How Yoga Builds Muscle and Strength

Simply put, yoga builds muscle, and strength by utilizing your own body weight. Depending on the poses that you make a part of your routine, you’ll be able to engage your core, arms, shoulders, chest, legs, glutes, etc.

Although lifting weights will bulk you up. Yoga can help you see modest improvements in muscle growth while also improving flexibility, reducing stress, and a slew of other benefits. The best strategy is to combine weight training with a series of yoga poses so that you can optimize your workout routine.

Yoga Poses to Build Muscle and Strength

Now that you understand how yoga builds muscle, you’re wondering what types of yoga poses are most effective in achieving optimal results. To get you started, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite poses that are often incorporated into our yoga classes. Add some of these to your regular workout and you’ll gain muscle, strength, endurance, and stamina in no time.

Plank Pose

As many people are already aware, the plank pose is an effective yoga pose for strengthening your core and building upper body strength.

To keep the pose from getting boring, try variations between workouts. There are different ways to perform planks, but we would suggest high planks on your hands to low planks on your forearms. You should also sprinkle in some side planks where you put more weight on one of your arms while exercising your entire side.

Bridge Pose

Since the plank pose described above is one of the best yoga poses for upper body strength, we thought it’d be a good idea to switch to the lower body. The bridge pose requires you to squeeze through your legs, glutes, core, and lower back. Not only does this incredible pose strengthen up your muscles, but it also opens up your chest and shoulders while stretching your spine and hip flexors.

Handstand

When we were younger, doing a handstand was one of the greatest ways to show off to our friends. As we get older, we start to realize how effective doing a handstand in yoga can be. Wall-facing handstands and what’s called a front-leaning rest can build strength in your wrists, elbows, shoulders, etc. These will also build stamina and improve body alignment.

Chair Pose

This is another great yoga pose for strengthening the lower body. The chair pose focuses on your legs and glutes but requires a strong core and lower back so you can hold yourself steady. It involves keeping your feet together in a narrow stance with your body in a half-squat position, which means you’ll “feel the burn” as your legs support your weight throughout the pose.

Downward Dog

Yes, one of the most famous poses in yoga can also assist you with building muscle and strength. This yoga pose helps parts of the upper body and lower body because it emphasizes the shoulders and legs.

As a bonus, this single move can energize the body, relieve stress, and even improve digestion. If you’re looking for a pose to keep in rotation, this is one of the best.

Tree Pose

The tree pose is an exercise that allows you to focus on one leg at a time. It’s very effective in establishing balance because it exercises the small stabilizer muscles around your ankle, knee, and hip. At the same time, this pose gives your opposite leg a good groin stretch. Remember that if you want your body to stay steady throughout the pose, you must engage your core.

Chaturanga

This is definitely one of the more difficult yoga poses to master, but practitioners love it because it strengthens your arms and wrists while toning your abs.

Chaturanga is performed from a plank position but is done by bending your arms as you exhale and lower your body toward the floor. Once you learn how to do this pose, it will become an essential part of your routine.

Warrior 3 Pose

Warrior poses are very popular with many yoga practitioners. In particular, the warrior three pose will engage your core because this is also a single leg exercise that engages your core and requires balance.

When you do the pose, you’ll build strength and endurance in your calves, hamstrings, glutes, back, and shoulders because it will engage the entire backside of your body.

Contact East West Healing Solutions to Learn How Yoga Builds Muscle

East West Healing Solutions has the best yoga studios in Palm Harbor and beyond. If you want to hear more information about how yoga builds muscle or would like to know about any of our healing services, contact us by calling our healing instructors (727) 216-3972 today to schedule a yoga class today.