Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Alright this might seem like a stupid question for some but I need to get some info. Is yoga contradictory to weight training? Back when I was a non-vegan builder, I was pretty big but when I tried to doing yoga it was extremely hard. Now I've been doing yoga consistently for a few months and I'm starting to do vegan body building. Will one limit the gains of the other? Thanks for help, info, or advice.

In my experience-no-you SHOULD do them together. The reason it was hard for you before is because weight lifting, generally shortens the muscle, which is why it SO important to stretch a session. So if you weren't stretching properly or enough while lifting, yoga would be a lot harder than you remember it being.

( I only know this from experience too. Before I started lifting I could drop into a split anywhere with no warm up. Now...not so much. I'll get there again.. )

Now after a exercise hiatus, I am back at it and doing both several times a week and it has been a much more comfortable things. I dont feel as sore as I used to and i am actually INCREASING flexibility instead of decreasing it.

Hope that helps.

Thanks a lot! Yeah I've been doing both and it's been great so far. Thanks again!

Yoga is fantastic for flexibility and muscular endurance, and while it probably wouldn't directly help the lifting itself, I'm positive it will reduce your risk of injury (e.g. dipping a little too low in that sumo squat and pulling something), which is definitely a good thing!.

edit: I also personally find yoga to help so much with my state of mind/ability to focus. And improved focus could definitely have payoffs in the gym!

In addition to what's been said about the benefits of stretching, I've personally done yoga and bodybuilding and, while they sound contradictory based on stereotypes, they actually work together very well. Yoga helps your joints and flexibility, which not only prevents injury but helps with things like getting a deeper squat. Because yoga doesn't work just a single muscle but also all the satellite cells, lifts that engage your satellite cells (pretty much anything with free weights) will improve. As for yoga, as many have found, it's not easy. Yogis are very strong people! Because you're adding muscle via weight training, you'll find that you're able to hold certain poses better than a non-weight-trained person because your added muscle allows you to be stronger in some positions. A good example I remember was the camel pose:

Getting into this pose requires strong abs, a strong lower back, strong glutes, and strong quads.

This is so good to see! I've always really enjoyed yoga, mostly for the mental benefits but good to know it can help or at least not disrupt lifting goals.

I do a mix of Gymnastic Strength + Yoga

Building an Olympic Body through Bodyweight Conditioning
http://dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/

Done yoga for 5 years before starting with bodybuilding. Now my gym instructor is surprised how correct I do every exercise with weights. I'm like robot, back's always straight like an arrow:)))) And that is because of yoga: I have stability and focus, which is important for BB, too. UNfortunately, stopped yoga for couple of months, but from September on, I'll get back to it. Can't wait. I LOVE yoga!
So, my guess it's great combination!

Alternate and do both or keep some relaxing yoga stretches at end of workout.

Joint strength, Tendon Strength, Stability... Yoga / Static body calisthenic holds rock
Hypertrophy - Weights and other calisthenics

If you were into yoga, you should check out the Gymnastic Strength stuff I linked in prev post.

tomorrow I am flying back home from the vacation, and guess what is first on my last the very day in the evening?
YOGA!
Those gymnastic exercises you posted are great, but I am not that advanced. Unfortunately, it took me 30 years to realize I love sport. I started with yoga when I was 30 and with weight lifting couple of months ago, in the age of 37. I wish I was wiser and used all that years for sport and nt for drugs and alcohol...

Personally, I think at least 1/2 of my muscle definition comes from Yoga. =)

Hope you join the forum at gymnasticbodies.com ... Brilliant stuff.. Brilliant Coach (America's no.1 Gymnastics Coach talking to you Mano Armano)

In my experience, yoga has been a fabulous way of both stretching/strength training at the same time while increasing my flexibility and helping with my back. At this point I have been working it and weightlifting into my Insanity routine and I'm starting to already notice a HUGE improvement!

Of course, this all depends on the type of yoga. I really prefer ashtanga, but there are a bunch of others well-suited for building muscle and bone strength.

Yoga and strength training practices support and inform each other and I am a huge proponent of doing both.

The best metaphor I've heard that speaks to this comes from Ken Wilber (integral philosopher and general expert on anything and everything). This quote was (paraphrased): "strength training builds the peaks, yoga deepens the valleys". The power of yoga in my opinion is its unique ability to promote greater body awareness and control of movement of energy in the body. The more muscle one has, the more energy one can potentially generate.

This is why they complement each other so powerfully: strength training literally increases the energy your body can generate and yoga deepens your control of that energy and turns it into meaningful strength that permeates into all areas of your life.

I definitely feel way stronger after staying in handstand for an extended period than I do after my last set of a bench workout.

I also don't draw the line so firmly between the two. When I do strength training i will do some yoga sequences and transition into yoga-informed core/ab work outs and then into handstand and shoulder stand before moving into more conventional stuff like pull-ups, incline push-ups, dips.

How do you guys take yoga? At a studio, at home from a video, from a class at the gym? And, how many times a week are you taking yoga? What's recommended?
I am going once or twice a week to a class given at my gym.