Muscle conditioning in INTERNAL Martial Arts

www.mindfulwingchun.online
It seems to have become a trend more 'internal' Kung Fu teachers to tell their students NOT to do exercises that develops and conditions their muscles! This is sad to see because they are leading their students down a path that will possibly lead to injuries in old age due to lack of resistance training.
Multiple scientific studies have shown us the importance of retaining bone density and balanced functioning musculoskeletal system is directly linked to light resistance training, so why this such teachers mislead their students is beyond me. Some even go as far as saying that once "CHI" is developed in the lower abdomen area (Dantien) you stomach will bloat and expand out and that it is a sign of having a actively 'full' Dantien!! These types of things is very humorous cause its easy to see that the person saying such things just enjoys eating and doesn't enjoy exercise and that the bloated belly is simply because a result of an unhealthy lifestyle.
Having said this, it is important to know your own body. Relaxation is the key to this internal art of Wing Chun Kung Fu. So if you already find it difficult to relax, we recommend that you do not do heavy weight lifting and instead do body weight training (such as Yoga). Once you have gained a high level of control within your Wing Chun practice, then it is okay to increase the intensity of resistance training.
What is your experience with staying active but relaxed? Comment below pls:

[@KingDariusMartial-dc2nr]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this, I thought practicing internal we just want to relax every part of the muscles in the body. I start my gym membership right now!

[@MindfulWingChun]

Its important to be able to fully control the muscular system which is to be able to both contract and release it fully. That is true control...

[@KateJohn2013England]

Hi mate, totally agree with you. That's what we were told, for every minute of external do the same internal and vice versa. Balance. We were always being told. Wing Chun is soft and hard put together. Take care, keep safe mate.

[@MindfulWingChun]

cheers mate. You stay safe too 🙏

[@magicmushroom7410]

This is legit because keanu Reeves is on the right of the video

[@MindfulWingChun]

hahahaha 👏🏼

[@fernandonunez9689]

That's why he is so badass 😂

[@wingchun-simplekungfu7584]

Same hair stylist. 1980’s 😂

[@kevinseptian5020]

Woah, a good breakthrough video. Definitely, we must balance the muscle (or i was be teach about tendon and ligament connection exercise, so we focus on everyjoints to face resistance exercises). I'm agree with you, when someone can do one test in internal kungfu, sometimes they get stuck using the relax on real fight or chisao. Appreciate your vid Sifu Nima King, everytime there's video i always open it to see and learn a new insight. Thanks A Lot, i hope we can pass this pandemic situation. God bless

[@MindfulWingChun]

Thanks for the kind words Kevin. Hope you and yours are well and staying happy and healthy during the pandemic

[@bhaskarrao3832]

very good video with loads of information. Thanks

[@MindfulWingChun]

👊🏼🙏🏼

[@wingchun-simplekungfu7584]

After training in HK in 91 I chose to stop doing push-ups . From the training I received , exercises , such as push ups didn’t feel beneficial . Unless done in a certain way. The segment you posted regarding Bruce Lee is possibly testament to this. Although CHT has the Hulk buried inside him. Somewhere. ..😒

[@MindfulWingChun]

Interesting you say that, cause I did the same when I moved here. Then around 2011, CST said that once someone learns to relax (especially the spine), they can start training their muscles and they should be able to relax. So since then I began strengthening again. I found that if done in the right way, the strengthening can bring further balance to the body (so I had a weakness around the knees, back of the shoulders and shins for example and targeted them specifically). Its very interesting stuff.

[@419sinbad]

This is really great to hear. I've been incorporating your teaching into my workouts. And I can tell you. It has increased my flexibility and strength. Sifu ,i can pulldown 100lbs using that relax open state ,as much as I can. And pull it without struggling. I then try to do it regular like tighten the grip tighten the chest arms ect ect. Things you do to do the pulldown regular and man I struggle!!

[@MindfulWingChun]

Great to hear you feel positive changes in your workouts using these concepts. Thats what I always tell people, don't just believe it but do the practice and you will feel it for yourself 👌🏼👊🏼

[@bhaskarrao3832]

curiously waiting for today's video plz being sunday.

[@MindfulWingChun]

New video is up :)

[@gnicevids]

Quick questions. Why do some wing chun practitioners wear tape across their hands. It seem to be for a reason but I want to know why.

[@MindfulWingChun]

We never do that in our lineage and I haven't personally seen ppl do it across their hands. But I've seen people do it around their wrist and forearms and I think they do it as a rashguard for when they do chisau

[@gnicevids]

@@MindfulWingChun hum ok. I see guys from WSL lineage do it was just curious. Thanks for answering. By the way the online training videos are great.

[@radikalZen]

Hai Sifu Nima, what you mean is incorporating nimtao (state) into a real life fight?

[@MindfulWingChun]

Hi, have you seen all the other videos on this channel regarding Nim Tao in this method of practice?

[@radikalZen]

@@MindfulWingChun yes, I did sifu. But I still confused. In my pov, in fight everything was chaos. How to make relaxed mind ( taigung) , in combat?

[@MindfulWingChun]

@@radikalZen Nim Tao is a State of mind yes but we get to that state through controlling the body. So the condition of the joints in the body. In depends on the level of the practitioner as to how much relaxation and open joints condition one can retain in combat. Also, its important to be used to chaos. That why for those who don't have experience with street violence they MUST put themselves out of their comfort zones in sparring to practice how to retain that kind of condition in the chaos. It certainly isn't easy, but its possible. So a simple answer for your question of how to retain that open state in a fight I would answer: 1. train hard to actually understand what Nim Tao is. How to open up the joints and be able to retain that condition under incoming force. so by doing lots of forms and chisau practice 2. If you haven't had a lot of experience in street fights, once you do have a glimpse of Nim Tao, you must put yourself out of your comfort zone is sparring (or even practicing defense against multiple attackers), to ensure you don't freeze in a chaotic situation

[@radikalZen]

@@MindfulWingChun ah , I see. Thank for englightment, sifu. 🙇 .

[@MindfulWingChun]

@@radikalZen my pleasure bro

[@stevegroganSBF]

Oh, good lord. Being tense all the time has NOTHING to do with lifting weights. This is one of the dumbest misconceptions that martial artists have. Also, muscle memory has nothing to do with remembering being tight; that is how you develop reflexes. Lastly, when he says, "Wing Chun is enough," I have no idea what he means by that. Enough to stay fit and maintain muscles? If that's it, then he's wrong. The ONLY way you maintain and/or gain muscle strength is through weightlifting. You need to push the muscle to a point of momentary muscle failure. This CANNOT be achieved even if you practice a martial art where you jump around and kick high and so on, which of course means it is even MORE unobtainable through a less strenuous art like Wing Chun. And lest anyone think I don't know Wing Chun enough to say these things, look up "Geek Wing Chun" here on KZbin. I've been in this game for a while; I know what works and what doesn't. As for how the Sifu looks the way he does despite not doing weights...well, some of us have good genetics, don't we?

[@MindfulWingChun]

Did you get the point of the video? it was to say that weight lifting is good and a positive thing. I lift myself. And yes, those who lift without doing something to relax properly ARE tense.

[@stevegroganSBF]

@@MindfulWingChun I did. Did you get the point of my comment? It wasn't that you said weightlifting is bad. It is that some of the things you said about it are incorrect. The tension those people carry around has nothing to do with weightlifting. Think about it: many workout programs tell you that you need to be in the gym 5-6 days per week, for an hour or longer. (That in and of itself is wrong, but I'm not going to discuss that here.) Also, most programs say, "Split your exercises between weightlifting and cardio." Okay, so that means if you go 6 days per week, only 3 days are weightlifting. Multiply that by an hour, and you have 3 hours of weightlifting per week, when there are 168 hours in a week. 3 hours out of 168 will make someone tense all the time? That's 165 hours spent NOT lifting. There is no way that 3 hours on versus 165 off would make someone tense all the time. They have other things going on that are NOT going to be exacerbated by weightlifting. Lastly, weightlifting does not train tension into your "muscle memory."

[@JayVincentFitness]

@@MindfulWingChunthose who lift weights and do nothing else are tense… what exactly do you mean by this? Are you sure you’re not being influenced by selection bias and simply observing bodybuilders and their “tense” appearance? What are you basing this assumption off of exactly?