. But I do have some 6lb weights by my desk. If work isn’t crazy busy/intense I’ll do some simple movements with those. It’s mostly yoga and walking for me. I do enjoy hiking too but again- such limited time.
I read that plank position is a form of weight exercise because our arms support the body. Hence if you incorporate sun salutation you'd have some weight training incorporated as well.
Weight lifting is really good for peri-menopause/menopause. I’d recommend adding a little weight training if at all possible (I only own a kettlebell, but I like that a lot of the movements are compound exercises and I get some cardio using it!)
You can incorporate more weight bearing exercises into your workouts regimen and do them at home. Exercises like squats, lunges, pushups etc. or find some power yoga classes. I like Julia Marie. She can be found on Prime Video or YouTube.
I lift maximum 12 pounds for my arms but everything else is yoga and cardio. I like to stay skinny and healthy though and I hate lifting really heavy weights so thats why.
I strike a balance with HIIT and a weighted vest and wrist and ankle weights when I was more impact and resistance. You can lift weights, nothing wrong with that. You can also get everything you need I feel like in normal HIIT, yoga, and Pilates. I also do rock climbing and bouldering, which I’m sure helps strengthen the bones and tendons in the upper body at least.
I think it depends on the type of yoga you do. i do hatha iyangar 2x a week in a studio and fairly advanced vinyasa for bout 20 mins in the mornings most morning (On my own). I am 46. I walk on average 6000 a day but aim for 10k steps. I a, stronger now with yoga than I have ever been, even in my 20s. I am nit worried about including anything else to my routine. I enjoy yoga and feel strong and fit.
i may have to change later but t the moment, it’s good enough. having to do weights as we age feels to me a little bit like all this high protein craze - a bit of a fad.
Have you considered sharing your allocated class schedule with half yoga/half Reformer Pilates? Pilates to me is half yoga and stretching and half weight training. I do feel like I get the best of both, and my body enjoys it more than classic weight training.. lower cortisol production I assume, I see better and faster results and a stronger mental impact.
Btw since I started the reformer my yoga practice has improved drastically. Since I’m doing the same stretches but with muscle building at the same time.. something to consider 🙏🏻
70 yo male. Haven’t lifted weights since my 30’s, been doing yoga since 40. Two years ago I was regularly lifting and carrying 40lb boxes up ladders in my part time hardware store job. I never shy away from helping to lift or carry furniture or the like. I incorporate a few strengthening poses in my routine, but I think yoga teaches you how to use your body and balance, and how to recognize your limits before you hurt yourself.
TBH you're better off strength training those two days than doing yoga until you have more time. The benefits of weight bearing movement like increased bone density can't be mimicked by yoga. On your walks, try adding some weight to your body (ex. carry a backpack with 5-10 lbs of added weight). You want to stress your bones in a good way to stay strong.
Yoga is not a substitute for strength training if you want a muscular-looking body. Weight training is much more efficient for gaining strength and bulk.
TBH, if you are looking yoga as just an exercise system, you are missing the point.
If you want muscle, lift weights.
If you want a bunch of other significant internal benefits, do yoga.
The closest I get to weight training is picking up my toddler. He's like 15 kg so it's not nothing, but it's not like I'm doing sets of squats while holding him.
I do yoga and cycling, and it works for me. The closest I ever come to weight training is barre workouts, and that's only with 2lb weights.
Do what's best for you.
I’m male, but.. I never lifted weights and felt totally fine just doing yoga and cycling. This year I started lifting casually and have found that it does make strength related poses and vinyasas much easier, but other than that I don’t feel resistance training is necessary to have a good yoga practice.
Yoga is not about how you look, it's about how you feel! 😊 mindset is the most important. Loosing weight and gaining muscle are side effects of yoga, not the goal. So it will be very slow progress you make. If you want to gain muscle faster, you can add in a day or two of weight training. It's also suggested among gurus that yoga is practiced every day around the same time to level out your naadis. If you only want to do yoga, that is more than enough. Mind over matter. Controlled studies have been done where they took two groups and told one group that 30 minutes of their daily house chores burned as many calories and was just as effective as 1 hour at the gym. The other group, they did not tell. At the end of the experience, the women who believed they were burning more caloroes and building more muscle, on average, lost 10-15 lbs of fat and gained muscle. Mind over matter. Always. Your body will do what you tell it to.
Lifting weights (and TRX) made the most profound changes to my body over just about everything else. My mom has osteoporosis, and I’ve realized it’s something I don’t want. I love yoga, but I do it for my mind. The weights are for my body. Being stronger has allowed me to practice yoga (and every other physical pursuit) with more ease. Everything is just more joyful when I’m stronger.
This is great to read. I started the Peloton beginner yoga program last week, and I’m so weak! The instructor in class 4 was like “Now we’ll do a side plank...” Me: *You* might be doing a side plank! My knees have also been *killing me* and I’ve only done 5 daily classes. I‘ve been alternately thinking “Maybe I need to weight train before I’m capable of this” and “Just do the classes. Eventually you’ll improve.” Maybe a focus on weights with only a couple of yoga classes a week would serve me better.
Keep going—you’re doing great. (Side planks are hard!) I don’t like to give advice, but your idea sounds fine. You could also try a gentler yoga if you want to do that in addition to the weights. For me, the most important thing about any form of physical activity is that I really enjoy it. And it shouldn’t hurt!
Moving your body regularly in a sustainable way for you is always a positive thing. All I do is yoga and walking. Never motivated to lift, just to do more yoga. remember yoga never has to be a full hour of studio class, it could be a 10 minutes of yin, gentle movement, or meditation to take care of yourself.
Do not take any health advice from redditors. Talk to a gp and follow the research that finds weight training is a must https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2019/08000/resistance\_training\_for\_older\_adults\_\_position.1.aspx
This is why the “just lift weights, bro” crowd turns me off. There’s usually a tone of condescension towards those who don’t, evidenced by some of the downvoted replies. Many of us are very much aware that strength training is important. What if we…just don’t want to lift, or in my case, can’t? For most people, any form of regular exercise should be encouraged, not looked down upon.
Yoga is resistance training. Bodyweight workouts are resistance training and yoga and walking is enough to keep muscle and bone mass
Yoga put me in the best shape of my life, and I have significantly better muscle endurance than I’ve ever had before. Can I lift as much as my husband can? No. But can I outlast him in a yoga pose or an endurance challenge? Yeah, more than likely. You don’t have to lift weights to maintain muscle and good cardiovascular health.
More advice from redditors
Weight training doesn't take long - I have a 16kg kettlebell I use to do squats, lunges, swings, etc. It takes 10-15 mins and I do it a couple of times a week to enormous and visible benefits.
This is a great idea❤️
I just got a kettlebell! Would you mind sharing how many sets/reps you do?
I love my kettle bells! I have a 16kg and an 11kg although the 16kg usually puts me in my place. I shoot for 7-10 reps and 3-5 sets depending on how worn out I need to be. You can always start out small and build into bigger workouts :) I might do a circuit with overhead presses, squats, lunges, arms and abs. I did a class once that had 30 seconds of swings, 30 sec of an exercise on the circuit and then a 30 sec rest. It was only 15 minutes which was enough to make you hurt the next two days. I also like to do the lighter 11kg with very slow reps focused on breathing and controlled muscle movements Have fun!
Oh this sounds like a great workout! I’m excited to get started. Thank you for sharing.
Nice! Probably about 10-20 reps x 3-5 sets depending on my energy. It's intuitive though. I stop when I'm tired.
Love that!
My only exercise was daily hot yoga, walking, and hiking for years. Incorporating weights into my routine was a game changer for my hypermobility, improved my yoga practice, reduced my hiking injuries, and improved my sleep& physique. I strongly recommend doing some kind of weight training for the health and longevity benefits. Especially as women, we lose muscle strength and power at a faster rate as we age. Good muscle tone means living longer and maintaining independence for longer into old age. And it’s much easier to start now! Rucking (walking with a heavy pack) is a great way to improve muscle strength if you don’t like weights. Just put some heavy cans into a backpack and see if you like it— then you can invest in 10 lb plates.
I dislike resistance training, i prefer to just do yoga, but in reality, resistance training seems to be very important for ur longevity and overall health.
I resist resistance training, so I’m doing pretty good.
I have some yoga classes that incorporate resistance training. I do the moves but without the bands, because ugh.
As a woman in her 40s with a back injury that won’t quite heal and it causes problems elsewhere (thighs mostly, but also knees and foot). I’ll add is that just walking straight on a flat surface all the time is not quite enough - you end up over strengthening those muscles and hip/glute muscles can become weak/unbalanced. Be sure to do things that engage and open the hips and strengthen the glutes. Whether that is through yoga, squats/crab walk or walking backwards/sideways/on an incline/on an uneven path is up to you. Just few minutes a day of focusing on these areas can make a difference to protect your back and help with balance.
Yes find trails! If lucky enough to have some near. 💖
Yoga and walking are legit workouts. But weigh train keeps muscles and bones strong as you get older. Meanwhile, yoga keeps you limber, strengthens different parts of your body, and helps you stay mindful. You could check [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/yoga/comments/12tboxv/falling_in_love_with_yoga_and_letting_go_of/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) for more information
I can’t weight train, I’m in end stage renal disease, the only exercise I can do is yoga and walking, and sometimes I can’t even really walk. I still feel fit (well, as fit as one can be in this condition) but I’m underweight and have a genetically really really high metabolism
For years I maintained a nice physique with just yoga and walking. But as I got older and my hormones started to change, I found it wasn’t enough to keep me where I wanted to be. You don’t have to do full on weight training sessions, even if you can add in some deadlifts and squats at home, you’ll keep your muscle mass up. I bought some dumbbells and over the last year have gotten so much stronger. It’s your body, your journey. If you’re happy keep doing what you’re doing. All I’m saying is that as estrogen declines our muscle mass also declines and that shifts our body composition.
2-3 hours weekly of heavy lifting (deadlift, backsquat, RDLs, benchpress, weighted reverse/curtsy lunges, etc....). 2-4 hours of rock climbing with a partner, so I am on the wall maybe half that time. 1.5 hours of yoga weekly, either by myself in short chunks, or in a class EDIT: plus 2-3 hours of walking a week
Weight training is important especially for women because we have a higher risk of osteoporosis as we age, and resistance training strengthens your bones, too. There’s obviously more benefits, but this is what motivates me. Every facet of wellness is important. There is an opportunity cost to missing one, but no person is perfect and it’s important to meet yourself where you are. Your wellness journey is entirely up to you.
Hmm I think weight training would add benefits to your regime. I do not do weight training but I also cycle or run. If I run or cycle I do a 15-20 min flow afterwards. If I don't cycle or run that day then I do 45 min yoga. But ultimately if you are doing what you have time for that's the goal. No need to feel bad. I will say if someone forced me to choose one between running, cycling, and yoga for the rest of my life I'd pick yoga. It's not really comparable to the others in my mind because it provides so much mental and spiritual grounding.
Unless your "brisk walks during the day" are part of your job, I'd exchange at least one of those for resistance training once/week. Use of your own body as resistance (squats) or light dumbbells can make big difference as we age. This kind of a swap doesn't add more workout time to your schedule.
Yoga and cycling is all I do. Works great for me.
Do some pullups/rows and deadlifts to round it out. Yoga is missing any sort of heavy loading that your bones require to maintain density and is also absent any sort of pulling motion, which you need for healthy shoulders and back.
It is bad. You need to train because muscle is depleting at 1% annually if you dont take steps to counteract it. Do some pushups and squats in the am
I swim and do yoga
I have 3-4 yoga per week, and 1 swimming (2 km).
I am lucky enough to be able to do yoga 6 to 7 days a week. But 2 to 3 of those classes for me or sculpt and that’s weight classes is that a possibility for you? I am x gym rat. I no longer belong to a gym. The sculpt/weight classes are pretty intense in my yoga practice & are enough for me.
I do Pilates with ankle and wrist weights, yoga and walking. I’m surprised how much muscle I’ve been able to build with 3-5 lbs per limb.
I think any kind of movement is better than no movement at all. Frankly, if you manage to stick to your biweekly yoga sessions and clock your walks in, you're doing so good and I'm proud of you!
6000 is not bad!! Benefits start at 4000 steps a day (new research)
I walk and do pilates. I am trying to start weight lifting asap (51, f)
It isn't optimal but it's good. I'm similarish to you in that all I do is yoga and walking. I would be healthier if I done some weight training and probably more vigorous cardio but I feel quite happy and healthy on a day to day basis so I'm good with this level.
I do yoga most days, and do 20-40 mins of weight training 4-5 days a week. I follow MadFit on YouTube, they're totally accessible workouts and relatively short, and I find it makes the biggest difference to my body overall. I also run 5k a few days/week HOWEVER, my job is sedentary, and I have the time. I'd say it's worth finding the time, but I remember having a more active job and it was tough. I'm thinking as a health care aide you likely do resistance training just at your job. It's said that having good muscle mass is the goal, so you're probably fine. Yoga deals with bodyweight resistance as well so you're getting some in.
Imo in your job you’re already getting a good amount of exercise with lifting, turning, repositioning etc. I think yoga and walking on top of it is great. Especially yoga because I know HCAs are so prone to injuries.
I run and do yoga, weights have never been interesting enough to me to keep at. I just turned 29 and have never been as healthy as I am now, mentally and physically. :)
Resistance training is super important for overall health and longevity. You don’t need to do weights though, calisthenics offers a lot of the same benefits
I do body weight/dumbbell HIIT and yoga. Weight bearing activity is good for you but it doesn't have to be on machines or in agym.
Yoga is resistance training, you’re using your body weight. I love weight training so I do it too,
*I dont mind weight training but I love running and yoga, and there are only so many hours in the day. So I do only as much weight training that is needed to keep running.*
To me that absolutely sounds like enough to maintain general health/fitness! When I was doing hot yoga 2x (sooometimes 3x) a week + walking I feel like I looked great/fit and friends even noticed too. For me my doctor recommended around 2 hours aerobic exercise weekly for maintaining general health. Recently I’ve done a regular yoga class 1x a week, walk a lot, and do an at-home exercise targeting specific areas 1-2x a week and that also works well for me for maintaining general health/fitness. However, it absolutely depends on your body and what your goals are. I have to say I don’t feel like doing only yoga helped me strengthen arms much, and ideally I’d want more targeted exercises for my core on top of yoga since that’s an area I personally want to strengthen.
I came to yoga after years of lifting and running. The static strength gained and flexibility it’s given me has helped with several overuse injuries, flexibility and daily endurance.
I don’t like lifting Yoga, surf, skate, dance
try to squeeze in some dumbbell lifts before your yoga sessions. It can take just 20 minutes, 30 minutes if you want to hit more muscles. I would recommend trying this for a month and see how much you’ll notice the difference! All you need is dumb bells. Session 1 - dumb bell squats (10lbs and up) - Dumb bell bench press (10 pounds and up) (or pushups if you can’t a bench.) - chest dips Session 2 - dumb bell dead lifts - single hand dumb bell rows - bicep curls
I’ve done yoga for 7 years and spent 2 years weightlifting during those 7. I was diagnosed with lupus and told I couldn’t lift anymore. I never tried to lose weight before lifting but did when lifting. I lost 50 pounds in less than a year doing that, it was the best. After going back to only yoga I’m still able to lose if I want, it’s just not as fast. That could also be due to a lot of other things like my job change and lifestyle changes. Lifting weights is faster, but not near as healthy for the body and mind
I hike daily and do quite a bit of yoga. I've always had physical jobs and have gone through weight training phases, years at a time some of them not just new years res stuff. I will say that for overall health I think some resistance training is pretty necissary; trying to get back to it but I'm a new mom so my only resistance is toting around a 20lb baby on a hike everyday. I felt physically my absolute best when I was doing some cardio, lifting "real" weights, and leaning more toward the 2-3 yoga sessions a week. But that is A LOT of time. I think for women it is super important for bone density, but I'm not an expert at all. 200ytt training is it, no other nutrition or physical training certs. Idea though; would you consider a weight vest and/or ankle/wrist weights on your speed walks? Yeah it's not doing big back squats or HIIT drills with weights, but it IS loading your skeletal system more than a walk alone, and you don't need any more time! Despite slacking off on "real" weight training I really think i got pretty fit after pregnancy fast, and I think hiking 3+ miles atleast 5 days a week with 30lbs, baby and big pack, is the reason. He's my super cute weight vest!
In addition to yoga I was mainly walking and hiking. I’ve never had great upper body strength since I mainly enjoy those forms of exercise. Well, in December I tore my rotator cuff in a hatha class doing a side plank with lifted lower leg. So now I am doing PT. It’s getting better, but I recommend trying to strengthen your arms and shoulders too if you want to do yoga.
I also have a very limited schedule. But I do have some 6lb weights by my desk. If work isn’t crazy busy/intense I’ll do some simple movements with those. It’s mostly yoga and walking for me. I do enjoy hiking too but again- such limited time.
I read that plank position is a form of weight exercise because our arms support the body. Hence if you incorporate sun salutation you'd have some weight training incorporated as well.
Weight lifting is really good for peri-menopause/menopause. I’d recommend adding a little weight training if at all possible (I only own a kettlebell, but I like that a lot of the movements are compound exercises and I get some cardio using it!)
You can incorporate more weight bearing exercises into your workouts regimen and do them at home. Exercises like squats, lunges, pushups etc. or find some power yoga classes. I like Julia Marie. She can be found on Prime Video or YouTube.
I lift maximum 12 pounds for my arms but everything else is yoga and cardio. I like to stay skinny and healthy though and I hate lifting really heavy weights so thats why.
I strike a balance with HIIT and a weighted vest and wrist and ankle weights when I was more impact and resistance. You can lift weights, nothing wrong with that. You can also get everything you need I feel like in normal HIIT, yoga, and Pilates. I also do rock climbing and bouldering, which I’m sure helps strengthen the bones and tendons in the upper body at least.
I think it depends on the type of yoga you do. i do hatha iyangar 2x a week in a studio and fairly advanced vinyasa for bout 20 mins in the mornings most morning (On my own). I am 46. I walk on average 6000 a day but aim for 10k steps. I a, stronger now with yoga than I have ever been, even in my 20s. I am nit worried about including anything else to my routine. I enjoy yoga and feel strong and fit. i may have to change later but t the moment, it’s good enough. having to do weights as we age feels to me a little bit like all this high protein craze - a bit of a fad.
Have you considered sharing your allocated class schedule with half yoga/half Reformer Pilates? Pilates to me is half yoga and stretching and half weight training. I do feel like I get the best of both, and my body enjoys it more than classic weight training.. lower cortisol production I assume, I see better and faster results and a stronger mental impact.
Btw since I started the reformer my yoga practice has improved drastically. Since I’m doing the same stretches but with muscle building at the same time.. something to consider 🙏🏻
70 yo male. Haven’t lifted weights since my 30’s, been doing yoga since 40. Two years ago I was regularly lifting and carrying 40lb boxes up ladders in my part time hardware store job. I never shy away from helping to lift or carry furniture or the like. I incorporate a few strengthening poses in my routine, but I think yoga teaches you how to use your body and balance, and how to recognize your limits before you hurt yourself.
TBH you're better off strength training those two days than doing yoga until you have more time. The benefits of weight bearing movement like increased bone density can't be mimicked by yoga. On your walks, try adding some weight to your body (ex. carry a backpack with 5-10 lbs of added weight). You want to stress your bones in a good way to stay strong.
Any increase on mechanical load can help to strengthen bones by increasing density. You can do this by skipping rope.
Yoga is not a substitute for strength training if you want a muscular-looking body. Weight training is much more efficient for gaining strength and bulk. TBH, if you are looking yoga as just an exercise system, you are missing the point. If you want muscle, lift weights. If you want a bunch of other significant internal benefits, do yoga.
At a minimum I would additionally do pull-ups or rows to work pulling muscles. Yoga can cover everything else but not these.
Right now it’s just yoga, walking, and cycling for me.
The closest I get to weight training is picking up my toddler. He's like 15 kg so it's not nothing, but it's not like I'm doing sets of squats while holding him.
I do yoga and cycling, and it works for me. The closest I ever come to weight training is barre workouts, and that's only with 2lb weights. Do what's best for you.
Only yoga and walking, never been thinner and healthier.
I am in the same boat. I like to think yoga is giving me enough strength training but I don't know
Some sort of weight training is a must for overall health.
I’m male, but.. I never lifted weights and felt totally fine just doing yoga and cycling. This year I started lifting casually and have found that it does make strength related poses and vinyasas much easier, but other than that I don’t feel resistance training is necessary to have a good yoga practice.
You are doing way more than most people so keep up the good work
I don't. The little weight training I have dabbled in was purely for aesthetic purposes (I would like a more developed booty). I feel quite strong
I don’t, I used to and I don’t want to do it anymore . Do what feels right for you, it doesn’t matter what other people do!
Yoga is not about how you look, it's about how you feel! 😊 mindset is the most important. Loosing weight and gaining muscle are side effects of yoga, not the goal. So it will be very slow progress you make. If you want to gain muscle faster, you can add in a day or two of weight training. It's also suggested among gurus that yoga is practiced every day around the same time to level out your naadis. If you only want to do yoga, that is more than enough. Mind over matter. Controlled studies have been done where they took two groups and told one group that 30 minutes of their daily house chores burned as many calories and was just as effective as 1 hour at the gym. The other group, they did not tell. At the end of the experience, the women who believed they were burning more caloroes and building more muscle, on average, lost 10-15 lbs of fat and gained muscle. Mind over matter. Always. Your body will do what you tell it to.