“I’ve Been Pondering…” – Ashtanga Yoga Through the Lens of Strength & Conditioning

Lately, I’ve been pondering this idea of progression in Ashtanga yoga—specifically how it fits within the framework of strength and conditioning principles. Maybe it’s the years of lifting a lot of weight , inhaling too much chalk dust or too many hours reading Mark Rippletoe’s books, where he explains why power cleans build character (and traps). But after almost three decades in fitness and S&C—alongside two decades on the mat (with some time off it as well) —it strikes me how methodical and intelligent the Ashtanga system actually is when viewed through the lens of periodisation and adaptation theory.

Let’s start with the SAID principle—Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. It’s the bedrock of all good training programs and one of the first things any decent coach learns. Simply put: your body adapts specifically to what you repeatedly ask of it. Start squatting heavy, and your legs get stronger. Start backbending every day, and your spine learns to handle the load (or complains loudly until it does). If the demand doesn’t change, the adaptation stops. This is where Mark Rippetoe’s voice might thunder in: “The body is a lazy piece of meat that only adapts when you force it to.” Crude, yes—but accurate. And it’s exactly why the Primary Series is such a brilliant starting point. It’s a consistent, well-rounded load applied in a structured way—just like a foundational S&C block.

The genius of Ashtanga is that it offers a form of progressive overload, but without barbells or spreadsheets. For beginners, the sequence should be followed more or less to the letter—not out of dogma, but because the structure is perfectly designed to build joint integrity, neuromuscular coordination, and capacity over time. In the same way that beginners in a weight room benefit from a linear progression on squats, deadlifts, and presses, new yoga students benefit from the repetition of the same shapes, breath patterns, and transitions. Change too much too soon, and you lose the adaptation curve. Change nothing ever, and—as Louie Simmons put it—“you’ll just accommodate, and then you’re just doing exercise, not training.”

Accommodation is a concept Louie drilled into every Westside lifter’s skull. If the same stimulus is applied too long without variation, the body stops adapting. That’s when you’re just maintaining, not progressing. This is where intermediate students in yoga, much like in S&C, hit a plateau. Their bodies have adapted to the Primary Series—so they might need additional challenge: the transition into Intermediate Series, exploration of different tempos, changes in breath control, or complementary conditioning work. This doesn’t mean we toss the sequence—it just means we get smarter with it. As Louie might say, “You’ve got to rotate the max effort method, or your CNS fries and your gains go to hell.” Slightly less relevant in a Mysore room, perhaps—but the idea of variability after adaptation holds true.

So whether you’re hoisting a barbell or holding Supta Kurmasana, remember this: your body doesn’t care whether it’s lifting weight or bending into shapes—it only knows stress and how to adapt to it. The trick is knowing when to stick with the program and when to spice it up. Ashtanga gives us the framework; our job is to apply it wisely. And maybe, every now and then, ask: “What would Louie do?”

Jake Duckworth.