Strength And Power Training


Strength and power are incredibly important elements of Shaolin training, although not in the way typically seen in the West. While weights are used, they are not solely for building muscles mass. Instead, strength training will seek to add power functionally. Here are some examples of strength training from my last academy in China.

Legs

Frog jumps, Cossack jumps, duck walks, step ups, squats, squat jumps, sprints, toe jumps (don’t bend the knees at all), one legged jumps.

All of these are fantastic for building power in your legs. If you simply find an empty basketball court you can do all of these. Do one set of the frogs, Cossacks, duck walks, sprints, toe jumps and one legged jumps up and down the court, plus 100 squats, 50 squat jumps, and 100 step ups, or rather, step up jumps (find a smallish step, step up and launch up into the air, coming back down on the other leg) you will find your functional power improving enormously within a very short period of time. Beware though, After this you might not be able to walk properly for a few days. It’s really intense, at least at first. Take some time to get used to it and then increase to doing it once every couple of days.

An old Shaolin trick to increase jumping height would be to dig a small hole and jump just using the calf (not bending the knees). When that was achieved, the hole would be dug slightly deeper, then deeper still. I’ve seen my masters jump to absolutely incredible heights, having according to them practiced this as children.

Core

When people think core, many think of a six pack. This is absolutely not what I mean. You can have a very strong core and still not have a shiny six pack. At the same time, you can have a six pack and still have an incredibly weak core. Your core goes all the way around the waist. My master once told me of an old Chinese kung fu saying that if one has a weak core, (waist as he put it) one can train for a lifetime and still not achieve a high level. Why is the core so important? It helps to transfer an enormous amount of power from the ground into our arms and hands while punching. Any wrestling will be using the core. When you kick, your hips will twist providing power, which uses the core.

So how to train your core?

You have to train all the way around your waist, front, sides and back. Starting with regular sit ups, moving on to lifting your legs and body is good. A great one to work towards is hanging from a bar and lifting your legs straight up to your hands. This will be incredibly hard at first but you will get there eventually. Aim to keep your back straight. For your back, lie on a bench, securing your legs, with your torso able to hang. Use your back to lift your body up. The same can be done on each side.

Eventually you will find what works for you. Just don’t be lazy with core work.

A great exercise we would often do is the plank. Put your legs up on a raised bar or platform and keep your body straight for 10-15 minutes with hands on the ground. Another good exercise is with a 20 kg weight, keep arms straight, legs slightly apart and lift the weight over your head from one side of the body to the other, aiming to use your waist to twist rather than your arms.

Arms

Anything heavy bag work will improve the power of your punches and kicks. In Shaolin kung fu, the forearms are very important. This is because having a strong grip is fundamental to being able to perform grappling movements. We would often have a long stick, thinner at one end than the other, and with a straight arm, holding the thinner end, slowly move the stick from one side to another.

Another is to get a weight on a string and attach it to a stick. Holding the stick, try to wind up the weight and wind it back down, first forwards, then backwards. Obviously the heavier the weight the more work you’re doing. Another is simply to hold your arms out and clench your fists. Aim for 100-200 times each fist. By the end your forearms will be burning.

Other

Pull ups are fantastic upper body workouts. Anything that uses your own body weight is great because you don’t need to go to a gym to get your workout. Remember that a gym body is not a Shaolin body. My masters were nothing impressive to look at, however their bodies were rock hard and their muscles able to produce a lot of power. Remember that the monks of old wouldn’t have had state of the art gym equipment and were able to achieve fantastic things. You can too.