qigong and weightlifting?
caterbro
qigong?
qigong before, lift after or vice versa?
qigong while you lift- integrated resistance training?
what are potential drawbacks and problems?
I want to lift for the invigoration and strength, and I want to qigong
for the regulation of my ebergy and my health.
currently I lift twice a week, and I stand i-chuan every day,
recirculating qi exercises, and do the bone marrow sets. I am starting
iron shirt and also something called the "Yang style three secret
circles" a qigong set for yang taiji.
any, and I mean, any, comments advice or information is very much
appreciated, gentlemen and ladies.
Carl
christopher williams
"caterbro" <cate...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:446c6d08.01112...@posting.google.com...
> what are the best ways to incorporate a weightlifting regime and qigong?
I used to lift weights for 20 years, practiced tai chi for 18, found that
doing tai chi afterwards helped settle down the testosterone...
>
> qigong before, lift after or vice versa?
Before lifting you want to warmup, at least 20 minutes on the bike or
treadmill. Qigong is good afterwards with the emphasis on long, slow
breathing.
>
> qigong while you lift- integrated resistance training?
No. If you train with weights, concentrate on that. The problem is that most
people tend to hold their breath when lifting, causing extra strain. If you
get your breathing correct when lifting, it then becomes a qigong, with the
body's own rythym. You can pace your workout and have no problem working out
for longer periods of time.
>
> what are potential drawbacks and problems?
Potential drawbacks of lifting is building too heavy of upper body mass in
ratio to infrastructure size, ignoring the legs and lower back, not
stretching enough. Also, if you want to develop fajing, lifting puts
uneccesary tension on the muscle insertion points at the joints, and energy
will not flow through the joints as easily, ie you will have a hard time
"opening" and "closing" the joints.
Later in life, arthritis and the classic "muscle-bound" look after the
muscles have gone back down to more normal proportions can be problems.
>
> I want to lift for the invigoration and strength, and I want to qigong
> for the regulation of my ebergy and my health.
The trick is balance. Don't go overboard in any one direction. Tai chi and
qigong is meant to cultivate and nurture intrinsic energies, lifting weight
can have the opposite effects.
>
> currently I lift twice a week, and I stand i-chuan every day,
> recirculating qi exercises, and do the bone marrow sets. I am starting
> iron shirt and also something called the "Yang style three secret
> circles" a qigong set for yang taiji.
>
> any, and I mean, any, comments advice or information is very much
> appreciated, gentlemen and ladies.
Who is your teacher? Sounds like you are attempting too much at one time.
Best to learn one thing at a time and become very good at it before going on
to learn something else. Iron shirt, if done without a teacher, can have bad
results.
cw
Rodger
Hi Carl,
caterbro wrote:
what are the best ways to incorporate a weightlifting regime and
qigong?
I keep mine seperate. Qigong in the morning along with
some yoga
and weight training twice a week in the evenings.
The system of weight training I use is called Heavy
Duty which
is: 1 - 2 exercises per body part, 1
set each. I'm done in about 15 minutes,
20 max. Do the legs heavy once a week.
qigong before, lift after or vice versa?
A little bit of mindfulness style meditation or your
standard tan tien breathing for a about 5 minutes
or so does wonders after a workout - IMO.
Maybe a bit before hand if you are frazzled
from work or family hassels to help you focus.
Find what works best for you and your situation.
qigong while you lift- integrated resistance training?
Nope. Just keep good posture and no bouncing
the weights about.
what are potential drawbacks and problems?
Overtraining is a big one IMO as this can
sneak up on you. Another would
be aerobic conditioning. Though it should not
present a problem if your MA works up a
good sweat. One more would be the overstressing
the legs/knees, ie: doing heavy squats once a week
then practicing one of the Indo/Southern Chinese
styles that really work the knees. Also if your art keeps
you supple you need not engage in supplementary
stretching routines or worry about becomming
muscle bound.
I'd also stay away from Creatine supplements.
I want to lift for the invigoration and strength, and I want to qigong
for the regulation of my ebergy and my health.currently I lift twice a week, and I stand i-chuan every day,
recirculating qi exercises, and do the bone marrow sets. I am starting
iron shirt and also something called the "Yang style three secret
circles" a qigong set for yang taiji.
If you have reached a plateau in your weight training or
have started to get injured or even go back in your
poundages - consider 10-14 day break from weights.
any, and I mean, any, comments advice or information is very much
appreciated, gentlemen and ladies.Carl
Rodger
Barry Fishman
Buffalo NY
It brings up some very interesting points re weightlifting.
In response to the article about "Can weight training benefit Tai Chi?"
I can only 0ffer words of warning and regret regarding the stand taken
by the author, Charles T Chapin. This article as it appeared in the
volume 22 number 1 issue, can at best be described as misleading.
As a physician, Tai Chi or no Tai Chi, I advise against weightlifting as
a form of exercise, especially when done with the intent of bulking up
muscle mass. Weightlifting is anaerobic (as opposed to aerobic) in
quality and results in the heart, in essence, pumping against a brick
wall. As an exercise, weightlifting, for these reasons, does not make
any sense at all.
More specifically. as it pertains to tai Chi, weightlifting makes even
less sense. In Tai Chi, strenthening the quadricepts, muscles of the
thighs is attained through effortlessness and relaxation. This is
contrary to how strengthening is achieved with weight training.
Weight training distinctly involves effort through tension. As such, it
is a "punishing" activity. The quality of Tai Chi sets itself apart from
all other forms of exercise in that it encourages and enhances movements
that are natural to the body and mind.
Weightlifting is unnatural. the strenthening and excess toning of
muscles around the joints tends to close down and contarct joints. In
Tai Chi, the benefits arise from opening up of joints. allowing for the
free flow of qi.
Muscles developed through weight training are, in fact, slower to
respond and bulky muscle mass tends to get in the way and make one
clumsy. There is a tendency on the part of weight traiining to raise the
center of gravity by developing upper body musculature. The weight
trainer tends to take on the configuration of a triangle with its apex
on the ground, thus rendering one top-heavy, unstable, unrooted, and an
easy "pushover".
Tai Chi by emphasizing development of muscles ( that were meant to do
the work) in the lower extremeties through relaxation, results in a
configuration more consistant with a triangle, with it's base on the
ground and the head being the apex.
One need not be a "rocket scientist' to see that this is a much more
stable situation. Muscle-developing
activities such as weight training often-times involve hypertoning of
muscles in the abdominal wall. This makes it much more difficult to
lower the breath to the tan tien so important in Tai Chi practice. The
practice of weight training goes against the concept of "steel wrapped
in cotton"
In Tai Chi, the emphasis is on strengthening joint supports such as
ligaments and tendons, and not on developing muscles. Development of
muscles may be important for the external martial artist, but for the
internal martial artist muscle bulk is an impediment.
Hi Carl,
caterbro wrote:
> what are the best ways to incorporate a weightlifting regime and
> qigong?
I keep mine seperate. Qigong in the morning along with some yoga
and weight training twice a week in the evenings.
The system of weight training I use is called Heavy Duty which
is: 1 - 2 exercises per body part, 1 set each. I'm done in about
15 minutes,
20 max. Do the legs heavy once a week.
>
> qigong before, lift after or vice versa?
A little bit of mindfulness style meditation or your
standard tan tien breathing for a about 5 minutes
or so does wonders after a workout - IMO.
Maybe a bit before hand if you are frazzled
from work or family hassels to help you focus.
Find what works best for you and your situation.
>
> qigong while you lift- integrated resistance training?
Nope. Just keep good posture and no bouncing
the weights about.
>
> what are potential drawbacks and problems?
Overtraining is a big one IMO as this can
sneak up on you. Another would
be aerobic conditioning. Though it should not
present a problem if your MA works up a
good sweat. One more would be the overstressing
the legs/knees, ie: doing heavy squats once a week
then practicing one of the Indo/Southern Chinese
styles that really work the knees. Also if your art keeps
you supple you need not engage in supplementary
stretching routines or worry about becomming
muscle bound.
I'd also stay away from Creatine supplements.
>
> I want to lift for the invigoration and strength, and I want to qigong
>
> for the regulation of my ebergy and my health.
>
> currently I lift twice a week, and I stand i-chuan every day,
> recirculating qi exercises, and do the bone marrow sets. I am starting
>
> iron shirt and also something called the "Yang style three secret
> circles" a qigong set for yang taiji.
>
If you have reached a plateau in your weight training or
have started to get injured or even go back in your
poundages - consider 10-14 day break from weights.
>
> any, and I mean, any, comments advice or information is very much
> appreciated, gentlemen and ladies.
>
> Carl
Rodger
Rodger
Barry Fishman wrote:
This is a copy of an article in Tai Chi Magazine by John L starr MD FACR
Buffalo NY
It brings up some very interesting points re weightlifting.In response to the article about "Can weight training benefit Tai Chi?"
I can only 0ffer words of warning and regret regarding the stand taken
by the author, Charles T Chapin. This article as it appeared in the
volume 22 number 1 issue, can at best be described as misleading.
I have to agree. This Dr. is badly misinformed and probably
has no
real knowledge of exercise physiology or sports medicine.For
example
almost every Olympic event where strength is an factor
the atheletes
lift weights - not bodybuilding but strength training.Sadly
the good Dr.
cannot even differentiate between the two. I might add
that these
atheletes have some of the finest sports medicine people
and trainers
around. If weight training were detrimental to their performance
it
would have been dropped like a bad habit.
My biggest laugh was his position that weights make you
slow.
If he ever saw some of the Olympic style weight lifters
or some
of the heavy weight boxers go at it he'd change his mind.
Not
to mention saying weight lifting serves no purpose at
all. As
example several years ago I did piano moving (all the way up
to Grands which weight 900-1100lbs) me and one other man
would move these behemoths. Now an ordinary man
with
no strength training would be getting hernias, bad
knees or
ruptured disks. I never got hurt once in the year I moved
them which I attribute to good body mechanics and having
done weight training for several years. If circumstances
permit I'd love to have Mr. Chapin move an few Grand
pianos with me. Heck I'll give him the light end - it
only
weighs about 300 lbs. ;-)
Also he's dead wrong on the breathing aspect. Strong abs
do
not effect breathing as in Qigong practices. I know from
experience. It's an matter of learning and how to relax.
Mostly I find it sad is that Tai Chi magazine saw
fit to print
an article by an man whose knowledge of sports medicine
and exercise is basically non-existant and reinforces
stereotypes that have been demolished years ago
in other areas.
Regards,
Rodger.
Glass Eye Digital
practice qi gong. After first reading the article I had started to wonder if
what I am doing is in fact what I thought - beneficial. I have to say his
opinions seemed odd but I am not a professional trainer: I am however
experienced and well informed. I have seen exceptional health benefits and
mental ones a well from all of my training.
Its frustrating to see a reputable mag publish lies and misleading
advice. Thanks for the nudge back to sensibility!
As you think so shall you become - Bruce Lee
Brad
"caterbro" <cate...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:446c6d08.01112...@posting.google.com...