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| My background coming into yoga- I am female, do strength training 2x week with my trainer and interval running on the treadmill 3x a week. I take a 90 minute Kripalu class 1x per week at a studio. Max. 10 students.
I am going to stop weight/strength training and pick up 2 more yoga classes. I feel that the yoga will give me the same benefits of strength training and then some.
I just love Kripalu yoga and am very bored with the gym.
I practiced Kripalu a while back and was very lucky to find an instructor in my area. My instructor has a knock out body at 50+ years old. And I mean knock out!!! So the fitness benefits must be incredible.
Any advice?
Warmly,
Susan
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| Yoga im sure is not the only thing she does to keep herself.
Did you ask what she eats or if she works out?
Don't do take interest in the way an instructor looks take interest in what she can teach.
The supplementation of all the multiple types of training is great for you don't need to quite one to add another. |
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| Personal training is a fortune and I cannot afford 3 weekly yoga classes, 2 personal training sessions and a gym membership. I had to think about what I needed. The yoga brings me so many benefits emotionally, spiritually yet I do not want to give up strength. I am 50 and need to keep my muscle.
My yogi uses light weights for upper body and also does cardio. She eats well, all meats but red.She has suggested three to four classes a week. I live close to Kripalu and want to go to their yoga immersion weekends or retreat for beginners.
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| You should try free yoga.
Many people like myself love to share our practice we teach for free or practice and invite you to follow. Maybe you can go to a gym that has yoga and visit your school of choice monthly. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Susan, if you are bored with the gym, take a break. I would say the same about yoga, although I never find it boring  |
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| susan:
does your gym offer yoga classes? many of them do, and the teachers are dedicated, highly trained teachers. This is a way to increase your yoga classes while maintaining the other aspects of your fitness regime.
of course, if you're bored with the gym, then it is time for a break. but may I ask why you are bored? have you mastered any of the exercises and made consistant strength gains? do you have specific goals for your gym workouts and are you reaching them? or is your trainer switching up your exercises so often that you're not seeing any progress? (this is a common technique to keep a person reliant on the trainer, thus keeping the trainer in business. i'm not saying that your trainer is doing this, but i know many trainers who do.)
my husband and i have been avid weight lifters for over a decade. we do what is called 'functional training.' we do basic weight training exercises that work compound muscle groups (that is, we don't do anything that's an isolation exercise, except one a cycle for fun, if we want. husband does that, i don't). My workouts usually last only 30 minutes, 2x per week, and i have consistant gains in either strength or in muscle (with body fat loss). I find that this method is a great method for busy women who love good results and also are go-getters and like to reach goals. Strength goals are great for women, because when it comes to gaining muscle, we eventually plateau. but, we can always gain strength. being strong is being confident as well.
as for the yoga thing, yoga is really 'all you need' but doing other things can be fun. if you want to do yoga and only yoga, i recommend a daily practice. taking class 3 x per week is enugh, on the other days you can do your home practice. take one day off, or make one day a restorative prctice. this will lead to the greatest benefits--regardless of the school or style of yoga you practice.
good luck! |
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| I have been with my trainer for a year. I have lost 35 pounds and gone from a size 16 to an 8. With all due humility, I look great but am looking for gains in abdomen and arms.
I really don't care for the gym environment and my trainer is very expensive. At the yoga center I can take unlimited classes for $150 per month. The yoga styles are varied; Ashtanga, Kripalu, "flow" yoga, Dharmic, Rahini, Pilates Ball. They also have workshops. This month they have a 2 1/2 hour Chaturanga workshop- Ibelieve that with some upper body weights at home and cardio 3x a week, I will actually improve my fitness level with all the classes offered.
I have about 10 more pounds to lose. I believe yoga will help me to keep moving toward a healthy life style. 
I see my trainer 2x per week for 30 minutes. We do all kinds of exercises. My challenges are stability and balance.
If I were rich, I'd keep the trainer and do yoga. But realisitcally, I have to choose.
Thanks you so much for your response. It is good to know that there is support here.
Warmly
Susan |
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| well, it sounds good to me. if you can do unlimited monthly and do say 4-6 classes a week, i bet you'd be getting your money's worth.
a good trainer should teach you basic exercises--squats, dead lifts, overhead press, chin-ups/pull downs, dips, bench press, row, and then weighted abdominal exercises. these will build overall strength. cardio--particularly interval training--will decrease overall body fat, thus making you lean. looking at body fat percentage, rather than weight is a good option as you get toward that last 10 lbs.
but again, if you're just doing yoga, mix it up--do classes that interest you, try to take 4-6 or so a week. lets see, 16 classes in a month at $150 per month equals $9.37 per class. 24 classes in a month at $150 per month equals $6.25 per class. that's really inexpensive, isn't it? for all that you get from it?
good idea, i think. |
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| The yoga is a GREAT deal. I really love it. Six classes a week is a great goal. I find the classes challenging and interesting. It's amazing how much strength it takes to chatarunga(hoped I spelled that right cuz I certainly didn't do it right!) 
Oh well, that's what practice is for. |
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| BTW- I think that muscle strength may be more of an issue for men than women. I think that yoga can define and strenghten muscle very well. As far as building muscle, I am not so sure.
I am using 10 pound weights at home to do biceps, overhead triceps, and rows. I do modified pushups and hold plank for as long as possible.
My ab work is slacking.
SusanNY |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Chaturanga to down dog is great for the lower abs. |
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| Hey there,
I have been involved in sport since my childhood. I have only stopped when injured or ill. I cam to yoga with a reasonable level of fitness for a sporty type, and found that it really brought to my attention any weaknesses that I had, like a slightly dodgy knee for example. I found that this way i got to learn a lot more about my body and get in touch with it again but on a deeper level.
The difference is that in sport, the actiity is the point of it (i.e. running times)so the body is a means to an end, but in yoga, the body is the point. |
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| You only need to do what makes you happy. Obviously you are no longer interested in your gym workout. Hey, just do yoga and only yoga for six months and see where you are at mentally and physically six months from now. At that point either decide you're getting what you need from yoga or, if you're not, figure out what else you need to add.
I noticed have that many people on here seemingly have unlimited resources and time on their hands. The vast majority of us are working, raising families, etc. all at the same time. Working out and doing yoga for three plus hours a day just AIN'T gonna happen!! I personally do not have the time and money for endless amounts of yoga classes and a gym membership and a personal trainer. I have kids, I work, I'm earning a bachelors degree, I'm remodeling my home at this time, and where I live there are very few yoga classes taught by certified teachers who do anything but stand in front of the class and demonstrate each pose. It's just easier to buy a video or dvd. However, that's a paradox unto itself. According to almost everyone on here you "need a teacher".
This is yoga. It's just yoga. Relax. Do what you enjoy. Don't worry about the "rules". Make your own. If it doesn't work for you, move on.
Good luck to you.
By the way, I edited this only because I misspelled something. As a writer and an English major, I cannot have that.
Edited by Miabella704 2005-09-11 9:33 PM
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| "The supplementation of all the multiple types of training is great for you don't need to quite one to add another."
Well, if you have only one hour a day to exercise, yeah...you may have to quit one to add another. I mean, that's reality for a lot of people.
I think what this person wants to know is can she build strength and maintain fitness with yoga alone and the answer is YES, you can. You have to be diligent and practice often. But it can be done. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Miabella704 - 2005-09-11 6:31 PM
The vast majority of us are working, raising families, etc. all at the same time. Working out and doing yoga for three plus hours a day just AIN'T gonna happen!!.
You got that right! When I read some of these workout regimens and figure in that someone that obsessed.....err.....uh....dedicated probably also does housework and makes their bed every morning, I wonder if they ever have time to have fun! Read a book, watch a bad movie, have sex, whatever. Relax folks  |
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Kripalu good for fitness?
