I often get asked my opinion on weight training whilst practising Taiji. The answer is not a simple yes or no.
We need to find out what is your predominate reasons for training both methods as they are on opposite end of the scale. Weight training is based in the physical, to build an externally strong body for sport and physical performance or to enhance our eye candy potential.
Some may feel that weight training will benefit their health but I personally see health as having good immunity, and the ability to fight off illness. Fitness has very little to do with health although your Dr will often merge the two together. I believe that weight training can actually hinders the process of good health (please see previous articles).
The art of Taiji is well known for its health benefits, creating a strong and agile structure with the possibility of developing extraordinary internal power, with correct and continuous practice. Taiji is not very good for developing eye candy potential, but will enhance other attractive qualities within your own true nature. There is also possibilities for spiritual and alchemy growth with prolonged and in depth practice.
There is no right or wrong answer here, but which objective are you going to put your time and effort into. If Taiji is your main goal then another question that needs to be asked is, at what level are you looking to achieve within the art. If the answer is for a general social and health well-being then weight training alongside your Taiji practice is absolutely fine. If it is to combat or reverse a serious health issue or to jump deep into the many aspects of the art itself, then I would suggest greatly limiting the amount of weight training to a very small amount or even none at all.
If we are taking up a true Taiji practice with any sort of conviction, no matter what our reasons for doing so, it will involve the cultivation of Qi. This process could be considered quite complex, so the efficiently of doing so is considerably important.
To simplified this, when we practice Taiji and Qigong we are basically conditioning or should I say re-conditioning our nervous system. It is the nervous system that enables us to develop the skill qualities needed to build up our Qi and Taiji applications.
The Yi Jin Jing (classic text) suggests that your physical and mental health must be based in Qi, and our well-being depends on the efficiency of the mind and body functioning. It must be the Qi that guides the body, not the body guiding the Qi.
To expand this a little further, the build up of Qi will have significant changes on the body. Especially regarding the Huang (fascia) or the internal connecting tissues of the body, which basically hold your organs in the correct position. It is this enhanced Huang quality that is going to make tremendous difference with our practice and health.
I have been practising Taiji for over twenty years now and I can say with all honestly that the first 10 years was spent on just learning choreography and changing the basic qualities of my nervous system.
As a young man and an external martial art competitor, strength training was vital. I trained hard for 6 days a week, lifting weights and other performance enhancing training from around the age of 13 years old. Over the years this made my body become hard, strong and externally powerful, but it also put my body in a stated of contraction (nerves switch on). This contraction restricted my flexibility, mobility and reduced the flowing capability of my fluids and Qi (although I am aware that my flexibility could have been maintained).
My nervous system became so use to this contracted and restrictive quality that I found Taiji very difficult at first. Just standing in Zhan Zhuang (standing postures) for 5 mins was a painful and unpleasant experience. The increased state of relaxation needed for the muscles and nervous system was extremely challenging, giving instruction to my muscles for them to switch off was almost impossible, as my nerves have only ever known how to be switch on.
In the Taiji classics it is said to hang the muscle from the bone, this means to have the ability and nervous system quality/skill to switch the muscle off. For most of us when we think we are relaxed, we are actually far from it, the ability to first recognise this and then have the nerve control to release the excess tension is what we are training for.
Emotional stress has a similar effect on our body and nervous system as weight training, so having a calm and quite mind is also vital for Taiji.
Once we have developed these skills or qualities, the Huang (fascia) can be absorbed in Qi, starting off the process of physical, mental and spiritual change/growth.
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