Tag Archives: qigong workout

Fighting Weight: Your 6 Step Plan To Staying At Your Optimal Weight For Peak Performance

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One of the questions I get asked the most is about diet. I’ll go into the specifics of food in a later article, but here’s a 6 Step Plan to get you started!

1) Eat Early

I’m not suggesting you get up at 5 am like we do at the temple but make sure that you eat a good breakfast within an hour of waking. A study from the University of Texas showed that the fewer calories people ate early in the day, the more total calories they ate during the day as a whole. Try to eat at least 25% of your calories for breakfast.

2) Eat Before Exercise

Eating before you exercise with enhance your martial arts training and increase fat burning. Research has shown that the body burns more calories during exercise after a meal. If it’s a big meal then allow four hours, if it’s a small meal allow two hours, if you’re training early in the morning then make sure you eat a smoothie like the one I make in Urban Warrior. Ensure it contains nuts and seeds and more vegetables than fruit.

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3) Eat After Exercise

There is a two hour window after exercise when it’s best to eat food. During this time the body burns calories faster as the metabolism is still working faster. Eating a meal that contains protein, carbohydrate and water helps the body to recover, replenishes the martial artist’s glycogen stores and maximizes muscle to fat ratio.

4) Eat Mindfully

At the Shaolin Temple we eat in silence so we can meditate on our food. Try doing this in McDonalds and I think you will be put off your food. Eating mindfully helps us to really tune into our body therefore aiding our desire to eat healthy foods. It helps us to eat slowly which means there’s more time for us to feel full. Research has shown that mindful eating leads to eating less.

5) Eat Healthy

Not all calories are the same. Eat lean protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy oils and snack on nuts. Pizza is high calories with very little nutritional benefit. Nuts are high in calories and high in nutritional benefit. Try to eat food that is as close to nature as possible and stay away from processed foods. I’m not a fan of energy drinks or protein shakes. I never heard of these things till I came to the UK. While I know some of my students like to use them I don’t believe they are necessary. Best to get all your nutrients from natural food.

6) Eat Less

If you’ve got into very bad eating habits, my advice is don’t change them. Just start training in both Kung Fu and Qigong. These martial arts change your body holistically from the inside out and you’ll be surprised to find that your body craves healthy food without you having to push yourself, you’ll also find that you naturally eat just as much as you need. Remember, if you don’t eat well then you can’t train well.

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Shaolin Monk Stamina:Your 20 Day Training Plan

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Shaolin Martial Art’s is about training your mind as much as your body. Whatever you’re end goal is, stick to your plan, use your heart to make your training a routine, and find a way to love your training.
There are 5 rules that Shaolin Monks follow to gain exceptional stamina:
  • 20 Days None Stop Training – Usually it’s better for the body to take 1 day off a week. But if you want to dramatically improve your skill then train for 20 days non-stop. This applies for Qigong as well as Kung Fu. This method is a fast track to Shaolin Stamina.
  • Kill Your Muscles – you need to ache a lot! Ache is different from pain. You need to know the difference. Pain is bad. Ache is good. If you’re not aching, you’re not progressing.
  • Kill Your Lung – you are training anaerobically. This word literally means “living without air”, you need to push yourself so hard that you at your limit. It’s hard to do by yourself and you need to be careful and stay safe! This is why this is not suitable for beginners. This type of training is for martial artists who already know their bodies and want to take their martial art to the next level.
  • Do More Than You Think You Can – Just when you get to the point where you feel you can’t do anymore,  do more. When you do 20 push ups, do 21. When you get to the end of your run, sprint.
  • Take Small Steps – Start off by setting yourself small targets and build from there. If you haven’t ran for along time then don’t expect to be able to run 10k straight away. Run 3k. It’s the same with my DVDs, do half the DVD or work at a slower pace and do half the exercises and build from there.
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A martial artist trains intelligently. While building our stamina we’re also making our punch and kick quicker and stronger. This is why in my Circuit Training DVDs, I mix punches with push ups and kicks with squats. This makes your muscle lean, powerful and have quality. This isn’t about body building. We’re training to create intelligent useful muscle. A person may be able to squat with 100kg weights but they can’t raise their knee 100 times. Always remember that martial arts is different because you’re not just training for stamina, you’re training for your martial arts.
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 Your 20 Day Training Program
Before you begin your training, warm up with a run either outside, on a machine or on the spot or skip for ten minutes. Increase the length of your run/ skip each week then at the beginning of the week go back to a short run and increase your run again throughout the week.
Day 1 – Bootcamp Volume 1
Day 2 Bootcamp Volume 2
Day 3 – Circuit Training 1 – first 3 sets. Followed by 15 minutes of Qigong For Upper Body
Day 4 Circuit Training 2 – first 3 sets. followed by 15 minutes of Qigong For Lower Body
Day 5 Bootcamp Volume 1
Day 6 Bootcamp Volume 2
Day 7 Circuit Training 1
Day 8 Circuit Training 2
Day 9 Circuit Training 1 – Followed by 15 minutes of Qigong For Upper Body
Day 10 Circuit Training 2 followed by 15 minutes of Qigong For Lower Body
Day 11 Bootcamp Volume 1
Day 12 Bootcamp Volume 2
Day 13 Circuit Training 1 – 30 minutes Qigong For Upper Body
Day 14 Circuit Training 2  – 30 minutes Qigong For Lower Body
Day 15 Circuit Training 1 – 30 minutes Qigong For Upper Body
Day 16 Circuit Training 2  – 30 minutes Qigong For Lower Body
Day 17 Bootcamp Volume 1
Day 18 Bootcamp Volume 2
Day 19 Circuit Training 1 + Qigong For Upper Body
Day 20 Circuit Training 2 + Qigong For Lower Body
Click here for more details on the Shaolin Fitness bundle.
Click here or more details on Qigong For Upper and Lower Body

Click here for free e-book: Instant Zen: Your 7 Day Mind & Body Workout

 Please share in the comments below how you got on or on the Facebook page created for all the Shaolin Warrior brothers and sisters. Happy Training!

Create The Life You Want: 4 Easy Steps From The Shaolin Temple Of Zen

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I’ve just come back from teaching the Shaolin Summer Camp in China. My sisters were there to help with the cooking, my three year old daughter and my wife were there, and my students – for that time – were also part of my family.By creating a safe family environment, it took away all feeling of competition. This is really important. Especially if you want to win. The great basketball coach, John Wooden, never talked about winning. he talked about his players being the best they could be, both off and on the pitch.

P1010899Once my students were there, they had no choice. Too much choice makes us unhappy. It’s been proven by scientists. This is why Buddhist disciples and monks take precepts. Having too much choice makes the mind busy and then it doesn’t focus on the things that are important.

We started every day with a run up the mountain. Some students said they couldn’t do it but I told them they could. By the end of 4 weeks, no one questioned running up the mountain. They ran and their stamina had increased dramatically.

We trained in traditional Shaolin forms, Qigong, fighting, and stamina. No one can be good at all of these exercises but when the body is training three times a day, it’s good to vary the workouts. But the real training was the training of the mind. I hope that what everyone brought home with them was the greatest Shaolin teaching of all.

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If you really want to do something you can. You can create the life you want. 

It just takes 4 easy steps:

1) Give yourself the right environment – that doesn’t mean you have to move your body but move your mind so it’s in the right place.

2) Give yourself no choice – you’ve made your choice, stick to it.

3) Compete Only Against Yourself – Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on challenging yourself.

4) Don’t think about winning – think about being the best you can be.

With this focus, whatever the outcome, you’ve already won!

 

Shifu Yan Lei teaches a graded Shaolin path ro kung fu and Qigong. Click here to find out more about his books, DVD and downloads.

 

Don’t Be Afraid To Be The Best You Can Be

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yellow mt1-00017Without moving a muscle, imagine you’re training with me in China. You wake at 6am, hurry into your training clothes and begin your run up the mountain. You still feel sleepy, your muscles are tight from yesterday’s training, and the first bit of the run feels difficult. But soon your body warms up and as you breath in the fresh mountain air; you discover an energy you never had before.

Back at the school, your Five Fundamental Kicks that felt tight yesterday feel flexible, your stances feel grounded, and there’s a flow to your forms. We are what we repeatedly do and this everyday experience of Shaolin enables you to finally tune your body so it’s working at it’s optimum. Just like the strings on a guitar, your body is learning to be neither too tight nor too slack. It takes practice to be this natural.

Now bring yourself back to your computer screen or your smart phone or whatever you’re reading this article on. Just as I had never tasted coffee until I came to the West – and was surprised by its bitter taste – Shaolin cannot be expressed in words. The experience has to come from you.

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If you can’t come to my Summer Camp, you can create your own Shaolin environment through training at your local school or in your home with my DVDs and downloads. Shaolin is about training your heart and your heart can only be found where you are.

Sometimes I get emails from people who say it’s always been their dream to learn Shaolin. They come for a session with me and after the session, I know I will never see them again. For some people, they prefer to hold onto a dream. Reality is too different from their dream. Please don’t be this person. It means you can never reach your true potential. If Shaolin isn’t for you, that’s fine, but if you feel drawn to it then see it through.

It’s similar to the Buddhist parable of the man who loved dragons. Everything in his home had a picture of a dragon on, his bedspread, his toothbrush, his cups, his plates etc but when a real dragon popped his head through the window to say good morning, the man ran away terrified.

Don’t be afraid to be the best you can be. Don’t be afraid to be healthy and strong and fit. Don’t hide behind illness and injury and excuses such as lack of time. Martial Arts creates time because it makes you more focused in your life.

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The beauty of any martial arts is there is no victory or defeat. We all train at our own level. One stance is as challenging for an advanced student as it is for a beginner. Success is making 100 percent effort to perform at the highest level of your ability. Success is being your own champion.

Find out more about Shifu Yan Le’s Shaolin Summer Camp

Find out more about Shifu’s DVDs, books and downloads

Action Plan: 7 Ways To Live Your Best Martial Art’s Year Ever

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yellow mt1-00054Kick off 2015 with these actionable training tips that will reset your martial art’s focus and help you live your best martial art’s ever.

  1. Make A Goalless Goal  Shaolin Training doesn’t underestimate a person’s strength of body and mind. The masters knew how much we could achieve and they wouldn’t let us get away with anything less. The first goal young disciples have when they come to the Shaolin Temple is “Never Give Up“. Once that statement is made, it’s like sitting on a plane and knowing the destination is Beijing. We don’t need to think anymore about where we’re heading. Our mind is no longer caught up thinking maybe I should head to Chicago or London instead. There’s no way we can get off the plane, so we let go and focus on the journey. The goalless goal is away of simplifying our life.
  1. Just Do It  Forget willpower, it runs out. That’s why it’s important to train at least 4 times a week and if possible at the same time. Training like this changes the neural pathways in the brain and makes training a habit rather than something you have to make yourself do. Do you need to make yourself brush your teeth in the morning?

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  1. Sharpen Your Knife  Shaolin Training encompasses the fitness of a fighter coupled with the internal training of a Zen master. You’re not training in Shaolin if you don’t train both Qigong and Kung Fu. If you do another martial art, you still need to train in both of these in order to balance your body and prolong your martial art’s life. A professional cook must sharpen her knife in order for it to be functional. Qigong is the sharpening of the knife. Kung Fu is the knife being used.
  1. High Intensity Training High Intensity Training  has been used by Shaolin Martial Artists for hundreds of years. Research has shown that high intensity training is a more effective workout than longer moderate workouts. Not only that but high intensity training is the only way to keep your metabolism high for several hours afterwards which means you keep burning calories. Moderate exercise doesn’t do this.
  1. Get Bored  In order to perfect your martial art you need to repeat the same movement thousands and thousands of times. Don’t allow pride to get in your way. Practice the movements that challenge you and you find the hardest. You have to work hard, often, and consistently in order to see results.

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  1. Stretch Dynamically Why are Shaolin monks so flexible? Because we do two types of stretching: static and dynamic. The Shaolin dynamic stretching we do are the five basic kicks, and the five stances from Shaolin Workout 1. This opens the hips and warms up the leg muscles. When our muscles are warm we then statically stretch our legs.  A flexible body is a relaxed body, centered and more in tune with itself. Flexibility improves posture, makes training easier and helps the Qi to flow around the body.
  1. Be A Disciple Of The Bodhidharma The Bodhidharma gave us a roadmap with clear instructions as to how use martial arts as a meditation. Each person who learns from me, either in person or with my DVDs and downloads is a student of the Bodhidharma. In the West we tend to over complicate things. My master never allowed me to do this. Coming from a Zen Temple meant I wasn’t allowed to ask my master many questions because if he gave me answers then they would be his answers and this would cloud my direct experience. Keep  your training simple. Combine Qigong with Kung Fu. Focus on your breath and your movement. Don’t over complicate. Don’t judge yourself or others. Just do it. This means you a disciple of the Bodhidharma. This means you are training in Zen.

Shifu teaches a graded Shaolin path, you can learn from  his books, DVDs, and downloads. He designed his Never Give Up t-shirt to help you stay motivated on your Shaolin Path.

Share your experience in the comments below or on Twitter.

7 super-effective training tips from the Shaolin Temple of Zen

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Shaolin Temple Medicine BuddhaThe world of traditional physical exercise is beginning to catch up with what Shaolin martial artists have known for thousands of years. Fitness is not just about burning calories and sweating. It’s about being healthy from the inside out.  Here our 7 super-effective training tips from the Shaolin Temple.

 1. Skip stretching before your workout, your ligaments will thank you.

Stretching before a warm up has no benefit and doesn’t bolster performance.  Start with a gentle warm up and when the muscles feel warm and loose do two types of stretching: static and dynamic. If you already train with my DVDs, downloads or books then you’ll be already doing it this way.

2. Your body is smart already

Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu helps you go beyond your small individual self and find a connection with the fabric of the Universe. It doesn’t give you anything new; it simply connects you with your body’s internal power and automatic wisdom.

3. Not all workouts are created equal.

A person can look strong but this doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Body builders may be inflexible and internally weak. Yoga practioners may be flexible but ask him or her to perform a martial art’s kick and they have no power or speed. The Shaolin Workout is a full body workout which addresses every single body part and integrates flexibility and strength with power and speed.

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4. Balancing Yin and Yang is the key to health and longevity.

A bird can’t fly with one wing. You can’t be 100% healthy and fit without a balance between Qigong and Kung Fu. This is the two wings of a bird. Qigong is your Yin training, which melts the barrier between your mind and body while kung fu is your Yang training, which pushes your limits and raises your awareness of your unlimited capabilities

 5. Self-massage matters.

The Shaolin Temple has a long tradition of self-massage, which is one of the oldest healing practices. Massaging with the bamboo rods of the Instant Health Massage Brush combines sports, acupressure and deep tissue in one massage. Because the self-massage is convenient and cheap – it’s just the cost of a brush –  you can do it on a daily basis after you’ve finished your training or if you’re pushed for time, a few times a week.

IMG_07516. What you give, you receive.

Food is medicine and fuel for your body. What you give to your body, you receive. You give it fast food, you receive energy slumps, sluggishness and sugar drops. You give it wholesome food, you receive high energy, vitality and stable sugar levels.

7. No Mud, no Lotus

Lotuses grow from mud. It’s the same with you. All of your problems, all of the stuff you don’t like about your life make up the mud so that your lotuses can take root and bloom. Beautiful lotuses can only grow from the un-beautiful. Everything you experience can help you to become a happier person. The Buddha said, “It’s your mind which makes the world, speak or act with a pure mind and happiness will follow as your shadow. ”

Shifu Yan Lei teaches Shaolin Kung Fu as a download and DVD

Shifu Yan Lei teaches Shaolin Qigong as a download, DVD, and book

Qigong Takes You To The Peak Of Your Power

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yellow mt2-00021When the Bodhidharma arrived at The Shaolin Temple he found the monks were weak from sitting meditation so he developed a unique system of exercises called Qigong to energize the monks and help them gain enlightenment. Hundreds of years later, a Shaolin monk took the eight most effective movements. This is the Qigong I teach in The Way Of Qigong Volume 1  and Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout For Longevity.

While you may not want to become enlightened, you can use this simple but effective system to prevent illness, turn back the clock, have more energy, and – if you’re a martial artist – increase your martial power. Most people who do intensive exercise ( for example professional footballers, Olympic athletes) age rapidly and burn out when they’re in their thirties. I’m 41, and I still train as intensively as I did when I came to the Shaolin Temple at 13. Why do I not burn out? Because I practice Qigong. qi gong-00025

If you’re training for health then you only need to learn the 8 Treasures Qigong. But if you’re a martial artist then you need to learn the most famous Qigong forms that come from the Shaolin Temple; Xi Sui Jing and Ee Jin Gong. I teach these in The Way Of Qigong Volume 2 and 3. Ee Jin purifies the muscles and tendons and Xi Sui purifies the bone marrow. Shaolin monks have trained in these two forms for thousands of years and they continue to train in these forms because they know that this Qigong enables them to be the best at kung fu.Qigong takes you to the peak of your power.

Your Blueprint For Health

Qigong is not a secret. It just takes practice. Day by day, moment-by-moment you are building your blueprint for health. You know if you’re doing it correctly because you will:

1. Look noticeably younger

2. Have clearer skin

3. Feel calmer

4. Enter the flow more easily each time you practice

5. Feel energized after the practice even if you felt tired when you began

6. Feel a noticeable difference in your recovery time after your workout

7. Be faster and more powerful in your chosen martial art.

qi gong 2-00665The Way Of Qigong Volume 1,2, 3 are not only safe but powerful. Even if done incorrectly, they can’t harm the body; it just means they become little more than a stretching exercise.

Shaolin Qigong is the so called secret of Shaolin Monks. It optimizes the energy matrix of our body so we can be the best we can be not only in our martial arts but also in our life. Shifu Yan Lei teaches 8 Treasures Qigong in The Way Of Qigong Volume 1 ( DVD & download) & Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout For Longevity ( book and DVD) Shifu Yan Lei teaches Sui Jing and Ee Jin Gong in The Way of Qigong Volume 2 and 3 ( DVD and download)

Find out how a stressed out mum benefited from Shaolin Qigong

Fix Stress With Qigong

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Qigong Exercise

Stress is a natural part of our life. The way we react to stress plays a major role in the health of our mind and body. Seventy-five percent of all doctor’s office visits in the USA are for stress-related ailments and complaints. If we don’t return our mind and body to its natural relaxed state then stress can lead to ill health or anxiety and depression. Stress is very easily fixed with the practice of simple Qigong movements.

Last month, a business man came to me who worked 50 hours a week. The doctor told him that if he continued to live like this, he would probably have only ten more healthy years to go, he is forty-five years old. Through training twice a week with me and working with my Qigong Workout DVD at home, he’s now got his mind and body back and the all clear from his doctor. It’s really simple to take control and fix stress.

Your 7 Step Fix Stress With Qigong Plan

1) STOP ( even just for five minutes). When we are “stressed-out”, it’s very difficult to stop but this is what we must do. It’s amazing what a five minute Qigong Timeout can do.

2) HAVE FAITH. Doubt reduces our energy. Qigong induces a meditative state. Neuroscientists have found that these ancient practices “can increase our well-being and quality of life.”

3) JUST DO IT. Find a place the size of a yoga mat and do Qigong. Start by following my video below.

4) LET GO. Whatever comes up, thoughts, plans, worries, gently let them go.

5) COMMIT TO FIVE MINUTES AM & PM. You’re stressed and you’re busy so commit to just five minutes in the morning and five minutes before you go to bed.

6) KEEP IT SIMPLE. All you have to do is follow your breath and movement. It’s that simple. Don’t complicate it with anything else.

7) CONGRATULATE YOURSELF. You’re now on the path of the Shaolin Warrior. You’re increasing your wellbeing and your sense of clarity and flow. You’re taking control of your life.

 “The Shaolin Zen Masters never underestimated our potential for peace, happiness, and enlightenment. They gave us the keys, all we need to do is put the action in.”

Click HERE to find out how my Qigong Workout helped a stressed out mum

Click HERE for more information on Instant Health: The Qigong Workout For Longevity.