Exercise Alternatives and Restoration Q & A
Q: I’ve been planning to do yoga 3 times a week. Is it a good substitute for a weight-training workout? Can I still achieve a well-defined body even if I won’t be lifting weights anymore?
A: You can switch to yoga and consider it as your full body resistance training for the week. When you execute yoga moves, your body becomes the resistance. Do poses like warrior 1 and 2 in place of the typical lunges, chair pose for squats, and planks and downward facing dog for the shoulders. However, it is still recommended that you lif weights at least one a week to maintain the shape, size, and strength of other muscle groups taht you can’t isolate while doing yoga.
In Yoga, we use the isometric contraction where you develop strength in one position and angle only, unlike in resistance training where we use the concentric and eccentric contraction to strengthen he uscles at different angles upon movement.
You do not really get bulk when you do yoga because you just use your body as resistance and no weight progresson is involved to bulk up.
The calorie burn after doing a one-hour yoga session would still depend on your heart rate, intensity of the class, and your body weight. Just remember that the more you use your lower body during the workout, the higher your heart rate is, and the more calories you can burn.