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Fitness
Fitness is different to health. Being fit entails a wider range of concerns e.g. increased
flexibility, suppleness, strength, cardiovascular health/fitness,
agility...
These considerations are addressed at length in the
tai chi syllabus.
3 areas
There are 3 areas of fitness:
Cardio
Strength
Flexibility
In order to exercise the body
properly, you need to gain aptitude in all 3 areas.
Many people can lift heavy weights but they are not flexible/breathing hard
after mild cardio.
This is not good enough for martial arts
training.
Metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting. The enzymes that move the bad fat from your arteries to your muscles, where it can get burned off, slow down. The muscles in your lower body are turned off. And after two hours, good cholesterol drops 20 percent. Just getting up for five minutes is going to get things going again. These things are so simple theyre almost stupid.
(Gavin Bradley)
The drawbacks of exercise
Not all forms of exercise are necessarily
good for you. For example, running may improve
cardiovascular health but is also very hard on the
joints.
Lifting heavy weights can cause significant tension to accumulate and - if the
muscles are large enough - adversely affect the
skeleton. Most forms of exercise have
pros and cons; especially
sport.
Ideal form of exercise
According to the book The Blue Zones it is
important to think of exercise in terms of what you can reasonably do
long-term.
The ideal form of exercise is moderate enough that
you can do it for the rest of your life. It needs to be joint-friendly, provide
a gentle workout and be sustainable.
This sounds rather like tai chi, doesn't it?
Fitness
Not everyone wants to learn a martial art nor are they seeking to
address health issues. But they do want to get fit without any risk of
injuries.
The syllabus includes:
Standing qigong (various)
Moving qigong (4 sets)
Long Yang form
Balls & grips
Leg stretches (2 sets)
Psoas exercises (4)
Beyond the beginning
If you want to become more than a beginner, it is important to recognise
that the training will become increasingly harder.
At some stage you pass through a capacity barrier and it will no longer feel
difficult.
But that may well be years away.
Lazy
It will not get easier.
If you are lazy now, expect difficulties ahead of you.
We are expecting your fitness level to improve as you move up the
curriculum.
This should happen naturally.
You grow stronger, fitter and far more capable.
But it will not happen by itself.
Conditioning
Being in condition entails:
Increasing your strength
Improving your ability to last (endurance)
Overcoming fatigue
Being fitter
Being more efficient in your body use
Being more capable
Overcoming stress
Be realistic
Set aside talk about relaxation,
qi,
softness and other concerns...
Your body is flesh and bone.
It is moved by muscles.
In order to be strong, agile, flexible and adaptive in
combat - you need to
strengthen your body.
Modular
Sifu Waller's approach to
exercising is to offer modules; each lasting
5-10 minutes approximately.
They
are intense and focussed. The aim is to avoid complacency and boredom.
Moderation
It is OK to train a wide range of exercise methods without ruining
your tai chi.
The key concern is moderation.
Avoid over-doing it: over-stretching,
straining or exerting.
Be mindful of posture, poise and
tension.
A tonic
Tai chi is not going to fix you up.
It was never intended (or designed) to be something employed for repair.
At best, it may be seen as a tonic.
It helps to keep you fit, healthy and
vital. It is a preventative measure, not a
fix.
Do it every day
A tonic is a medicine taken daily in order to maintain and invigorate the
body.
It may significantly improve your fitness.
However, you
should take note of the small print, the conditions of use:
It must be administered every day
When you stop taking it, the fitness benefits go away
This is something to really think about. Re-read the
paragraph if you need to.
Home practice
Most people are not used to training at home.
The key to home training is to work into it gently.
Try doing a small amount every day.
Nothing ambitious.
Exercise with care
People who do a lot of body building and gym machines usually fail to stretch enough.
Their muscles remain over-contracted and become
chronically tense.
This reduces the length of the muscles and limits their
functionality.
Stretching is vital
'Stretching' covers a wide range of approaches. A good
tai chi class should offer a
varied and versatile selection of stretching methods.
Take it easy
Instead of hammering and punishing your body, you treat it with respect and
care.
Your body must last you a lifetime.
Page created
18 April 1997
Last updated
16 June 2023
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