The Power of Strength Training + Yoga!
Have you ever thought about what practices enhance the results of strength training in midlife? The key is to include elements that enhance both your physical strength and overall movement quality. Cue… Strength training and yoga! Strength training develops muscle, bone density, and metabolic health. Yoga enhances mobility, balance and mind body awareness.
Progress isn’t only about how much you can lift, it’s also about how well you manage stress and regulate your nervous system. Recovery, resilience, and movement quality are just as important as intensity. When you pair strength training with yoga you’re building for the long term.
What are the benefits?
1. Stronger Muscles With Better Mobility
Building muscle without mobility can feel tight and restrictive. That’s where yoga becomes essential! In midlife declining oestrogen can accelerate muscle loss and increase joint stiffness. Strength training preserves and builds lean muscle which protects metabolism, supports bone density and improves body composition.
Yoga helps maintain elasticity, joint range of motion and muscular balance supporting the strength you build to remain functional.
2. Injury prevention
When we pair strength training with intentional mobility work, we create joints that feel stable and supported. Rather than pushing through stiffness, we build strength on a foundation of alignment and control especially in the hips, knees, shoulders, and lower back.
Yoga strengthens the smaller stabilising muscles, refines joint positioning and supports healthy connective tissue. It also enhances body awareness, improving balance and coordination.
3. Improved Performance
Without adequate mobility and joint control, you may not be accessing your full strength potential. Targeted yoga flows can improve hip opening, spinal rotation and shoulder integrity which means better squats and safer overhead work. By increasing mind body awareness yoga shows us when to level up and when to reduce intensity.
4. A Balanced Nervous System
Strength training activates the sympathetic nervous system increasing focus, power output and resilience. Yoga strengthens the parasympathetic nervous system and helps us to oscillate between different nervous system states to reach balance. Through controlled breathing, longer exhalations and intentional movement, it improves vagal tone and enhances nervous system regulation. This helps lower stress and support hormonal balance.
When you combine strength training and yoga, you create a complete nervous system cycle:
- Activation through lifting
- Regulation through breath and flow
- Recovery through restoration
How do I incorporate this into my routine?
Creating a balanced routine doesn’t have to be complicated:
- Short Mobility Work: 5-10 minutes before or after lifting can improve squat depth, shoulder range, and spinal rotation – I’ve started my day with a 5 minute mobility routine for 30 years!
- Strength Training: 3-4 sessions per week
- Yoga Sessions: 1-2 sessions per week
- Recovery: 1-2 rest days per week – restorative yoga, light activity (walking) and quality sleep is key
A final thought:
Strength training builds the foundation. The muscles that protect your bones, support metabolism and maintain long-term functional strength. Yoga complements this by keeping your body balanced, flexible and resilient. Together, they create a body that not only looks strong but moves confidently and efficiently in everyday life.
It’s about creating a system that supports recovery, reduces injury risk, manages stress, and strengthens the nervous system. Combining strength and yoga gives you the tools to do all of this, helping your body and mind adapt gracefully to the changes of midlife. When practiced consistently, this combination empowers you to move with confidence and recover more efficiently.
As always, if you have any questions please do get in touch.
Caroline x
