Many people engage in martial arts training to learn a “trick”. They think they are going to learn a cool kick/punch, or some other kind of almost magical unknown technique, that will end every confrontation. After a few years most of us learn that this really magical unknown technique, doesn’t exist. We realize that the body is a machine and it’s limitations can be readily understood by all.
So we give up on that idea, and we move on to the next bit of magic tricks. We start looking for either, a mental trick, a spiritual trick or an energy trick. We want to find a way that our minds, spirits or ki/chi can do the magic. While many spend forever looking for these tricks, most of us, again, settle down and realize that these are not all we fantasize them to be.
Slowly most of us learn that these things all come with dedication, perseverance, honest sweat and hard work. It only looks like a trick to the uninformed, who don’t understand that it took time to learn these things, and that if it could be given over night, it truly would be just a “trick”.
However most of us continue to fool our selves. We think that training in the martial arts is going to some how make us an amazing fighter. We might shrug it off, and say that we train in the peaceful way, and fighting is something we actually want to avoid. However it’s impossible to deny your interest in physical conflict. Because the study of physical conflict IS the study of the martial arts. If it’s not physical conflict you’re interested in why not study zen, or dance. There is something about physical conflict that draws you to the martial arts, otherwise you wouldn’t be a martial artist.
Martial arts don’t teach you how to fight. I don’t mean that in a psycho babble, pseudo philosophical, superior egotistical way. I mean it very directly. You will never become a fighter by studying the martial arts. If you think you will be, you are again deluding yourself with a fantasy.If you believe you will learn to fight by studying martial arts videos, you are again looking for a magic pill, a “trick”. The reason is simple, Only fighting can make you better at fighting. If you want to have a direct experience with fighting, you cannot cheat by listening to people talk, and you cannot cheat by thinking about it a lot. Those things would be dillusional. You can only learn to fight, by fighting.
Buying the latest video series, or subscribing to a martial arts video on the internet only add more drills, and study of the drills till you perfect them. Sure you can learn a few new things but what is it you are looking for? all the gadgets, tricks, and subscriptions will not bring you any closer to the underlying Questions, and these questions are not about a particular System but more about you, yourself. Maybe it's doubt, fear, lack of confidence, or shame. What we all miss is the true understanding of our self's (not to get esoteric on you)in any and all situation. " It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential" -BL-.
Imagine for a moment a situation....how many techniques can you pull off in a stressful situation that will give you the results you are looking for?? Okay, now imagine the same situation but now you have to be accountable for the other persons actions/reactions and still pull off in a stressful situation, do you still have the same results? if you said yes your fooling yourself, we never know what each situation will bring nor what the other person know's, has, or will do. We can only know our self's and how we will react to situations. Many people look for the secret technique,do you know what a secret techniques is? in my opinion a secret technique is a technique that one has mastered with out flaw and has been able to apply it any many situations without fail.That is the secret technique.
"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 different kicks once, but I fear the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times.” -BL-.
So in short it's not how many videos you watch to gain new techniques, but rather have you worked on what you have been given in class, to perfection in any situation?
Martial arts is about the Journey, who you become, and how it affects your life and the lives around you. Oh and yes kicking ASS!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
My thoughts on Martial arts & Spirituality
Martial arts and spirituality.
Martial arts and spirituality. What does that even mean? This is a question almost all of us ask. But few of us ever get any real answers. Some say it’s mixing religions such as Christianity or Islam with martial arts. Some think it’s dressing up in flowing clothes, spouting koans, and seeming esoteric. Some say it’s simply, “a bunch of crap”.
However I believe It isn’t any of these things.
I believe to understand the relationship between Martial arts and spiritually, you must first understand what each of them are on their own. Most of us pretty much understand, or at least have a clear concept of what the martial arts are. I’ll define it here as the study of physical conflict. But there are lots of definitions. Most of us have spent enough time with the martial arts, that we have a pretty clear definition, at least for ourselves. It’s spirituality that many of us have a hard time with.
To many, spirituality is simply going to church and reading the bible. While these things are spiritual things, they are part of a religion, and not the spirituality itself. A religion is a school of spirituality. The main goal of these schools is to put people in touch with their spirituality. The practices of a religion (prayer, bible reading, church services, worship etc.) are designed to put you in touch with your spirituality, but they are not the spirituality itself. By adding the practices of your religion to your martial arts, you are not working with spirituality, you are you are not working with spirituality, you are simply adding more practices. Which most martial arts systems already have more then enough of. Religion’s are to spirituality as Martial arts are to fighting. They are schools that point to a thing, but not the thing itself. Mixing the practices of a religion into your martial arts doesn’t train your spirit.
The trappings of spirituality are not the spirit. While different physical objects can help evoke your spirit, they are not the spirit itself. Wearing a Zen masters robes certainly does not make you a Zen master. Reciting words and incantations that you don’t understand does not make you a spiritual person. Seeming aloof and exotic to other people doesn’t do a thing for your spirituality either. It starts with you.Your spirit is at the very core of what you are. So how could you find it in things outside of yourself?
Because of our tendency to confuse spirit with practices and trappings, many of us come to the conclusion that spirituality is just a bunch of nonsense and doesn’t exist at all. However if you look to the normal instead of the extreme we can readily see examples of spirit in our daily lives. Some common indications of spirit are: “the spirit of giving”, “the Christmas spirit”, “Fighting spirit”, etc. We all understand these examples, and accept them with little doubt as to their existence. The reason is because we’ve all experienced them or seen them in our lives. We don’t think of these things as being different or special, they are just part of life.
Spirit is complete manifestation of true self. Once you surrender to your spirit, everything seems to come together for you. The same can be said of “fighting spirit”. When someone has a strong fighting spirit, they except the fact that they are in the midst of struggle. In fact they happily engage, excepting what is happening, exhibiting a kind of joy. They do this even in the face of agony or defeat.
Your spirit shows itself when you stop putting things off. Without fearing what is about to happen, simply being in the moment, naturally. We’ve all had the experience of getting up in front of a crowd to give a talk or present something. Maybe we allowed ourselves to be intimidated by the crowd, kind of shinking inside of ourselves. Not being the best showman we could be. We didn’t have the “showman’s spirit”. We didn’t allow ourselves to do as well as we could. We just didn’t have enough “spirit” to make the best presentation we could. Spiritual practice’s are those that teach you to except what is happening and who you are in order to let yourself, your spirit, shine through. When you are coming from a spiritual place you are acting without fear, worry, doubt, or any kind of dependence on what will happen next, you are simply being you, right now.
Understanding spirit, and spirituality in this way; its connection to the martial arts is undeniable. Martial situations are ones that require strong spirit. If your spirit isn’t strong you’ll never get through extreme difficulty’s. If your spirit isn’t strong it’s impossible to come through tragedy and not be a victim. And for these very reasons Martial practices make wonderful training grounds for the spirit. Lending the martial arts to being a wonderful spiritual practice. Most religions and non-martial spiritual schools have to add practices in order to train the spirit. Challenges and difficulties must be faced in order to strengthen your spirit. Non-martial spiritual traditions add things like: abstinence, fasting, tithing, worship, routine, strict moralities etc. in order to challenge their practitioners. Martial practices however have a built in set of challenges: fighting, physical fatigue, and habitual practice are the necessities of a martial method. Practices like these make simple sense in the martial arts. You never have to ask, “why do I need to be in good physical shape” ,” “Why do I actually need to test my skills against someone”, or “why do I need to train so much”. The reasons are clear, if you want to be good, you’ll have to do these things. You must use your spirit to get through these rigors, this trains the spirit. It’s hard to hide behind lies, and clever excuses, if you’re not training hard, it’s clear that your spirit is not in the practice.
The great thing about spiritual training is that it will naturally start to spill over into the rest of your life. When you honestly take on training in the martial arts, you take on a spiritual practice that makes you a stronger person. Dealing with things directly and honestly starts to be much less challenging. When you willingly participate in physical conflict, dealing with the rude woman/man who suddenly isn’t a big deal. When you force yourself to joyfully except vigorous exercise, doing yard work is no problem. A strong spirit is useful in all facets of life, and will do far more for you then make you a good fighter.
You must pay attention to this You must actually make Spirituality a practice. If you fight simply because you’re mad, or “want too” you’re not training your spirit. You are simply giving in to an indulgence. If you show up at your Kwoon and simply go through the motions, you’re not training your spirit. If you get excited and feed your ego every time you hit someone, or give them a kick, complaining every time you are hit, you’re not training your spirit. You must stay ever mindful, taking care in all of your training. This will make your practice something phenomenal. Something that will strengthen your spirit, and increase your martial ability. Eventually there will be no more “spirit of giving,”, or “fighting spirit”, because everything you do will involve spirit.
In summery I believe that knowing your skill as a martial artist, knowing the damage, pain, suffering that you can cause some one (it does not just start nor stop with them, it effects family and love ones and there lives) not only brings you closer to spirituality but compassion, love and forgiveness.
Martial arts and spirituality. What does that even mean? This is a question almost all of us ask. But few of us ever get any real answers. Some say it’s mixing religions such as Christianity or Islam with martial arts. Some think it’s dressing up in flowing clothes, spouting koans, and seeming esoteric. Some say it’s simply, “a bunch of crap”.
However I believe It isn’t any of these things.
I believe to understand the relationship between Martial arts and spiritually, you must first understand what each of them are on their own. Most of us pretty much understand, or at least have a clear concept of what the martial arts are. I’ll define it here as the study of physical conflict. But there are lots of definitions. Most of us have spent enough time with the martial arts, that we have a pretty clear definition, at least for ourselves. It’s spirituality that many of us have a hard time with.
To many, spirituality is simply going to church and reading the bible. While these things are spiritual things, they are part of a religion, and not the spirituality itself. A religion is a school of spirituality. The main goal of these schools is to put people in touch with their spirituality. The practices of a religion (prayer, bible reading, church services, worship etc.) are designed to put you in touch with your spirituality, but they are not the spirituality itself. By adding the practices of your religion to your martial arts, you are not working with spirituality, you are you are not working with spirituality, you are simply adding more practices. Which most martial arts systems already have more then enough of. Religion’s are to spirituality as Martial arts are to fighting. They are schools that point to a thing, but not the thing itself. Mixing the practices of a religion into your martial arts doesn’t train your spirit.
The trappings of spirituality are not the spirit. While different physical objects can help evoke your spirit, they are not the spirit itself. Wearing a Zen masters robes certainly does not make you a Zen master. Reciting words and incantations that you don’t understand does not make you a spiritual person. Seeming aloof and exotic to other people doesn’t do a thing for your spirituality either. It starts with you.Your spirit is at the very core of what you are. So how could you find it in things outside of yourself?
Because of our tendency to confuse spirit with practices and trappings, many of us come to the conclusion that spirituality is just a bunch of nonsense and doesn’t exist at all. However if you look to the normal instead of the extreme we can readily see examples of spirit in our daily lives. Some common indications of spirit are: “the spirit of giving”, “the Christmas spirit”, “Fighting spirit”, etc. We all understand these examples, and accept them with little doubt as to their existence. The reason is because we’ve all experienced them or seen them in our lives. We don’t think of these things as being different or special, they are just part of life.
Spirit is complete manifestation of true self. Once you surrender to your spirit, everything seems to come together for you. The same can be said of “fighting spirit”. When someone has a strong fighting spirit, they except the fact that they are in the midst of struggle. In fact they happily engage, excepting what is happening, exhibiting a kind of joy. They do this even in the face of agony or defeat.
Your spirit shows itself when you stop putting things off. Without fearing what is about to happen, simply being in the moment, naturally. We’ve all had the experience of getting up in front of a crowd to give a talk or present something. Maybe we allowed ourselves to be intimidated by the crowd, kind of shinking inside of ourselves. Not being the best showman we could be. We didn’t have the “showman’s spirit”. We didn’t allow ourselves to do as well as we could. We just didn’t have enough “spirit” to make the best presentation we could. Spiritual practice’s are those that teach you to except what is happening and who you are in order to let yourself, your spirit, shine through. When you are coming from a spiritual place you are acting without fear, worry, doubt, or any kind of dependence on what will happen next, you are simply being you, right now.
Understanding spirit, and spirituality in this way; its connection to the martial arts is undeniable. Martial situations are ones that require strong spirit. If your spirit isn’t strong you’ll never get through extreme difficulty’s. If your spirit isn’t strong it’s impossible to come through tragedy and not be a victim. And for these very reasons Martial practices make wonderful training grounds for the spirit. Lending the martial arts to being a wonderful spiritual practice. Most religions and non-martial spiritual schools have to add practices in order to train the spirit. Challenges and difficulties must be faced in order to strengthen your spirit. Non-martial spiritual traditions add things like: abstinence, fasting, tithing, worship, routine, strict moralities etc. in order to challenge their practitioners. Martial practices however have a built in set of challenges: fighting, physical fatigue, and habitual practice are the necessities of a martial method. Practices like these make simple sense in the martial arts. You never have to ask, “why do I need to be in good physical shape” ,” “Why do I actually need to test my skills against someone”, or “why do I need to train so much”. The reasons are clear, if you want to be good, you’ll have to do these things. You must use your spirit to get through these rigors, this trains the spirit. It’s hard to hide behind lies, and clever excuses, if you’re not training hard, it’s clear that your spirit is not in the practice.
The great thing about spiritual training is that it will naturally start to spill over into the rest of your life. When you honestly take on training in the martial arts, you take on a spiritual practice that makes you a stronger person. Dealing with things directly and honestly starts to be much less challenging. When you willingly participate in physical conflict, dealing with the rude woman/man who suddenly isn’t a big deal. When you force yourself to joyfully except vigorous exercise, doing yard work is no problem. A strong spirit is useful in all facets of life, and will do far more for you then make you a good fighter.
You must pay attention to this You must actually make Spirituality a practice. If you fight simply because you’re mad, or “want too” you’re not training your spirit. You are simply giving in to an indulgence. If you show up at your Kwoon and simply go through the motions, you’re not training your spirit. If you get excited and feed your ego every time you hit someone, or give them a kick, complaining every time you are hit, you’re not training your spirit. You must stay ever mindful, taking care in all of your training. This will make your practice something phenomenal. Something that will strengthen your spirit, and increase your martial ability. Eventually there will be no more “spirit of giving,”, or “fighting spirit”, because everything you do will involve spirit.
In summery I believe that knowing your skill as a martial artist, knowing the damage, pain, suffering that you can cause some one (it does not just start nor stop with them, it effects family and love ones and there lives) not only brings you closer to spirituality but compassion, love and forgiveness.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Why we cannot get a clear names of Wing Chun movements.
I will do my best to explain this in my view of Teaching, learning and understanding Wing Chun.
The "transliteration", or how the names are spelled using Roman letters i.e. A, B, C - doesn't matter since they're all written the same in Chinese itself.
The different spelling is a result of dialect, accent, and history. People, usually Westerners, wrote what they heard i.e. Peking instead of Beijing. And what they heard differed based on what part of China their sifu came from.
Even up to 50 years ago there was no accepted "transliteration" from Chinese into Roman letters - Romanization. Today, however, Pinyin is the standard accepted transliteration method used.
Yet a problem still exists for many Westerners. Pinyin is used to transliterate the standard Mandarin dialect - known as PuTongHua. In the West, Kung Fu words didn't come from Mandarin speakers. Rather they came from other dialects such as Cantonese, Fujianese, and others.
So if you get confused by all the different spellings and pronunciations and want to get it straight … all you have to do is learn to read Chinese or better yet learn calligraphy)
Remember that much like the system of Wing Chun the Chinese written language uses Characters, the meaning of the character can change with a slight but simple stroke intended or not.
The names may sound the same, but how they’re executed, such as the angle, direction and complete movement will change the meaning of a familuar block, strike, kick etc. Example, Jum sau In Sil Lum tao it is simple to see and be done, but as you advance to more complex movements and combinations, what looks like Jum sau now is called something else. Why? you may ask well......this is where it all gets a bit sticky (no pun intended) from my research, alot of it is a mix of dilect differences, how the movement is done, and above all the idea behind the movement. Idea you ask?, meaning.... that what we call Tan sau for example is only an idea of the movement none specific to a certain strike. Another example of this would be a Tae kwon do outer forarm block, what does this tell you? automatically you think the block is used for an out side attack with the forarm, now to cover an inside attack another name has to be given inner forarm block once again depicting that you must use a different tool for a strike to a different area the list goes on, in contrast sticking with Tan sau this cover (in my Linage of Wing Chun we call it a cover not a block) covers both areas but is not limited, the tool of Tan sau can be used in many ways without using different names. Whats the idea behind it? it all goes back to Wing Chun principles, concepts and ideas.
This does not mean that the blocks of Tae Kwon Do or other arts using this method cannot be used for something other than it's name, but in my opinion it limits thought process and cognative expansion.
The "transliteration", or how the names are spelled using Roman letters i.e. A, B, C - doesn't matter since they're all written the same in Chinese itself.
The different spelling is a result of dialect, accent, and history. People, usually Westerners, wrote what they heard i.e. Peking instead of Beijing. And what they heard differed based on what part of China their sifu came from.
Even up to 50 years ago there was no accepted "transliteration" from Chinese into Roman letters - Romanization. Today, however, Pinyin is the standard accepted transliteration method used.
Yet a problem still exists for many Westerners. Pinyin is used to transliterate the standard Mandarin dialect - known as PuTongHua. In the West, Kung Fu words didn't come from Mandarin speakers. Rather they came from other dialects such as Cantonese, Fujianese, and others.
So if you get confused by all the different spellings and pronunciations and want to get it straight … all you have to do is learn to read Chinese or better yet learn calligraphy)
Remember that much like the system of Wing Chun the Chinese written language uses Characters, the meaning of the character can change with a slight but simple stroke intended or not.
The names may sound the same, but how they’re executed, such as the angle, direction and complete movement will change the meaning of a familuar block, strike, kick etc. Example, Jum sau In Sil Lum tao it is simple to see and be done, but as you advance to more complex movements and combinations, what looks like Jum sau now is called something else. Why? you may ask well......this is where it all gets a bit sticky (no pun intended) from my research, alot of it is a mix of dilect differences, how the movement is done, and above all the idea behind the movement. Idea you ask?, meaning.... that what we call Tan sau for example is only an idea of the movement none specific to a certain strike. Another example of this would be a Tae kwon do outer forarm block, what does this tell you? automatically you think the block is used for an out side attack with the forarm, now to cover an inside attack another name has to be given inner forarm block once again depicting that you must use a different tool for a strike to a different area the list goes on, in contrast sticking with Tan sau this cover (in my Linage of Wing Chun we call it a cover not a block) covers both areas but is not limited, the tool of Tan sau can be used in many ways without using different names. Whats the idea behind it? it all goes back to Wing Chun principles, concepts and ideas.
This does not mean that the blocks of Tae Kwon Do or other arts using this method cannot be used for something other than it's name, but in my opinion it limits thought process and cognative expansion.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Post workout Recovery
You've just finished another Denver Wing Chun gruelling workout.
Now what?
If you’re like most, you’re going to stagger into the change-room change out,get in your car and grab a quick burger, pizza, or some quick fix.
When it comes to getting fit/healthy/buff/ripped/sexy/etc, your workouts are only half the equation.
The other half of the equation is Workout Recovery and what you eat.
And because I love you guys so darn much, here are my top Post-Workout Recovery Techniques.
.
* Post-Workout Carb/Protein Shake
* Hot/Cold Contrast Showers
* Fish Oils
* Meditation / Sleep
* Epsom Salt Baths
* Ice
* Massage
* TENS
* Chiropractic / Acupuncture
* Traumeel
* Yoga
* Magnesium glycinate
.
Post-Workout Carb/Protein Shake
I have talked about this technique before. Simply put, it’s a no-brainer.
Post workout and your muscles are screaming for nutrients.
Ignore that message and your workout recovery goes into slo-mo.
Heed the message and the repair goes into overdrive.
More info here.
Hot/Cold Contrast Showers
Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and two minutes of hot water. Perform this shrinkage inducing protocol three or four times.
While most of the claims about this recovery technique are anecdotal, there is some research showing that alternating hot/cold showers post-exercise is effective in lowering both heart rate and the levels of lactate in your blood.
Anecdotally, contrast showers have been said to improve athletic recovery via increased blood flow and possible nutrient and waste product elimination (lactate). There may also be a psychological benefit and an increased feeling of alertness and fatigue reduction.
In my personal experience, contrast showers help reduce my post-workout DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as well as perk me up for the rest of my day.
Fish Oils
Your workouts cause inflammation.
Localized inflammation in joints and muscles. Systemic inflammation throughout your body.
Fish oils are a great, natural, anti-inflammatory.
Add some to your post-workout shake. If you already have issues with chronic inflammation, you may want to consider adding some Turmeric/Curcumin or Zyflamend into the mix.
Meditation / Sleep
High intensity workouts can be tough on the CNS (central nervous system)
And while there are lots of supplements (natural adaptogens & pharmaceutical agents) out there that claim to help repair & restore the CNS, I don’t feel comfortable recommending any of them.
However, I am willing to push meditation & sleep as the two best CNS treatments ever invented.
Sleep – You probably don’t sleep enough already. Add in a tough workout routine and you’re looking for trouble. Get your 7-8 hrs.
Meditation – There are lots of ways to meditate. There are crunchy-granola yoga meditative techniques. There are medical based mindfulness meditation programs. Praying is a form of meditation. There are even mp3s you can buy that claim to help sync your brainwaves into the pattern best suited for meditation. But the simplest method may be to just sit or lie down, put your hands on your belly and focus as your breath flows in and out.
Epsom Salt Baths
Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) are another anti-inflammatory agent.
When added to a nice hot bath, they are absorbed through the skin and helps reduce muscular pain and general “achiness”. It also helps increase your levels of magnesium and may help reduce water retention.
Ice Massage
The benefits of ice massage are questionable at best. But, I know a lot of athletes who swear by it, so I figured it best to include it in this review.
Most of the pro-Ice Massage evidence is anecdotal. The main claim is that ice massage is an effective method for reducing localized inflammation and reducing the symptoms of DOMS.
However, the clinical research doesn't agree. In fact, some researchers feel that ice massage should be contraindicated when it comes to preventing post-exercise DOMS.
So, I leave the decision up to you.
Personally, I will skip the post-workout ice massage. If you need more info, click here.
Therapeutic Massage
There are many different types of massage.
Medical research has shown that the benefits of massage include pain relief, reduced levels of anxiety and depression, and temporarily reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and state anxiety.
Plus, it just feels gooooood.
Get a massage every month or so. Your body will thank you.
TENS
TENS is a non-invasive, medically tested, safe nerve stimulation intended to reduce pain, both acute and chronic.
It’s also the subject of cheesy late night infomercials.
And that’s too bad. Because, in my experience, TENS is a great little tool for reducing muscular pain.
I bought a unit two years ago after a car accident screwed up my neck, back, shoulder & knee. It wasn’t my only treatment modality, but it was convenient, effective and relatively cheap.
For post-workout pain, a TENS unit is probably overkill. But, for those older trainees who have a few chronic aches and pains, a TENS unit might be worth it’s weight in gold.
Acupuncture/ herbology
I group these two treatment modalities together. I don’t get one without the other.
I go two days a week or what ver is needed if I have injured myself.
45 minutes later and I am a new man.
Hebs with this is also a great combo, it helps supplement the treatment and recovery.
Traumeel
Traumeel is a homeopathic anti-inflammatory.
And, according to researchers, it works better than NSAIDS at reducing chronic inflammatory conditions as well as systemic inflammation caused by exercise.
Plus, you get none of the unpleasant side-effects associated with NSAIDS.
Magnesium glycinate
Workout can cause oxygen deprivation to their tissues, Oxygen deprivation can lead to muscle pain and tenderness as well as fatigue. Mag Glycinate helps with the oxygenation to the muscles allowing faster recovery. (Caution to much may cause diarrhea)
Yoga
* Increased circulation, which supports health in myriad ways
* Increased lubrication of joints and connective tissue
* Increased breath capacity
* Detoxification
* Balanced strength and flexibility
Yes, there’s a difference between just stretching and doing yoga. Simply stretching is often something people do without really knowing how to use breath or awareness to make the stretch more effective. Though yoga includes stretches within it, it’s a much more potent practice that can really affect the way you feel.
Well, there you go. There’s my list of Post Workout Recovery Techniques.
I hope this helps!
Sifu Joel
Now what?
If you’re like most, you’re going to stagger into the change-room change out,get in your car and grab a quick burger, pizza, or some quick fix.
When it comes to getting fit/healthy/buff/ripped/sexy/etc, your workouts are only half the equation.
The other half of the equation is Workout Recovery and what you eat.
And because I love you guys so darn much, here are my top Post-Workout Recovery Techniques.
.
* Post-Workout Carb/Protein Shake
* Hot/Cold Contrast Showers
* Fish Oils
* Meditation / Sleep
* Epsom Salt Baths
* Ice
* Massage
* TENS
* Chiropractic / Acupuncture
* Traumeel
* Yoga
* Magnesium glycinate
.
Post-Workout Carb/Protein Shake
I have talked about this technique before. Simply put, it’s a no-brainer.
Post workout and your muscles are screaming for nutrients.
Ignore that message and your workout recovery goes into slo-mo.
Heed the message and the repair goes into overdrive.
More info here.
Hot/Cold Contrast Showers
Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and two minutes of hot water. Perform this shrinkage inducing protocol three or four times.
While most of the claims about this recovery technique are anecdotal, there is some research showing that alternating hot/cold showers post-exercise is effective in lowering both heart rate and the levels of lactate in your blood.
Anecdotally, contrast showers have been said to improve athletic recovery via increased blood flow and possible nutrient and waste product elimination (lactate). There may also be a psychological benefit and an increased feeling of alertness and fatigue reduction.
In my personal experience, contrast showers help reduce my post-workout DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) as well as perk me up for the rest of my day.
Fish Oils
Your workouts cause inflammation.
Localized inflammation in joints and muscles. Systemic inflammation throughout your body.
Fish oils are a great, natural, anti-inflammatory.
Add some to your post-workout shake. If you already have issues with chronic inflammation, you may want to consider adding some Turmeric/Curcumin or Zyflamend into the mix.
Meditation / Sleep
High intensity workouts can be tough on the CNS (central nervous system)
And while there are lots of supplements (natural adaptogens & pharmaceutical agents) out there that claim to help repair & restore the CNS, I don’t feel comfortable recommending any of them.
However, I am willing to push meditation & sleep as the two best CNS treatments ever invented.
Sleep – You probably don’t sleep enough already. Add in a tough workout routine and you’re looking for trouble. Get your 7-8 hrs.
Meditation – There are lots of ways to meditate. There are crunchy-granola yoga meditative techniques. There are medical based mindfulness meditation programs. Praying is a form of meditation. There are even mp3s you can buy that claim to help sync your brainwaves into the pattern best suited for meditation. But the simplest method may be to just sit or lie down, put your hands on your belly and focus as your breath flows in and out.
Epsom Salt Baths
Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) are another anti-inflammatory agent.
When added to a nice hot bath, they are absorbed through the skin and helps reduce muscular pain and general “achiness”. It also helps increase your levels of magnesium and may help reduce water retention.
Ice Massage
The benefits of ice massage are questionable at best. But, I know a lot of athletes who swear by it, so I figured it best to include it in this review.
Most of the pro-Ice Massage evidence is anecdotal. The main claim is that ice massage is an effective method for reducing localized inflammation and reducing the symptoms of DOMS.
However, the clinical research doesn't agree. In fact, some researchers feel that ice massage should be contraindicated when it comes to preventing post-exercise DOMS.
So, I leave the decision up to you.
Personally, I will skip the post-workout ice massage. If you need more info, click here.
Therapeutic Massage
There are many different types of massage.
Medical research has shown that the benefits of massage include pain relief, reduced levels of anxiety and depression, and temporarily reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and state anxiety.
Plus, it just feels gooooood.
Get a massage every month or so. Your body will thank you.
TENS
TENS is a non-invasive, medically tested, safe nerve stimulation intended to reduce pain, both acute and chronic.
It’s also the subject of cheesy late night infomercials.
And that’s too bad. Because, in my experience, TENS is a great little tool for reducing muscular pain.
I bought a unit two years ago after a car accident screwed up my neck, back, shoulder & knee. It wasn’t my only treatment modality, but it was convenient, effective and relatively cheap.
For post-workout pain, a TENS unit is probably overkill. But, for those older trainees who have a few chronic aches and pains, a TENS unit might be worth it’s weight in gold.
Acupuncture/ herbology
I group these two treatment modalities together. I don’t get one without the other.
I go two days a week or what ver is needed if I have injured myself.
45 minutes later and I am a new man.
Hebs with this is also a great combo, it helps supplement the treatment and recovery.
Traumeel
Traumeel is a homeopathic anti-inflammatory.
And, according to researchers, it works better than NSAIDS at reducing chronic inflammatory conditions as well as systemic inflammation caused by exercise.
Plus, you get none of the unpleasant side-effects associated with NSAIDS.
Magnesium glycinate
Workout can cause oxygen deprivation to their tissues, Oxygen deprivation can lead to muscle pain and tenderness as well as fatigue. Mag Glycinate helps with the oxygenation to the muscles allowing faster recovery. (Caution to much may cause diarrhea)
Yoga
* Increased circulation, which supports health in myriad ways
* Increased lubrication of joints and connective tissue
* Increased breath capacity
* Detoxification
* Balanced strength and flexibility
Yes, there’s a difference between just stretching and doing yoga. Simply stretching is often something people do without really knowing how to use breath or awareness to make the stretch more effective. Though yoga includes stretches within it, it’s a much more potent practice that can really affect the way you feel.
Well, there you go. There’s my list of Post Workout Recovery Techniques.
I hope this helps!
Sifu Joel
Friday, January 28, 2011
An Artical from Sifu Allen Lee
About Wing Chun Kung Fu
Generally, everyone knows learning a martial art helps to improve your physical fitness, develop discipline and gain knowledge of self-defense. However, the main purpose of practicing Wing Chun is to learn practical combat applications for use in dangerous situations.
We must always expect our opponent to have advantages over us, such as size, speed, and power. By using the practical and effective method of Wing Chun we can overcome the adversary.
Wing Chun Kung Fu, a branch of Siu Lum (Shaolin) Kung Fu, is a style that emphasizes economy of movement and combines the practical applications of using both defense and offense simultaneously.
While Wing Chun offers practitioners practical combat skills, the true essence of the style is to develop your character, discipline and dedication to stand firm in all situations. It teaches you how to accept, analyze and understand other ideas and philosophies.
One style of martial arts is not better than another. The most important thing is to gain the skill and proficiency of the style. It all depends on how the instructor guides you through the system and how you adapt the style to fit you.
In a nutshell, all martial artists agree that (1) confidence, (2) power and (3) technique are the three pillars of all martial arts. Our school has all the training to develop these three elements along with many others. Without training in this manner you will never realize the potential of any Kung Fu system.
Learning how to fight is easy; however conquering your fear is difficult. Hitting the opponent is easy, but learning to hit without exchanging blows is hard.
I thought this was a great way to summarize what we all hope to learn from our training.
Generally, everyone knows learning a martial art helps to improve your physical fitness, develop discipline and gain knowledge of self-defense. However, the main purpose of practicing Wing Chun is to learn practical combat applications for use in dangerous situations.
We must always expect our opponent to have advantages over us, such as size, speed, and power. By using the practical and effective method of Wing Chun we can overcome the adversary.
Wing Chun Kung Fu, a branch of Siu Lum (Shaolin) Kung Fu, is a style that emphasizes economy of movement and combines the practical applications of using both defense and offense simultaneously.
While Wing Chun offers practitioners practical combat skills, the true essence of the style is to develop your character, discipline and dedication to stand firm in all situations. It teaches you how to accept, analyze and understand other ideas and philosophies.
One style of martial arts is not better than another. The most important thing is to gain the skill and proficiency of the style. It all depends on how the instructor guides you through the system and how you adapt the style to fit you.
In a nutshell, all martial artists agree that (1) confidence, (2) power and (3) technique are the three pillars of all martial arts. Our school has all the training to develop these three elements along with many others. Without training in this manner you will never realize the potential of any Kung Fu system.
Learning how to fight is easy; however conquering your fear is difficult. Hitting the opponent is easy, but learning to hit without exchanging blows is hard.
I thought this was a great way to summarize what we all hope to learn from our training.
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