Yoga practise before or after gym workout

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi guys

I usually have three hours to spare every morning so for the last two weeks I have been going down to the gym and do some weights,bicycle and used the typical machines to strengthen upper back,lower back,legs,chests,etc. Nothing crazy though. I usually do this for about two hours and after they let me use a room where I do my yoga practice for about an hour,sun salutations,standing poses,forward bends,etc. I have practised for about 4 years with good teachers so I believe I can tailor my own practice but again I am not doing any advance or strenuous poses. My question is whether it is preferably ,in order to avoid injuries, to do a yoga practice and after the gym workout,the other way round or I should do either one or the other but not both of them?

Thanks in advance

#2

Of course we are talking about asana here not Yoga. So I’ll answer that question.

Students who are used to a certain level of physical exercise, who train regularly, who support that training with proper rest and nutrition, those students can do both practices on the same day with little to no issues.

Those who are not in this sort of conditioning can (and do) still do both on the same day however they often lose the integrity of an alignment-based practice when they are on their own (read: without a sound teacher) or when they are fatigued (knowingly or unknowingly). Of course those folks still DO it but it often comes with heightened risk and reduced effect.

So you’ll have to determine which of the above fits you.

As for the order of the doing, I have found that the practice of asana is more helpful when it follows a workout rather than preceding it. My view would change, albeit slightly, if there were something following a workout that replicated the effects of Savasana (moving the central nervous system into a parasympathetic state). Once the nerves are calmed thus, then it’s best not to jar or rattle them, at least for a while:-)

Hope this is helpful to your path.

gordon

#3

Thank you for such a detailed answered.

#4

Ive been wondering this too, because I want to get back into spin and was wondering if Im better to do Yoga before Spin Class. Seems like the class would really exert the leg muscles making it hard to do some asanas

#5

It seems to me that it would depend on the asana style of yoga. Taking an ashtanga mysore class before or after would require a few hours of rest, but a gentle hatha or restorative could be done after a spin class easily.

#6

I always do mine after a good cardio workout. For me, the stretching from yoga usually prevents the terrible sores I would get after my cardio workout. Maybe yoga helps get rid of lactic acid better when used after an intense cardio excerise. However, If I do yoga by itself, I would usually be sore for a few days…to the point where I would quit working out for a while.

#7

I think it depends on your focus - do you want to do yoga to help your gym experience only? Do it afterwards, to gain flexibility and cool down slowly. However, if you want to really get into yoga, do it first. That way you’re not spent from the gym, and balancing, strength, mental state, etc will be easier/better for the yoga practise. Why not try some before, some after, then let us know what the experience is like?

#8

Hi

I am not sure if I am right on the following but my train of thought when decicing to do weights right before practicing yoga was that I always heard that: you should not do heavy activities (lifting weights or do a full house cleaning) after a yoga class involving strong back bends(i.e. dhanurasana).Not sure about the reason why, maybe because the discs become more vulnerable for a while or something like that(not sure).So I was told that to avoid injuries ,after the class, strong backbends should be followed by twists so the spine gets back to “normal”. Does this make any sense? So as I said I always do twists after back bends but I assume that the spine maybe still a bit vulnerable even after some twists therefore I thought that it would be better not to mess about with weight lifting.

Thanks in advance

#9

I hadn’t heard anything about the spine being vulnerable after yoga, if anything I would have imagined that you’d be less likely to get injured after yoga than before. But, I am no expert (just a guy who does yoga and weights).
I think you should always be careful and excercise good form, for any activity.
Cheers

#10

I would be curious as to the source of this information

So I was told that to avoid injuries, after the class, strong backbends should be followed by twists so the spine gets back to “normal”

Typically, twists precede backbends as they serve to release the invertebral muscles in preparation for backbends to follow.

I personally would not do twists, especially deep twists, after a deep backbend practice. However if we are talking about mild this and mild that, then the conversation would be a bit different with more latitude.

#11

Hi again

It was an indian teacher who gave an intensive week course for beginners so he kept it simple. Probably I am not using his exact words and surely he refered to mild twists, maybe it was just his personal opinion. But surely he said not to mess about,for a while, with you back after a class involving strong back bends.The same I have always been told to drink a lot of water after doing twits because it helps to clean toxins(or something like that) Anyway I agree that you can follow backbends with many different asanas to cool down as long as they are mild .However my reluctancy to lifts weights right after a yoga practise (involving strong backbends) still remains because as I said if you do not know what you are doing(and to be honest I am still a beginner but like backbends) and you do not get your back to a neutral state after your practise, you may have more chances of getting spine injuries when lifting weights.

Thanks

#12

There is no question as to the soundness of your conclusion - do not mess about.
Very few people take the time to get proper training to lift weights safely. Therefore it is risky enough, in and of itself. Why there aren’t a myriad of NY Times articles about that, I cannot say.

#13

Very interesting thread.
I’m not at all an expert, but if I go by what I feel, once I’m done with the asanas, I just want to rest and not work out.
I do my spinning or weight training before, and asana as a relaxation after the heavy work.
Looking forward to other opinions and thanks for bringing this up.