Yoga, Weight Training and other questions

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

For most of my adult life I have done some weigh training - usually free weights, recently kettle bells. I have done short mild yoga weekly or so since 2000. Because of anxiety and stress I decided to try hot yoga at a local studio. I do like it and feel that is going to be helpful. I am currently going 4 x a week. So then I was doing weights 3x a week Yoga 4x a week. I found I was sore and achy and my muscles were being overworked.

I’m considering giving up my free weights but …wow -I’ve done them for so long and I’ve been pretty happy with how I feel and look -so I’m afraid to.

So I was wondering how everyone else works yoga into their other workouts and/or how they decided to give it up for only yoga.

#2

I do strength training with kettlebells 3-4 days a week (about 45 minutes) and take 3 yoga classes per week (1 ashtanga and 2 hatha).

I’m 51 and I must admit, some weeks I am a bit sore. I try to take 1 day totally off per week and if I need it, I’ll back off on the kettlebell workouts. I find the yoga is just as physical - just in a different way and it gives me the added benefit of mental/emotional support that I don’t necessarily get with my strength training workouts.

Maybe try cutting back a little on the weights and see how it feels for you. I like the feeling I get from working out with weights - it’s a combined cardio/strength that works well with my yoga so I would have a hard time giving it up completely.

As with everything, it’s finding the balance that works for you. It probably depends also on how long your yoga sessions are…20 minutes versus 90 minutes or something in between. Lots of variables.

Basically - I don’t think you need to give one up for the other.

#3

Thanks for the perspective. I think I need to lower the intensity of my KB routine and maybe drop back to 2 days.

#4

I gave up the weights a while back, to me it seems like the yoga asana are more functional for my recreational and work around the yard physical activities but at 54 this month I?m keeping an eye on my muscle mass, men tend to lose muscle mass as they age and weight lifting is proven to slow the process, it wasn?t long ago my relatives were working the fields in Ireland now I sit behind a desk 8 hours a day in New Jersey, so far the asana have been enough to keep me fully active, plus they cleared up my back issues. I can’t keep up with my 22 year old son and his friends, those days are gone, thankfully.

#5

Well I was mostly concerned with preventing osteo and keeping muscle mass high enough to keep my metabolism going. Maybe one day soon I’ll do a 30-day challenge and take 30 days off from weights.

#6

Yes trial and error, the proof is in the pudding, see what works for you. Interesting how they are now finding impact activities are good for preventing osteo, theory is the bones try to adjust density.

#7

I personally believe the process is convoluted when “how I look” and “how I feel” are intertwined. The latter is critical, the former is distracting. Though of course there are some things which are to be noted in the physical appearance. In the larger picture however yoga (or in this post’s case, asana) isn’t intended for the external body.

One of the issues raised is how does another “physical” practice assist a human being who leads a very physical life? When a person who is incredibly active, lives most of their life in a physical way (only) another physical (only) practice is like shooting lighter fluid on burning charcoal briquettes.

As a teacher (of yoga) I also have concern with the paradigm of “if it feels good, do it”. For most people that could be defined as staying in bed all day, eating ice cream, and drinking a bottle of booze. And of course we know that isn’t particular “good” for us. So there has to be a separation between what tastes good and what is good for us. Does this asana practice “taste good” or is it actually balancing relative to your living?

More to your question…
when muscle soreness is frequent rather than occasional (and based on using that which has not been regularly used) AND that soreness is not in the belly of the muscle but rather near the attachments, the work has either been too much or it has been done improperly. In both cases the secondary support structures (connective tissue) have been enlisted and that is a sign to make a change.

There’s nothing wrong with some free-weight use when it serves you and is done with integrity.

#8

@ Inner Athlete
That is a good point, I was a sickly kid growing up chronic allergies, upper and lower respiratory infections it wasn?t till I started modifying my diet, working out and eventually finding yoga that everything corrected itself, to me it?s all about how it makes me feel not how it looks, maintaining muscle mass is desirable because it enables me to continue activities I enjoy. No doubt for me yoga asana is functional for physically activities just as the other 7 limbs are functional for life. Hope I did not cause confusion with my response.

#9

[QUOTE=DeeD;53700]For most of my adult life I have done some weigh training - usually free weights, recently kettle bells. I have done short mild yoga weekly or so since 2000. Because of anxiety and stress I decided to try hot yoga at a local studio. I do like it and feel that is going to be helpful. I am currently going 4 x a week. So then I was doing weights 3x a week Yoga 4x a week. I found I was sore and achy and my muscles were being overworked.

I’m considering giving up my free weights but …wow -I’ve done them for so long and I’ve been pretty happy with how I feel and look -so I’m afraid to.

So I was wondering how everyone else works yoga into their other workouts and/or how they decided to give it up for only yoga.[/QUOTE]

The only thing I’d consider here, is that you said you are prone to anxiety and stress. I don’t know anything better for anxiety and stress than a hard workout. Weights with get you testosterone levels up, which will keep anxiety, depression, and stress away better than anything else. I would do weight/kettlebells at least 2-3 times a week. Maybe do some more gentler yoga, or do yoga 3 times a week and see how you go.

#10

I believe this says it all:

[I]I don’t know anything better[/I] for anxiety and stress than a hard workout.

#11

[QUOTE=YogiAdam;53754]The only thing I’d consider here, is that you said you are prone to anxiety and stress. I don’t know anything better for anxiety and stress than a hard workout. Weights with get you testosterone levels up, which will keep anxiety, depression, and stress away better than anything else. I would do weight/kettlebells at least 2-3 times a week. Maybe do some more gentler yoga, or do yoga 3 times a week and see how you go.[/QUOTE]

That sort of confuses me. I have always done hard intense workouts - I was a spin instructor and still spin at home since I own a spinner bike and last year I took up boxing classes at the local boxing gym (not a fitness club) and worked up lots of sweat and and had really intense workouts learning to throw combinations, bob and weave and it just was not what I needed from that point of view. My boxing instructors quit and the gym looked like it was closing so I did not renew this year - I felt I needed to try something different from what I’ve always done. I appreciate the input though -I’m pondering it.

#12

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;53762]I believe this says it all:[/QUOTE]

???

#13

If that is all a person knows then that is all a person could possibly suggest.

#14

Ahhh -well thanks for the input. As a mom of twin toddlers yoga is definitely different from my daily life and adds balance I think. Thanks again for the perspective.

#15

Depends on the “yoga”, no? A yoga where you were running around with people chattering all the time and constantly having demands made of you would be a lot like twin toddlers.

#16

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;53835]Depends on the “yoga”, no? A yoga where you were running around with people chattering all the time and constantly having demands made of you would be a lot like twin toddlers.[/QUOTE]

So far nothing like that - I get there 15 mins early, no talking permitted. A Bikram derivative -hot room, still for 15 mins and then a series of poses - no one talks but the instructor :smiley: