Friday, September 26, 2014

How Yoga Can Complement Weight Training

Do you lift weights regularly? Would you like to become more flexible and feel more relaxed? Then you should try yoga. This ancient practice can improve your range of motion, reduce joint pain, and boost your energy. Many athletes are combining strength training with yoga to create a healthy, balanced workout programme and get rid of stress. Those who lift heavy weights and are prone to injuries can greatly benefit from yoga.Supercharge Your Workouts with YogaAt a first glance, yoga and weight training have nothing in common. Lifting weights requires strength and endurance. Yoga puts emphasis on flexibility and deep breathing. Despite their differences, these disciplines complement each other and go well together.Strength training tones your muscles, increases metabolic rate, and improves body composition. It also makes your bones stronger and reverses age-related muscle loss. Yoga improves your flexibility and balance, reduces back pain, and relieves stress. Its results are immediate. Most people are feeling relaxed and serene after only one session.Increasingly more bodybuilders and athletes are practicing yoga. This form of exercise can make you stronger overall and reduce muscle soreness. You can combine strength exercises with yoga's flowing postures to help your heart work better and create muscular balance. This approach can improve your game, prevent the tightening and shortening of muscles, and boost your energy.There are plenty of reasons to incorporate yoga into your strength training routine. If you do yoga the same day as weight training, you'll set a positive tone of action for the day. This practice will reduce muscle soreness and lactic acid buildup in your body following an intense workout, improve your range of motion, and keep your joints flexible. Combining yoga with strength training has a wealth of benefits, such as:

Controlled aggression and relaxation

Increased strength and flexibility

Better muscle shape

Reduced risk of injury

Stronger bones and joints

Improved balance and coordination

Increased cardiovascular endurance

Stronger core muscles

Improved mood

Reduced anxiety

Decreased muscle soreness and stiffness

Improved posing endurance for bodybuilders

Greater muscle balance

Increased mental clarity
Both yoga and weight training promote health and well-being, relieve stress, and ward off chronic diseases. They also increase serotonin production in your brain, which improves mood and reduces depression. When you work out hard, your cortisol levels increase. This affects your ability to build muscle and recover after training. Yoga lowers cortisol levels and relaxes your mind. Thus, it can help you recover faster and experience greater strength and muscle gains.


If you don't know how to get started, go online and search for yoga classes. Find a fitness experts who will help you understand how yoga works and how to reap its benefits. He/She can also create a customized workout routine that incorporates both yoga and strength exercises.Is Yoga Really Effective?Yoga is a full body workout with focus on balance, flexibility, and strength. Its health benefits should not be overlooked. When practiced regularly, it can help you lose fat, build lean muscle, and strengthen your core. Studies have found that yoga decreases markers of inflammation, reduces blood pressure, and helps lower bad cholesterol levels.This centuries old practice has immediate effects on the body's response to stress. Research indicates that people who practice meditation, standing and seated asanas, and deep breathing exercises at least twice a week experience significant reductions in pain, fatigue, morning soreness, and sleep disturbances. Yoga may also improve kidney function, stabilize blood sugar levels, and reduce mood swings.From bodybuilders and weight lifters to fitness buffs, everyone can benefit from yoga. This practice relies on structured poses (asanas) that reduce stress and boost your flexibility. When combined with strength training, yoga can make you look and feel amazing.Regular yoga practice improves aerobic endurance, increases oxygen flow to your muscles, and can even speed up a sluggish digestion. The gentle stretching relieves muscle tension and boosts mobility. Many asanas strengthen your bones and help prevent osteoporosis. Some reduce knee and back pain, soothe the nervous system, and support muscle repair.Consider hiring a personal yoga trainer to learn more about the benefits of yoga. He/She will show you how to incorporate yoga into your weight training routine, how to maintain good form, and what asanas to do. Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or improve your flexibility and endurance, you'll benefit from mixing these two disciplines.With time, commitment, and effort, you'll get the body you want. If you're already lifting weights, add two or three yoga sessions to your workout routine. This form of exercise requires no special tools, so you can do it anywhere, anytime. After only a few sessions, you'll feel younger and experience positive results in your workout routine.Check with your physician before starting any exercise program.

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