CAROLINE BRAGG, MASTER TRAINER AT STYLIST STRONG

“Yes, but it depends on what kind of yoga you’re doing and what kind of strength training you’re doing. If we’re talking about restorative yoga, that might not necessarily link in as much because that’s much more about relaxation. But if we’re talking about it benefiting what you’re doing in your strength class, I’d say focus a bit more on slow or dynamic work, where you’re working on mobility rather than stretching. Range of motion, or ROM, is important to get the full range in our muscle. So sometimes you see people squat and they can’t squat that low, and it’s better to get that full range of motion in the squat or that full hip hinge, so something like yoga or pilates would be beneficial.”

TESS GLYNN-JONES, TRAINER AT STYLIST STRONG

“If you’re very flexible, then your muscles tend to be looser, and when you’re strength training you kind of want your muscles to be tighter. So it’s important to pick which yoga class you go to if you do want to include it in your exercise routine. If you go to something like hatha or vinyasa where it is strengthening you, it is also mobilising and some people do need more mobility in their joints. That will make them stronger because it means they can get into positions more easily or into positions that they couldn’t get into before. At Stylist Strong we have the Strong yoga classes, which are great, but if a class involves lots of stretching, then it’s counterproductive to strength training. Something that people may want to be cautious of if they’re going from a pure yoga background into strength training is their range of movement. People who do yoga are incredibly flexible and have a lot of range. They tend to come into positions a little bit too far and they lose the tension in the muscles and then it becomes a bit more tendony and that’s when you tend to get injuries.”

EMMA OBAYUVANA, TRAINER AT STYLIST STRONG

“It’s definitely very good for strength training as a complementary thing, because yoga also builds strength, just like weightlifting does, but you’re using your own body weight to develop strength. It also develops spatial awareness in terms of your body, your sense of balance. You’re also lengthening those muscles and increasing your flexibility, which is a really good thing to do when you’re also doing weight/resistance training, because a lot of the exercises may be shortening your muscles or maybe you’re not doing adequate stretching after your sessions. Yoga is a great way to ensure you’re still flexible and mobile so in terms of your body mobility and range of motion, I definitely think yoga is a great thing to do alongside weight training.

Is yoga good for strength training? Fitness trainers answer the most Googled questions