Advanced Yoga class as main form of exercise?

[Riverhound777]

I'm curious what others think of this. Some background, I have done the gym thing, big three, cardio, etc for years. Hated dealing with equipment not being available, lack of motivation, all that. Tried crossfit a couple years back. I actually liked it, though I think that had a lot to do with the current owner and people there. Very supportive, focused on good form, great community with BBQs and such. But they still did the Crossfit stuff I didn't like, such as kipping, fast workouts using heavy weights, some dangerous exercises. I quit last year when a new owner took over and I didn't like his workouts.

My ideal gym would be a power lifting type gym with group classes. Focused on olympic lifts with good form, in a friendly atmosphere. Cardio component would be fine, as long as it didn't included heavy weights. This does not seem to exist, at least not in my area.

Apart from that, i've recently started at CorePower Yoga. Odd considering my history, but I wanted to give it a try. I've done yoga in the past and know it can kick your ass. I started out with the easier classes and after a couple weeks started doing the Sculpt class, which includes dumbbells, pushups, squats, burpees, etc along with yoga. I could do without the heat, but man what a workout. Kicks my ass every time and I feel myself getting stronger while shedding some pounds. The eye candy isn't bad either, and while there aren't many guys in the classes, the ones who keep up with the girls look pretty ripped.

I'm wondering if this would be enough of a workout on it's own, without paying for a separate gym membership just to do some heavier weights. I know it's far far better than nothing that many people do, but is it enough? I'm talking 4-6 days a week, maybe some running on the side for more cardio.

 

[deadlyapp]

What are your goals? Powerlifting isn't olympic lifting and certainly isn't yoga with some light weights. All three of those will give you drastically different body types and compositions.

Doing yoga, especially heated, and with light weight (in combination with cardio) is going to give you a trim figure with likely some good aesthetics (eg shredded) however you will not be "strong" and you will not develop larger muscles unless you incorporate significant resistance training. There are plenty of people who only do yoga and calisthenics or bodyweight movement and it's "enough".

If you like aspects of crossfit but worry about the speed aspect, then take a look at Marcus Filly's awakening program. It's essentially bodybuilding with a conditioning component built in. It's a 5 day, 12 week program and there are four series' of them which would span you an entire year of training. Be warned, it is expensive, but you can always find friends willing to try it to split the cost. To do it properly though, you would need basically all the equipment that you would find in a crossfit gym.

 

[Riverhound777]

My goal is to be in generally good health and good shape. I don't want to be huge like a body builder. I don't really have any specific strength goals, I just want to be in shape for whatever I want to do, be that hiking, surfing, vball, whatever. And yes looking good is a factor.

My current stats are 6' 180 with probably 18% BF. Ideally I would be more like 175 and 12% BF.

 

[deadlyapp]

Well if you enjoy it then keep doing it. You'll have a hard time getting to 12% without significant calorie restriction though, and without resistance training you'll probably lose a fair amount of muscle with that cut.

For reference, I'm 6' , 180 and 12% BF and strictly do crossfit 6-7 days a week and no additional cardio. I squat 365, deadlift 405, and bench around 245

 

[mike8675309]

yoga can be a good workout but you can't replace resistance exercises for bone health. The primary skeletal benefit of working out with heavy weights is increased bone density and overall improved bone and joint health.

Of course if all you did was yoga, you are still better off than 80% of the rest of america..

 

[Riverhound777]

Just an update on this, it's been like 3 months since I started Yoga, and probably 2 months since I started Intermittent Fasting. I'm down to 170lbs from 180, and finally feel like I can see the progress. It's crazy how much fat you can have on you without it looking that bad. I still have another 10 pounds to go to reach my goal. So far the IF has worked wonders, I don't feel like i've lost much muscle at all, if anything i've gained in some areas.

I know 160 at 6' is skinny, but I've always been on the smaller side, so I think for me it will be fine. Once I reach that point i'll up the calories and see if I can start putting on some muscle. I'm planning to stick with the IF long term. I range between 16:8 and 18:6 mostly, with a few OMADs if I can. It's really let me gain control of my cravings and not use food as a reward for a crappy day.