How Can You Get Tighter Muscles With Yoga?

It may seem that you will not get tighter muscles from yoga. Actually, yoga is more difficult than it seems at first glance. Today we will explain why yoga can help you get firmer and tighter muscles. We also debunk some myths that claim that yoga can’t make you stronger.

Yoga can help us harmonize our body and mind while working on our balance. However, the beauty of this form of exercise is that we can also target the muscles.

Find out how yoga can help you get tighter muscles

1. You amplify your strength

When practicing yoga you should use some strength. Therefore, you will also get tighter muscles in the long run. However, not all forms of yoga will help you with that. Some shapes are more “fitness-oriented” or more “athletic” than others.

For example, ashtanga, vinyasa  and  power yoga are considered the best forms of yoga for strength training. The question then is: how exactly do these three methods work?

• Ashtanga : Consists of different poses that you perform in a continuous, fluid and consistent manner. The idea is that you assume the poses faster and faster and do not take any rest breaks between each position.
• Vinyasa : Also called flow yoga. This type uses asanas to create a specific choreography and move smoothly.
• Power Yoga : A routine that also includes fitness moves and Pilates. The music you put on during the exercises can vary from jazz, to soul or hip-hop. It is an innovative form of yoga.

2. The poses are challenging

There are some poses in yoga that can be a real challenge. For example, the crane pose ( bakasana ) is definitely not suitable for beginners. Balance is very important in this pose , as is your arm strength.

Each asana should be held for a certain amount of time. Also, some poses are performed using your body weight. This way you tense your muscles and put them to work.

Let’s take a look at some more poses:

• The sun pose ( purvottanasana ): Ideal for weight loss and to get your arms in shape.
• Chair pose ( utkatasana ): Not only does it improve balance, but it can also help strengthen and shape both your glutes and legs.
• Iron pose ( utthita chaturanga dandasana ): Strengthens your arms, legs, and glutes. It’s important not to force your body into these poses because if you’re not flexible enough and just started doing yoga, you could hurt yourself.

While this activity doesn’t seem to involve much risk, you should always be careful not to injure yourself.

3. You train your whole body

When you practice yoga you can get tighter muscles because you put your whole body to work. You almost all use the muscles at the same time to get into a certain position.

For example, if you do the astavakrasana or octagonal pose (advanced yoga), you’ll work on things like:

• your pecs
• arm muscles (biceps and triceps)
• shoulder muscles
• leg muscles
• abs
• obliques
• lumbar muscles
• etcetera

You don’t just use one muscle group like you do with weight lifting, but instead you train several groups at the same time.

Because you use so many muscles at the same time, some muscles will have to support others to make the posture possible. However, if those parts of our body don’t work as a unit, you won’t be able to take the pose.

4. Your muscles are gradually built up

It is true that with strength training you could build your muscles faster. However, the benefits of practicing yoga can be much greater than just exercising with machines.

Practicing Yoga:

• builds muscle gradually 
• can also improve your balance
• can help you feel better

Yoga can also be an addition to your strength training. However, if you just want to train your body and build strength, this routine will probably be enough to reach your goals.

The key is perseverance and to build up to more difficult positions. Many of those poses may be very frustrating at first because you can’t perform them. Performing a yoga posture correctly takes time.

Do you do yoga regularly? Have you noticed any changes in your body after a few months? We highly recommend giving this discipline a try as it can have so much to offer.