Creative Exercising

[Andy62]

In the 1970s Mike Dayton put out a course called "Chi MIndControl" that featured a lot of the same type of exercises mentioned in this thread. To develop the strength to do various bending and breaking feats mentioned in the link below he tensed his muscles through the range of motion and combined it with intense mental concentratation. You can do similar exercises a odd moments during the day.






http://american-kyokushin.com/cnt.akk.mike-dayton.html

[Mr Punch]

There is a good book on this, called Dynamic Strength. It is very inexpensive and has many ideas for exercises that do not require any equipment.

I noticed on the suggestions of similar books list there were three titles by Loren W. Cristensen. Has anyone read or have anything to say about his/her work?

[Mr Punch]

If you are picking up a light box pretend it is a heavy box and provide extra resistance by tensing your muscles through the entire range of motion.

Especially useful for acting skills. Also makes a good party trick... good as in so annoying someone is bound to take offecnce and try to hit you, then you get to practice your kungfu!

[Mr Punch]

I'll have to get it on video and post it. I tried it this morning and failed, which means 500 sheets of paper to pick up....

Picking up 500 sheets of paper is good exercise too! Especially if you pretend each one of them is a lump of concrete.

If you get a video of you picking up 500 sheets of paper, please make sure you're wearing a miniskirt... cos it's, er, real easy to move in a miniskirt... yeah that's it...!

[Mr Punch]

As I seem to have dropped a Useless Bomb on this thread, here are a couple of serious answers...

I like the escalator gag too Red. Have you tried

1) getting a swing off it for a dismount...
2) when you land from the dismount, tyou can further develop your leg strength and balance a little by landing on one leg, and bringing the other round in an arc over the top of the rail before you put it down...
3) the monkey swing... on the way up the escalator, try swinging two or three steps.

Getting out of your chair:

1) The Horse Stance Method. Many people practise static horse stance but don't really try using it moving. Getting out of your chair is a great opportunity! Look at how you normally get out of your chair... normally people put their feet a little back, towards the base of the chair to provide more vertical leverage to stand up. Well instead, try keeping your knees at 90 degrees forming a square with the floor and your back straight, and stand straight up. Make sure you don't stick your butt out, or lean forward when you stand, and try not to use your hands for extra momentum. Surprisingly difficult to do it with speed and lightly enough to be able to move away from the seat smoothly!

2) The Cat Leap. From any position, just jump straight up! In fact I usually jump out to the side, cos I'm normally going somewhere or writing something on the board behind me. With practise you can land almost behind the chair. Again, don't swing your arms. The trick is doing it so smoothly that people don't notice that they've just witnessed a feat of athleticism!

That's enough chair antics... sounding too much like Huang Kai Vun!

Tying your shoelaces. Bring your leg up straight and tie it in mid-air.

Wash up in horse stance... don't use a dishwasher for smalll loads - saves energy and water and gives you exercise! From horse stance you can do stretches to put things on the draining board/in the cupboards... again, when you get round to the big pots at the end, can give you a surprising workout!

[Ming Yue]

Picking up 500 sheets of paper is good exercise too! Especially if you pretend each one of them is a lump of concrete.

If you get a video of you picking up 500 sheets of paper, please make sure you're wearing a miniskirt... cos it's, er, real easy to move in a miniskirt... yeah that's it...!

lol

I'll only show the video if I'm successful at the trick, and unfortunately I was planning on wearing a Hazardous materials suit and a beekeepers hat.


on topic:
when I have to put envelopes away (the shelves are on the floor and I usually sit or use a low twisted stance to stock those shelves) lately I've been trying to cartwheel backwards (capoeira style) to stand back up. It probably looks ver very bad, but It seems like i'm getting pretty good at it.

[red5angel]

1) getting a swing off it for a dismount...
2) when you land from the dismount, tyou can further develop your leg strength and balance a little by landing on one leg, and bringing the other round in an arc over the top of the rail before you put it down...
3) the monkey swing... on the way up the escalator, try swinging two or three steps.

I have not, I'm shy

1) The Horse Stance Method. Many people practise static horse stance but don't really try using it moving. Getting out of your chair is a great opportunity! Look at how you normally get out of your chair... normally people put their feet a little back, towards the base of the chair to provide more vertical leverage to stand up. Well instead, try keeping your knees at 90 degrees forming a square with the floor and your back straight, and stand straight up. Make sure you don't stick your butt out, or lean forward when you stand, and try not to use your hands for extra momentum. Surprisingly difficult to do it with speed and lightly enough to be able to move away from the seat smoothly!

Nice, I like that just because I get in and out of my chair so much during the work day.

lately I've been trying to cartwheel backwards (capoeira style) to stand back up.

ditto

It probably looks ver very bad, but It seems like i'm getting pretty good at it.

ditto!

[Ming Yue]

I do this a LOT.

only good if your chair has arms - lift yourself up using your arms so you're hovering over your chair. pull your knees up to your chin and tuck your feet underneath you, 'indian' style is easiest, kneeling style sitting on your feet is harder.

[Oso]

sheesh, must be nice to have jobs where you don't do any real work.


"250 chair set up"

Take 250 metal folding chair and set them up in 10 rows of 25.

{about chair 120}

oh, wait, they just called and need those chairs set up in a different room in another building 300 yds away, and they moved the meeting up by 30 minutes so we now only have 10 minutes to break 120 chairs down, move them across campus and set them all up again.


I do however have a one-handed-whip-action-fajing-thingie where i pick the chair up and snap it open and set it down with one hand

[spiraler]

try from sitting, almost like a tricep dip yet you suspend your legs in front of you, and no dipping, get it? like a v sit on your hands. also for you janitorial or fast food people, mopping is easier going forward in a bow and arrow stance. you can also try standing meditation with small wristweights.

[Becca]

I also liked "Enhancing Martial Arts Performance Using Cables"
By Louis Kiss, found in the hard copy of the March/April Kung Fu Tai Chi magazine. It isn't in the on-line format (I checked) but it was a good read. It is well worth the $4 to buy it if you don't have a subscription.

The article details how to use simple, inexpensive medical tubing to get a weight-lifting quality work out with out needing the wieghts. I have started putting a set in my work bag to use when I have down time or need a pick-me-up energy wise. Takes only minutes, and dosen't take much space.