When To Do Yoga ?

[CORVIDS]

Hi,
My wife works out 3 times a week in the gym, weight training and cardio for 1 1/2 hours,in the morning time. she also does yoga. At the minute she does it on the same night. Is it better to do the yoga on alternative nights or does it matter?
Marty.

[cursor]

Shooot ... can't help you there. I'm not really up on Yoga.

[TsiTalon]

correct me if im wrong but i dont see yoga as being really strenuious, i would say it doesnt matter.

[Maxima]

Originally posted by TsiTalon
correct me if im wrong but i dont see yoga as being really strenuious, i would say it doesnt matter.

+1

Yoga is more about relaxation, it is really inferior to traditional strength training.

Yoga is basically holding poses (isometric contracitons.) More range of motion means more muscle stimulation, more muscle stimulation means more muscle. Any increase in muscle has a subsequent increase in bone. Also with lifting you stretch the opposite muscle (during a bicep curl you are stretching your triceps.)

So with traditional lifting you get more muscle which burns more calories 24 hours a day, more bone density, and increased flexibility. With Yoga you get awkward poses and an instructor who wants to share their "energy" with you.

Sorry getting off my soap box now.

Your wife could do Yoga inbetween her hard day's since you should alternate hard/ easy days in your routine. If she is not doing it for fun and rather as another part of exercise, I would tell her to just focus on what she is doing and skip Yoga all together.

[arbit]

Originally posted by Maxima
+1

Yoga is more about relaxation, it is really inferior to traditional strength training.

Yoga is basically holding poses (isometric contracitons.) More range of motion means more muscle stimulation, more muscle stimulation means more muscle. Any increase in muscle has a subsequent increase in bone. Also with lifting you stretch the opposite muscle (during a bicep curl you are stretching your triceps.)

So with traditional lifting you get more muscle which burns more calories 24 hours a day, more bone density, and increased flexibility. With Yoga you get awkward poses and an instructor who wants to share their "energy" with you.

Sorry getting off my soap box now.

Your wife could do Yoga inbetween her hard day's since you should alternate hard/ easy days in your routine. If she is not doing it for fun and rather as another part of exercise, I would tell her to just focus on what she is doing and skip Yoga all together.

Either u have not taken a yoga class or u'r instructor sucks. There have been yoga sessions where I cood not hold a pose coz my quads gave out, or my triceps collapsed, there are poses which I cannot do coz my sholder/tricep strenght is not up to par with my bodyweight. Granted I cant bench 1.5x my bodyweight, but still yoga is not easy, its not streching(as our instructor is so fond of saying).
And Yoga leads to more flexibility not weight training.

The Yoga asanas were originally designed so that the bodies wood become strong enuf, and would not interfere in meditation.

When I took my first yoga class I was like, I'm a guy, I weight train so it should be no problem at all. Boy what a humbling xperience.

[fengalon]

LOL

I'm too scared to take a yoga class. It would be too embarrassing for me. I used to be very flexible when I took ballet and tae kwon do at the same time about 8 years ago, but I've lost that flexibility since.

[TheBigness]

Yoga maybe a way to get that back. although I admit i wouldnt walk into a yoga class if I was the ONLY man, bring a friend heh.

[fengalon]

That's what I heard. I'll consider taking a class if one of my stiff friends comes with me -- so I'm not alone.

[mixtic187]

It's definitely ballsy to take a yoga class.. but it def is a hard workout.. When I danced in HS, we would do some yoga before class.. definitely does a great job of toning your body.. my abs were nice and tight from it.. because you must use your whole body for balance.. along with your legs and arms.. not to mention it increases flexibility so you dont' kill yourself when ur busy doing other types of exercises..

[arbit]

Originally posted by fengalon
LOL

I'm too scared to take a yoga class. It would be too embarrassing for me. I used to be very flexible when I took ballet and tae kwon do at the same time about 8 years ago, but I've lost that flexibility since.

Take a beginner Yoga class. Everyone has to start somewhere. There ar many asanas which dont req a high flexibility. It's also nice for us guys if every female in the class is not super flexible, so we dont feel like dorks.

[Maxima]

Originally posted by arbit
Either u have not taken a yoga class or u'r instructor sucks. There have been yoga sessions where I cood not hold a pose coz my quads gave out, or my triceps collapsed, there are poses which I cannot do coz my sholder/tricep strenght is not up to par with my bodyweight. Granted I cant bench 1.5x my bodyweight, but still yoga is not easy, its not streching(as our instructor is so fond of saying).
And Yoga leads to more flexibility not weight training.

The Yoga asanas were originally designed so that the bodies wood become strong enuf, and would not interfere in meditation.

When I took my first yoga class I was like, I'm a guy, I weight train so it should be no problem at all. Boy what a humbling xperience.

Yoga could be called isometrics because you are basically just holding poses, isometrics does not stimulate muscles as much as full range of motion training, you are not incorporating new muscle fibers as motion deems necessary.

So in your initial stimulus you are activating the muscle fibers needed for that particular position and are not incorporating nearly as many new fibers as you would had you taken things through a full range of motion, let me explain why “feeling” is not the best way to judge exercise effectiveness.

Think about a car’s air conditioning system, if you close all the vents but one that one vent is going to blow really hard. Same with your muscles, you are only incorporating a few muscles so those are going to tier and scream really loud really fast.

A great way to see this is look at the exercise knee lifts on a roman chair. You bring your knees up and down moving from the hip, now this motion is coming from the hip so you know your hip flexor iliopsoas is the most active, so why do your abs hurt? The reason is that your abs are keeping you from bending forward at the spine when you bring your knees up (your legs create a lever that your abs have to resist) and since there is no motion only a limited number of fibers are being activated thus they give out quickly and scream fast. This gives you the impression that it is a great exercise for your abs when in reality it would be better to perform your motion from the spine.

I have no doubt that yoga and isometrics can be hard, but you will not get the muscle stimulation that full range of motion training will give you.

On your next point Weight training does lead to flexibility. For one you are stretching any antagonist when working the agonist muscle. Example, when you do a bicep curl your tricep stretches, when you do a chest press your lats stretch, when you do a leg ext your hamstrings stretch etc.
Also, actively flexing the muscles helps to train the stretch receptors of the muscle spindle to immediately accommodate a greater muscle length. Look up PNF stretching, isometrics do work so Yoga does increase flexibility, but full range of motion weight training does this plus active stretching. Weight training is very effective at increasing flexibility.

[arbit]

Originally Posted by Maxima

Yoga could be called isometrics because you are basically just holding poses,


I have no doubt that yoga and isometrics can be hard, but you will not get the muscle stimulation that full range of motion training will give you.

On your next point Weight training does lead to flexibility. For one you are stretching any antagonist when working the agonist muscle. Example, when you do a bicep curl your tricep stretches, when you do a chest press your lats stretch, when you do a leg ext your hamstrings stretch etc.
Also, actively flexing the muscles helps to train the stretch receptors of the muscle spindle to immediately accommodate a greater muscle length. Look up PNF stretching, isometrics do work so Yoga does increase flexibility, but full range of motion weight training does this plus active stretching. Weight training is very effective at increasing flexibility.

1: Yoga is not just holding poses - There are various sequences where u move smoothly from one pose to another, the movement is like a weight training rep, only the starting and ending points are different.

2: Yes, if u wanna get "real strong" then u need heavy wates and yoga doesnt cut it. But stronger is not the same as greater body control.

3:I do know about PNF streching.
Wate training does increase flexibility, but surely u cannot compare the increase from yoga and wates? Yoga is NOT passive streching, its active - u are working out at the limits of u'r flexibility. With heavy wates, u cannot go to the ends without injuring yourself. How many guys can do a leg extension? How many of them can put their heads in between their legs and fold flat?

Originally Posted by Maxima

Yoga is more about relaxation, it is really inferior to traditional strength training.

???? Inferior in what sense? Certainly not health wise.
Traditional strength training beats Yoga hands down for building big muscles. In all other aspects Yoga is better.

Try some Astanga Yoga classes - they will suit u.

[ajarvis]

Originally Posted by Maxima

Yoga could be called isometrics because you are basically just holding poses, isometrics does not stimulate muscles as much as full range of motion training, you are not incorporating new muscle fibers as motion deems necessary.

So in your initial stimulus you are activating the muscle fibers needed for that particular position and are not incorporating nearly as many new fibers as you would had you taken things through a full range of motion, let me explain why “feeling” is not the best way to judge exercise effectiveness.

Think about a car’s air conditioning system, if you close all the vents but one that one vent is going to blow really hard. Same with your muscles, you are only incorporating a few muscles so those are going to tier and scream really loud really fast.

A great way to see this is look at the exercise knee lifts on a roman chair. You bring your knees up and down moving from the hip, now this motion is coming from the hip so you know your hip flexor iliopsoas is the most active, so why do your abs hurt? The reason is that your abs are keeping you from bending forward at the spine when you bring your knees up (your legs create a lever that your abs have to resist) and since there is no motion only a limited number of fibers are being activated thus they give out quickly and scream fast. This gives you the impression that it is a great exercise for your abs when in reality it would be better to perform your motion from the spine.

I have no doubt that yoga and isometrics can be hard, but you will not get the muscle stimulation that full range of motion training will give you.

On your next point Weight training does lead to flexibility. For one you are stretching any antagonist when working the agonist muscle. Example, when you do a bicep curl your tricep stretches, when you do a chest press your lats stretch, when you do a leg ext your hamstrings stretch etc.
Also, actively flexing the muscles helps to train the stretch receptors of the muscle spindle to immediately accommodate a greater muscle length. Look up PNF stretching, isometrics do work so Yoga does increase flexibility, but full range of motion weight training does this plus active stretching. Weight training is very effective at increasing flexibility.

Yoga is much better at increasing flexibility than weight training. When you lift weights you should still stretch if you want to have flexibility. I find that yoga increases flexibility alot, some of the poses are very difficult to hold. Some people think of it as just stretching and not a good workout, yes it is a different type of workout but it has many benefits, and you can tone your muscles with it effectively.

[Piper]

CORVIDS... I have the book from Mr. Yoga himself (B.K.S. Iyengar).

He says pretty much that it doesn't matter when you do your asanas, but if you do it early in the morning, it's harder because you are more stiff. He says that it's easier in the afternoon/night so you should be able to get further into the poses.

I don't have the book with me right now, but if I find it I'll post the info here.

[Piper]

By the way.. I'm really sick of all these people who say that yoga is just stretching... people who say that really have no clue about yoga or have just gone to a few classes.

The Asanas are 1/8th part of Yoga.. there are many other things involved in it.

Maxima.. You seem to know what you are talking about with the weights part of your statement, but you sound like you've never done yoga or have maybe gone to a class or two.. What you are saying is like saying "Dieting is just eating less food", when it's not really...

If you are gonna post at all, make sure you know what you are talking about and don't give people false info. I think it's very bad to advise someone like that to give up yoga and take up weight training. If I had a choice between the two, yoga would win hands down. (Ever done over the head push ups? Those are hard and there's lots in yoga that is even tougher on your muscles)

You will work MORE muscles with Yoga than with Weight Training. It won't be as effective for strength than weight training, but better overall.