Tag Archives: shaolin kung fu workout

A Complete Guide To Shaolin Kung Fu

February 23, 2015bootcamp training, circuit training, dvd kung fu, fitness, High Intensity Training, HIT, HIT training, HIT training and the martial artist, ki gong, kung fu circtui training, martial arts, shaolin bootcamp, shaolin kung fu, shaolinkung fu workoutgong fu, gung fu, kung fu books, kung fu dvd, kungfuworkout, shaolin kung fu, shaolin kung fu workout, shaolin temple, shaolinworkoutShifu Yan Lei Team

If you don’t have a Shaolin teacher near you my Shaolin Warrior Programs give you instant access to the authentic teachings you would learn if you entered the Shaolin Temple. In order to learn Shaolin Kung Fu, you need to respect yourself and respect your teachings. Train regularly, five- six times a week and clearly define your goal. Why are you training? Do you want to learn Shaolin as a martial art? Or do you want a fast track to fitness?

My original goal was to test my skills. I was a very angry 15 year old who was always getting into fights. My Master – who is now the Shaolin Abbot – was fed up of coming to the police station to get me out of jail so he sent me to a very well known Zen master.

In the Cultural Revolution when Mao was destroying all the temples, this master risked his life to stay in the temple. For many years he lived in this destroyed temple and when Buddhism was allowed to flourish again he started to re-build the temple. Every morning he would sit in meditation and chant and I would train. He asked me to sit with him but I had no patience to sit. After a few weeks of trying to get me to sit he told me to make training my meditation.

When I came back to the Shaolin Temple, my training was no longer a way of being able to learn new fighting techniques so that I could conquer other people but it became my meditation.

Shaolin transformed my life, and it’s my goal to help as many people transform their lives. I’m very happy that thousands of students all over the world now train with my DVDs and books.

In this post I give a quick overview of each Kung Fu Program program, what benefit they will give you and some suggested training programs.

If you want to learn Shaolin as a martial artist then you need to start with Shaolin Workout 1, 2, and 3. If you’re not so bothered about Shaolin martial arts but you want exceptional stamina then train with Shaolin Bootcamp and Shaolin Circuit Training.

Shaolin Workout 1 is exactly the same as if you were stepping into a class at the Shaolin Temple. Don’t expect to keep up and understand everything. As you keep studying with the DVD, you will slowly see improvements and gain an understanding. Once you’ve mastered the five fundamental kicks and the five fundamental stances, even if you still can’t keep up, you’re ready to move onto Shaolin Workout 2.

One of the reasons for moving up quickly is so that your body doesn’t reach its plateau, in order for your body to keep improving, you need to keep surprising it and keep finding the edge of your training. Alternate between Workout 1 and Workout 2.

If you’re only interested in fighting techniques and not traditional Shaolin then skip Workout 1 and 2 and go straight to Workout 3, where you learn fighting kicks and fighting punches and combinations.

As a martial artist continue to come back to these three DVDs, and now to improve your strength and stamina and challenge your body even more, add in Shaolin Bootcamp 1 and 2. These DVDs use your own body for strength training and are more challenging in terms of stamina.

You can alternate the days so now you have a complete 5-day workout:

Monday: Workout 1

Tuesday: Workout 2

Wednesday: Workout 3

Thursday: Bootcamp 1

Friday: Bootcamp 1

Saturday: Self-train without the DVDs perfecting your techniques.

If you’re a fighter or you want to work more on your stamina and modern fighting techniques then alternate between the Circuit Training DVDs and the Bootcamp DVDs. Circuit Training Volume 1 focuses on punches and Circuit Training Volume 2 focuses on kicks.

It’s good to do each of the Circuit Training DVDs twice a week:

Monday: Circuit Training 1

Tuesday: Circuit Training 2

Wednesday: Bootcamp 1 or 2

Thursday: Circuit Training 1

Friday: Circuit Training 2

Saturday: Bootcamp 2

With the Bootcamp DVDs, correct form is not as important as pushing your strength and stamina. If you’re working with all 7 of the DVDs then work out a program that fits with your goals.

I have two other kung fu DVDs, these are more specialist DVDs specifically for martial artists, Fighting Punches and Kicks Volume 1 is exactly what the title says Kung Fu Ch’an and Fighting Punches and Kicks Volume 2 teaches takedowns so you need a partner to practice with, Kung Fu Ch’an demonstrates how kung fu can be a direct gateway to the teachings of Ch’an Buddhism or Zen, this is not a teaching DVD as such.

You can share your training experiences with other students by joining this Facebook page.

All of the DVDs and downloads are available at www.shifuyanlei.com

Train like a Shaolin Monk this summer in China

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

November 11, 2014chinese energy exercsies, fitness, health and wellness, kung fu, martial arts, mindbodyworkout, qigongworkout, shaolin temple, wellnessbamboo brush, kung fu online, medicine buddha, qi massage, qigong self-massage, qigong workout, shaolin kung fu workout, shaolin temple of zenShifu Yan Lei Team

The 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.

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.

6. 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

5 Fundamental Training Tools Of A Shaolin Kung Fu Monk

November 4, 2014health and wellness, kung fu, martial arts, shaolin templefive fundamental kicks, gong fu, kung fu, kung fu download, shaolin kung fu, shaolin kung fu workout, shaolinworkout, shaoln stances, train like a shaolin monkShifu Yan Lei Team

A house can only stay strong with good foundations. It’s the same with your kung fu. The movements in Shaolin Workout Volume 1 are your foundation. If you were to get on a plane and study at the Shaolin Temple in China, these are the movements you would learn.

These exercises were created thousands of years ago so why do Shaolin Monks still study them? Because they’re the only movements where every muscle is engaged and you’re simultaneously building flexibility, strength, endurance, balance, and power in one fully integrated unit. They then teach you how to move in your modern life, whether that’s carrying your groceries home or climbing the stairs to the subway. Everything becomes part of your training: total mind-body wellness.

The tools you need for total- mind body wellness are the same tools you need as a Shaolin martial artist.

Stamina – Shaolin stamina training consists of short bursts of intense exercise. Research has shown that it’s one of the most effective ways to build fitness levels and lose weight.
Flexibility – Shaolin Monks stretch the whole body from the neck down and include dynamic stretching as well as static.
The Five Fundamental Kicks – These kicks are one of the reasons Shaolin Monks are so flexible. Don’t underestimate them. They open the hips at the same time as stretching the leg. (I practiced hundreds of them every day as a boy at the temple and still practice them today. They are a great warm up for fighting kicks and bag work.)
The Five Fundamental Stances – Stances work the legs as hard as any squat or lunge and there’s a purpose to them, self-defence, internal and external strength, as well as acting as a gateway to the forms.
Traditional Combinations – These ancient forms come from nature. They awaken the body, helping us to let go of our small self and experience a connection with the very fabric of the Universe. They bring us closer to the meditation experience of Zen.

We call it the Shaolin Workout but we could call it the Zen Shaolin Workout because all of the movements are done with your heart and mind fully engaged. If you’ve been training with my DVDs and downloads for many years, always remember to go back to Shaolin Workout Volume 1 and go through the fundamentals of your training.

If you’re just starting out then do Shaolin Workout Volume 1 for about 6 weeks before moving onto the next one. Don’t get too comfortable. It’s imperative to vary your routine. Once you know the moves and you can go through the workout then work with Volume 2 and Volume 3 so your weekly warrior training will look like this: Monday – Workout 1. Tuesday – Workout 2. Wednesday – Workout 3. Thursday – Workout 1 . Friday – Workout 2 or 3. Saturday – Self-training without the DVDs.

The training is designed to transform you into a martial artist. This means you become fighting fit, flexible, have strong willpower, inner confidence, sharp reflexes, peaceful sleep, an abundance of energy, look younger than your years, and there is a glow to your skin and eyes.

Shaolin Workout Volume 1, 2 and 3 are available as a download and DVD

Join the Shaolin Warrior Facebook page for students studying with Shifu Yan Lei around the world.