Yoga guide
Yoga is a good addition for a man in his 40s or 50s, whether you're stiff from a desk, lifting, playing sport or starting from scratch. In trials it improved flexibility and added some strength, and for back pain it helped about as much as other exercise. It doesn't replace lifting for muscle or aerobic exercise for your heart, and its effect on blood pressure is small and uncertain, so the best week has all three.
This guide covers what changes from 40 (strength before muscle, testosterone, stiffness, blood pressure), what the few trials in middle-aged men found, how to fit yoga around strength and aerobic training, recovery and when to stretch, back and joint care, a week plan, the poses to start with and the classes to follow, each move shown in 3D. Our yoga for men guide covers men of all ages, and our yoga for older men guide covers 60 and over.
In 315,059 adults, 58% of them men, people who were inactive for most of their lives but became active between 40 and 61 had a lower death rate than those who stayed inactive, much like those active all along. It was an observational study, not about yoga. Big losses of hip and knee movement before about 75 aren't normal ageing, so much of the stiffness is from doing less.
Men who did 12 weekly hatha classes with home practice gained about 6 cm on a sit-and-reach test against almost no change, in one trial that wasn't randomised and in which the yoga group started stiffer. Across 77 studies, stretching training gave a moderate gain in range, and strength training through a full range did about as much in 11 trials.
Grip strength declines from midlife, and knee strength fell 14% to 16% per decade in adults followed from 46 to 78. Yoga added push-ups in middle-aged men, but progressive resistance training has a large effect on strength, and no trial has compared the two in men in midlife. Keep lifting on at least 2 days.
Against no exercise, yoga gave "small and clinically unimportant improvements in back-related function and pain", and about the same as other back exercise, across 21 trials. It's a reasonable choice if you enjoy it.
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Yoga lowered blood pressure by about 8/5 mmHg against a waiting list in 30 trials, but the evidence is very low quality and the results varied widely. For heart risk factors it did no differently from other exercise, and most yoga isn't aerobic, so it goes with your 150 minutes rather than counting for them. Chest pain, unusual breathlessness or a racing heart during exercise means stop; the warning signs below have the details.
Stretching after exercise reduced next-day soreness by about 1 point on a 100-point scale, and long holds of 60 seconds or more just before maximal efforts can sap them. So do long holds after lifting or on rest days.
These are normal changes, and every one of them responds to training.
Most yoga trial volunteers are women: in the Cochrane review of yoga for back pain, "Most were women in their 40s or 50s." The trials that include men in their 40s and 50s are a non-randomised Hong Kong trial of 173 adults averaging 52, with its 64 men analysed separately, two back pain trials in military veterans who were mostly men, a 50-man Korean trial in men aged 40 to 60, and an Indian trial after a heart attack. Our searches found no yoga trial in healthy men in midlife against weight training.
Grip strength holds "through to midlife" and declines from then, across 49,964 British people. In adults followed from 46 to 78, knee strength fell 14% to 16% per decade, and elbow strength 12% per decade in men against 2% in women. Absolute muscle mass fell noticeably only from about 50 in a large scanning study, and in adults in their 70s, men lost strength almost twice as fast as women, with leg strength falling about three times faster than leg muscle.
The NHS says testosterone falls by "about 1% a year from around the age of 30 to 40, and this is unlikely to cause any problems in itself". Symptoms men put down to a "male menopause" often have other causes, and "Exercise and relaxation can also help."
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In a US national survey, hip and knee range differed between the youngest and oldest groups by amounts that were "generally small, ranging from 3 to 5 degrees". Range responds to stretching and to strength training through a full range.
The NHS: "Everybody's cardiovascular risk rises with age", and "High blood pressure is very common, especially in older adults." It usually has no symptoms, which is why checks matter. "An enlarged prostate is most common in men over 50 years old.", and "Prostate cancer often has no symptoms at first." Yoga doesn't treat either; our yoga for an enlarged prostate guide covers it.
In interviews, men named a preference for other exercise and the "perception of yoga as feminine", and said they are "more likely to take up yoga when encouraged by trusted others and male role models". Who signs up isn't who it works for.
Strength work on at least 2 days a week, at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 of vigorous, and less sitting. The UK Chief Medical Officers' guidelines and the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 guidelines don't name yoga; the NHS lists yoga among muscle-strengthening activities, counting them when you work "to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity".
In the Hong Kong trial, men who did 12 weekly 60-minute hatha classes with home practice improved the sit-and-reach test by about 6 cm, against almost no change without yoga. The men in the yoga group started stiffer, and the trial wasn't randomised or blinded, so the size of the gain is uncertain; the direction matches the wider evidence.
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Across 77 studies, stretching training increased range of movement by a moderate amount, static stretching and contract-relax more than bouncing or dynamic stretching. Women gained more range than men, and how much, how hard or how often people stretched made no significant difference.
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Across 11 trials (452 people), strength training improved range as much as stretching. The trials were varied, but it means your lifting counts towards mobility too.
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In the US survey, the authors say losses of hip and knee movement before about 75 "should be viewed as abnormal and not attributable to aging". Men who start stiff have the most room to gain.
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Grip declines "from midlife onwards" in pooled British data, knee strength fell 14% to 16% per decade from 46 to 78, and in later life men lost strength almost twice as fast as women. Strength goes before muscle mass, and faster.
In the Hong Kong trial, men's push-ups rose by 3.6 against 0.6 without yoga. In older adults, mostly women, yoga improved leg strength against no exercise and about as much as other exercise, and 8 weeks of hatha yoga matched a stretching and strengthening programme in inactive adults averaging 62. A strong standing class counts as strength work when you work until you need a short rest.
Across 73 trials in older adults, progressive resistance training had a large effect on strength, usually 2 or 3 times a week at a high intensity. In 12 untrained men aged 60 to 72, 12 weeks of heavy training more than doubled knee strength, in a study without a comparison group.
We found no trial comparing yoga with progressive weight training for strength or muscle in men in midlife, or for muscle size in healthy adults. Our build muscle over 40 guide sets out the training.
In a Cochrane review of 12 studies, stretching after exercise reduced soreness a day later by about 1 point on a 100-point scale. In pooled trials of mostly young men, it didn't speed the recovery of strength or soreness over 24 to 72 hours against rest, on very low confidence evidence.
Across 106 studies: "The detrimental effects of static stretch are mainly limited to longer durations (≥ 60 s)". Shorter stretches can go in a warm-up without loss.
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A dynamic warm-up before lifting or sport, longer yoga holds after training or on rest days, and yoga as a calm, low-impact session on a recovery day, not as a proven recovery treatment (our suggestion).
Across 21 trials (2,223 people), yoga gave small improvements in back pain and function against no exercise, "probably little or no difference" against other back exercise, and slightly more side effects than no exercise, mainly brief back pain, about the same as other exercise.
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In 150 veterans (74% men, average age 53), twice-weekly classes for 12 weeks didn't beat a waiting list for disability at 12 weeks but did at 6 months, with a small fall in pain. In 120 mostly male veterans with many health conditions, 12 weekly classes were no better than an education book for pain or disability, though more people felt much improved.
In 117 adults aged 40 and over, yoga was as good as strengthening exercise for knee pain over 12 weeks, and exercise of any kind improves knee osteoarthritis function, across 139 trials. Our yoga for knee arthritis guide covers it.
Across 94 trials, yoga was about as safe as usual care and other exercise. Start with a beginners' class, props and no headstands or shoulder stands, and build up.
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In 30 trials of people with raised blood pressure, yoga lowered it by about 8/5 mmHg against a waiting list, but the evidence was very low quality with high variation between trials, and against active comparisons the fall in the top number wasn't significant. It's an addition, never a replacement for checks or medicines.
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Across pooled trials, yoga improved blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index against no exercise, and "No significant difference was found between yoga and exercise."
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In 3,959 people in India, mostly men, yoga-based rehabilitation improved self-rated health and return to normal activities but didn't significantly change serious heart events, and the trial was too small to show a difference in them. Follow your cardiac rehabilitation team.
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The NHS says muscle-strengthening activities "are not always an aerobic activity, so you'll need to do them as well as your 150 minutes of aerobic activity". In an older trial in adults over 60, yoga was the "nonaerobic" comparison for cycling, which raised peak oxygen uptake by 10% to 15% over 4 months; men's estimated fitness rose a little with yoga in the Hong Kong trial. Add brisk walking, cycling or similar.
Across 42 trials against active comparisons, practices that included yoga postures went with lower cortisol (a stress hormone), blood pressure and resting heart rate. In 50 Korean men aged 40 to 60, twice-weekly mindfulness yoga lowered depression scores in a small trial that gives no effect sizes. The NHS says some men develop depression and other symptoms in their late 40s to early 50s, and "If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, see your GP."
The NHS: "If you're aged 40 to 74 and do not have a pre-existing health condition, you should be invited to an NHS Health Check by your GP or local council every 5 years." and "Many pharmacies offer free blood pressure checks for people aged 40 or over."
Our editorial reading of the UK Chief Medical Officers' guidelines and the NHS activity guidelines. Doses are starting points, not prescriptions.
Our editorial starting point:
The trials in men ran for 12 weeks, with one or two classes a week. Give it 12 weeks before you judge it.
Slow breathing 1 minute, in for about 4 and out for about 6, with no holds (our beginner yoga flow). Cat-cow: "8 waves, slower than feels natural" (the move page's dose). Thoracic rotation: "6 rotations per side, moving with the breath" (the move page's dose). World's greatest stretch: "4 slow reps each side, moving with the breath, 1 or 2 rounds, as part of a warm-up (our editorial starting point)." (from the move page's dose). Keep the warm-up moving before lifting or sport.
Low lunge 45 seconds each side, back knee padded; hamstring stretch with a strap 45 seconds each side, stopping at a mild pull; reclined figure four 45 seconds each side; deep squat hold 60 seconds, holding a door frame (our yoga for weightlifters class). Pigeon preparation 60 seconds each side, a cushion under the front hip; downward-facing dog 2 holds of 30 seconds, knees bent generously (our yoga for flexibility class). 90/90 switch: "10 slow switches, pause at the ends" (the move page's dose).
3D demoLow lunge (Anjaneyasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSupine hamstring stretch with a strapBeginner · No equipment
3D demoPigeon preparation (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana prep)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoReclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demo90/90 switchIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoDeep squat holdIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoDownward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)Beginner · No equipmentThread the needle 30 seconds each side; extended puppy pose 2 holds of 45 seconds, hands on blocks if your shoulders pinch; wall angel 8 slow slides (our yoga for weightlifters class). A desk and a bench press both round you forward, but stretching alone won't change posture, so pair these with the pull below.
Chair pose 3 holds of 30 to 45 seconds; warrior II 5 breaths each side, twice; high lunge 5 breaths each side; side plank 2 holds of 15 to 30 seconds each side, knees down for a lighter version; chaturanga 3 to 5 slow lowers, knees down at first; locust 3 to 5 lifts, held 3 to 5 seconds; single-leg glute bridge 8 to 10 each side (our strength yoga workout). Straight-arm plank: "3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds" (from the move page's dose), on fists or forearms if your wrists hurt. Band row: "3 sets of 10 to 15, stopping 2 to 3 reps short of failure, with 60 to 90 seconds' rest" (from the move page's dose), because yoga barely trains pulling. Keep breathing in every hold.
3D demoChair pose (Utkatasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHigh lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoStraight-arm plank (high plank)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoFour-limbed staff pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoLocust pose (Salabhasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor pointWarrior III 3 to 5 breaths each side, hands on a wall at hip height to start (our strength yoga workout). Tree pose 5 breaths each side, near a wall (our beginner yoga flow).
Slow breathing 2 minutes, lying with your knees bent (our yoga for weightlifters class, where it opens the session). Corpse pose: "Lie still for at least 5 minutes, up to 10" (from the move page's dose).
Leave them out as a beginner. US health advice is that beginners avoid headstands and shoulder stands, and in headstand the head carried up to 40% to 48% of body weight in a lab study.
Do them after training or on rest days; holds of 60 seconds or more can sap a maximal effort straight afterwards.
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No need for it as a beginner: US health advice is that beginners avoid the lotus position. Sit on a block or a chair instead.
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Keep it brief, or put your hands on a chair, if you have glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't under control, as its caution says.
Its page says: "With osteoporosis, keep the back long and the knees bent, or leave it out."
Leave it out with a heart condition or blood pressure tablets that make you dizzy, as our yoga over 50 guide suggests.
Start with the beginner flow. The flexibility and mobility classes suit stiff men on rest days, the strength yoga workout can count as a strength day, the lifters' class fits around the gym, and the walk and yoga workout adds activity minutes.
A 20-minute beginner yoga sequence: mountain, chair, warrior II, triangle, tree, down dog, cobra and child's pose.
20 minBeginner11 movesStepA 25-minute yoga sequence for the hamstrings, hips, inner thighs, spine and shoulders, holding each pose for 30 to 60 seconds, as in the stretching trials.
25 minBeginner12 movesNo equipmentTwenty minutes of joint circles, a standing flow and end-of-range strength: yoga for range you can reach and control, for desk days, rest days or older joints.
20 minBeginner16 movesStep, wallThirty-five minutes of yoga built for strength: long standing holds, slow lowering from plank, single-leg balances and a band row, with harder options.
35 minIntermediate18 movesStep, bandA 25-minute yoga class for people who lift: ankles and hips for the squat, the hinge, and the upper back and shoulders for overhead, after training or on a rest day.
25 minBeginner16 movesWallA 45-minute session for weight loss and health: a 20-minute brisk walk, which does more for the scales, then a standing yoga flow for strength and balance.
45 minBeginner12 movesCardio machineA gentle 20-minute yoga sequence for back pain, based on the first weeks of a 12-week trial programme: lying, all-fours and standing poses, then rest.
20 minBeginner12 movesFirm cushionA 15-minute hip opener: 90/90 switches, windshield wipers, CARs, Cossack squats, frog and pigeon.
15 minIntermediate8 movesWallA 10-minute cool-down for after a run, a class or a gym session: a few minutes of easy movement, stretches for the muscles you used, then slow breathing.
10 minBeginner9 movesCardio machine, wallForty minutes of short-hold poses, slow breathing and a 10-minute relaxation, with no head-down poses or breath holds.
40 minBeginner14 movesStep, firm cushionA gentle 35-minute yoga class for heart conditions: a 15-minute warm-up that builds slowly, short standing poses, a seated cool-down, breathing with no holds and rest.
35 minBeginner18 movesBench or box, wallA 25-minute gentle yoga class for complete beginners and over-50s: slow breathing, a warm-up, supported standing poses, floor poses and a closing rest.
25 minBeginner14 movesNo equipmentA free 20-minute chair yoga class for older adults: slow breathing, gentle seated stretches and twists, standing poses holding the chair, and a calm finish.
20 minBeginner18 movesBench or box, something with weightFor the strength and walking parts of your week. Add yoga on 1 to 3 days.
A 3-day strength plan for men over 40 with power and bone work, two cardio days and mobility, built on research on ageing muscle.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week workout plan for men over 50: three strength days with power and balance work, cardio and recovery, at the gym or at home, with a 4-day option.
3 training days45 minBeginner6 days a weekA free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginnerBend your knees in folds, sit on a block or a chair, and use a strap (our suggestion). Stiffness is what the class trains, not a reason to skip it.
Our yoga for back pain guide has the swaps and a class; the back pain lines in the warning signs below come first.
Breathe out through every effort, especially with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, a hernia, or in pregnancy (our guide to getting stronger). With glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure, skip headstands, shoulder stands and other full inversions, and keep other head-down poses brief or supported.
Keep breathing in every hold. The plank moves' pages say: "With heart disease, keep breathing and ask your cardiac team before long holds; with heart failure, avoid planks." Our yoga for heart health guide has more.
Prostate Cancer UK: "If you’re on hormone therapy or have cancer that has spread to the bones, check with your doctor before doing high-impact exercises such as running and contact sports." Our yoga for older men guide has more.
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These are the site's lines from our exercise for men, older men, back pain and other guides, word for word, with the NHS's own words where the site has no line. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
Stop exercising and call 999 if any of these happen. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
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Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
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The NHS says erection problems that keep happening "might be a sign of a health condition that can be treated", such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, so see a GP or a sexual health clinic too.
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Back pain that hasn't improved after a few weeks of looking after it at home, stops you doing day-to-day activities, worries you, or you're struggling to cope.
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Prostate Cancer UK: "Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50, and your risk increases as you get older." and "If you’re Black or have a family history of prostate cancer, you are at a higher risk of getting prostate cancer from the age of 45." If that's you, talk to your GP.
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You have heart disease, get chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness on effort, or are having treatment for prostate cancer, as our exercise for men guide advises. After a heart attack, follow your cardiac rehabilitation team.
Dizzy, faint, unusually breathless, or sharp or increasing pain. Sit down until it passes, and see a GP if you keep getting dizzy or faint when you stand up.
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A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
If you have a heart, lung or joint condition, are pregnant or have recently been unwell, start gently and read our guide for your condition. Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new exercise is common and fades as you repeat it.
If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
Stiffness is what yoga trains. Men who started stiffer than the comparison group gained about 6 cm on a sit-and-reach test in 12 weeks, in one non-randomised trial, and stretching training builds range across 77 studies. Bend your knees, sit on a block and use a strap.
Most classes and trials are women, but that's who signs up. Men describe the "perception of yoga as feminine" as a barrier, not a reason it doesn't work, and trials that were mostly men found benefits for back pain and recovery after a heart attack.
Yoga adds some strength, but progressive resistance training has a large effect, older men more than doubled knee strength in 12 weeks of heavy training, and no trial has compared the two in men in midlife. Keep lifting.
In knee osteoarthritis, strengthening exercise did as well as yoga for pain, and progressive resistance training reduced osteoarthritis pain in older adults. Do both, with good technique.
Long static holds of 60 seconds or more just before maximal efforts can reduce them, and stretching after exercise reduced next-day soreness by about 1 point on a 100-point scale. Warm up dynamically and stretch afterwards if you enjoy it.
The studies behind the claim measured blood markers: a study with no comparison group found a telomere change that "was not significant", and in the one randomised trial there were "no significant changes" between groups. What changes how you age is being active, strong and fit.
Most yoga isn't aerobic, so the NHS asks for strength work on top of the 150 minutes, and the UK guidelines count strength work "as important as achieving 150 minutes".
It falls about 1% a year, which the NHS says "is unlikely to cause any problems in itself", and older men still build strength fast with load.
Yes, for flexibility, some strength, calm and back health, alongside lifting and aerobic exercise. In a Hong Kong trial, men around 50 who did weekly hatha classes gained flexibility and push-ups, though the trial wasn't randomised. For back pain, yoga helps about as much as other exercise.
No. People who became active between 40 and 61 had death rates like those active all along, in a study of 315,059 adults, 58% of them men. Start with a beginners' class or our beginner flow, with props.
Yes: stiffness is what it trains. Men who started stiffer than the comparison group gained about 6 cm on a sit-and-reach test in 12 weeks, in one non-randomised trial, and stretching training improves range at any age. Bend your knees, sit on a block and use a strap.
Some, especially if you're new to exercise, but less than lifting: progressive resistance training has a large effect on strength, and no trial has compared the two in men in midlife. Lift on at least 2 days and use yoga on others.
At least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 of vigorous, plus strength work on at least 2 days, and less sitting. Yoga counts as strength work when it's hard enough, but most of it isn't aerobic, so it goes on top of the 150 minutes.
After, or on a rest day. Long static holds of 60 seconds or more just before maximal efforts can reduce them, while shorter stretches don't. Warm up dynamically first.
It's a calm, low-impact session for a rest day, but it isn't a proven recovery treatment: stretching after exercise reduced next-day soreness by about 1 point on a 100-point scale. Sleep, sensible loads and rest days do more.
About as much as other exercise: against no exercise, the gains were small. In 150 veterans, mostly men averaging 53, twice-weekly classes improved disability at 6 months. See our yoga for back pain guide and its warning signs.
A little: about 8/5 mmHg against a waiting list across 30 trials, but on very low quality evidence with results that varied widely. It goes beside, never instead of, your checks and medicines, and many pharmacies offer free blood pressure checks from 40.
There's no good evidence, and our yoga for men guide found no randomised trial in healthy men. The NHS says testosterone falls about 1% a year from 30 or 40 and that this is unlikely to cause problems in itself. Symptoms like low mood or loss of muscle are worth a GP visit.
A beginners' or hatha class or our beginner flow, then our flexibility, mobility and strength yoga classes; if you lift, our lifters' class. Skip headstands, shoulder stands and the lotus as a beginner.
It's useful after an injury, on a long desk day or if getting down to the floor is hard, but standing poses train more strength and balance. Our chair yoga guide has a class, and our desk yoga routine fits a working day.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
