Number of Yoga workouts a week?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

I am new to the community and have a question about using yoga in complete workout.

I am male and have an interest in building/maintaining muscle, but I love yoga.

I currently do 3 days of lifting (split), 2 days of cardio and 1 day a week of yoga.

I am hoping to move to 2 or more days a week of yoga (hot vinyasa), and want to know whether I could do this and still maintain the physical shape I currently have. I realize that much of yoga is about mental stuff as well, but I am asking for input on the purely physical aspects at the moment.

Thanks!!

Nick

#2

When you say maintain the physical shape you have, do you mean you’re concerned that yoga will make you long and lean rather than bulky?

#3

well I am actually more “long and lean” than bulky by any sense of the word, but I don’t want to gain weight from cutting back on cardio, or lose what muscle mass I do have by cutting back on lifting.

So i’m wondering if I can add in another day of yoga and take out a cardio day and end up around the same activity level.

Thanks,

Nick

#4

Ah, I see what you’re saying. I’m afraid I don’t have much of an answer for you as I have no idea if you’ll gain weight or not. I have no idea what you eat, your body type, and many other factors. To exaggerate and over simplify, if you’re eating 4000 calories a day of Big Macs and burning 4000 calories in your cardio, then when you switch a day to yoga, you’ll likely start packing on some pounds :slight_smile:

If you’re looking for straight calorie burning, then that would depend on your practices. If your cardio is 90 minutes of running, then yes, you’ll likely burn more calories with cardio versus yoga. But I wouldn’t look at it that way. Chances are, you’re going to receive fantastic benefits from a regular yoga class. Add in the fact that you’ve said yourself that you love it, then to me (keep in mind I’m biased), it’s a no brainer. Add the day of yoga.

If you’re still concerned, I bet you can find a way to add a little cardio (ride your bike to work or school as an example) and be more mindful of your diet.

#5

thanks for the response. I eat healthy and have done major weight loss (35 lbs) over the last 8 months. I only do a 45 to an hour cardio set at the moment, so perhaps it will work out.

Thanks again.

Nick

#6

Hi Nick,

The only logical step in this whole process seems to be to add that extra day of yoga and see how it works out for you. If you see you gain weight, well it is simple, go back to your previous plan, not true? :slight_smile:

#7

What’s the breakdown of your 3 day split? Are you doing isolation or compound? Could you do some of the cardio after weights? What type of yoga are you doing?

#8

I know that speaking to many of my male yogi friends, they say that only if you stop lifting weights will you lose muscle mass. If you do hot power yoga that, in my opinion, would count as a cardio workout…at least in the hot power yoga studios I’ve been to.

#9

@ mikesbytes:

i am in the last leg of the P90X routine (if you are familiar with that), so it is a combination of both. There are basically 2 cycles of splits. 1 = chest/back, shoulders/biceps/triceps, legs/back. 2 = chest/shoulders/triceps, back/biceps, legs/back. I’ll be finished this routine in 2 weeks and looking for the next stage of my workout to keep things interesting. I could add in cardio after lifting. I guess I am trying to reduce time though as the hot yoga studio requires 1.75 hours round trip of transportation!

@xela: That’s what I was wondering, thanks. The hot studios do seem to be “cardio” at least in terms of calories burnt, right? The cardio routines I am doing at the moment aren’t even that intense (maybe 600 cals per routine) as opposed to the summer where I was running an hour and a half on cardio days, so with some heat and hard work I hope I could make it happen.

@ Pandara: though your logic is spot on, the cost of the studio means that I would be adding the extra day through a 4 month $499 membership. Not something I want to just try for the heck of it.

Thanks to all

#10

Interesting topic here.

I have found that I am unable to do a full yoga practise until 48 hours after doing weights.

This is not unusual of course, but it has set up a number of dilemmas in my mind. Can one do both without compromise? Where to compromise?

My weight-train routine is full body and I use the super-slow technique, twice a week.

I train at a Keiser Training gym. Folks in Germany, Austria, Switzerland will be familiar with this gym. There is only one in Britain and it is in London. There are no free weights or cardio machines and it is all super-slow, and they advise that you train your full body, once or twice a week. Superslow, and only ONE set as well. It is different, and very precise. I go to this gym because my various body problems surface when I use the free weights.

Anyway…

I have to leave 48 hours between that and a yoga practise. I do not suppose that I should be surprised by this. :stuck_out_tongue:

For the original poster, I suggest making sure that your yoga practise burns the calories. If you feel that it burns the calories as well as your cardio, why not give up the cardio altogether? It sounds as though it would be cost effective for you to do that.

I do not do ANY specific cardio and I do not feel that I am missing out, but I only weight-train because the my life is so sedentary that I would worry for my health if I did not, so I am not bodybuilding per se.

Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is something of a CV workout or so I am told and hot power yoga cannot be a world away from that.

Is what they call ‘power yoga’ not derived from Asthanga Vinyasa Yoga?

#11

[QUOTE=Fortis_in_Arduis;15479]
If you feel that it burns the calories as well as your cardio, why not give up the cardio altogether? It sounds as though it would be cost effective for you to do that.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for all the info! to this specific part of the post, I am wondering if heart-health/metabolism would be an issue? Does cardio keep my body running at a higher rate? Would hot power yoga be able to do that?

#12

Hello Nick,

Welcome to the machine.

If you’re doing the P90X regimen then Yoga X included. In addition there is Ab RipperX, Core Synergistics and Plyometrics. Plus the entire free weight training is based on two principles; what Tony calls “muscle confusion” (as though he invented it) and moving rapidly from one exercise to the next, thus not resting and keeping the heart rate elevated.

I don’t see any reason to deviate from the book if that’s the plan you’ve selected AND it works for you - whatever “work” means in your mind. If one is interested in what Tony offers then one sticks to what Tony has devised.

I personally do not find much value (for me) in the yoga program they’ve designed. So I would not do it, for a variety of reasons not appropriate to go into here.

If you’ve acquired an affinity for asana that does pose a bit of a conundrum as its purpose (by design) has nothing to do with hardening the body, toning the muscles, or having lean muscle mass. Therefore you’re asking about the use of a tool on a job for which it is not designed.

I really like a carving knife but I wouldn’t use it to prune a forest.

Before rushing to any conclusions regarding asana practices that require both “fast” and “hot” you would be well served to read the ACE study on yoga from October 2O005. What you will find in their Yoga Intensity sidebar is this:

A 50-minute power yoga class does boost the heartrate to 62% of heartrate max and it does burn more calories than a Hatha class of the same duration (144 compared to 237), but it only qualifies as a mild aerobic workout. It’s just another example of how deceived we allow ourselves to be when heat, sweat and pop culture meet in the same plane.

#13

Hi InnerAthlete,

Yeah, Yoga X is where I got into yoga. I’m in the last 2 weeks of the program so that’s why I am looking for alternatives.

You mentioned that if for example I was interested in asana that it would not tone muscles (as it is not the purpose). What types would be best suited to toning muscles? I am much more interested in a lean/toned look than a muscular look.

Thanks,

Nick

#14

Asana will make you lean, not bulky. I wouldn’t worry about that.

#15

Hello Nick,

I’m sorry. I was not clear.
I did not intend to say “yoga would not tone muscles”. I should not have said “nothing to do with” since there is a slight causal relationship. The distinction being drawn was between what Yoga has as its larger purpose, by its “design” if you will, and what by-products may (or may not) come from it.

Again, the tool (in this case Asana) may be used in a variety of ways. Some of those ways may be in alignment with yoga’s purpose while others may not. Furthermore I’m not in a position to definitively state yoga’s purpose. However I can assure it it was not cultivated (originally, classically, or historically) as a method for toning muscles.

The point is that yoga is not a tool for addressing our covering or exterior body. I do realize however that you’re asking a strictly physical question. That’s fine.

So an answer would be similar to the answer you’d get from your local strength or personal trainer. Any endurance activities may lend themselves to lean muscle - presuming your genetics, lifestyle, and diet support such a thing.

[QUOTE=fernan61;15484]Hi InnerAthlete,
…You mentioned that if for example I was interested in [B]asana that it would not tone muscles[/B] (as it is not the purpose). What types would be best suited to toning muscles? I am much more interested in a lean/toned look than a muscular look…
[/QUOTE]

#16

I’ve mixed weightlifting with my yoga practice over the years (presently I’m not lifting, but I may again in the future). My experience is that lifting results in much less flexibility. However, that is neither good nor bad. I do know for me that doing yoga while lifting weights lengthened my muscles resulting in a leaner appearance (a good thing as far as I was concerned). All I can say is that yoga was a great complement to weightlifting when I sought a muscular, lean physique. However, my asana practice didn’t progress much. When I decided that I wished to focus on yoga, I stopped weightlifting which resulted in much greater flexibility. I’ve experimented with all sorts of combinations in the past and I expect I will in the future. To me, generally, variety is most effective. Right now a varied yoga (that is doing a variety of yoga styles) and martial arts is working great. I’m a jack of all trades type of guy.

#17

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#18

Yoga will change your body, not just on the muscular level, but also through stimulating your lymph system, improving cardiovascular effectiveness through deep relaxation, toning inner organs, clearing the brain, opening energy channels. You are ultimately your own guide as to how much or whether you wish to practice yoga, and how it fits into your life. I suggest allowing yourself to experiment with yoga in the form that you found it. Allow yourself also to be led to try other styles of yoga, other teachers, even other aspects of yoga. I would, however, discourage any rush or urgency toward change. Allow yoga to shape your life gradually, organically. Good and happy days on your journey !

#19

I think yoga should be practised everyday, maybe with the exception of Sundays.

I had a friend who was a real yogi, received warmly even by the yogis in the caves of India. He told me bluntly: you do yoga everyday. If you skip a day, second day you should it twice.

It probably all depends on your purpose.