November 14, 2007 by jleeger.

Hi!

If you’re doing these workouts, or even just reading them, let me know what you think.  I’m trying to provide some general conditioning, along with some workouts that will offer strength in movement patterns that are Bagua-specific.

George asked about nutrition, periodization, and other training tips.  Diet is the easiest, so I’ll start there.

If you want to eat healthily, eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.  It’s really that simple.  Try to stock your kitchen with those items.  Get rid of things that have been processed, or that contain lots of sugar.  Don’t buy anything with a cartoon-character on it…at least not to eat.

As far as periodization goes, there are as many schemes out there as there are people, it seems.  I’ve been thinking about periodization a lot recently.  As with almost everything else in the conditioning world, periodization is a technique that arose as a result of athletic training for events that had a particular season.  Many people have been trying to apply this technique to the general populace for years, but it really doesn’t make sense.  Most of us don’t have an “event” or “season” when we need to peak.  We’re training to enhance our general level of fitness, or to help us with certain activities (Bagua).  In particular, we want to do things that won’t hurt us in the short or long term, but that can lend themselves to health and strength into our later years.  The workouts I post here aren’t geared toward any particular goal.  They’re really designed to get you moving and using your muscles on a regular basis.  There is no aim to achieve a 1 Rep Max here.  You are pitted against yourself.  If you want specific outcomes, you need to make your program match that.  If you do have specific outcomes, let me know.  I’ll help define a path for you a bit.  Whatever the case, a good general rule of thumb is to change your training stimulus every 4-6 weeks.

That’s good for now!  More later!

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November 14, 2007 by jleeger.

Alright, time for a more Bagua-specific workout.

For this one, you need a medicine ball, relatively light dumbbell, or you can use a milk-gallon filled with sand or water.

This time we’ll do individual sets of the different exercises in a row, in order to focus on the movement more.   Do each movement in as controlled a fashion as possible.

3 sets of 10 reps each side

Explosive Half-Step  - we’re taking the Half-Step to the next level.  Start in your San Ti Shi stance, hold your weight with both hands at your dantian.  Explode forward with your half-step, and while you do, thrust the weight forward with both hands.  Go deep into this forward half-step, making it almost a full lunge.  As soon as you get to your forward position, explode back, pulling the weight back to your dantian area.  This exercise will work your entire body, and will challenge your balance and explosive power.

Spider-walk - get down on your hands and toes, keeping your body suspended over the ground as low as possible.  “Walk” along the ground for ten steps with each hand.  If you’re really brave, you can do a pushup in between each “step.”

Explosive Sideways Half-Step - same procedure as for the first exercise, but go to one side or the other.  Make sure your feet are pointing in the same direction that your power is moving.  The emphasis on this one is the initial twisting/turning motion that you have to do.

Squat to Overhead Press - take your weight, holding at dantian level again.  Squat down and then explode up with your legs.  Coordinate the timing of this movement so that you’ve pushed the weight overhead at your highest point.  You can make this a jump if you have the knees for it.

Plank - the classic plank.  Get on your elbows and toes and hold it for as long as you can.  Do three sets of as much time as you can.

That’s it!  Hope it was fun!

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