Strength training is having a moment in the press and for good reason! Strength isn’t just about building bigger muscles or lifting heavier weights; true strength is functional and supports how you move, breathe, and live every single day.
At LYT® Yoga, we approach strength training as an integration of mobility, stability, and mindful alignment, helping both beginners and seasoned athletes build strength that supports you today and for years to come.
Whether you’re new to strength training or already have years of experience, the LYT® method offers valuable insights into how to move better, prevent injury, and expand your potential. Here are strength training tips lens for both beginners and experts through the LYT® lens.
For Beginners: Build from the ground up
1. Prioritize core connection!
At LYT®, we begin in our RESET®, turning on the deep core system, including the diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, and multifidus. These deep muscles are your body’s internal supportive belt, providing stability and protection for your bones, joints, and soft tissue structures. Before lifting, moving, or flowing, find a neutral spine and connect to your breath to help your core stabilizers fire up.
2. Focus on form, not load.
It’s easy to want to jump right into heavy weights, but strength is built through optimized movement patterns. In the first stages of strength training, most gains are neural, not muscular. Various studies confirm that improved motor unit recruitment (how well you get the muscles to fire) and coordination are the primary drivers of early strength.
In LYT® classes, we focus on aligned accuracy in poses and transitions to prime the body-brain connection, creating a neural motor instinct before adding load.
3. Move in multiple planes.
Most traditional strength training is forward-and-back (sagittal plane) but daily life requires twisting, side bending, and rotation.
LYT® classes train you to move in all three planes of motion, preparing you for real-world strength and resilience. Beginners especially benefit from learning how to load and unload their joints safely in these directions.
For Experts: Refine, challenge, expand
1. Don’t just add load, add complexity.
Once you’ve achieved strength basics, true progress comes from integrating balance, dynamic control, and coordination.
For example, instead of a simple squat, try a single-leg squat with a rotation or a curtsy lunge with a reach. LYT® sequences train these functional layers of complexity, keeping even experts challenged.
2. Prioritize mobility for longevity.
Strength without mobility is like driving a race car with flat tires. Advanced practitioners often find their gains plateau, and they can develop overuse injuries more easily if they neglect mobility.
LYT® always include mobility sequences which keep the joints supple, allowing for better ranges of motion and reducing the risk of injury as loads increase.
3. Train the nervous system, not just the muscles.
The LYT® method emphasizes neuroplasticity, teaching the brain new, efficient ways to move. For experts, refining proprioception (your body’s sense of position) is as important as building strength. Incorporating drills that challenge balance, cross-body coordination, and reaction time will result in smarter and more resilient strength.
For both beginners and experts of strength training, three tenets of LYT® philosophy will train the nervous system and musculoskeletal system to work together optimally.
- Consistency beats intensity as adaptations happen over time with regular exposure. Increase the dosage before adding more load haphazardly.
- Alignment is key! Joints thrive when loaded efficiently, protecting and empowering our overall movement. Conversely, poor biomechanics can compound stress, leading to fatigue, injury, and burnout.
- Strength leads to functional freedom, where we move through life with more ease, confidence, and resilience.
Whether you’re stepping onto the mat or into the gym, the LYT® method reminds us that strength is a lifelong practice. Beginners benefit from building solid foundations, while experts refine and expand their skills with smarter functional training.
In both cases, strength is about more than the body; strength heightens our awareness, freedom, and possibility in all stages of life! Check out some of our fun and strength-oriented classes on our online platform, the LYT® daily.
