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I am interested in opinions on the best way to integrate both yoga and weight training into your week. What is the best balance between the two? Which should you do when?

Also, do you even think it is a good idea to be doing both yoga and weight training? Some think it's great. However, every yoga teacher I've talked to seems to be opposed to weight training altogether, and has said that yoga and weight training work at cross purposes.

They do serve two opposite objectives however combined properly they should get the desired outcome. The larger your muscular system becomes the more range of motion you lose. Yoga will definitely increase your range of motion and will in theory increase muscle size by forcing more blood into the muscle while your participate in yoga. Participating in yoga once or twice a week maybe even in place of cardio in my opinion would be a positive thing.

Would the days off from lifting be a good idea to do yoga? It's just a suggestion.

I absolutely believe the two can be complimentary. Often times when people do one thing exclusively they tend to dismiss the value of other things. Its the old thing where if the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to see everything as a nail.

Personally, I lift in the AM, and do Yoga late in the evening as one of the last things I am going to do for the day. I find the stretching and focus helps me relax from the day. Also the stretching helps reduce overnight stiffening and also DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) the next day. Also this way the stretched muscle doesn't interfere with my lifting or runs. Just what works for me. Let us know if you come across anything different.

SoDakGuy saidWould the days off from lifting be a good idea to do yoga? It's just a suggestion.

How many days off from lifting do you take per week?

yeah, i was wondering about this too.

i wanna start doing yoga but i was worried it would interfere with the rest of my workouts.

it would be good to get more stretching in.

It won't interfere. Do it on days you're not lifting, or on a lifting day after weights. I'd avoid yoga (or any hourlong stretching regime or massage) right before lifting.

I am addicted to weight training and Yoga...it is a constant internal and external debate for me I would do Yoga everyday but my trainer and head of physical fitness at my gym have suggested they can be at odds with each other and at the same time complimentary (how confusing right) They both said Yoga 2 or 3 times a week would be a good idea...Last week I did it 4 times twice for 90 mins and twice for 60 mins and honestly I have heard so many conflicting ideas...but I will tell you this I am gaining mass and gaining core strength and gaining amazing balance and flexibility and in all honesty I am becoming more and more addicted to Yoga I want to try and start doing Yoga every day...I think as long as you are seeing results and feeling good about your work outs then why not do both!

it really depends on the type of yoga your doing I'd say.

If your working hard at the gym lifting weights and then you go work really hard in yoga your not going to be giving your everyone to either, however you work hard in the gym and then go do a more gentle yoga session then I think they compliment each other.

I personally do yoga daily however I don't work really hard into yoga on gym days, I focus more on pushing my range of motion, working into my core and developing a quiet mind more then anything, on weekends when I dn't have gym though I work my arse off and sweat just as much as I do in the gym

I do both - each is beneficial to me - in fact, they enhance each other.

I use P90-X and weight training is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Cardio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday is Yoga...its a great finish to the week

I do Yoga on Wednesday evenings because that's the only beginner level class in my area. One time I tried going to yoga on my way home from weights and it didn't work very well. Especially near the end of the class because I really needed to piss from drinking water to stay hydrated while doing weights. I like to come straight home from weights and chug a whey shake anyhow. Just do yoga on a day off from weights.

I have been doing both for the Weight Loss Challenge, and it has been amazing. I tend to work out a lot though. I do yoga MonWed and I hit the gym TueThuFri, so every other day works for me.

Absolutely you can do them both and any instructor that tells you otherwise . .. .you should probably question.

Not all Yoga is the same. So how to integrate it into your routine depends on what type of yoga you are doing. Hatha yoga for example is more along the lines of a deep stretching, Ashtanga can be a real workout.

If you're doing a "gym" yoga, it should probably just take place of your cardio a few days a week.

I used to do an hour of kick-boxing followed by an hour of yoga. It is exhausting but they work together well - the whole ying-yang thing. They also work the muscle groups in very different ways.

As a yoga instructor I have to agree with the majority of posters-you can absolutely do yoga and weight train.

I have found that the benefits of both sort of "bleed" into each other. When doing yoga the breath is synchronized with movement, and this training helps me when I'm breathing while lifting, doing abs, cardio, etc. Also yoga emphasizes correct form, posture and alignment, and this is equally important when lifting. You can also apply the inward focused, meditative mental state of yoga to your weight training practice, so that you can listen to your body and prevent injury or overdoing it. The flexibility you cultivate will in turn prevent injury. Also, yoga works with the subtle energy patterns of the body, and for me personally, I have found that weight training tends to ground me and balance that energy.

As far as when to do it, I generally do it on the days I don't train, but I usually do a few yoga-esque stretches after lifting as well. I wouldn't recommend doing yoga before lifting, you probably don't want to be too loose. But I think practicing after the gym is a great idea provided you practice a more gentle, restorative yoga as opposed to a more strenuous form.

I'm sure there's many more reasons to to do both, but I think it's important to do what's best for oneself.

I just had one of the best yoga sessions I've ever had on Monday morning, after a good weight workout. I've like doing yoga after spin class too. To me, it's a good finish off to training, and the fact that I'm warmed up makes me more flexible in yoga. Also, I find that yoga focus in training makes my training better, especially in terms of being grounded... I feel energy coming up through me feet and legs and going to the muscles I'm working. Yoga breathe is a big help too... if you're not breathing properly you're pushing too hard, whether it's yoga or weight training. Recently I've been able to focus yoga energy into my running workouts; it's really great to feel energy coming up through the soles of your feet and almost pushing you through your run.

Yoga and weight training, in my opinion, SHOULD be combined. Often, one is favoured at the expense of the other.

I don't train heavily but I teach yoga and have been doing it for years now. The best combination for me seems to be this order:

1- cardio (warm the body, get the blood pumping)
2- weight training (create intense heat in the body, tear muscle tissue)
3- yoga (bring the body and mind into balance, calm/cool the body, heal, lengthen the muscles and feed/repair the joints)

I know a yoga instructor who used to be a body builder. His body has changed drastically. He lost some of the bulkier muscle mass, but gained lean muscle and he is physically a lot stronger now.

I like to think that a lot of weight training that neglects the use of your own body weight against itself can actual hinder you in a lot of ways. You tend to be less balanced and have less mobility. Yoga acts a perfect balancer. It's a great addition to any exercise routine.

If you have any questions about yoga specifically let me know!