By Lacey Muinos
Despite being a health and wellness writer and working towards my certification in personal training, I don’t have a perfect relationship with fitness. Like many people, I get busy and don’t always make working out a priority in my schedule. I also lose interest quickly or get overwhelmed with indecision and perfectionism. What workout should I do? How do I optimize my time for my goals? What if I mess up? Do I even enjoy this?
So, I decided to challenge myself by taking up yoga and alternating it with strength training. While I’ve done yoga before, it’s never been a mainstay in my routine. However, my routine itself isn’t super rigid to begin with. I’ve joined gyms, tried group classes, and followed online workout videos, so I’m adaptable.
After years of trial and error, I’ve realized that weight training and walking are my favorite forms of exercise. But I longed for the improved flexibility and mental health benefits of yoga. With my WeGym Suede Yoga Mat in tow, I set out to make some changes to my workout routine. Here’s what happened.
I Did Yoga 3 Times Per Week
As much as I’d love to be, I’m not someone who works out six times per week followed by an active rest day. I’m more of a three-to-five-workouts-per-week kind of person.
My previous routine entailed four strength training sessions per week in my home gym. I use WeGym’s Full Dumbbell Set, which has motivated me to stay consistent because they’re satisfying to use (not to mention aesthetically pleasing). I also have other equipment I use, such as a barbell, treadmill, and cables. My split included two upper body days—push and pull—and two lower body days, usually around 30–45 minutes each
To make this challenge work for my lifestyle and schedule, I prioritized yoga days and sandwiched strength training between them. So my split for this challenge looked like this:
- Yoga
- Upper Body
- Yoga
- Lower Body
- Yoga
Here’s What Went Well
Two weeks may not sound like much, but six yoga sessions was enough to notice quite a few benefits—physically and mentally.
1. I experienced less back and knee pain
I’m prone to upper, mid, and lower back pain, and after some leg workouts, I often experience joint pain in the knees (thank you, squats). Reducing the number of lower body workouts per week and incorporating more yoga had a noticeable impact on my back and knee pain.
This didn’t surprise me a ton because I’ve used yoga for back pain in the past. Prolonged sitting from desk jobs like mine can put pressure on the spine, but yoga may alleviate back pain, experts say.
I tailored some of my yoga flows to promote spinal flexibility, including the following poses and stretches: downward facing dog, upward facing dog, cat-cow pose, child’s pose, sphinx pose, and more.
Plus, doing more yoga instead of lower body exercises gave my knees a break.
2. My flexibility improved and I felt less stiff
This challenge reminded me how quickly the body can adapt to (and improve from) new movements. By the third yoga session, I was able to get a deeper stretch for some of the same poses, especially those that involved bending forward and backward. I’m by no means as flexible as seasoned yogis, but I’ll gladly accept these modest improvements, which translated into my daily life.
I sit at my desk for hours every day, which often leaves me feeling stiff and in need of a massage. Safe to say I felt much more limber from doing yoga, and I even felt less sore from the strength training sessions.
3. I had a boost in mood
Exercise in general is good for stress management—this I know. But I figured that I already exercise via strength training, walking, and miscellaneous workouts I try, so what difference could it make?
Yoga proved to be equally mental as it was physical. Aside from the instructor’s voices when I followed a yoga video, I enjoyed the external peace and quiet, which allowed me to listen to my internal thoughts and feelings. I felt more relaxed and had less anxiety for an overall improved mood, especially on the yoga days.
4. Yoga challenged and motivated me
Before starting the challenge, I figured the yoga days would be similar to active rest days, which is a euphemism for “easy.” At first, I did opt for those easier, beginner-friendly yoga flows like sun salutations to ease my way in, but they still challenged me.
Some poses were difficult to hold, such as the infamous plank pose, or left me feeling shaky. Poses like dancer’s pose, bow pose, and warrior poses challenged my balance as well but filled me with determination.
What surprised me is the motivation I had to show up every day. Maybe it was the accountability to complete this challenge, but I was more consistent with both yoga and strength training than I usually am. I didn’t lose interest because the flow was different each session, which kept it interesting.
5. My core got stronger
My usual split doesn’t include a day for abs or any ab-specific exercises. This challenge highlighted how weak my core was. Holding poses like plank, side plank, and boat pose engaged my core in a way my body wasn’t used to, which both excited and scared me. Had I really neglected my core that bad? I improved quickly, which was reassuring. I obviously didn’t develop six-pack abs in two weeks, but those poses that killed my core at first weren’t as hard in the end.
Takeaways
Could a workout split that involves both yoga and strength training be for you? Maybe. Here’s what I’m taking away from this challenge—maybe it’ll resonate with you.
1. Just because it’s yoga doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Replacing some of my strength training workouts with yoga may seem counterproductive to increasing muscle mass and strength, but I didn’t feel like I missed out on any potential gains. Yoga is a strength workout, and depending on the poses, it can be difficult, and I understand why yogis are so strong.
However, the beauty of yoga is that it’s customizable. Some yoga poses are easier than others. You can tailor each session to your needs. Something as simple as adding a WeGym Yoga Block can help you modify or deepen a stretch.
2. Yoga is more than a physical workout.
Yoga and mindfulness go hand in hand. Lifting heavier weights and seeing visible muscle definition are tangible results of physical exercise, but there are mental health benefits too. With a heavy emphasis on breathing techniques, yoga is a form of self-care. Some yoga flows even feel therapeutic because of the mind-body connection. Sure, it’s a workout, but it’s got mindfulness, meditation, and more wrapped up in it too.
3. It’s important to slow down.
This applies to exercise and life in general. So often, exercise is portrayed as something that’s high intensity. Did you even exercise if you’re not dripping in sweat and shaking from soreness? A low-impact, low-intensity exercise can be just what you need sometimes.
I started out with beginner-friendly yoga poses, and even then, it wasn’t a breeze. My limbs were shaky and I struggled to hold some poses in the beginning, which was a sign to slow down and go at my own pace.
Deeper into the challenge, I didn’t feel the need to swiftly increase the intensity of the workout even as I improved. It felt good to slow down, stretch, and breathe. This gave both my body and mind much-needed breaks. I reserved the intensity for strength training days.
4. It’s okay to make modifications and mistakes.
I don’t claim to be a yoga expert after two weeks—far from it. I also don’t claim to have perfect form for every pose. I learned that it’s okay to stumble my way around a yoga mat rather than conquer it. If you can’t do the full expression of a yoga pose, try the modified version. If you make a mistake (which I definitely did), keep trying.
