There are plenty of men who do yoga,
but let's not kid ourselves into thinking it's even close to an equal
playing field. This is too bad, because yoga offers benefits that most
men could definitely use. First and foremost, it can help improve joint
range of motion in ways they're not getting from heavy weight training.
It's great to be bigger and stronger, but it's even better to be bigger,
stronger, and more mobile. Plus, yoga is a great way to help recover
from intense strength workouts.
So why am I saying women should do less yoga? I'm not. I would
just advise them not to ignore strength training, because the strength
benefits from yoga are limited compared to what free weights, cables,
and machines can offer. You can certainly get stronger doing yoga, but
once you get past the beginner stage, the muscular challenge comes from
harder poses, which tend to challenge your mobility more than overload
any particular muscle groups. Plus, the slow nature of yoga can be
complemented by doing shorter, more intense strength training sets.
There's no reason not to do both.
Also, be sure to evaluate why you do yoga. Many women have fallen
victim to the idea that yoga will make give them "longer, leaner
muscles." Just to be clear, this is impossible. Here's why:
- All muscle tissue is lean tissue. There is no such thing as "fat" muscle. And, no, muscle doesn't turn into fat, or vice versa. Fat is fat, and muscle is muscle. You gain or lose either depending on your healthy eating and exercise habits, or lack thereof, but one doesn't turn into the other.
- Muscles are attached to your bones, so you can't make your muscles longer unless you make your bones longer. Your muscles only have one way to develop. They shrink, grow, or stay the same.
