Yoga... someone tell me the truth!

[Goldie]

I have a question about yoga! I know it's good to be flexible and i know stretching prevents injury BUT can it really lengthen muscles? I'm wondering whether to start doing it to compliment strength training and cardio but want to know the actual benefits first.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

Muscles don't actually get longer, no. Their flexibility just increases. I believe it's more of a nervous system adaption than a musculature adaption, the nervous system basically "learns" that it's okay to let the muscles stretch that far and not resist it, but others know more about it than me.

[161803398874989]

I have a question about yoga! I know it's good to be flexible and i know stretching prevents injury BUT can it really lengthen muscles? I'm wondering whether to start doing it to compliment strength training and cardio but want to know the actual benefits first.

Well, first off, stretching does not necessarily prevent injury. Stretching can certainly be helpful in avoiding injury-prone situations, but it's not a direct injury safeguard.

Whether or not it lengthens muscles is actually irrelevant. The purpose of stretching is to obtain a great ROM (range of motion), which is what you probably mean.

If you're anything like the larger part of the population, you have tight hip flexors and anterior shoulder girdle, which can cause a lot of nasty stuff. Yoga will help with that. Definitely add it.

Muscles don't actually get longer, no. Their flexibility just increases. I believe it's more of a nervous system adaption than a musculature adaption, the nervous system basically "learns" that it's okay to let the muscles stretch that far and not resist it, but others know more about it than me.

Actually, during chronic stretching sarcomeres are added. So the muscle is getting physically longer. It doesn't really matter, though, because functionally you're getting more range of motion, which is the purpose of stretching.

[Leimanu]

I can't tell you medically the benefits of yoga, but I find it a great complement to other exercises. Even if you do it just once a week, I'll think you'll find that it helps the body. I think of it like this: in strength/cardio/anything exercise, it's a lot of energy output. But in yoga, there's an input of energy, giving back to the body.

So, done with the hippy-dippy.

I can't tell you exactly how it helps, but there are times during a workout that will make me remember something yoga - a muscle I realized was tight, or a way to breathe through the tough parts, or a new stretch that really hit the right spot. And a different way of thinking about moving the body, using it, and what the strength and weaknesses are.

A lot of yoga is bodyweight and using stabilizer muscles, so the increase in balance will also be helpful in other workouts.

Good luck, and have fun!

Are you thinking a class or a vid? There's a ton of free ones on YouTube, for anything, and of course, there's a Guild just for yogis with lots o' info.

[Leimanu]

Oh - and I don't know where I read this, heard this, or got it from massage school, but there's something about stretching a muscle to it's limit and then holding it there that's really therapeautic for the muscle. They just love it.

[cline]

Benefits of yoga: flexibility, body weight exercises, comfort w inversions (if you are shooting for that), learning techniques from another point of view (proper engagement of abs, proper plank), balance.

The BIGGIES = flexibility, balance, and breathing & control of breathing. These benefit all sports.

I was cranking out a workout last night and they were cooling us down w 1 min planks after hard cardio. Breathe... Breathe.... Focus on the breath... Allows for the body to do the work.

[Waldo]

You will always hear a refrain about the benefits of mobility work. You can go to mobilityWOD and look up some really target exercises.

Or you can do yoga; while there are many facets to yoga, one of them is that it is a total body mobility system. Most of the exercises on mobilityWOD are just borrowing a part of yoga poses.

[161803398874989]

You will always hear a refrain about the benefits of mobility work. You can go to mobilityWOD and look up some really target exercises.

Or you can do yoga; while there are many facets to yoga, one of them is that it is a total body mobility system. Most of the exercises on mobilityWOD are just borrowing a part of yoga poses.

I'm not very familiar with yoga, but I don't think yoga does the whole resistance-band-thingy that's like, the main attraction of mobilityWOD. PNF and such.

[RockNRollQT]

there are many types of yoga classes that do focus on different things.. were one yoga class is more about meditation where another could be about flexibility. However the basics are stretching and body weight training... so if you have goals to do a pull up or increase your push up yoga helps. However everyone was right that muscles can not get long and lean.. your muscles just adapt to the range of motion.

[sumdawgtwigg]

It's def great to have some flexibility conditioning to your workout regime. As far as the more medical parts, I'll leave that to the more knowledgeable

[jedi_mind]

i use it to warm down after jogs

it's awesome. i have a free app on my android ive been using at home.