I realize this might piss a lot of people off but I am going to say this anyway, based on 45 years under the iron.
Yoga does NOT build muscles! It does NOT strengthen muscles! See the picture of Richard Hittleman? He was a yoga guru. WEIGHTS build muscles! It’s a fact! Yoga can aid in flexibility but yoga does NOT make the body stronger. Otherwise, Richard Hittleman would certainly outclass me (in photo) for muscle mass! I have no argument with yoga as a way to become more flexible. My bone to pick is the claim made by many yoga enthusiasts that yoga strengthens muscles. It does not! I also have a bone to pick about their claims that weights are bad for you and make you muscle bound. I was a martial artist and bodybuilder and I was extremely flexible. I did use stretching exercises in combination with martial arts and a full body weight training routine.
Another claim made by these yoga people is that weights make muscles bulky! Look at this picture of me. I was not “bulky” and I trained with heavy weights. These claims made by such people are because these people are wimps who are afraid to have muscles. You see, I can appreciate yoga for what it does. But it seems, many yoga parishioners do not respect what I do.
Yoga can easily be incorporated into an all around fitness program that includes cardio, such as running, bicycling and strength training of which weight training is superior for the purpose of gaining strength.
As far as the statement about being “bulky” goes, think about this. What would 25 extra solid pounds of muscle feel like if you found yourself alone in a dark parking lot at night?
Bulk is gained mainly by those who have a genetic predisposition for large muscles. Bulk is also acquired by the ingestion of large amounts of food while on a weight training program! If you watch your diet then you will have a more slender type of physique as I was pictured as having. Personally, I’d rather have a body like I built using weights that look like Richard Hittleman.
