5 Reasons Yoga & Strength
Training Combine Perfectly

By Siarra T. Mong

During the summer months, we tend to turn towards other training methods to help keep our bodies strong, and in peak beach condition.

There is definitely something to be said for spending hours in the gym sculpting muscles, and getting that feel-good, post-workout feel, but just remember not to let your yoga practice fall too far to the wayside.

Yoga is amazing to help balance out the effects of a weight-training regimen.

Here are just five reasons why all weight-lifting gym bunnies need yoga in their lives.

Attitude of Gratitude!

Here are some more benefits:

1. Strength, and flexibility Although yoga is great at building natural strength, for someone looking to put muscle on, strength training is the way to go. It will only improve your yoga poses. Similarly, for those who put on weight easily, and are looking to slim down, yoga is one of the best ways to tone your muscles, and develop flexibility.
2. Explosiveness, and endurance If you do full-body compound lifts at the gym, and lift weights explosively, you activate your fast-twitch muscle fibers. This helps you develop power, and speed. In yoga, by doing the movements slowly, and holding poses for a while, you activate slow-twitch muscle fibers, which builds endurance. It’s useful to maintain a balance between both these types of muscle fibers, and doing a hybrid training routine enables this.
3. Controlled aggression, and relaxation One of the things about a good strength-training program that makes use of progressive loading is that you need to get psyched up before each workout. This is because you’re lifting heavier weights each time, which helps develop controlled aggression. In yoga, when done right, even if you’re doing challenging poses which causes you to sweat, you feel completely relaxed at the end. This helps get rid of unwanted stress.
4. Workout of the mind, body, and soul Try as many sports, and physical activities, as you can but, most in the fitness community agree that nothing can match the way most feel after a calm, and peaceful yoga workout. The primary reason to do yoga, and not just any other exercise is because of the way it nourishes the mind, and helps you listen to that quiet voice inside your head, aka your soul. Yoga can help you stay awake throughout the day without coffee, increase your self-confidence, and help get rid of back pain.
5. Better muscle shape One of the things about strength training is that it builds more visually pleasing muscles. One could argue that when yoga was developed, people had to lift, and walk more in their day-to-day lives than the typical modern person, which helped them get some of the benefits strength training provides, indirectly. Also, strength training provides a metabolism boost, which helps with weight loss, and aiding in increasing bone density while helping to maintain joint flexibility.