Strength Training for Yoga Book
The Beginner’s Guide to Building Yoga-Specific Strength
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Hey there, Yogis!
The yoga world is currently undergoing a major paradigm shift. For the better part of the last century, yoga was regarded as a complete movement practice that gave the body everything it needed. But all that is changing…
Now more than ever, the yoga community is realizing the importance of strength. Strength provides tons of physical benefits – from improved bone density, body composition, and ease of movement to reduced risk of injury. It’s also incredibly empowering!
By the same token, we’re starting to realize that if we want truly well-rounded strength, a 100% body weight mat practice isn’t going to cut it. Yoga can only get us so strong. It’s missing the crucial ingredient to strength building: progressive overload.
Because our body weight doesn’t change much, we acclimate to it over time. At a certain point, we’re no longer gaining strength with our body weight alone. If the goal is real strength, we need to add load. This can be scary, though, especially at first. That’s why we created Strength Training for Yoga.
Hi! I’m Jenni Rawlings. I’m a movement science-based yoga teacher with a special focus on yoga anatomy and biomechanics. My co-author Travis Pollen, PhD, and I are the brains and brawn behind Strength Training for Yoga. (We’ll let you guess who’s the brains and who’s the brawn!)
We created Strength Training for Yoga because we saw a huge need for a non-intimidating resource to introduce yogis to strength training. We see so many yogis who understand how important strength training is but just don’t know where to start.
A few years ago, I was in that same boat. Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and in search of strength, I hired a personal trainer. My trainer gave me a good lay of the strength training land, but he wasn’t super familiar with yoga. He didn’t know exactly what a longtime yogi like me needed to enhance and fill in the gaps in my movement repertoire.
That’s when I sought out Travis. Travis has a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and is also a personal trainer and experienced yogi himself. Travis and I put our heads together to create exactly the resource I wish I had when I embarked on my strength training journey.
Since getting to know and learn from Travis – and focusing on progressive overload – I’ve personally felt a huge difference in my strength on the mat. I’ve even received messages from followers about how much stronger my movements and poses look now than they did a year ago!
That said, the benefits of strength training go even beyond the physical. Through strength training, I’m constantly rediscovering how much my body is capable of. The confidence these revelations inspire transcends the workouts. It’s this feeling of empowerment that I want to share with my fellow yogis.
In Strength Training for Yoga, Travis and I made a concerted effort to contextualize strength through the lens of yoga asana. This approach provides a familiar framework for yogis to absorb this new information. It also demonstrates just how complementary – and even intertwined – yoga and strength training are.
Strength Training for Yoga will teach you the fundamental principles of strength training in a friendly, inviting, and mindful format. These principles will empower you in your mind, body, and movement practice.
But don’t take our word for it…
“Jenni and Travis bring their expertise and personal charm to a massive project that supports our community in the pursuit of adding load to the body while still embracing our beloved yoga practice. They created a comprehensive strength program that is understandable, modifiable, and relatable for teachers and students of yoga. If you’ve ever been timid about adding strength to your movement repertoire, this program is for you.”
— Jules Mitchell
Author of Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined
Las Vegas, NV
"I wish I had access to a resource like this one in my younger years. Jenni and Travis's antifragile attitude and pragmatic approach to adding strength and conditioning as a supplement to yoga practice is refreshing, organized, and easily personalized based on an individual’s needs. The best part is, you don’t need to buy an entire gym or hire a personal trainer. Strength Training for Yoga empowers YOU to utilize your preexisting knowledge of yoga and movement and simply apply it in a new setting, in a new way, for a new result."
— Stevi Góngora
Lead Teacher Trainer at Authentic Movements
Uvita, Costa Rica & Marshall, NC
“As a physio, strength coach, and keen advocate of all things resistance training for everyone, I’m delighted to see Jenni and Travis bridging the gap between yoga and resistance training in a clear, concise, and practical way. It is really refreshing to see the basics of strengthening being recommended well without the usual complexity or B.S. that often surrounds it. This is a beautifully presented, useful, and practical resource for all yogis of all experiences to begin their journey into the glorious and wonderful world of resistance training and to realise that ‘you can’t go wrong getting strong’.”
— Adam Meakins
Physiotherapist and Strength and Conditioning Specialist Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Buy the digital book now!
So what is Strength Training For Yoga?
Strength Training for Yoga is a digital book and 8-week, all-levels training program specifically designed for yogis – no matter your age, gender, or previous experience with strength training. In Strength Training for Yoga, we teach you everything you need to know about the fundamentals of building yoga-specific strength.
The Strength Training for Yoga 8-week program will make achieving and sustaining challenging yoga poses easier. It will help you strike a more harmonious balance between effort and ease. It will also establish more symmetrical strength in the back body relative to the front, which can improve injury resilience.
Note that Strength Training for Yoga is literally a strength training program that aims to enrich and supplement traditional asana practice. It’s not a yoga program (although it does include several yoga flows for warm-up!).
Unlike other strength training programs, which might try to retrofit a generic training program to a yogi, Strength Training for Yoga was created by yogis, for yogis, from the ground up.
Starting with a blank slate, we first mapped out the biomechanical demands of yoga’s foundational poses. We then devised the training program to support those demands as well as shore up weak links and fill in missing movement patterns (hint: lots of hamstring and back exercises!).
It can be difficult to motivate ourselves to engage in exercises we don’t completely understand the rationale for. For that reason, in the book we lay out that entire process of “mapping” strength training onto yoga asana for the reader to see. Strength Training for Yoga is the yoga anatomy geek’s best friend.
Here’s what you get
Lifetime access to an 8-week progressive training program designed specifically to build strength to enhance and fill in the gaps in your asana practice
A video library of over 80 exercise tutorials and guided warm-up flows
Exercise options for training in a gym or at home (with just two dumbbells or kettlebells and a resistance band if training at home*)
Exercise progressions that meet you at your current strength level, from total beginner to seasoned vet (hello, barbell training!)
An educational anatomical guide that maps all of the included strength training exercises onto the asanas they support and counterbalance
Access to interactive training logs to effectively track your training progress, with seamless transitions to and from exercise video tutorials
*Note: Equipment NOT included with purchase of Strength Training for Yoga!
Digital book: $97
“Jenni has been a huge inspiration to me as a yoga teacher for a number of years now, and her collaboration with Travis offers an exciting and accessible journey into introducing strength work to a yoga practice. What I appreciate most is that Jenni and Travis share their combined knowledge and passion for strength-building movement in a way that encourages variation and exploration of movement, yet remains relevant to yoga.”
— Annabel Francis
Yoga Teacher
Tring, UK
“The layout and design of Jenni and Travis’s program is beautiful. However, that is not what impresses me the most, because anybody can design an aesthetically pleasing product. As a coach, and someone who is meticulous about exercise selection and progression, and the manner in which the coaching is delivered, what I love about their product is the overall quality. Their exercise selection is fantastic, they provide world-class coaching, and they progress the exercises in a way that makes sense. I highly recommend their program."
— Meghan Callaway
Coach & Author of Ultimate Pull-Up, Push-Up, & Landmine Programs
Vancouver, Canada
“Two experts in the field of strength and yoga, Jenni Rawlings and Travis Pollen, have put together an incredible resource. This book is a much-needed, super accessible, well-researched, and essential tool that will help yoga teachers and practitioners add the missing element of strength to their practices. I will be adding Strength Training for Yoga as a key reference book on all of our Yoga Teacher Trainings.”
— Catherine Wilkinson
Owner of Wellness Connection Yoga School
Cape Town, South Africa
How will strength training for yoga enhance your practice?
Build upper body strength:
Facilitate a smooth and skillful chaturanga to improve your vinyasa practice
Work up to a pull-up (an elusive movement goal for so many yogis!)
Fine-tune balance and stability:
Sturdy your base for single-leg poses like Warrior 3, Tree Pose, & Dancer Pose
Achieve difficult inversions and arm balances like Handstand, Crow Pose, & Flying Pigeon
Increase lower body strength and resiliency:
Fortify standing poses like Warrior 1, Warrior 2, & Chair Pose
Progress towards a single-leg squat (a.k.a. pistol squat)
Reduce the risk of the dreaded “yoga butt” (high hamstring pain)
Improve core strength and control:
Assume and sustain poses like Plank, Side Plank, and Boat Pose
Augment flexibility through full-range strength training:
Increase ease in Forward Folds, Down Dogs, and Handstands
Get Strength Training for Yoga Now!
Strength Training for Yoga Digital Book
This book describes the biomechanics of 18 foundational yoga asanas and contextualizes strength training exercises based on their relationship with those asanas. You’ll understand exactly how the exercises in the training program will benefit your yoga practice. The book also details everything you need to know to use the training program – from sets, reps, and rest to choosing, progressing, and tracking your weights.
Total Value: $29.95
Strength Training for Yoga Training program
8 weeks of strength training intended specifically to enhance your mat practice and fill in the gaps to build more well-rounded strength. This all-levels program includes both beginner and intermediate exercise variations (with dumbbell/kettlebell, resistance band, and barbell options) as well as at-home and gym alternatives. It’s laid out in two 4-week phases (3 days/week) and includes phase-specific guided warm-up flows designed to prime your muscles and nervous system for workouts.
Total Value: $199.95
Strength Training for Yoga Training Logs
Interactive spreadsheets designed to help you efficiently record your sets, reps, loads, and training notes. The spreadsheets can be accessed online (via a mobile-friendly app) or printed and filled out with good old-fashioned pencil and paper.
Total Value: $99.95
Strength Training for Yoga Video Database
High-quality video tutorials cueing and demoing the setup and performance of all 80 exercise variations in the training program. To facilitate easy access to the videos, the exercise names in the training program are hyperlinked to the corresponding videos. An index of all the exercises is also included.
Total Value: $99.95
Total Value of Strength training for yoga: $429.80
BUY TODAY FOR $97
“Jenni and Travis have greatly influenced my teachings as a yoga instructor for the better, inspiring me to incorporate more strength-related aspects like progressive loading and movement variability and helping me better individualize classes to students’ needs. They present information in a non-dogmatic, clear, and easily digestible way and have become one of my go-to resources for movement-related questions. I can only recommend learning with and from these two amazing humans!”
— Carolin Polter
Yoga Teacher
Berlin, Germany
“Jenni & Travis have been an invaluable resource in my yoga & strength building practice. They connect the dots between yoga and strength, help you to think critically about your personal movement & strength practice, and share their knowledge in a way that is easy to understand and apply.”
— Anne Chan
Yoga Teacher
Toronto, Ontario
“I feel so thankful to have discovered Jenni Rawlings. She teaches from a science- and evidence-based perspective, which I really resonate with. I have seen personally how working on strength can allow me to feel more powerful, confident, and capable in my yoga practice. I couldn’t be more excited about Strength Training for Yoga.”
— Savannah Stuermer
Yoga Teacher
St. Albert, Alberta
Try Strength training for yoga for 60 days risk free!
We’re so sure you’re going to love Strength Training for Yoga that we’ll guarantee it. You can try the Strength Training for Yoga program for the next 60 days with a 100% money-back guarantee.
If you aren’t completely satisfied with our program after 60 days, simply let us know and we’ll refund 100% of your purchase, no questions asked.
Digital book: Only $97
To your strength,
Jenni Rawlings & Travis Pollen, PhD
Authors, Strength Training for Yoga
P.S. If you know how important strength training is but don’t know where to start, take advantage of this beginner’s guide to building yoga-specific strength now!
P.P.S. Your satisfaction is backed by our 100% money-back guarantee. There’s absolutely no risk to trying Strength Training for Yoga. If you’re not completely satisfied with Strength Training for Yoga, simply let us know within 60 days and we’ll refund your entire purchase, no questions asked.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: After I purchase Strength Training for Yoga, will I have lifetime access to it or only access for the 8 weeks of the program?
A: Upon purchasing, you’ll get instant access to download the Strength Training for Yoga PDF, which you’ll have lifetime access to.
Q: Is this a yoga with added resistance program?
A: No, this program is NOT yoga with added resistance. It’s a strength training program designed to supplement a yoga practice. However, it does include several yoga flows for warm-up.
Q: Can I get a hard copy of this book?
A: No, this is a digital book. However, you’re free to print it out if you wish!
Q: Can a person with no strength training experience really do this program?
A: Yes, this program is intended for beginners. We provide all the background information you need to get started with strength training. That said, we do assume competence with basic movement patterns that are common in yoga like Chair Pose, Plank Pose, and Halfway Lift.
Q: Do I need equipment to do the training program?
A: Yes, the training program requires one resistance band (a ½-inch superband) and two kettlebells or dumbbells. We recommend one lighter kettlebell/dumbbell that you can press overhead 10 times (10-20 lbs for women and 20-30 lbs for men) and one heavier kettlebell/dumbbell that you can’t press overhead (30-50 lbs for women and 50-70 lbs for men). The program also includes exercise options using yoga blocks, a yoga blanket or furniture sliders, a pull-up bar, a workout bench, and a barbell. But again, only two kettlebells and a resistance band are required.
Q: Does the equipment come with the purchase of the book?
A: No, the equipment does NOT come with the book. It must be purchased separately.
Q: Does Strength Training for Yoga have videos of the exercises? If so, how do I access them?
A: Yes, every exercise in the book has an accompanying video tutorial (over 80 total videos!). These video tutorials are linked to thumbnail images of the exercises in the PDF.
Q: Can I still do yoga while I’m doing this program?
A: Yes, this is a 3 day/week training program. If you take one rest day per week, that leaves three days for other physical activities of your choice.
Q: What’s the recommended training schedule?
A: It’s best to perform the three training sessions on non-consecutive days (e.g. Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
Q: How long are the workouts?
A: The workouts are about one hour, give or take 15 minutes depending on rest periods and transitions between exercises.
Q: Is there an app for logging the workouts?
A: Yes, the program comes with access to an interactive spreadsheet that’s compatible with mobile.
Q: Is this program only for women?
A: No, this program is suitable for people of all genders.
Q: What age group is this program for?
A: This program is suitable for adults of all ages, with no upper limit. It’s never too late to build strength!
Q: If I’m not a yogi, can I still buy this book?
A: Yes, this book and training program are suitable for anyone looking for an introduction to strength training. With that said, the exercises in the program are most specific to the movement demands of yoga.
Disclaimers and Notes:
Strength Training for Yoga is an e-book. No physical products will be shipped. After you order, you will get INSTANT ACCESS to download the PDF. We are required by the FTC to state what “typical” results are. The results depicted on this website are real results from real clients. If you don’t adhere to the workouts, you shouldn’t expect to get the same results.
The information contained in Strength Training for Yoga is for educational purposes only. The reader assumes the risks associated with performing the exercises described within, which may be dangerous if done incorrectly. The authors advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. The exercise programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine that may have been prescribed by your doctor. Please consult your physician before beginning this or any other exercise program.
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