Yoga Improves Muscle Endurance

Yoga improved abdominal and arm muscle endurance

Background

Yoga asana practice is associated with significant physical health benefits. There is a body of research supporting yoga’s positive benefits on flexibility and muscle strength. Yoga has also been shown to positively affect cardiac health, immune system function, and other aspects of our physical health. Yoga’s impact on muscular strength has been well-documented.

However, yoga is different than many other types of movement and exercise in that it frequently incorporates isometric muscle contractions. It asks us to frequently hold a body position in gravity. This uses our muscles differently than something like lifting weights at the gym.

Many styles of yoga especially ask us to use our arms and upper body to support our body weight. We also frequently use our abdominal muscles to stabilize our trunk and spine in poses like chaturanga, plank, and even downward dog. The way that we move and use our muscles in yoga makes it an interesting activity to research with respect to questions about how it affects muscle endurance. The researchers who conducted the study we summarize here were especially interested in how yoga affects the muscle endurance of our arms and abdominals.

Research question

How does yoga practice affect muscle endurance?

Study Participants (Sample)

Sample size: 47 total participants

• All female
• Mean age 24 years old

Research methods

In this study, researchers recruited a total of 60 participants. They randomly assigned 30 participants to a yoga treatment group and a control group. During the experiment, some participants dropped out which left a total of 26 people in the yoga treatment and 21 people in the control group. Participants were not included in the data analysis if they didn’t attend at least 75% of the yoga sessions, or if they didn’t complete the post-test. All participants were female and had a mean age of 24 years old.

All study participants completed a push-test and sit-up test for upper limb and abdominal muscle endurance at the beginning of the experiment. The sit-up test and push-up tests measured the maximum number of repetitions that the participant completed in one minute. The research team also measured height and weight of participants and calculated their body mass index.

Those participants in the yoga treatment then completed a yoga session three times per week for six weeks. Each session was one hour long. The yoga sessions consisted of brief pranayama practice, then 45 minutes of sun salutations and yoga asanas. The sessions finished with a brief breathing practice and then savasana. After six weeks, researchers conducted the push-up test and sit-up test again with all the participants.

Results

• Muscle endurance increased in the push-up test and the sit-up test for the yoga treatment group compared to the control group.
• For the yoga treatment group, muscle endurance increased in the push-up and sit-up tests after the yoga treatment when compared to before yoga.

Why is this relevant to yoga practitioners?

Muscle strength is an important marker of our muscle health. However, muscle endurance is just as important, possibly more so, for our functionality. Muscle endurance is related to our ability to do physical tasks with less fatigue, for a longer duration, and with a potentially reduced chance of injury. These are important aspects of our overall physical health when we consider maintaining functional movement as we age. Our muscle endurance is also relevant to excelling at many sports and athletic activities. Yoga can help us gain and maintain muscle endurance. By doing that, it can support us in doing all of the other activities we do with more ease and less fatigue.

Reference citation

Shiraishi, J.C. and L.M. Aguiar Bezerra. 2016. Effects of yoga practice on muscular endurance in young women. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 22:69-73.