One question I’ve been asked about: is it okay to do yoga and weightlifting same day?
And it’s a great question. One that I have wanted to cover, and am happy to be doing for you right now.
The answer is: it depends.
On multiple factors. But for the most part, it comes down to the timing.
For example, I would NOT recommend yoga before weightlifting (I’ll address a caveat to that in a moment). Anytime after, it’s fair game. In fact, yoga after weight training is a great way to lengthen the muscles and cool your Autonomic Nervous system’s jet’s. This get’s you outta fight-or-flight and puts you into rest-and-recovery.
^ It’s one of the reasons yoga and weightlifting are a perfect match.
But you shouldn’t do yoga within a few hours of weightlifting.
Why?
You don’t want to lengthen your muscles pre-workout. In fact, any static stretching (that is, holding stretches for long periods of time) should be avoided before you lift.
Further, research has shown static stretching to significantly impact athletic performance. One such study resulted in a statistically significant slowing in collegiate runners’ sprinting times.
Remember: Save Static Stretching for Post-Workout
Okay, so we’ve learned static stretching should be avoided.
Yet it’s common to see people at the gym doing it (I’ve been guilty of it in the past). For example, you’ll see people sit in a forward fold for an eternity before deadlifting. Instead, you’d be better off to warm up with something like Jefferson curls; and/or perform warm-up sets with lighter deadlifts before your first working set.
The idea is to warm-up the muscles you are about to load. Accordingly, you should focus on preparing your body for the biomechanics you are about to perform.
One Caveat: Let’s say you want to do morning yoga / stretching, and lift later in the afternoon/evening. That’s totally fine.
Remember, your lifestyle and goals will ultimately dictate your yoga and weightlifting routine.
You could even warm-up with a few rounds of Vinyasa A before you workout. Or some dynamic sequence that focuses on your mobility without static holds.
Therefore, unless it’s anything short and dynamic (like a few rounds of Sun Sals), avoid it before working out. You don’t want to lengthen the muscles before you lift.
Remember: stick to dynamic stretching before you workout. Focus on warming up the body and preparing the muscles that are being loaded (ie. unweighted barbell squats before adding weight). Save any passive stretching until after your workout.
Yoga and weightlifting same day: save it for after your workouts, or on your rest days. (Even better, do both!)
Tailor some stretches or do some classes after your strength workouts.
It’s why I harp on yoga for weightlifters content. Yoga and weightlifting go together like Jim Halpert and Dwight Schrute. So different. Yet they’re the perfect contrast. Can’t imagine the Office without them.
In conclusion, yoga and weightlifting on the same day is perfectly fine. However, I wouldn’t recommend doing it before your workouts. Save your practices for AFTER your workouts, and/or on your rest days.
Bonus: Yoga for weightlifters class to get you started
Want to experience a quick class that you can work around your workout?
Here’s the first Yoga For Weightlifters video video I put together on YouTube. You can follow along with me at any time.:
Hope you like it!
Leave a comment below if you have any questions or requests.
Best,
Jason
Is it okay too do weight lifting and then go directly into Yoga like within the following 10 minutes after weights?
Hi Paul,
Definitely! You could go from weight lifting then directly into Yoga.
I would only recommend not going from Yoga to weightlifting. But strength training and then following it up with yoga right after is great.
Can I do yoga in the morning and do strength training/ cardio after 5-6 hours?
Hi Sree,
For sure, that approach would work. I believe the negative effects on performance (power and strength) from (static) stretching are acute results. Just avoid any static stretching in your warm-up and you should be fine.
As well, pay attention to how you feel. For example, if you are progressing with strength and not noticing any impact, that’s great! Alternatively, if you are struggling with strength training later in the day, try alternating your approach to do strength training first. See if that has any impact. At the end of the day – do what you prefer and follow what works best for you.
Oh all this time I’ve been doing Yoga and Weightlifting right after and I do feel like I have better posture but maybe its not as beneficial
At the end of the day, whatever feels best for you is what you should do. However, with weightlifting being a high-intensity output, it’s usually best to do it first. Then lengthen the muscles with yoga afterwards.
Yoga in general is amazing for posture. A regular practice does wonders for the spine. 👍