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| I have been practising Ashtanga yoga for about 1 year plus, doing like 2-4 times a week. I realised that my body looked bulkier than before, especially on the arms and thighs/legs. Understand that since we do a lot of pushups, the arms naturally are more muscular but why on the thighs. My thighs are bigger by nature though. Though I love the practice but this was bothering me for a while. I am 5 ft 7' and weigh around 121 lb. Used to be around 114 lb and my eating habits are similar to before. Does anyone have similar experience? Please share
Edited by anika 2007-03-02 12:40 AM
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| oh goodness, you've gained seven pounds of muscle...
if you have been exercising your arms and thighs with Ashtanga series 2-4 times a week for a year, it seems very natural that you would put on muscle in the areas you use to perform this series, namely, arms and legs.
121 lbs. at 5'7 is well within the limits of acceptable height/weight proportion. perhaps this would be a good chance for you to look at the ideas and expectations you hold about body image.
additionally, larger thighs are a sign of beauty. be proud to have strong, well developed legs.
i have been adding Ashtanga style sun salutations to my daily practice recently, and in a few short weeks, my shoulders have grown noticeably. it happens, you know?
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| I am not quite happy with the idea of a 'bigger size' actually. I was wondering does diet matter? Does it help by reducing intake or avoiding certain groups say meat? |
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| Hm. By the majority of standards, 114 lbs is underweight for someone as tall as you are. And there is no doubt that adding muscle to a skinny frame will be visible both on the scale and in the shape of the used body parts. I would chance a guess that you probably have some serious body image issues that you might need to address. Why do you practice ashtanga anyways? For myself, on a purely physical level, I love the intensity of the series and that it makes me feel stronger and more confident. I also love my newly discovered muscles, their definition and shapeliness.
As for modifying your diet, well, I'm no expert on this, but I don't think that it is ever appropriate to engage in dietary restrictions that are designed to curtail the maintenance of the muscles or inhibit their development. Vegetarians who choose to forgo meats are required to substitute the protein through non-animal sources in order to maintain good health, and a failure to do so appropriately can have very negative health repurcussions. Let's not forget that muscles aren't limited to your biceps and your quadriceps - the heart is a muscle, the diaphragm is a muscle, as are various other muscles that ensure the proper functioning of our internal organs.
If any change needs to take place, I think it is with your perception of your body, not with your muscles. Perhaps seeing a therapist specializing in body image and eating disorders would be the best idea.
Take care of yourself and eat that steak!
sp |
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| Thanks for the advice. I think I will have to accept these changes as they come along. I have tried many forms of yoga but finds that Ashtanga is able to motivate me to a more consistent practice, and I enjoyed the mysore style. |
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Expert Yogi
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| anika - I think you will find most people here believe it is more important to be healthy than to be a special number - either weight or size.  |
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| anika - 2007-03-02 5:46 AM
I am not quite happy with the idea of a 'bigger size' actually. I was wondering does diet matter? Does it help by reducing intake or avoiding certain groups say meat?
Since you asked for it: Yes, avoiding meat will be better in many a ways, in addition to reducing protein.
Why not try that for say 2 months? |
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| Yes. I believe health should not be a trade-off too. Thanks everyone. |
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| Just to confirm- you asked if anyone had a similar experience. I seem to be a similar body type, started Ashtanga less than 2 years ago, and have about a 3-4x week practice schedule. I've noticed the same thing in regards to shoulders and arms- not thighs because they were already built up from dancing! (Maybe you hadn't done a lot of leg exercise before?) But anyway, I think this happens to a lot of people!  |
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| I see. I'm just worried what will happen if they grow continuously hence this post here. I'm also thinking of increasing practice to around 4 times consistently if time allows. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Some people do build muscle more readily than others. But they will not continue to grow and grow until you are a blimp unless you eat enough to support that. Sorry, I am thinking in cartoons after reading your post and just imagine some character inflating their muscles with a pump until they blow up - I am sure some animater would have a blast with that 
I would guess that if you do straight ashtanga with a set sequence you would continue to emphasize building up the same muscles. Maybe you want to try a style that works different muscle groups? |
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| anika - 2007-03-04 9:13 PM
I see. I'm just worried what will happen if they grow continuously hence this post here. I'm also thinking of increasing practice to around 4 times consistently if time allows.
Dear anika:
You have to decide "What you are doing for What"? For example: If the muscles are growing by practice X beyond expectation as show by practice of X, then reduce X to the extent you want. You are not obliged to continue X. Just do enough of X, and then add Y to it, etc. In other words, do "Whatever for Whatever you want to happen".'
Best Luck |
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| Sure, I will take some of your advice and see what happens Thanks |
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Body bulkier after Ashtanga
