Tim, and Mike S, if you see this,
I'm curious your take on core strength training and its relationship to internal strength training. I'm referring to exercises designed to work from the abdominal region, using the abdominals and gluteus muscles as the main muscles to stablize the body and generate power. Is there a realtionship to IMA strength training?
Are these good supplemental exercises?

Walter

Having a strong "core" will be beneficial to any athletic endeavor.

Walter,

This is another example of the BASE vs SPECIFICS paradigm which seems to be dominating alot of the discussions at the moment.

In this case a strong core(base) allows you to move the body as one piece/unit, then you can 'choose' to specialize or train specific movements towards particular goal/s.

Correctly derived base skills are transferrable and beneficial to many endeavours and situations, while the price or cost of specialisation is a lack thereof.

Probably the best illustration from a martial arts perspective i can think of is the Cheng Man Ching 'story', about him not being able to lift a ten pin bowling ball (extreme 4ounces to deflect 1000).

If you want to build core strenght look into doing muscle restructure excersises. these excersises build the muscle from the bone out, making the tendons and ligamints strong, unlike weights that mostly build the muscle bellys. Check out noweightsworkout.com for mor info. These excersise will make your muscles extremly hard and more functionable for M.A.

Thank you both.

The noweightsworkout.com site was great. It has some buffed guy moving his arms around and claiming this is the new thing in fitness. And what a surprise, he has workout videos that he is selling. I got a suggestion, check out stayinbedworkout.com or dontwasteyourmoneyonstupidstuff.com

Agree, there may be some benefit but nothing new, nothing unusual.

The creator of the noweights system also has an article on that website advocating his take on the secrets of retaining sperm for making you a better athlete; however, I think the crazy general who was obsessed with losing his "vital fluids" in the classic movie -- Dr. Strangelove -- demonstrated more clearly why it is important not to carry any aspect of sexuality to extremes.

Oh, and it's a very funny movie whose satire is still sadly relevant today.

For people interested in dynamic tension training, I recommend Harry Wong's book "Dynamic Strength" available from Unique Publications.

I read that book last year. I got it through interlibrary loan. (My public library system borrowed it from another library system somewhere in the country). Good stuff.

My daughter has scoliosis and is in a torso brace 20 out of 24 hrs daily. My son has been diagnosed with autism (aspergers specifically) and he lacks coordination and upper body strength. I am 41 yrs old and plump and not liking it. My question is what type of excersise could we as a family do together that would meet each others individual needs. I've heard building core strength is fundamental to overall health and balance. Any good books available that teach some basics. I really want to get started on this. Thanks jla

Dificult situation. Problem is everyone has diferent needs, abilities, and level of desire to work at the exercises. Might be better if everyone had their own individualized routine, but you all did them in the same room at the same time for mutual support. You may want to talk to a bonified physical therapist (not just any club 'trainer' as many get their 'certification' by mail order.

JLa,

Check out those Swiss Excersise/balance balls. Autistics love them (the one's I worked with) and a good workout with the ball would be beneficial for your daughter as well.

I can't think of their names, but there are several instructors with good DVD workout programs which are surprisingly good.

Shane

My two favorite books on the subject are:

Harry Wong's book "Dynamic Strength"
(great for martial artists since he is a very accomplished kungfu practitioner and even mentions MA specific benefits for each exercise)

and

John Peterson's book "The Miracle Seven"
(the name is catchy, but does not mean there are only seven exercises. He covers the McSweeney 7, then 7 routines with 7 exercises each that are all solid traditional exercises shown properly)

Both are nice paperbacks, with a reasonable $10-$15 price. And both are on amazon.com

Rotational movement is key- most important aspect of specific transfer to martial arts. Check out a book or two on medicine balls, and visit a Indian Club or Clubbell website.

http://www.crossfit.com/

This is a great website about "Forging Elite Fitness the Minimalist Way"

Check out the exercises page. They have a lot of videos and slideshows of the exercises they use.

I like crossfit too but some of their exercises, and especially their routines, are quite advanced. I would recommend staring with basic movements/routines first if you're not an advanced athlete.

My favorite book on core training is "Stronger Abs and Back." You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0880115580/qid=1114227057/sr=8-1/r ef=pd_csp_1/104-0737050-7276757?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

What makes the book special is that it breaks the 165 exercises it shows down into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. It also does a good job of helping you set up a program so you can progress through those different levels. Since it does that, I doubt I'll ever outgrow it, a real concern with some exercise books.

I've also found that it does wonders for that intense low-back pain that too much tian gan and xiantian bagua practice can cause.

Dave C.