{"id":166,"date":"2023-07-26T09:27:29","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T13:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ironmaster.com\/iron-blog\/?p=166"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:47:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:47:38","slug":"yoga-for-strength-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ironmaster.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/26\/yoga-for-strength-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Downward Dog to Deadlifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome, my fellow strength enthusiasts, to the ultimate mashup of brawn and bliss.\u00a0 It is time to grab your barbell and your downward dog because we are diving head-first into the world of strength training and yoga.\u00a0 (Did I just really use both of those words together, in the same sentence?! Heresy!.) But stick with me here.\u00a0 Picture this: muscles straining, deep stretches, and the chanting of \u201com\u201d meets \u201cDo you even lift, bro?\u201d I am about to teach you the top 5 benefits of adding yoga to your routine.\u00a0 I know it will make you a better lifter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoga is for people who are already flexible.\u201d\u00a0 This is exactly what I thought for many years, and I am admitting to you that I was completely wrong.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Strength training and yoga?\u00a0 Many think of them as polar opposites.\u00a0 In truth, they\u2019re a match made in heaven.\u00a0 Think of them as that salty-sweet killer taste combination.\u00a0 Strength training brings out the salty pop of power and yoga enhances the sweet feeling of unrestricted movement.\u00a0 Combining the two will help you build your strength and give you the mobility needed to target the exercise\u2019s entire range of motion.\u00a0 This blog is not about debating which one is better but discussing the benefits of including both.<\/p>\n

But how does a strength athlete start yoga? By taking the first step of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraining for strength and flexibility is a must. You must use it to support your techniques.\u00a0 Techniques alone are no good if you don\u2019t support them with strength and flexibility\u201d\u00a0 -Bruce Lee<\/b><\/p>\n

First Step \u2013 Understanding Strength Training<\/p>\n

Strength training, also known as resistance training, increases muscle strength by applying a force, or weight, to a working muscle.\u00a0 Applying force to a working muscle by strength training can increase strength, hypertrophy, power, and muscular endurance.<\/p>\n

Understanding Yoga<\/h3>\n

Yoga is an ancient and complex practice, originating in India over 5,000 years ago that has now become a popular form of exercise and overall well-being. Yoga is a bodyweight exercise, using your body’s force or weight to elicit physical adaptations. Yoga, as practiced in the U.S., involves poses (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (Dyana).\u00a0 There are many types of yoga from gentle practices such as a restorative practice to a powerful, physically demanding one called power vinyasa.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlexibility is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

What can yoga offer to benefit your strength training routine?\u00a0 Well,\u00a0here are the top five benefits.<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Improved flexibility.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Strength athletes are focused on shortening their muscles, which we call muscle contraction.\u00a0 Let me ask you a couple of questions: How often do you fully lengthen or fully stretch your muscles? Do you ever feel tight during a lift, especially at the end ranges? \u00a0 I would be willing to bet that you don\u2019t stretch them to their longest capability and, consequently, that you walk around tighter than an extra small shirt on an extra-large body. What happens when you try to force a super-tight shirt over a large mass? It eventually reaches its yield point, or breaking point. It rips.\u00a0 The same thing can happen to tight muscles. The tighter the muscle, the more likely it is to snap when force is applied.\u00a0 Yoga helps to improve the elasticity and overall flexibility of your muscles. If you are too tight to move freely during the entire range of motion, you are not able to load the entire muscle.\u00a0 When you don\u2019t load the entire muscle, you are missing out on developing the maximum amount of strength which that muscle can produce. In other words, less strength gains.\u00a0 Why would you want to leave gains on the table? The solution is simple: Fully shorten the muscle in the gym, and fully lengthen the muscle in yoga. Do that and you can\u00a0work the muscle in its entirety.<\/b><\/p>\n

2. Greater range of motion + Use of the entire muscle = More strength output.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Enhanced muscle recovery.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Strength training can lead to sore muscles.\u00a0 The whole point and purpose of strength training is to tear muscles down and build them back stronger.\u00a0 The damage to the muscle fibers from training leads to an inflammation response (this is when you are sore) which sends signals to the body to repair and recover stronger than before.\u00a0 Yoga helps that repair and recovery by promoting blood circulation, supporting lymphatic drainage (relives swelling and removes toxins), and taking your body from the high-stress, catabolic state of \u201cfight or flight response\u201d (sympathetic nervous system) to the low-stress, \u201crest and digest\u201d anabolic state of response (parasympathetic nervous system).\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>
\nBetter recovery means more muscle growth.<\/b><\/p>\n

3. Mind-Muscle Connection.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Despite what you may have been told, the mind-muscle connection is a real concept. Yoga emphasizes mindful movement.\u00a0 During yoga, practitioners are encouraged to focus their attention on the sensations, alignment, and engagement of their muscles during each pose.\u00a0 This heightened sense of awareness allows one to develop a stronger mind-muscle connection by training the brain to consciously activate specific muscles and consciously release tension in muscles that don\u2019t need to be engaged.\u00a0 (You would be amazed at how hard you\u2019re squeezing muscles during a lift that you don\u2019t need and don\u2019t realize you are engaging.)\u00a0 Why is this important?\u00a0 It\u2019s important because contracting a muscle uses energy.\u00a0 Why waste energy on squeezing a muscle you don\u2019t need at the moment?\u00a0 Save energy and minimize fatigue by releasing it.\u00a0 You will improve your work capacity. I can speak to this from experience: yoga greatly helped me develop my neural pathways to have better mind-muscle connections.\u00a0<\/b>
\nLearn to turn on the muscles you need and turn off the muscles you don\u2019t.<\/b><\/p>\n

4. Balance and Stability<\/b><\/h3>\n

Yoga poses often involve balancing on one leg, or one arm, or holding other challenging poses.\u00a0 Performing these poses will improve your balance and stability.\u00a0 Stability is a key portion of structural integrity. It provides joint support, allowing you to achieve correct and safe positioning under loads.\u00a0 If your shoulder girdle (joint) is not developed and stable, your risk of a shoulder injury greatly increases. Once injured, it will never heal to be as strong as it was originally.\u00a0 You can\u2019t expect a bridge to support cars if it doesn\u2019t have the correct supporting structure.\u00a0 You can\u2019t expect your shoulder joint to support heavy weight if the stabilizing muscles aren\u2019t developed. Developing your balance and stability can translate to increased performance and a decreased risk of injury, especially in exercises that require major stability in the supporting joints in movements such as the big three (bench, squat, deadlift).\u00a0 You are only one injury away from losing your peak performance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>
\nGood balance and stability produce strong joints throughout life.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

5. Breathing<\/b><\/h3>\n

Breath awareness is fundamental to yoga. Have you ever noticed that you inhale and exhale through your mouth during your daily activities and not your nose? News Flash, we are designed to breathe through our noses, not our mouths.\u00a0 Modern living has increased our laziness, not just with our activity level but even how we breathe. Strength training\u2019s general rule of thumb is to inhale through your nose on the eccentric portion and exhale during the concentric portion through your mouth \u2013 a habit yoga can build on by syncing types of breathing with movement. Breathing with the movement allows for a more controlled and coordinated movement during exercise.\u00a0 Yoga emphasizes conscious deep breathing patterns which can improve lung capacity, respiratory efficiency, and oxygen uptake.\u00a0 Through these specific breathing techniques, yoga can enhance respiratory muscle strength, increase lung volume, and allow you to have optimal oxygen exchange to fuel your training session (and decrease your risk of chronic fatigue).
\nThe better you breathe, the more you may be able to lift.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Now that you are aware of some major benefits of yoga let me suggest how to incorporate yoga into your strength training.<\/p>\n

Strength training is the meat and potatoes of your training; it takes up most of the plate.\u00a0 Consider yoga a side dish that, complements the main course.\u00a0 Perhaps for you, yoga is the vegetable, not the favorite side, but it has a purpose (hip hip hooray for fiber).\u00a0 Yoga must be able to\u00a0ADD<\/b>\u00a0to your training, not take away from it (eat too many vegetables and you have no room left for the meat and potatoes). Building muscle and strength takes up most of your time in the gym and your time to rest and recover.\u00a0 For this reason, doing intense yoga practice may result in a subpar performance in the gym.<\/p>\n

\"Ashley<\/a><\/figure>\n

Training hard in the gym pairs well with gentle and restorative yoga.
\nI recommend 2-3x\/wk of gentle, stretchy yoga lasting 10 and 20 minutes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

An intense power yoga practice pairs well with rest days.<\/b>
\nFor this, I recommend no more than 1x\/wk, for 45 to 60 minutes total.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you want to incorporate yoga as a warm-up before your lift, stick to movements that will prepare your body and improve your range of motion and mobility such as\u00a0downward dog<\/a>,\u00a0bird dogs<\/a>, and\u00a0cat cow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yoga is also a great way to cool down and stretch post-workout.\u00a0 Poses such as\u00a0seated forward fold<\/a>,\u00a0low lunge<\/a>, and\u00a0bow pose<\/a>\u00a0will help stretch out tight muscles post-workout.<\/p>\n

Remember, the integration of yoga and strength training is based on your individual goals.\u00a0 It is essential to listen to your body and adjust the frequency, time, and intensity of both as needed.\u00a0 By adding a yoga practice to your strength training program, you will develop a greater sense of body awareness, control, and unrestricted movement patterns.\u00a0 This will benefit your strength training by optimizing your technique and athletic performance and effectively targeting the intended muscles, leading to increased strength gain and overall performance.\u00a0 We are only as strong as our weakest link.<\/p>\n

Allow me to recommend some of the\u00a0best poses to complement\u00a0<\/b>your strength training:<\/h3>\n

Intense Power Poses:<\/b><\/p>\n