How to Build Muscle by Doing Yoga

You already know that yoga improves your circulation, increases your flexibility, relieves your stress, and soothes your spirit. But yoga is also an excellent way to build muscle and tone your body. By combining yoga with the proper diet, you can increase your strength and mitigate muscle loss that is commonly associated with aging.

Choose The Right Poses

You don’t have to be a yoga master to use yoga for strength training. Some of the simplest poses are excellent for building strength. For core strength, few exercises rival a simple plank. To reach your lateral abdominal muscles, add side planks as well. Strengthen your arms by moving down from your plank into chaturanga. Downward facing dog is as basic as you can get, yet it stretches and strengthens your body from head to toe. Utkatasana, or awkward chair, is a fantastic way to tone your quads and glutes, as well as your arms. Warrior 1 is another great pose for this.

Pick Your Protein Sources

When you are doing any type of strength training, it is important to get enough protein in your diet. However, not all protein sources are created equal. Choose foods that give you the protein you need while also providing important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The best protein sources include beans, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, shellfish, low fat dairy, eggs, and lean meats. Furthermore, many people suffer from sensitive teeth and gums. Proteins like beef are tough to chew, so fish is a much better choice for sensitive teeth.

Minimize Risk for Injury

As you work to increase your strength, the last thing you need is an injury to your muscles or connective tissues to set you back. A daily yoga practice will reduce your risk for injury by loosening up tight muscles, increasing your flexibility, and improving your range of motion. Yoga also strengthens the muscles around your connective tissues, which decreases the amount of strain placed on them during workouts. Additionally, yoga improves your posture. When your body is aligned properly, it is less likely to sustain injuries. Gentle yoga poses can even be incorporated into your physical therapy routine after sustaining an injury, allowing you to get back on your feet more quickly.

Yoga is one of the few things in life that benefits you in numberless ways without adding a single drawback. Many people are interested in strength training but want to do it in an uplifting way. Yoga is the perfect alternative to weightlifting when that vibe just isn’t for you.

Check out this article on how yoga can help reduce your anxiety and depression!