You may have a great martial art's routine but are you in a rut?
In order for your body to work at its optimal you need to keep surprising it.
My 15 DVDs complement each other and keep your body surprised as they move you through traditional kung fu, hard and soft Qigong, Shaolin Tai Qi, and the fighting arts. Once you know the moves on the DVDs, you can get creative and start mixing them up to make your own workouts.
Even if you're not working with my DVDs, your workouts still need to have elements of surprise. If you don't confuse your body, it will get lazy and reach a plateau where it's no longer burning fat as quickly as it should, and your fitness levels, flexibility and skill are no longer increasing. Here's my six top tips to how you can keep your mind and body in optimal fitness.
Please note these tips are not for beginners but for those who already have a solid martial arts or workout schedule.
Do bag work one day, Qigong the next, traditional kung fu the next, Shaolin Bootcamp the next, Shaolin Workout, just sprinting, just jogging. Don't rule out canceling the cardio for one workout and going through the 36 movements in Rou Quan. These movements work your muscles and mind and elevate your heart rate in a relaxed way. I think of this form as food for my kung fu.
2) Change Your Focus
Sometimes focus on doing the movements perfectly, other times just get yourself through the workout. Focus on flexibility one day then Qi the next, focus on power one day then speed.
3) Make sure you do aerobic and anaerobic
4) Stop making excuses
Don't use the excuse of having no time. If you only have twenty minutes then do anaerobic interval training. You can take a 20 minute segment from one of my kung fu DVDs or run intervals and mix this with squats and press ups.
5) Use your own body to build muscle
Muscle burns fat by increasing the metabolism but Shaolin martial artists usually use their own body to build muscle. To build upper arm strength, do Qigong press ups as well as regular press ups. When you do regular press ups, change where your hands are in relation to your body.
6) Work your body from the inside out and the outside in.
Never forget to do Qigong. Even if you're pushed for time, do ten minutes to cool down after your workout. Our life is increasingly fast-paced and stressful. Qigong reduces cortisol, balances the hormones, regulates the blood pressure, and un-blocks stress. You will find that regular Qigong not only increases your energy levels but also your fitness level too.
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