December 10, 2007 by jleeger.

I just read a review on Amazon of Herbert Benson’s book “The Breakout Principle.” Dr. Benson was one of the first scientists in America to systematically examine the practices of Eastern meditation and the processes that occur in the body as a result. What struck me in the review of the book, was that it outlined what I’ve found to be true during periods of R&R after intense periods of practice. Here’s a direct quote:

* Stage one begins with a hard mental or physical struggle.
* Stage two involves pulling the Breakout trigger, completely severing prior thoughts and emotional patterns - the doing “it” part.
* Stage three is the `peak experience’, or performance element of the process.
* Stage four is a return to a `new-normal’ state, meaning one with enhanced mind-body performance patterns.

This is the reviewer’s breakdown of the book’s message. Basically, don’t forget to take a break now and then.

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December 10, 2007 by jleeger.

Just a quick note, then the workout -

Take some time to sit down and figure out what’s really important to you today.  There are as many ways to live, to make a living, and to survive, as there are people in this world.  Use your time on this Earth wisely!   Your life is YOUR TIME!  TAKE IT!  Make time for the things that are important to you!

Ok, here we go!

Today, do these exercises throughout the day, as you’re able.

Pullups

Bodyweight Squats or Wall Sit or 1-leg Squats

Romanian Deadlift

Pushups

Do them all day long, as many reps at a time as you can get out!  This is a great protocol for folks with office jobs, etc.  You can actually improve your strength a great deal if you keep close track of how many you do every day, and increase it over time.

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December 9, 2007 by jleeger.

What do you need to successfully work out at home?  And how do you do it for cheap?

Well, the easiest way is to use your body weight.  However, some folks have to start slower than that.  Here are some good implements to consider adding to your home gym:

The first thing I recommend is a stability ball.  If you get one, get this one: http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_4716_A_CategoryID_E_397

Those things can burst!  And you want to lessen the chances of that as much as possible!

Next, a jump rope…the cheap plastic kind are best.

Then, bands - they make great, versatile training tools.  There are so many types to choose from, I won’t go into it in depth.  Try to get a couple of sets, that way you have different resistance levels.

There are many ways to do pullups, but I think if you can use rings or pullup straps, you have a much more diverse training tool.  Here’s a link to rings: http://www.ringtraining.com/ and here’s one for straps: http://www.amazon.com/Lifeline-USA-1-JG-Jungle-Gym/dp/B00069CN2S

You can make these on your own too: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Grunt/Bodyweight.html

And…a BALANCE BOARD.  Any type will do, but I’ve been SERIOUSLY impressed by the Indo Board…

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December 9, 2007 by jleeger.

Posterior Chain

Today’s WOD is going to be a “Posterior Chain” exercise day. Most folks focus on the muscles on the front of their body because they’re the ones they use the most, and more importantly, they’re the ones they can SEE.

The “Posterior Chain” is comprised of all the muscles along the back of your body. Typically these muscles are associated with “pulling” motions.

If your shoulders are rounded forward, or you hunch over, or your lower back bugs you, you should probably be doing a posterior chain workout at least once a week, and prioritizing the posterior chain work in your other workouts.

Here we go!

Warmup - Back Bridge (30 seconds) + V-ups (30 reps) - 2-3x

Bodyweight Rows - 3-5 sets of 2 shy of your max reps

Chinups (palms facing you) - 3-5 sets of 2 shy of your max reps

1-leg Romanian Deadlift - 3 sets of 2 shy of your max reps

Pull throughs - here you take a band, or cable handle (if you have access to a gym), or even a towel or rope (for isometric pulls), set at floor-level. You have your feet set back a bit from where your upper body will be, and you pull the band through your legs. It’s a bit like a weighted hyperextension, which will suit as a replacement exercise as well. - 3 sets of 2 shy of your max reps. If you’re doing isometrics, hold for as long as you can sustain a full contraction

Band Expansion/Reverse Flye - you need a band for isotonic movement, or towel for isometrics… - hold the implement in front of you, arms straight, and open your arms out to the sides till it touches your chest. Same reps/sets as above.

External Rotations - this is a good rotator cuff exercise, and most people need to do it at least once a week, if not two or three times. You need a band/cable or dumbbells. Basically, you’re bending your arm 90 degrees at the elbow, and rotating the upper arm (humerus) externally (away from your body) against the resistance. If you have a band, it’s best, because you can do this exercise with your humerus perpendicular to the ground (your arm at your side), and then parallel to the ground (out from your side) rotating your radius/ulna up and back from parallel…here’s a good photo of the perpendicular one -

for parallel, just raise your arm out to the side.

3 sets of 12 will do. 2 sets of 12 each if you’re doing both movements.

Stretch your posterior chain!

That includes your rotator cuff! Here’s how to do that: http://www.defrancostraining.com/ask_joe/archives/ask_joe_08-12-05.htm

Have fun!

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December 7, 2007 by george.

Be Present.

One must come to class.

Its often that simple. There are always distractions; whether its work, traffic, significant others, sleep, TV, video games or whatnot, there is always something beckoning one away from what one wants to do or sometimes just should do. If you want to do it, if you want to get better at it, you have to do it. Its that simple.

I remember noticing this in my teacher’s classes in Taiwan. There were people who came through who were physically more gifted, perhaps mentally more the fighter type, had more free time, were independently wealthy, had a lot of previous martial arts experience or whatever other potential benefits a certain person might have. Greater potential does not always mean greater success and greater skills. I often saw people who came to class consistently, who did their work earnestly, eventually develop great skill sets in the martial arts above and beyond those who might have had more potential. This was often simply a matter of consistent practice.

A sparring partner and friend of mine in Taiwan who was also had a great interest in yoga told me a funny story about a thought he had one time while training yoga in India. He was in India training yoga full time for about a year and a half. He mentioned how he was doing yoga for 8 - 10 hours each day and how he was improving by leaps and bounds. Then one of his letters to me had a great line that said “damn - if only I trained Baguazhang this much I’d be awesome!”

These arts and their training process are also not constructed on a logical, linear progression of development like many systems in the western world. There is sequential training involved, some things are better learned before others. Much of the learning process is also non-linear; different parts of the whole will feed back in on each other leading to greater comprehension and understanding. One needs to be there to see the wide and the narrow, the non-linear expanse and the linear progressions of material. One needs to review old material and learn new. One needs to be available to constant correction and themselves ready constant questions. One needs training and sparring partners. These are all things that a class is an absolute necessity for.

I recall something that struck me as funny at some point. When I first started studying with my teacher, I was getting information left and right. I was elated. I listened as I could and tried to understand the principles to the best of my ability. I took notes. After a year of seeing the same stuff and hearing the same things, I thought I could understand some of it. Then after year two I thought “now I’m really getting better at this stuff.” Then in year three you finally realize you were a dipshit in year one and two and think “now I’ve got it!” It took me a while to just get to the point where I’m not thinking “I’ve got it” all the time, but come slowly to the place where I would accept that I’m continually getting it, deeper. Throughout the whole process I eventually found out that what my teacher was showing and saying were the same. He was not coming up with new information or new moves, though he might couch it in different terms or methods. The teaching was the same in year one as it was in year three, as it was in year six… The difference in understanding came from me. Being there, doing it, hearing and seeing the principles repeated in different manners over time, all of this led to improvement.

Can you learn alone without visiting a teacher? I highly doubt it. There is too much to these arts that can’t be put into words or video.

Can you learn while occasionally visiting a teacher? Theoretically yes. Will it take longer? Yes.

Do you remember while in school how teachers’ would take attendance? Do you remember how that would be part of your grade? There is a lesson in that. Sometimes just being there and following along, soaking things in, even if only passively, does have an effect. Think of it as the minimum necessary requirement.

Its funny that it even needs to be said.

Luo Dexiu Laoshi knocking me on my butt with the houtian technique Duo.

Posted in Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Training, General Info | 6 Comments »

December 4, 2007 by jleeger.

Hi Everybody,

I’m heading to Michigan to see my dad for a few days, so I won’t be posting again till Sunday.  Keep up the hard work.  Do some of the previous workouts when you have time.  And above all, PRACTICE!

Josh

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December 4, 2007 by jleeger.

Ok, since I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday, let’s make up for lost time:

20 burpees

50 jumping jacks

10 Bodyweight Rows

1 minute Handstand

10 1-leg Romanian Deadlift

10 Tiangan of your Choice (slow or fast, low or high)

30 V-ups

Rinse, repeat - 4-5x

ENJOY!

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December 3, 2007 by george.

My years of teaching students the arts of Baguazhang and Xingyiquan, as well as the years I spent observing and assisting my teacher Luo Dexiu in teaching these arts, have given me a certain perspective about their training process. Although I, myself, am still undergoing this training process (still growing and learning the arts, and finding joy in doing so), I have come to the opinion that certain ways of training and attitudes towards training will help one along in the process. Although I try as often as possible to get these ideas across to my students in classes; nonetheless, I believe I should try to write some of it down and provide a more thorough treatment of the subject. As this is a big topic, I will have to tackle it in pieces.

Today we will start on How to Succeed in the Internal Martial Arts with part one of a series.

Now, before I begin, I must say a few words of caution. By writing this I am not trying to scare anyone off my school or trying to come down as a “Mr. Bad-Ass we all have to train 8 hours a day” Cobra-kai “sweep the leg” type of teacher.

A funny and very strange thing once happened to me as a teacher. I was trying to give a sort of pep talk to some students. I was trying to spur them on to train better, to train harder. I mentioned some of the examples that led me to train as hard as I did. I mentioned how one of my seniors would practice tiangan all day. Whenever he had some free time, whether between classes or at a bus stop or at many other periods during the day, he would bust out 20 good reps of a tiangan. Many often referred to him as one of the most powerful students. Another senior mentioned to a friend of mine how if you wanted to be serious as a martial artist, you needed to train full time, that means 40 hours a week. Like others have jobs that they put their time into to be masters of their craft, you need to be just as serious with your training. One senior of mine who was very influential to my development told me of a period in his training where he would get up at dawn to train for two hours, have breakfast and then train for another two to three hours, he would then train for at least an hour before and after class. Bagua class usually lasted for 2-3 hours. This would go on for six to seven days a week for nearly two years straight. And I haven’t even mentioned the incredible dedication in training that my teacher underwent. I was talking about some of this to my students, in the hope that some of the work ethic and desire of those who came before us would rub off. Before one can stand on the shoulders of giants, one must begin the climb up there.

Now, I later heard from one of my students who up until that time was training pretty seriously. He told me that he was quitting. He said that he does not feel like he can live up to my ideals of what a good student should be. This “pep talk” did not turn out how I envisioned it. I tried to talk to this student and get him to start training again, but his decision was already apparently made. I have tried to be more careful with how I talk with my students and in public, but at the same time I try not to hold back because someone might misunderstand me.

Its my feeling that students should try their hardest in training. They should put their all in to it. But each person’s all will be different. Different periods of life also might require pouring your time and dedication into other areas of life. Modern life is not always so amenable to our desire to train. But just like anything that is truly worth it, you must find the time to do it. I view these arts as life arts. If one can not make their art fit within their life in a positive way, then maybe one is going about something wrong. There is great value in practice. Although we are training the martial arts, some of the greatest benefits to me have come in the form of health, healing, balance, and mental training. For the long term, I think it is valuable to have something like this in one’s life, to provide a constant source of exercise, a constant source of balance to your mind and body, a constant source of diligence and a constant source of fun. I also find that in my life, it has sometimes been hard to forsake the demands of the moment for something that will give back to you in the long run. But then, I’ve also always found it worth it.

But please do not take this and say he expects too much. I think that any level of training these arts can bring benefit to one’s life. Whether you train once a week, or hours per day, you can get something out of the arts. Do not get discouraged because you can not do as much as another or as much as you want. Do not get discouraged for any reason really. These are wonderful arts to be enjoyed, if something gets in the way of that joy - well, you’ve got a problem and are approaching it wrong. Change your approach. There is fun in it, and there is a healthy diligence as well.

To sum up my preamble: Would I like for my students to train hard, train well, train smart and have success with their training? OF COURSE! But I don’t expect all my students to be Xingyi tanks or Bagua badasses. Everyone can get something out of these arts at every level of training. That is one of their strengths. Just have fun with it and do what you can.

Some of the most important lessons I have ever received from my teacher have to do with how to train. I hope to get some of these ideas across to people and to provide my experiences along this path as well. Please take this advice in the spirit it is given.

Since this is already becoming long, I will start with my thoughts and experiences on how to succeed in training in part two.

Be well, enjoy and circle on,

George

Two Zong Wu Men students sweating it out while training their throwing techniques in uncooperative grappling practice.

Posted in Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, Training, General Info | 5 Comments »

December 2, 2007 by jleeger.

Gymnastic work…

I’ve gone back and forth about working with weights a lot.  There are distinct benefits to some weight training techniques.  And, there’s evidence that building hypertrophy in muscles allows a person to achieve greater levels of strength than they could without.

But when I think about functional athletes, with the greatest level of power per pound of body weight, the best flexibility and dynamic range of motion, and the greatest balance/proprioceptive sense, I think of gymnasts.

And the fact is that gymnasts work almost exclusively with their own bodyweight, and very little with external resistance.

There are two exercises in particular that I’ve begun to work with, that are called the Planche and the Front Lever.  They’re both covered extensively in this article - http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/229/ which is the progression I’ve based my own work on.

Today, read the article, and start working on your own Planche and Front Lever.

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December 1, 2007 by jleeger.

Hi y’all…here are some ideas to incorporate when designing your own workouts

• Superset movements with opposing muscle groups (pushups and rows, handstand pushups and pullups, etc.) - this keeps your total rest level low, while still allowing adequate rest for muscle groups
• Perform movements that you can only get 1-5 reps with once a week.  1-arm pushups, maybe 1-leg squats, whatever…  Try to get a total of 20-25 reps for this movement, 5 sets of 5, or 8 of 3, etc.
• Do isometric work after strength work.  If you’re in the 3-8 repetition range on a movement, do an isometric hold at the end of all your sets.  For us, San Ti Shi is a good iso after leg work…
• Stick with the same movements for at least 2 weeks
• That being said, alter your position slightly each workout - e.g., for pushups, one workout do diamonds, the next do wide, the next close, etc…This will help to maximize the functional capacity of the group and avoid burnout.
• HAVE FUN!  -  if you aren’t having fun, why are you doing it?!!!

Based on these principles, and previous posts - Make your own workout today!

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November 30, 2007 by jleeger.

Balance…

The easiest way to effect balance is to close your eyes. Today, we’ll do the classic “blindfold training.”  Let’s take the same exercises we did on day 1, but this time, do them with your eyes closed.  Be careful!

Situps

Pushups (side-to-side if you feel up to it)

Bodyweight Squats (1-leg if you feel up to it)

Handstand or Handstand Pushups

Pullups (or chinups)

Go through for 4 rounds.  If you can, go through the entire four rounds with your eyes closed, or with a blindfold on.

Good luck!

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November 29, 2007 by jleeger.

Rest and Recovery, or Recuperation.

This is one of the most important acute variables to consider in a workout program.  Just as the rest between sets determines the effect of a particular workout, the rest between workouts will determine the overall training effect.  Too much rest with very little stress, and you won’t see any results.  Too little rest with too much stress, and you’ll suffer from overtraining.

While it’s tough to “overtrain” with bodyweight alone, it is possible.  The 5-minute Burpee Challenge, done several days in a row, is enough to burn out most people quickly.

The key here, is to listen to your body.  It knows when it needs to rest.  Pay attention to nagging aches and pains, and take a day off.  Take a hot bath or get a massage.  Go for peaceful walks in the woods (in a circle).

The muscular system is not the only thing that suffers from too much stress.  The nervous system suffers as well (they’re all really just one system - YOU).  Your brain needs a break from time to time.  I know that tradition is against this, but I really feel like this applies to my Bagua practice as well.  When I practice continually for months, and then take a week off from practice, I come back fresher, and usually with a greater sense of the movements I’m performing.  I feel like the time off gives me perspective on what I’m doing.  I could be wrong, though!  And what works for me isn’t for everyone else…

Anyway, have fun with your training, but listen to your body.  Take the time to rest when you need it.  It will help you in the long run.

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November 29, 2007 by jleeger.

First, the workout:

20 burpees

Max bodyweight rows

Max pushups

Max chinups (palms facing you - if you can’t do this, do underhand bodyweight rows)

Max dips

Max bicycle situps

Repeat 4x, then do

Side plank - 1 minute ea side x 3

Prone superman - 1 minute x 3

George mentioned that he’s focused a lot on pre-hab/re-hab these days.  I think most of us over the age of 30 are in that boat, having had injuries in the past that nag us or threaten to, and in general not recuperating as quickly from things as we did in our teens and twenties.

There are so many types of pre-hab/re-hab out there, it’s impossible to sum up.  One of the easiest and most accessible forms for both pre-hab and re-hab is massage.

If you can’t afford to get a massage on a regular basis (and I don’t know anyone who can), you can experience some of the benefits by working on yourself.  The best time to do this is right after a workout.  You can sit down and just start kneading your flesh from head to toe.  If you find sensitive or sore spots, use your best judgment.  If it feels like a knot, work on it a little more.  If it feels sore because of muscular stress (working out), be gentle, it’s trying to heal.

If you want to go a step further, invest in a foam roller - http://www.performbetter.com/detail.aspx_Q_ID_E_4279_A_CategoryID_E_363

There are plenty of instructions you can find online for using them.  Essentially, you roll different parts of your body along the roll, which massages your muscles.  It’s good stuff.

Another good tool for pre-hab/re-hab are bands.  They’re basically rubber tubes attached to handles.  They provide instability around whatever joint you’re using them with, causing the stabilizing muscles for that joint to work harder, and your CNS to learn how to stabilize the joint more effectively.  Any “unstable” form of training is good for this - pushups on a stability ball, practice on uneven ground, whatever…

The thing to remember is, with pre/re-hab tools, the goal is pre/re-hab, it is NOT to get super strong doing those movements.  Stabilizing muscle groups and their accompanying tendons and ligaments around a joint are generally very delicate and sensitive.  The last thing you want to do is damage them while you’re trying to help yourself.  So go light, and be moderate.

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November 28, 2007 by jleeger.

I realize that the periodization info seems a bit much…but in the near future I’ll apply the same principles to your daily Bagua practice.

One thing I do want to add, is that periodization should reflect your level of experience with conditioning.  People who don’t have any experience with exercise typically need to stick with a program for 6-10 weeks to see the training effect.  Folks who have trained for 1-2 years consistently can typically see results from a program in 4-6 weeks.

Finally, people who have been training for more than 2 years consistently can see results from a training stimulus in as little as 2 weeks.  In fact, for people with a lot of experience, spending too much time in one training stimulus will lead to over-training in short order.  Most well-trained individuals will not see any additional benefit from a particular training program after 6 weeks, and will start to see signs of overtraining/overuse after 8 weeks.

The workouts I’m posting are really General Physical Preparedness (GPP) routines (Crossfit and those type workouts fit into this category as far as I’m concerned).  After a good amount of time, you’ll want to switch it up.  If it means going out and buying a kettlebell, or a pair of dumbbells, or joining a gym, so be it!

Your body and mind adapt.  And the better they get at adapting, the faster it will happen.  Change it up to keep your body and mind learning and growing!

Next up…REST AND RECOVERY

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November 28, 2007 by jleeger.

Hopefully this post isn’t too deep, or too confusing.  I want to emphasize that, if you are training, you should always try to get the most out of your time.  People spend years going to the same aerobics classes, and end up looking like they did after their first 8 weeks in the class.  They aren’t changing their training stimulus.  I had a ton of clients like this when I was a trainer in VA.  They were in phenomenal shape cardiovascularly, but they still had their “spare tire,” that just wouldn’t go away.

Their body had gotten used to the “aerobics class” stimulus.  It didn’t need to burn the fuel around their midsections.  They didn’t know this, so they continued to go to more aerobics classes…wearing their joints down, wasting their time, not getting what they wanted.

To get what you want, you have to decide that you want it!  Then you have to make a plan to get it.  Periodization is part of that planning process.

Periodization is the breaking down of the sport-training year into distinct phases, each with a distinct purpose, that all build up to the day of the competition.  Usually, we talk about a Macrocycle (e.g. one year, or the time between tournaments), a Mesocycle (smaller increments within a Macrocycle, that focus on the development of specific strength qualities or strength skills - usu. 2-6 weeks), and a Microcycle (which breaks down the Mesocycle into manageable blocks - usu. 3 days - 1 week).

The challenge, at a certain stage in training, becomes maintaining or increasing gains in different energy systems in the same phase.  For example - If you’ve built up your cardiovascular endurance in Phase 1, and want to build Max Strength in Phase 2, how do you maintain your gains in cardio endurance while still having enough recovery time to devote the energy needed to building Max Strength?  Because you’re training for specific strength-qualities whenever you train, this becomes tough.

For an athlete, periodization is very simple.  They have a specific target date by which they have to be at peak-performance levels.  The rest of the year is organized accordingly.

For many MMA athletes, they have no such year-long Macrocycle in which to prepare.  They have to be ready to go at any time (pretty much).  This is the professional conditioning situation that most closely approximates that of the general populace.

Ross Enamait (www.rosstraining.com) has adopted one solution from Mel Siff, which is called “conjugate periodization.”  It involves cycling different strength qualities on different days within a Phase, increasing the overall intensity as the Phase moves on, with all exercises adding up to a cumulative training effect (i.e., all the exercises on different days should complement each other - you don’t want to do leg extensions on Max Strength day and Leg Curls on Endurance day…that’s not complementary).

I think with some serious consideration, this is the best method.  But I think you have to be very careful about exercise selection, and separation of distinct energy systems on different days.

It would look like this:

Monday - Max Strength Training

Tuesday - Proprioception/Cardiovascular Endurance

Wednesday - Endurance Training

Thursday - Proprio/Cardio

Friday - General Physical Preparedness training - obstacles, running + calisthenics, etc.

Saturday and Sunday off.

Even with this breakdown, your max-training day would have to be very focused and very intense to have a cumulative effect over time, what with the full 6 days between training sessions.  It’s almost a little too much recovery time.  However, there is so much nervous system stimulation in a program like this, that you definitely NEED one or two days completely off to recuperate.

One thing to consider, when creating your own training program, is what you’re after.  If most people really stopped and thought about it, they’d see that hypertrophy (bigger muscles), and max strength, have limited applications in their daily lives.  Internal martial artists have to balance this very specifically, since the aim of Neigong is to “move a thousand pounds with one ounce.”

Staying relaxed and loose when you’re constantly training yourself to be tense outside of practice gives the body/mind mixed messages.

As you can see, having your goal clearly defined becomes of primary importance!  As I said at the beginning - you’ll get whatever you really want.  If you don’t decide what you want, you’ll get whatever’s left over.  Seriously consider your training goals, for physical conditioning and Bagua.  Decide what you really want, no matter how insane, and write it down.  Post it on a wall or mirror where you’ll see it all the time.  Make a plan to get it.

I don’t know of anyone practicing at Zong Wu Men who couldn’t gain Tony Jaa’s “light body” skills (at least to a large extent…).  But to do that, you have to be very focused in your training.  You definitely shouldn’t be wasting your time on the WOD’s!  hahah…

If you want the 1-inch punch, you have to devote time to it.  You have to focus on bringing all of your power into a single compressed moment/space.  You need to practice every day, and have a plan that changes the variables of your training.

Most of all, your goals should be useful to you, and be in line with your life-values.  If you haven’t figured out what those are…start there.

All of this will lead to a richer experience of yourself.  And richer experience of Bagua.  It all leads to you becoming who you really are, instead of going along with who you think you might be, or who others thing you might be.

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