how much training?

[elias]

how often do you guys train? i i just want to get a general consensus on how long people train. sometimes i feel like i dont train enough, but other times i feel a bit fatigued and my body heats up really easily, even though i know i can physically keep going. is it a bad idea to continue to train like this or should i relax a bit and give my body time to rest?

[Inga]

hi elias, can you please be more specific. what do you do for training? this is for shaolin kung fu? do you attend classes or is this training at a gym or at home?

[elias]

this is for shaolin kung fu at a YMAA school. i go to class and i do what i can at home. right now i think its my legs from ma bu training. ive noticed ive improved, but i dont know how much is too much.

[Inga]

well, i don't know how fit you were before you started learning kung fu, but if you eat right, get enough sleep and are just sore i would guess you are simply adjusting to your new regime. when i started kung fu just over a year ago i had been fit in the past, but was otherwise healthy. i started slow, attending class twice a week and just stretching out at home. i was often very achy and stiff (lactic acid?). now i attend class four nights a week, and train at home. i rarely get sore anymore, just have the odd pull or strain. sometimes i have a little trouble getting motivated at home (the lazy, "i'm too tired i'll do this tomorrow" thing) but once i get going i'm fine. in class i warm up very quickly but we have fans in the room which help quite a bit, and i now have a fan at home too. i think i had the benefit of being very fit in my teens/early twenties to my advange, my muscles came back and slowly some of my flexibility has as well. hopefully someone with more experience and knowledge will post you a further reply, but that's my response as someone who is also fairly new.

[dc]

currently, i only get the chance to train 2-3 days a week at the most and only for 1-2 hours. if you're looking to improve quickly, i suggest practicing more than that...how much is up to you.

if you are sore, do light static stretching of the muscle, but focus your training routine that day on movements that don't stress that particular muscle.

if you are tired and feel like you aren't improving, i suggest rest. sleep is awesome, don't forget that. you can also change up the exercises you are performing or your training schedule.

i also suggest taking qigong classes, because if you feel you absolutely can't do anything external one day, there's still a whole other half of the spectrum you can develop.

[scramasax57]

when your muscles are beginning to feel fatigued, that is when the real training starts. if you stop every time you start feeling that burn, you won't gain any strength. you have to go over that threshold and keep working to make any progress. the way you know to stop is if you start feeling faint, like you might black out. then it's time to stop, walk around for a bit, no more than a sip of water, and concentrate on returning your breathing to normal.

pulled muscles are caused by training without properly warming up and stretching, or by demanding way too much work from it. you'll never pull a muscle just from training for an extended period of time, there has to be some other factor.

the only real sign you should stop training is if you feel dizzy or faint.

and i agree with dc that if on some days you just don't feel up to hard physical training, that would be a good time to work on the other side of the martial arts. qigong exercises, meditation practice, candle watching, leaf counting, these are all things you can do when your body is not up to external training. however if your mind is also tired, it's best to nap or do the simplest meditation practice (sitting cross-legged, clear your mind, keep it that way). you'll feel re-energized after, and it's pointless to practice anything else if you can't focus.

[WCkungfu]

I find that hard, physical kung fu often wakes up my "tired" mind or body.

[Inga]

hey chris, "welcome back", erm sorta seeing as you've only been gone 4 days, haha. WC - is that for white crane? do you attend a ymaa school? yes, i agree with you wholeheartedly..training hard can really energise me when i am low physically and/or mentally. i get simliar effect from qigong, which is a good way to start the day. esp. if you have to face young children (like i do) :)

[WCkungfu]

Hey inga,
No i dont belong to the YMAA asosiation but I do go to a White Crane club
(Actually its combined with tiger as well). You can check out our website at http://www.fwckungfu.com/servlet/baihe/ ... omePage.vm
. Enjoy!

[Inga]

cheers, that was interesting. good luck with your training.

[misterwhite]

Taisen Deshimaru, Zen Monk, states in several of his books, "Train more than you sleep".


Bulgarians developed a training method in the 1970s which involved 3/4 mental training, 1/4 physical training. This "mental training" has been used by such athletes as Jack Nicholas, Wilt Chamberlayne, and many famous rugby players whose names I don't remember.


Example: training your form. You can train your forms for a couple hours each day by physically doing the motions. When you have faitgued yourself to the point where the practice becomes sloppy, you can run through the forms in your mind for hours further without being sloppy.


One concern about physical training which is mentioned in Dr. Yang's books is "energy dispersion", or throwing too much Yang energy into the body over too long a period.


Professional athletes cycle their training to prevent damaging their bodies and burning out. They divide the training year into competitive cycles. Some runners have two competition cycles, some like football players have only one.


The bulk of the weeks within the training cycle involve low intensity training. The bulk of the hours spent involve training at intensities that are, to quote Sleamaker "guilt producingly easy".


Different training intensities are required to become the best you can be. If you always train hard, you will damage your body, lower your life expectancy, and never realize your optimum potential.


Although I doubt you will ever find a kwoon, dojo, or dojang that has a training program of anything other than full tilt every day of every week.

[mike waits]

About a year ago I was training about 6hrs a day, 6 days a week. I just had the kung fu fever, I guess. Lately I have been traing 4 days a week anywhere from 4-6hrs.
Dr. Yang also mentions to be at a high level of Taiji Quan. They would practice 8hrs a day everyday for 10 yrs.<I guess that's how Yang the Invincible became invincable>
Traditional Shaolin Monks would practice from sun up to sun down.
Remember Kung fu means time and energy, there are no short cuts.

[SunTzu]

Living inside a capitalistic environment is very very different than spending your days in a nice and quiet monastery. So I wouldn't recommend training more than you sleep for the rest of your life. 4-6 hours a day for 5 to 6 days a week is more than enough if you have a day job.

[DOM]

Mike still training with the same kung fu master? 4 to 6 hours a day,man that's hard core dude.I gess you have no time for skate boarding anymore.Will you be at the summer crane seminar?

[David Grantham]

Hey Everyone,
Some really great answers for sure. The one thing I think you have missed is within the word training itself. What type of training? Fortunately for us in the martial art world there are many things to which you can continue to train throughout the day. Dont get stuck in the matrix and think only of the physical training of forms and sparring. There are many things you do everyday which you can incorporate your training from your class to the outside world. For instance, how do you open a door? Of course that is physical, how about breathing techniques, or how do you train your mind. Remember Kung fu is about your life and how you conquer yourself thoughout the challenges presented to you as well as how you act outward toward others. All these things can be interpreted as training, the question is do you apply yourself in such a manner.

Happy Training ,
Dave
PS. yeah I used to physically train 4-6 hours a day for 7 days week. Now life has changed a bit (family, job, etc.) and I find myself training all day long everyday. Remember not everything is physical .
By the way, Grandmaster Li always says; no matter how hard you train there is always someone out there somewhere who is training harder. Think about it.