Abdominals

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

Hey!

I've recently downloaded an e-Book about Abs Training. It's supposed to be the traditional Shaolin abs training. But is it true....

I've also noticed that many shaolin monks or disciples I've seen have werid belly. They have great abs but they look different from an american's abs after practicing a lot of crunches or sit ups. I don't know if you've noticed that too... It's like if their belly was always pulled in or I don't know. The two upper abs are like separated from the four others..

I would like to tell me what are the exercises performed by the shaolin monks or disciples or students. Are they practicing something different from crunches and sit ups? Could you explain each exercise. And tell me if you've been there in China or training with some of the monks. What is the traditional abs training of shaolin and what makes their belly looking different.

Thanks a lot

[doc]

Their bellies look different because they don't have any fat on them.

Unlike us.

Has to do with diet, shitty living conditions, and exercise. I have not noticed any sort of routine "sit up" type training over there, but, if you train in those schools four to six hours per day, doing gong fu, most muscle groups in the body are going to get a workout.

[tetsumaru]

Our western minds think there is some magical easy path (or pill) that will give you abs of your dreams. It is simple just practicing your routines daily and not eating the junk food that most westerners eat and stop drinking so much soda.

This is the ab routine I usually do in the morning (but just working out your abs isn't going to give those sexy monk abs) :

1:30min of regular crunches - good form and as you conintue to have good form speed it up
1:30min of side crunches (left and right side)- lay on your side place you hand behind your head and crunch up (bring the elbow to your hip)
1:30min "back-ups" - lay on your stomach and raise your chest off of the floor while looking up
1:30min leg raises - lay on your back and pull your knees to your chest

do it everyday when you wake up
EVERYDAY

-you might feel sore after the first couple days
-speed it up when you feel you can maintain the same pace throughout the 1:30min
-later on you can increase the time by :30sec

It is easy. Whether you end up with "monk abs" depends on you. This alone wont give you monktastic abs. Try practicing one of your forms/routines 10x in a row without breaks in between. The combination of strength training and cardio burns the fat off your belly along with eating good things. The main thing is consistency. Everyday. Discipline. That is the path. It sucks. It fantastic. or as shi yan ming would say "it's BEAUTIFUL!".

[master splinter]

those tips listed above are good. you can also do v-sits by laying down and raising your legs and doing a sit-up at the same time, and then holding this position for an extended period of a time, just like you would a yoga pose or a horse stance. toes point to your fingers or outward. also, if you are going to work the abs, be sure to work the opposing muscle groups in the back, i think balanced muscle development is important in martial arts.

oh yeah, but if youre a fatass you may want to work on that, or all your pretty muscle will be buried under all that rice. My godson was born with no bodyfat and he looked pretty buff too.

and if you're just doing it to get pretty, get outta here and buy a abflexor or somethin you weenie. jk, well actually no, im not.

[zachsan]

Our western minds think there is some magical easy path (or pill) that will give you abs of your dreams.

We do?

Despite the money being made by get-fit-quick infomercials (and there is quite a bit), I think the majority of Americans understand that long-term diet and exercise are the only way to get and stay in shape. Most people who are into the supplement thing are also working out regularly. It's just that some of us just don't care so much about fitness (case in point, me), and some of us don't want to hear it. The Magical Fat-Burning Qi Machines and Electro-Pulse Muscle Shockers appeal to the latter group.

[master splinter]

bingo,

There you have it. If the majority of americans think like zachsan (very likely) then
there is your answer. Americans just dont give a crumb of sh*t about fitness, and monks devote their life to it. thats why their abs look "different". Its either that or my other theory, asians are from another planet.

[zachsan]

Its either that or my other theory, asians are from another planet.

It's that and the reasons doc mentioned above. I'm sure there are plenty of monks or disciples thereof who would love to get fat if they only had the chance.

[master splinter]

tru dat,
only in america can you find a 1000+ pound man being lifted out of his house in an emergency evac, through a hole in his roof, by a crane.

damn i love my country.

[master splinter]

if fat is energy, then oprah must pack a heckuva whallop. oprah and my fat neighbor who drinks beer all day.

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

Well thanks a lot for your comments

Thanks for suggesting exercises but I'm already performing some of them and some others too, I'm not "a beginner" to abs training. I have proper diet too and I'm living my life in training just like monks, well maybe at a lower intensity though.

What I want to know is the exercises they use at Shaolin. Doc said he doesn't remember a "sit up" type routine. Really, Doc? You've never seen the monks or disciples performing crunches or stuff?

Something you guys also brought up is that yeah maybe their belly look different because of their 0% bodyfat and shitty conditions. But I wouldn't believe it's the real cause. I would think they have some exercises for the belly that involves some Qi Gong routine like pulling in and out the belly during the exercises. You know the shaolin bowl skill? Well some stuff like that...

However if you look at this


[EDIT: hmm ok the picture has been cut ... look at the picture on http://us.amazing-fitness.com ]

It doesn't look much different from a guy training with crunches and sit ups and leg raises and V-ups...

So where I got the e-Book is at

http://us.amazing-fitness.com/

I've just noticed they don't mention "Shaolin" on the English page, unlike the French one...


So really, tell me if you've seen a Shaolin pracitionner doing exercises different from normal american ab training.

THanks a lot

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

Well here is the file, have you ever seen these exercises anywhere?
Would you say it's Shaolin in anyway?

Abs Training Of Shaolin.pdf 460 KB

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BMKP2X0F

[LeiYunFat]

Download/buy/read, Bulletproof Abs by Pavel Tsatsouline. If you're working one muscle out for 30 min, you're working too long. Also, if you want better definition, or bigger ab muscles, you're going to have to add weight.

[LeiYunFat]

I don't know, 30 min of the same exercise doen't train much except getting used to doing that much. Instead, try abdominal exercise variations, like, as was said before, v-ups, planks, stability ball planks, leg lifts, incline leg lifts, reverse crunches, crossovers, flutter kicking, side-ups...

[Maestro]

https://www.bodybuilding.com

best site for just about everything to do with building any muscle. plus alot more..

i do alot of crunches but the ones in that pdf were ok...

u have to work the obliques(think thats how they spelled) and the upper and lower abdomen, alot of people do the same crunches or situps and only get definition in one area, because the disregard doing different crunches

the best way to get good abs is to do cardio and when doing the crunches do em all out, when u feel the burn, chase it

[LeiYunFat]

I've always had trouble with the obliques...

Basically, if you want to have your muscles stronger, use high weight for about 4-5 reps, 5 or less sets. For size, 8-12 reps with moderate weight and as many sets till you fail. For endurance (doing the same weight more times) 20+ reps for a lot of sets.