Why I strength train so much as a yoga teacher

Hi there, nice to meet you here. Let me introduce myself: I am Diana, and I am the owner and force behind InsPrana Yoga.

If you have been following me online for a while, you might have noticed that my content lately has been focusing on my own strength training, as well as my personal yoga practice, together with the weekly desk yoga breaks and other classes.

You might wonder why I, a yoga teacher, post so often about my own strength training, and I hope to answer that question here.

I have always been “flexible”, being able to touch my toes, scratch the spot behind my shoulder blades, and other random stuff that for some people rank in the “freak of nature” department. In the last few years I was officially screened for plain hypermobility syndrome and ticked all the boxes: “Congratulations, you are hypermobile!”. 

At that point I was also in pain, most of my joints felt sore or hurt on a daily basis, without finding a single cause for it. I got all the tests, got poked, scanned, irradiated and more. And besides being hypermobile, no other diagnosis was given for the constant pain.

Stubborn person that I am, I was teaching yoga at a Crossfit / Functional fitness gym, and started taking advantage of classes there. That means  doing high intensity training & lifting weights, scaled to my abilities. I had to scale & rescale, and some days I had to push through extra discomfort or adjust my workout  halfway through to accommodate a pain flare.

As the months passed by, those flares were less and less common, of a lesser intensity, and I managed to get off the medication I was taking. I also noticed increased strength, increased stamina, and a better mood. I could also enjoy my yoga (asana) practise more thanks to this.

I also have an inquisitive mind, so I started looking into why strength training is important, and it has convinced me that strength training is even more important and that I will keep doing it for as long as I can to the level that I can. Did you know that you lose 3 to 8 percent of your muscle mass per decade after you become 30 [1]?

So here, finally, the reasons why I strength train:

  1. To become stronger [2]: lifting heavy shit in the gym translates into lifting heavy shit at home.
  2. To improve my metabolism [3]: muscle burns calories while at rest, fat does not. 
  3. To decrease the risk of falling [4]: because like my partner puts it sometimes, I am “gracefully challenged” and trip often.
  4. To improve my (active) range of motion [5,6] by strengthening the muscles around my joints: having control at those ranges feels a lot better
  5. To improve bone density [7] and keep osteoporosis at bay. I should have started earlier, but late is better than never here.
  6. To control anxiety [8] & stress & to improve my mood [9] (exercising releases endorphins! [10]). Or, as sometimes I tell my coworkers “I exercise so I don’t punch people” 😉

So this is why I strength train so much and so often. Additional bonus: it has helped me in my physical asana practice as well, making certain poses that might have required more effort more easeful. In this way, strength is a perfect complement to my asana, 

Yoga asana, on the other hand, I treat as a meditation in movement, a time to reconnect with myself, to improve my knowledge of my mind and my body.

So there you have it! Many of the reasons why I strength train so much. 

And the reason I am sharing my progress online, and why I made this video here is because I want to encourage all of you to give strength training a chance by showing you what it can do for you.

And if you want to read the transcript of this talk with links to references, head over to my website: https://insprana.yoga/Why-I-Strength-Train  

References

  1. Volpi E, Nazemi R, Fujita S. Muscle tissue changes with aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2004;7(4):405-410. doi:10.1097/01.mco.0000134362.76653.b2 (On PubMed Central)
  2. Fyfe JJ, Hamilton DL, Daly RM. Minimal-Dose Resistance Training for Improving Muscle Mass, Strength, and Function: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence and Practical Considerations. Sports Med. 2022;52(3):463-479. doi:10.1007/s40279-021-01605-8 (On Springer)
  3. Kirk E, Donnely J, Smith B, Honas J, LeCheminant J, Bailey B, Jacobsen D, Washburn R. Minimal Resistance Training Improves Daily Energy Expenditure and Fat Oxidation. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 41(5):p 1122-1129, May 2009. | DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318193c64e (On Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise)
  4. Papalia GF, Papalia R, Diaz Balzani LA, Torre G, Zampogna B, Vasta S, Fossati C, Alifano AM, Denaro V. The Effects of Physical Exercise on Balance and Prevention of Falls in Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9(8):2595. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9082595 (On MDPI)
  5. Alizadeh, S., Daneshjoo, A., Zahiri, A. et al. Resistance Training Induces Improvements in Range of Motion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med 53, 707–722 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01804-x (On Springer)
  6. Ottinger, Charlie & Sharp, Matthew & Stefan, Matthew & Gheith, Raad & Espriella, Fernando & Wilson, Jacob. (2022). Muscle Hypertrophy Response to Range of Motion in Strength Training: A Novel Approach to Understanding the Findings. Strength & Conditioning Journal. Publish Ahead of Print. 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000737. (On ResearchGate)
  7. Kitsuda, Y., Wada, T., Noma, H. et al. Impact of high-load resistance training on bone mineral density in osteoporosis and osteopenia: a meta-analysis. J Bone Miner Metab 39, 787–803 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-021-01218-1 (On Springer)
  8. Gordon BR, McDowell CP, Lyons M, Herring MP. Resistance exercise training for anxiety and worry symptoms among young adults: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):17548. Published 2020 Oct 16. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-74608-6 (On PubMed Central)
  9. Hossain MN, Lee J, Choi H, Kwak YS, Kim J. The impact of exercise on depression: how moving makes your brain and body feel better. Phys Act Nutr. 2024;28(2):43-51. doi:10.20463/pan.2024.0015 (On PubMed Central)
  10. Francis K. The role of endorphins in exercise: a review of current knowledge. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1983;4(3):169-173. doi:10.2519/jospt.1983.4.3.169 (On Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy)