Yoga vs Gym
Yoga Or Gym Which is Better ?
Yoga or Gym, Which is better for weight gain?
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Yoga Vs Gym
Regular Yoga
Increases Muscular Strength, Muscle Growth, Muscular Endurance
Increases Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Reduce BMI, Increases PFI, BMR
Yoga or Gym, Which is better?
Yoga or Gym Which is better, Yoga Vs Gym ; The most common questions one sits with when choosing a physical fitness Program. The most common questions which come up when one thinks of choosing Yoga are the following:
Results of a comparative study between yoga and physical exercise, published in Biomed Central (study -1)
BMI, (Body mass index) reduced in both Physical Exercise and Yoga Groups.
Balance, increased in the group doing Yoga
Yoga - Strength - Balance - Flexibility, Reference link - https://capmh.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1753-2000-7-37
Study 2: 6 Months of Regular One Hour Yoga - Pranayama practice every day, five days a week - on Physical Fitness Index (PFI), Body Mass Index (BMI), and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - International Study (This is not a comparative study with physical fitness)
There was a significant transformation in Body Weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Physical Fitness Index (PFI), and VO2 max, in six months' time.
PFI and VO2 max were determined by using the modified Harvard Step Test (HST) and modified Queen’s College Step Test (QST), respectively. The link to the study published in WebMD is below for your reference.
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Yoga Vs Gym, Which is more effective Yoga or Gym?
The above questions comes from the following doubts.
Can yoga increase Muscle strength?
Can yoga increase Muscular endurance?
Can Yoga Burn Excess Fat, quickly?
Will I get toned muscles with Yoga Practice?
Will Yoga improve physical fitness Index?
Can you Reduce BMI with Yoga?
I have compiled a series of research articles, with references and summary of results in each.
Which is more effective, Gym or Yoga, Cardiovascular Endurance
Yoga improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Reference - US library of Medicine - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4479891/
With Less Energy expenditure, Yoga practices are better in cardiorespiratory fitness parameters, Yoga improves aerobic capacity.
Study Results - Yoga for Cardiorespiratory endurance, Muscular strength and Endurance and Flexibility - US Library of Medicine
Primary outcomes were changes in
Cardiorespiratory endurance - Resting heart rate
Maximal Oxygen uptake - VO2 Max
Muscular Strength and endurance - Curl up and push up tests
Lower back and Hamstring Flexibility. (MBS)
The Yoga group showed significant improvement in Cardiorespiratory endurance, VO2 Max, Muscular endurance and strength, MBS of both the right and left legs. This was not compared with a group that was involved in gym workout.
Reference to this Public article - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4475706/
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Muscle Building
The Yoga group showed significant improvement in Cardiorespiratory endurance, VO2 Max, Muscular endurance and strength, MBS of both the right and left legs.
Hatha Yoga Intervention for Muscular endurance and Strength
US library of Medicine
Primary outcomes were changes in
Cardiorespiratory endurance - Resting heart rate
Maximal Oxygen uptake - VO2 Max
Muscular Strength and endurance - Curl up and push up tests
Lower back and Hamstring Flexibility. (MBS)
The Yoga group showed significant improvement in Cardiorespiratory endurance, VO2 Max, Muscular endurance and strength, MBS of both the right and left legs.( This is comparison with a standard group - not a Gym workout group)
Auto immune Disease
Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Gout, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, lupus and many other chronic diseases are due to abnormal inflammatory of the body. The immune system attacks the body itself. How?
Yoga Reduces Anti-inflammatory effect, better
Energy Expenditure and tissue tear is less in yoga as compared to workouts in Gym and aerobics.
Yoga works progressively - Protect, then heal as required, then enhance.
Psychological Stress triggers inflammatory activity. This triggers anti- inflammatory response. Psychological stress related inflammatory activity leads to onset, maintenance, and recurrence of depression.
Inflammation in RA, Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by release of the chemical, cytokines. Cytokines are released in stressful situations.
When the tissues of the body are injured they are said to be inflamed. Inflammation can be caused by toxins, trauma, bacteria etc. At the same time chemicals like histamines, bradykinins, prostaglandins also cause inflammation of the cells and tissues.
Reference: US Library of medicine
Summary:
If one is looking for quick results, Gym seems could be a general answer for both weight gain, weight loss, muscle growth. If you are looking for drastic muscle build then Yoga will not suit you.
Yoga with its proven positive protective, healing, and vitality effects on heart, brain, tissues, cells, immunity etc. has a clear functional edge. Yoga in a way can be considered as a healthy muscle building' if the goal is to build muscle strength, endurance It is muscle strength with flexibility.
The functional aspects of any physical fitness program is to enhance the quality of one's work and family life.
In addition to cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength - Flexibility, the core reasons for involving in physical activity, are - Better concentration, Focus, Reduced levels of Anxiety and Stress, health and vitality of heart- brain-muscles-joints, healthy endocrine system, increased immunity and decrease inflammatory of response of the body.
Yoga seems to score over other physical fitness options including gym workouts, aerobics etc. Let us see how.
Yoga, is a system of practice that used Breath or energy as a central point around which the body and mind moves. Even other eastern tools like Proper Kalarippayattu, Tai- Chi, Qigong work with this principle. Yoga still is a deeper science given the research, that shows that all other form originated from Yoga.