Yogis remain dedicated to their practice and fine-tune their balance and flexibility over time. I was surprised when I first started doing yoga because I could really feel my muscles and joints loosening up, and I felt stronger in general, even with a mix of faster and slower, more meditative practice. Just like I did, lots of men underestimate the true power of yoga for boosting flexibility and how that transfers to the gym.
To learn more about this, I caught up with Patrick Franco, certified yoga teacher and Yoga Director at YogaRenew. Revered as the yoga teacher’s yoga teacher, Patrick has leveraged his extensive knowledge across yoga and eastern medicine to develop and inspire some of the world’s most influential instructors. He’s known for his award-winning yoga studios, and he’s developed YogaRenew into the leading online studio it is today on an international scale.
Boosting flexibility
The Manual: Researchers have found that a regular yoga practice can increase flexibility and balance for male athletes. How does yoga improve flexibility for men?
Patrick Franco: Most men don’t need to be flexible everywhere, just targeted mobility where they’re stiff and stability where they’re vulnerable. Yoga improves flexibility by increasing muscle length, joint range of motion, and connective tissue resilience. The difference is that yoga trains flexibility under control, pairing mobility with strength and breath. That makes it integral for lifting, weekend warriors, and everyday life.
TM: A stable, sturdy spine plays a big role when you’re lifting in the gym. What are your top three yoga poses for boosting flexibility and stability of the spine?
Patrick Franco:
- Downward-Facing Dog — Lengthens the spine and stretches the backs of the legs while strengthening arms, back, shoulders, and core.
- Crescent Lunges — Opens tight hip flexors while reinforcing spinal extension and stability.
- Supine Twists — Improve spinal mobility without sacrificing stability.
Boosting balance and preventing injuries
TM: Research shows yoga helps prevent injuries by improving flexibility and balance and strengthening small, supporting muscles. I like those yoga poses that have you standing on one leg, like the tree pose. Could you share your top two or three yoga poses that help improve balance?
Patrick Franco:
- Tree Pose — improves foot strength and ankle stability.
- Warrior III — builds ankle and foot strength, hamstring strength, and abdominal and spinal strength.
- Half Moon Pose — strengthens feet and ankle as well as the lateral hips.
These poses strengthen small stabilizing muscles around the ankles, knees, hips, and spine.
TM: Why is balance important for weightlifting and preventing injuries?
Patrick Franco: Because strength without control leads to compensation. Poor balance often shows up as stress on the lower back, knees, or shoulders. Yoga identifies and corrects those imbalances before they become injuries.
From the yoga mat to the gym
TM: What benefits do you experience from doing yoga, and do you personally feel that practicing these poses and movements improved your weightlifting abilities in the gym?
Patrick Franco: Absolutely. Yoga has made me weight train more intelligently and fluidly, not by replacing strength training, but by supporting it. Research consistently shows that combining strength with mobility, balance, and breath control reduces injury risk and improves performance.
Yoga develops joint range of motion, proprioception, and spinal awareness — all critical both at the gym and in real life. Personally, yoga has improved my spinal mobility, how my hips and shoulders move, and how deeply and smoothly I breathe. My recovery is faster, and I’ve been able to train consistently over time, reducing soft tissue injuries, which matters more as you get older.
TM: Why should more men do yoga?
Patrick Franco: Because most men don’t need more intensity — they need smarter movement. Yoga improves mobility, balance, breathing, and nervous system regulation. It supports longevity, performance, and recovery. It’s not about becoming flexible for flexibility’s sake — it’s about staying strong and mobile long-term.
When to fit yoga into your workout routine
TM: Should men do yoga before lifting or on alternate days?
Patrick Franco: Both work. Short sessions (10–15 minutes) before lifting improve mobility, joint prep, and breathing. Longer sessions on alternate days support recovery and reduce stiffness. The key is consistency — yoga should support your training and work alongside it.
Patrick Franco’s yoga story
TM: How did you get started with yoga? Could you share your story with our readers and why you decided to become a yoga teacher?
Patrick Franco: I found yoga in college while I was already working out, exploring martial arts, and reading about meditation and spirituality. I was super health-conscious, and I was interested in the mindset that goes along with living a healthy life. I liked all of it, but the first yoga class I took pulled everything together — strength, flexibility, breath, focus, and mindset — in a way nothing else had. I started practicing daily and reading everything I could about yoga, anatomy, and philosophy.
In 2007, one of my teachers encouraged me to do yoga teacher training. I didn’t expect it to change my life, but it did. I began teaching immediately, first part-time, then eventually full-time – even leaving a stable job with a young family because I couldn’t imagine not doing this work. Over the years, that path expanded into becoming an acupuncturist, opening multiple yoga studios, leading teacher trainings and retreats worldwide, and eventually becoming Yoga Director at YogaRenew in 2020, the world’s largest online yoga teacher training company. Yoga has stayed with me because it continues to help me move better, train smarter, and stay healthy as I’ve gotten older.
