Anyone go from weight lifting to yoga?

[big-green]

The way my busy schedule is working out I end up weight lifting right before my yoga session with my friends. Do you think this stops me from getting the full benefits of yoga because I am kinda fatigued by then?

[baldy]

nope it is probably a great way to end a weight lifting session. When you say weight lifting, what kind of weightlifting do you mean?

[NatB]

What sort of yoga? We have Vinyasa Flow yoga at my gym (which is an MMA gym) on Friday nights and its a great way to wind down after a fight class and stretch out the muscles. The ultimate aim being the meditative relaxation at the end. So I would say you should be fine!

Some of the poses can be intense if held for a long time (like some of the warrior poses might be tough if you had done a big leg session) but I would say even more reason to do them after weights.

Can't comment on Bikram though. Not done it but from what I have heard I'm not a fan....!

[big-green]

nope it is probably a great way to end a weight lifting session. When you say weight lifting, what kind of weightlifting do you mean?

I usually try to go for complete strength training and use around 3-6 reps per set. I only really do compound exercises as well.

[big-green]

What sort of yoga? We have Vinyasa Flow yoga at my gym (which is an MMA gym) on Friday nights and its a great way to wind down after a fight class and stretch out the muscles. The ultimate aim being the meditative relaxation at the end. So I would say you should be fine!

Some of the poses can be intense if held for a long time (like some of the warrior poses might be tough if you had done a big leg session) but I would say even more reason to do them after weights.

Can't comment on Bikram though. Not done it but from what I have heard I'm not a fan....!

I'm actually not sure what kind of yoga it is, all I know is there is a lot of grandma's in the class lol. I just want to work on my flexibility. When I find out the name I'll post back here if I remember.

[Catt Queen]

Sounds ideal to me

[big-green]

I went from my leg day at the gym, had a quick rice protein shake, then went to a 40 minute bikram yoga session. It was only 40 minutes because I couldn't complete it! I talked to my yoga instructor about it and she recommended I try a lighter class, or don't workout before her class because of how taxing it is on the body.

[NatB]

Ah so its Bikram. Yeah thats quite intense because of the heat and how much you sweat. People are addicted to it but have heard its not that great for you. My flatmate got whiplash from it because you can overstretch in the heat. Gentle yoga is amazing though! Just try some different styles til you find one that suits!

[big-green]

Ah so its Bikram. Yeah thats quite intense because of the heat and how much you sweat. People are addicted to it but have heard its not that great for you. My flatmate got whiplash from it because you can overstretch in the heat. Gentle yoga is amazing though! Just try some different styles til you find one that suits!

Ya I don't know if I'm going to go back to another Bikram session, especially in these upcoming summer months where I don't think I could ever cool down after a session. It's really tough!

[britdoc]

After a bit of a squatting injury, I started doing Bikram. I have only done 14 classes so far; about a month or so...but am sold. I absolutely love it, and it has changed me inside out. Lost ~5lbs (all fat), strength actually up on weight days, feel so much better and am ridiculously much more flexible after this short time.

[osric]

I do Ashtanga yoga on the alternate days to my weight training. My yoga instructor would rather have me do it every day (Mysore style), but I find it's too exhausting to both lift and do my yoga practice on the same day. (Yoga here is also rather expensive, so it's cheaper for me to do it at a daily class rate than to get the monthly membership at my studio.)

I do Ashtanga because it's intense but controlled. My progression is closely monitored by my instructor (who has trained extensively in Mysore, India) and it's not an "athletic" form. I don't know how people can do that "hot" style yoga. I sweat enough for two people when I exercise; I'd be soaked to the bone if I did yoga in a hot room!

My personal trainer is also not a huge fan of doing a lot of stretching. He's an exercise physiology researcher at Tufts University here in Boston, and he has tomes of research that says too much stretching can be counterproductive for anyone who is serious about strength training. But then he's also not a fan of my vegan diet, so I take his advice in moderation

[JO]

Dog-gone it -- looks like I lost my comment to this thread. Briefly: Ashtanga is great if you have a mature sense of your own body mechanics. I tried Bikram for a month but found it difficult to manage my "water". I think if you are weight-lifting the takeaway of yoga supplement is breath and focus. For example, I would alternate weight-lifting with breath/balance work during the same workout and it's obviously & quickly beneficial.