Yoga guide
Yoga works your upper body by pressing and holding your own weight: plank, downward dog, slow lowering from plank and side plank put close to your body weight through your arms. In trials, people new to exercise did better on push-up tests after 6 to 12 weeks of yoga, and older adults improved arm curls about as much as with band exercises. But yoga hasn't been shown to raise maximum upper-body strength or build muscle, and it has almost no pulling.
This guide covers what yoga can and can't build for your shoulders, arms, chest and upper back, how the poses load each part, how to make them harder, the row that fills yoga's gap, how to look after your wrists and shoulders, and a week built from our classes. Upper bodies of every shape do the same jobs, and stronger ones make lifting, carrying and getting up off the floor easier.
The NHS lists yoga among strengthening activities, done "to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity" on at least 2 days a week, for the chest, shoulders and arms as well as the legs. The UK Chief Medical Officers ask for activities that "use all major muscle groups, including upper and lower body".
In plank, downward dog, slow lowering from plank and dolphin, your arms take about 0.7 to 1.1 times your body weight at their peak. A high plank works the back of the arms more than a forearm plank, and moving between poses works the muscles harder than holding them.
In 12 weeks of hatha yoga, push-ups rose by about 3.5 against almost none on a waiting list, in a trial that wasn't randomised. Push-up endurance rose in 6 weeks in young women, and older adults improved arm curls about as much as with stretching and band classes.
Small trials that measured it found no gain: 8 months of Ashtanga didn't raise any upper-body lift, hot yoga didn't raise grip, yin yoga didn't raise the chest press, and once-weekly yoga didn't raise shoulder strength. One weak review of older adults found a gain in upper-limb tests; it is the exception.
Our searches found no trial that scanned arm, chest or shoulder muscle after yoga, and none comparing yoga with heavy weight training in healthy adults. Muscle grows with about 10 or more hard sets a week, and light loads build it only when each set comes close to failure.
Locust with your arms forward works the muscles between your shoulder blades hard, but no usual pose works the large back muscles and biceps the way a row does, so add a band row. A sun salutation bends the wrist back to about 85 degrees, and handstands and other balances on the hands are linked with more harms than other practices: build up in steps.
Your chest and the front of your shoulders push your arms forward; the backs of your upper arms (triceps) straighten your elbows; the large back muscles and the biceps pull; and the muscles around your shoulder blades and the rotator cuff steady and steer the shoulder. Your upper back lets your arms reach overhead.
In 20 adults, four-limb poses (plank, chaturanga, upward and downward dog, dolphin) put 0.71 to 1.08 times body weight through the arms at their peak, side plank 0.67 through one arm and crow 1.05. The researchers called this low impact, but warned that the arms aren't built to take weight the way the legs are. In 14 men, downward dog and a forearm plank worked the trunk and hips hardest of several yoga-style planks.
Muscular endurance is how many times you can do something (push-ups, 30-second arm curls); strength is the most you can produce (a one-repetition maximum, the most you can lift once); muscle size needs a scan. Most yoga trials measured endurance tests, not maximum strength or muscle size.
In 173 adults with an average age of 52, a weekly hatha class plus about 23 minutes a day at home for 12 weeks raised push-ups by 3.6 in men and 3.4 in women (doing knee push-ups), against 0.6 and none on a waiting list; the groups weren't randomised or blinded. Six weeks of three 1-hour sessions a week raised push-up endurance in 26 young women against 21 controls (the summary gives no numbers). In 118 sedentary adults averaging 62, 8 weeks of hatha yoga 3 times a week raised 30-second arm curls from about 16 to 21, about as much as stretching and band-strengthening classes did.
The strongest review of yoga in older adults couldn't pool upper-limb or grip strength, because too few trials measured them. A single-author review pooled 5 studies of upper-limb tests and found a moderate gain (effect size 0.65), but its methods are unclear, its studies vary a lot and its summary contradicts its own tables. A review of 33 trials in people aged 65 and over rated the evidence on grip strength as very low certainty.
In women aged 35 to 50, 8 months of twice-weekly Ashtanga raised the leg press but not the lat pull-down, shoulder press or biceps curl, in a trial where 41% of the yoga group dropped out. Eight weeks of hot yoga didn't raise grip in 21 young adults. In 44 women after breast cancer, the chest press rose from 73.2 to 83.2 kg with impact and resistance training and didn't change with yin yoga. Once-weekly sun salutations didn't raise shoulder strength in sedentary young women, while stabilisation training did. These are small trials, so this is an honest "not shown", not proof yoga can't.
Thai yoga, a traditional self-stretching exercise, added about 2 arm curls against telephone advice in 39 inactive adults over 60. Power yoga raised machine strength, including the chest press, in a pilot trial of 26 people with Parkinson's. Ten untrained young adults gained 19% to 31% in elbow strength, and women at risk of arm swelling after breast cancer gained some shoulder and grip strength, both without a comparison group.
Most were in older adults or people new to exercise, many more women than men, for 6 weeks to 8 months. None tested yoga in people who already lift weights.
Our searches found no trial that scanned arm, chest or shoulder muscle after yoga in healthy adults. Where muscle was measured, a 3-month yoga programme didn't change muscle mass, and a neck muscle thickened with Pilates but not with yoga. Two small studies reported more "muscle mass" on bioimpedance scales, a whole-body estimate rather than a scan; one wasn't randomised.
Our searches found no trial comparing yoga with heavy, progressive weight training for strength or muscle in healthy adults. So no one can say yoga builds as much upper-body strength as weights; the trials that measured maximum strength found it didn't rise with yoga.
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In the 2026 American College of Sports Medicine position stand, built on 137 reviews, strength grew most with loads of 80% or more of the most you can lift once, through a full range, 2 to 3 sets, at least twice a week, and muscle grew with 10 or more sets a week. Light loads build as much muscle as heavy ones only when every set goes close to failure, and heavy loads build more maximum strength.
Hard body-weight pressing can build muscle if the sets come close to failure and keep getting harder; most yoga holds stop well short of that. For more strength or muscle, add resistance training with a load you can keep increasing (our reading, as our yoga for strength guide says). Yoga hasn't been shown to build bone either: in 6 studies of women, it didn't change bone density.
These are small lab studies of muscle activity. They show how hard a pose works a muscle, not how much it will grow.
In 21 men, a high plank drew more activity from the triceps and the lower trapezius (a muscle between the shoulder blades) than a forearm plank, and fewer points of support raised shoulder and shoulder-blade activity.
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In 20 women, locust with the arms forward drew the most trapezius activity of 15 held poses: 22.4% of maximum for the upper part, 41.8% for the middle and 56.8% for the lower. Warrior II and reverse tabletop drew 15.7% or less. In a forearm stand, the muscle that holds the shoulder blade to the ribs worked at about 46% of maximum in a very small study.
In 8 practitioners, the large back muscle worked at about 35% to 37% of maximum in cobra, eight-point pose and the downward-dog shape. Every muscle measured, including the chest, shoulder and triceps, worked harder moving between poses than holding them, and harder at a fast pace. The one study that measured the chest and triceps in each pose doesn't give the numbers in its summary.
In older adults, upper-body flexibility (mostly the back-scratch test, reaching one hand behind your neck and the other up your back) didn't clearly improve against no exercise in 4 trials. A review of 8 studies found only limited evidence that yoga improves shoulder movement.
In 444 women, 12 weekly classes improved shoulder range more than no classes, by about 3 to 4 cm on a strap test, but not more than breathing and relaxation classes.
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Hot yoga improved shoulder flexibility against no exercise in 21 young adults, and a year of hatha yoga improved a whole-body flexibility score more than calisthenics in older adults, though the yoga group was about 8 years younger. Thai yoga trials reported a very large, very precise gain in lifting the arm out to the side from just 2 trials, which is hard to trust.
In 118 adults over 60 with a rounded upper back, 6 months of yoga 3 times a week improved one measure of the curve by 4.4%, but not the main one. Our yoga for posture guide has more.
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A sun salutation takes the wrist from about 85 degrees of bend back to nearly straight. Push-ups on a flat, bent-back hand loaded the back and little-finger side of the wrist more than push-ups on fists or handles in 14 volunteers, and raised pressure in part of the joint in 8 cadaver wrists.
Our searches found no study that has tested fists, forearm versions, blocks or wedges for sore wrists in yoga, so these swaps are our suggestion: spread your fingers, come onto fists or your forearms, or put your hands on a wall or table. Push-ups with the hands raised or the knees down put less force through the hands.
In a survey of 1,702 practitioners, hand-, shoulder- and headstands were linked with 29.4% of short-term harms, and practising alone without supervision raised the risk. In US emergency departments, the arms and hands (not counting the shoulder) accounted for 8.8% of yoga injuries. In a self-selected survey, 56.7% of 321 people who practise handstands had long-standing wrist pain, and in people with pain on the back of the wrist when bearing weight on it bent back, a scan found a cause in 84%. Over a year, about 1 in 10 studio practitioners developed new pain from yoga. In trials, yoga was as safe as usual care and other exercise.
Hands on a wall, then a table, then knees down on the floor, then a full plank; lower from plank only until your shoulders are level with your elbows. Leave arm balances and handstands until planks and push-ups are easy, and learn them with a teacher rather than alone: in the UK, British Wheel of Yoga teachers train for at least 300 hours (our suggestion).
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That's the NHS test for strength work, on at least 2 days a week. The World Health Organization asks for muscle-strengthening at moderate or greater intensity, working all the major muscle groups, on 2 or more days a week.
When a pose gets easy, make it harder: knees up in plank, slower lowering from plank, a leg lifted, then full push-ups. Holding the same pose longer mostly builds endurance. Strength grows with harder versions and slow lowering, and moving between poses works the muscles harder than holding them.
In each session, do at least one press (plank, chaturanga or push-ups), one pull (a band row) and one move for the upper back (locust or lying Y, T and W raises), so every major upper-body muscle gets work (our editorial starting point).
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The trials that improved push-ups or arm curls used 2 or 3 sessions a week for 6 to 12 weeks, with home practice in one. Give your arms a day between hard sessions (our editorial suggestion).
Wrist and forearm flow 60 seconds and cat-cow 8 waves (our yoga for arms class); shoulder rolls: "10 to 15 slow circles each way, once or twice through, as part of a warm-up (our editorial starting point)." (the move page's dose); breath reach 5 breaths (our yoga for shoulders class).
Build up in steps. Incline push-ups 2 sets of 8 to 12, plank 3 holds of 15 to 30 seconds, chaturanga 3 to 5 slow lowers with knees down at first, downward dog 3 holds of 5 breaths and side plank 2 holds of 15 to 30 seconds each side (our yoga for arms class); knee side plank 2 holds of 15 to 20 seconds each side (our yoga for shoulders class); dolphin 3 holds of 5 breaths (our strength yoga class). Upward plank: "Hold 5 to 10 slow breaths, the hold Yoga Journal gives, 2 or 3 times. Build up in reverse tabletop, knees bent, first." (the move page's dose).
3D demoIncline push-upBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoStraight-arm plank (high plank)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoFour-limbed staff pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoDownward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoDolphin pose (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoKnee side plankBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoUpward plank pose (Purvottanasana)Intermediate · No equipmentBand row: "3 sets of 10 to 15, stopping 2 to 3 reps short of failure, with 60 to 90 seconds' rest: an editorial starting point. Training with elastic bands improves strength and muscle size compared with no training; no trial of this exact exercise was reviewed." (the move page's dose). Locust with arms forward 3 lifts of 3 to 5 seconds (our yoga for arms class); lying Y, T and W raises 1 round of 8 of each letter and wall angels 8 slow slides (our yoga for shoulders class). Skip lying face down in later pregnancy.
Push-ups 2 to 3 sets, stopping 2 to 3 reps short of failure; crow 3 to 5 tries of a few seconds over a cushion; half handstand at the wall 3 holds of 3 to 5 breaths, coming down before your arms shake (our yoga for arms guide's editorial starting points). Skip the half handstand with glaucoma, high blood pressure that isn't under control, diabetic eye disease or in pregnancy.
Thread the needle: "Hold 30 to 60 seconds, about 5 to 10 slow breaths, each side, 2 rounds (our editorial starting point). The ACSM suggests about 60 seconds of stretching in all per exercise, on at least 2 days a week." (the move page's dose). Puppy pose 2 holds of 45 seconds and sphinx 2 holds of 30 seconds (our yoga for flexibility class); overhead triceps stretch 2 holds of 15 to 30 seconds each side and warrior II with arms at shoulder height 5 breaths each side (our yoga for arms class); doorway chest opener 2 holds of 30 seconds, elbow low after a dislocation (our yoga for arms guide's editorial starting point).
3D demoThread the needle (Parivrtta Balasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoExtended puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoDoorway chest openerBeginner · A wall
3D demoOverhead triceps stretchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWarrior II (Virabhadrasana II)Intermediate · No equipmentUse fists or your forearms if your wrists hurt in plank or downward dog. Skip chaturanga with a current shoulder or wrist injury, and shorten warrior stances with knee pain, as the moves' pages say.
No study has tested these swaps, so they're our suggestion; with carpal tunnel symptoms, keep your wrists out of deep bends under load, as our wrists guide says.
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Lower from plank with your knees down, or leave chaturanga out, as its page says; lowering only halfway, building up to downward dog from the wall and skipping binds are our suggestion. Dolphin's page says a recent rotator cuff problem should be cleared with a clinician before you load overhead like this, and puppy pose's page says to skip it with a current shoulder injury.
The lowering and upward dog are where shoulders and wrists build up load over many rounds, so swap in knees-chest-chin and cobra freely, as the move's page says.
US health advice is for beginners to avoid headstands and shoulder stands; leave them out with glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't under control.
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Our editorial plan, built on the NHS and UK strength guidelines and the American College of Sports Medicine position stand. It's a starting point, not a prescription.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Straight-arm plank (high plank)
Start with the yoga for arms class, which already balances pressing, holding and pulling, and the yoga for shoulders class for the shoulder blades and rotator cuff. The strength yoga class works the whole body; the posture and wrists classes fill in; the band, push-up and home upper body workouts add load you can keep increasing.
Twenty minutes of yoga for your arms and shoulders: a wrist warm-up, a stepped build-up to plank and slow lowering, side plank, a band row and stretches.
20 minBeginner15 movesBench or box, bandA 25-minute yoga class for your shoulders: shoulder-blade lifts, band work for the rotator cuff, plank and downward dog built up in steps, and reach overhead.
25 minBeginner17 movesWall, bandThirty-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, bandTwenty-five minutes of back-strengthening yoga for posture: arm and leg reaches, face-down back lifts and standing poses with the arms raised.
25 minBeginner15 movesNo equipmentA 20-minute yoga class for wrists: a gentle warm-up, poses with the hands free, then weight through the hands in stages, from a wall to all fours to the forearms.
20 minBeginner18 movesWall, other / check instructionsA 40-minute power yoga workout: sun salutations, lunges, strength holds, balances, core work and backbends, moving with the breath, then a rest.
40 minIntermediate18 movesStepAn upper body workout at home with no gym: push-ups, band rows, pike push-ups, face pulls, close-grip push-ups and Y-T-W raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate13 movesBand, anchor pointA full-body resistance band workout: squats, rows, push-ups, presses, pull-aparts, band walks, good mornings and flyes.
30 minBeginner9 movesBand, anchor pointWork up to full push-ups: wall, incline and knee push-ups, then the floor push-up and harder variations.
15 minBeginner8 movesWall, bench or boxA 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 weightPlans that add load week by week.
A free 30-day push-up challenge, from wall to archer push-ups: 3 short sessions a week, optional practice days and a push-up test at each end.
3 training days15 minBeginner3 days a weekAn 8-week resistance band workout plan: three full-body sessions a week at home or away, with how to choose bands, add tension and anchor them safely.
3 training days35 minBeginner3 days a weekA free 30-day arm challenge with or without weights: three 20-minute sessions a week, rest days, a ladder for every move and honest words on arm fat.
3 training days20 minBeginnerKeep stretches mild and in the middle of your range, and favour the strengthening moves: the NHS says not to overextend your joints just because you can.
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See your GP first if you get chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness when you are active, if you have a heart condition and want to exercise harder, or if you have had a fall.
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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.
Lying face down for locust and the lying raises becomes uncomfortable as a bump grows; our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes (our suggestion).
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Follow your team's arm and shoulder plan first; our gentle yoga after breast cancer class keeps weight off the arms at first (our suggestion).
These are the site's lines from our shoulder pain, neck pain, wrist, arm and yoga guides, word for word, apart from lines marked as our suggestion. 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.
Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E after an injury (don't drive yourself) if the arm, wrist or hand is numb, tingling or has pins and needles; a bone is sticking out or a bad cut is bleeding heavily; or the wrist, thumb or a finger has changed shape, is at an odd angle, or has turned blue, grey, white or cold.
Get help from NHS 111: pain or tightness in your chest, neck, shoulders, jaw or arms that comes and goes, often brought on by exercise, stress, emotion or cold and easing after a few minutes' rest. It can be angina, a sign of a heart problem. If you've been diagnosed with angina, get help from NHS 111 too if it feels worse than before, is happening more often, lasts longer or happens when you're resting.
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Pins and needles that you have all the time, or that keep coming back: see a GP.
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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Stop if neck circles bring on dizziness, light-headedness or tingling into an arm. Make the movement smaller, with separate turns and nods, and see a GP if it keeps happening. Our neck pain guide has more.
If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
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.
Eight months of Ashtanga raised no upper-body lift, yin yoga didn't raise the chest press while resistance and impact training did, and our searches found no trial comparing yoga with heavy weights in healthy adults. Heavier loads build the most strength.
The NHS counts yoga as strengthening, four-limb poses put close to your body weight through your arms, and push-up tests improved in trials.
No exercise lengthens a muscle or burns fat from one place, and our searches found no trial of yoga and arm muscle size. Our yoga for arms guide covers arm fat and toning.
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Moving between poses worked the muscles harder than holding them, and strength grows with harder versions and heavier loads. A long, easy hold mostly builds endurance.
Four-limb poses put up to about your body weight through your arms, and the wrist bends back a long way in a sun salutation. Build up in steps if your wrists complain.
Yoga hardly pulls, and the UK guidelines ask for all major muscle groups. A band row fills the gap.
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A little, especially if you're new to exercise: in one trial, 12 weeks of hatha yoga added about 3.5 push-ups against almost none on a waiting list. But trials that measured maximum strength found no gain in upper-body lifts after 8 months of Ashtanga. For more, make the poses harder and add a row or resistance training.
It hasn't been shown to: no trial has measured arm, chest or shoulder muscle growing with yoga. Muscle grows with about 10 or more hard sets a week, close to failure, with load you keep increasing. Hard push-ups and slow lowering from plank come closest.
Plank, slow lowering from plank (chaturanga), side plank, dolphin and upward plank for pressing, and locust with your arms forward for the upper back. Moving slowly between poses works the muscles harder than holding them. Add a band row, because yoga has almost no pulling.
Yes, if you build up in steps: hands on a wall, then a table, then knees, then toes. The trials that improved push-ups used 2 or 3 sessions a week for 6 to 12 weeks. Our yoga for arms class follows that order.
Not for maximum strength or muscle: heavier loads build the most strength, and no trial has compared yoga with weights in healthy adults. Yoga builds some strength and endurance in people starting out, along with mobility, and many people do both. Our yoga for strength guide covers how to combine them.
A little. In older adults, upper-body flexibility didn't clearly improve in trials, and after breast cancer surgery, classes improved shoulder range more than no classes but not more than relaxation classes. Thread the needle, puppy pose and chest openers are the poses to keep.
Your arms take close to your body weight in four-limb poses, and the wrist bends back a long way. Spread your fingers, come onto fists or your forearms, or put your hands on a wall or table; no study has tested these swaps, so they're our suggestion. See a GP for tingling, or pain that doesn't settle within 2 weeks.
It can help a little: in older adults with a rounded upper back, 6 months of yoga improved one measure of the curve, but not the main one. Back-strengthening poses like locust suit you, and our yoga for posture guide has the evidence.
At least twice a week, working each pose until you need a short rest, as the NHS advises for strength work. Include a press, a pull and an upper-back move in every session, and give your arms a day between hard sessions.
Mostly: in trials, yoga was as safe as usual care and other exercise. Handstands, shoulder stands and headstands carry the most risk, especially practised alone, so leave them until planks and push-ups are easy. Stop for a shoulder that slips, or pins and needles down your arm.
No exercise takes fat off the part it works. Our yoga for arms and yoga for back fat guides explain what does help, and stronger arms are worth having whatever they look like.
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.
