If you practice yoga, you may wonder or have people tell you that yoga isn’t enough to strengthen your muscles. Yoga has many physical, emotional and spiritual benefits and it will also help make your muscles stronger.
When you work out at the gym, the resistance of the weights works to increase the strength of the muscles. During yoga, your body provides the resistance and also helps to strengthen the muscles.
There is evidence to support the idea that the regular practice of yoga works to strengthen the muscles. A University of California study followed the progress of college students taking yoga classes for eight weeks. The study showed that the students taking yoga experience a 31% increase in muscle strength and 57% increase in muscle endurance.
If you practice yoga, you don’t need researchers in California to tell you that yoga asanas work the muscles. You can feel it during a challenging pose, as well as the day after a vigorous yoga class.
The muscles are strengthened by both weight training and yoga, but with a few significant differences. One important difference is that with yoga, muscles throughout the body are strengthened at the same time, rather than isolating specific muscles, as with weights. In addition, the muscles are stretched at the same time, so they become longer and stronger, giving a leaner appearance.
Some weight lifters have discovered these benefits. A growing number are incorporating a yoga class or two each week to balance their weight training efforts. I’ve had a few guys in my yoga class to gain the muscle lengthening and flexibility benefits.
Whether you need to lift weights, practice yoga or do both depends on your goals. If you want to bulk up your muscles and enjoy the strengthening benefits of yoga, you may want to work out with weights and take yoga classes. If this isn’t your goal, you can rest assured that your muscles are strengthened in your yoga practice.