One of the best pieces of equipment you can use for core and balance training is the BOSU. Because it decreases your stability, you have no choice but to engage your core to hold yourself in position. And two of my favourite exercises are in the video. They are   1. Cross Body Mountain Climbers 2. Suicide Planks Anyway here's the video. Check it out and give it a try!

One of the most important things about learning a martial art is how valid it is. Does it actually work and is there a history? You certainly wouldn't want to learn from someone who just made it up themselves. In my case, my Ving Tsun family tree can be traced back to famous Grandmaster Ip Man. There have been many movies made about him, but of course the real man didn't do all those things on screen. He was however a great martial arts fighter and a great teacher.    So Ip Man taught Moy Yat. Moy Yat taught Sunny Tang. Sunny…

Sometimes I get asked my opinion on Cardio Boxing so I figured I'd just write about it. Short answer is NO. I don't think it's useless. I'll admit that there was a time when I thought it was, but that was at a time when I was more immature and I failed to ask one of the most important questions in fitness? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS? I mean not everyone is willing to get punched and kicked for real? It hurts and isn't the most pleasant experience. Believe me, I've been punched and kicked countless times. That being said, it…

Working within your limitations is something we all have to do. And one of the things I've helped people with over the years is help people get fit who are in wheelchairs. I spent a number of years helping a man at a fitness center in East Toronto called Variety Village. Doing that not only helped him but it was a great learning experience for me. In this video I'll go over some of the exercises which I taught him. It's a combination of breathing, Qigong, and strength training. Here are the exercises.   1. Breathing 2. Reverse Breathing 3. Serving Teacups 4. Lion Rolling…

We see martial arts everywhere. In films, on TV, MMA, etc. Now especially, MMA or mixed martial arts is very popular and has to a large degree taken over a lot of the martial arts world. Even martial arts such as Western Boxing seem to have taken a backseat to MMA.   However, even though we may see MMA gyms popping up everywhere and traditional martial arts seem to be decreasing in popularity, it doesn't need to be that way and I also don't think it will be forever. Actually the way I see it, they're one and the same. Many may…

One of the most neglected body parts is the neck. Everyone loves training their chest, biceps, and abs. But often when it comes to legs, back, triceps, people just don't put in the work. And when it comes to things like calves, forearms, and necks, it's even worse. But the neck is one of the most important muscles in your body. It's responsible for your posture, alignment, and overall body strength. In the Burmese martial art of Lethwei, they allow headbutts. And because of this they take neck training very seriously. This video will demonstrate the exercises used. Give them a try…

I remember as a teenager and in my early 20s, when I thought about being 50 years old it seemed so far away. I thought for sure I wouldn't be working out the same way. Well here I am at almost 51 years old and I'm still doing my thing pretty much the same way as I was in my 20s. But there are some differences in how things must be done that you can't just ignore.   First, recovery is an issue. Like it or not, you can't recover the same way in your 50s as you did I your 20s.…

Wing Chun is a very unusual martial art. It's principle based rather than technique based. This causes a lot of confusion including ridiculous arguments about what is and isn't Wing Chun. So instead of looking at and memorizing an endless list of techniques, we're seeing techniques merely as expressions of the principles. If for example, my right hand is closer to my opponent than my left, I'll use my right hand since it's more efficient. If I can avoid a fight entirely, I will since I want to always save time, movement, and energy. In any case, I hope this video…

The TRX is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can find anywhere! It's adapted from Gymnastics rings. Although you don't have to do the Iron Cross on them! The beauty of it is that you can adjust the difficulty of the exercises simply by moving your feet. Doing so will change the angle of your body and therefore change the resistance or percentage of your bodyweight you're lifting.   The TRX has two mounting options. One can be in a doorway and the other can be around a bar of some type. This could be a tree branch, a…

The centreline is one of the most important concepts in the martial arts. People use it and are aware of it even if they don't realize. There are actually three separate centrelines and each one has its importance.    MIDDLE CENTRELINE - This line runs right down the front of your body and it's the line along which many of your vital organs are located   MOTHERLINE - This line runs right down the middle of your body and is responsible for your balance. Leaning too far forward, backward, or sideways will compromise this. You must always by balanced even if your weight is not…

The weapon is an extension of the person who wields it. This is an extremely important concept in the martial arts. After all, hand to hand fighting systems have their origins in weapons. You can take straight punches, hook punches, and uppercut punches, and you can see all of them in the staff. The key difference is that with weapons, everything is larger. Steps are larger, body rotation is larger, etc. But when we switch to hand to hand fighting, things become much tighter and closer. This is why we sometimes like to say "TRAIN BIG, FIGHT SMALL".   Take a look…

Qigong is one of those things you may or may not have heard of. However Qi or Chi is something many people have heard of. It's been featured in countless movies and tv shows. It was even spoken about in the movie Kung Fu Panda! So what is Qi and what is Qigong? Qi is your life energy or life essence as some people like to call it and Qigong is the method which cultivates it. However unlike how it's portrayed in movies or by scammers, it is NOT some type of magical power or energy you have in your body.…

We're living in a very chaotic time right now. In December , nobody knew what the Coronavirus was and now it's all over the news in what seems reminiscent of the Spanish Flu of the early 20th Century. We will get through this with positivity, social distancing, and being careful and responsible. In the meantime however, managing stress is super important. And one of the best ways I know of is through Qigong Meditation. I've practiced it for many years now and it's really helped me at particularly stressful points in my life.   There are many ways of practicing this. It…

I'm sure we've all been there. We've seen cookbooks with some great recipes, but when we look at the huge ingredient list we decide not to do it. This isn't only for fitness enthusiasts, but for all working professionals, parents, etc. who don't want to spend hours preparing meals for their families, yet don't want to take the easy (and unhealthier) way out and get take out!   So here are some of my favourite recipes with only four ingredients. Perfect for meatheads like me!   BREAKFASTS BIRCHER MUESLI (serves 1) 1/2 cup natural muesli 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons plain yogurt 1 apple, grated Soak the muesli in…

I'm pretty sure most of you have done Paint By Numbers art projects before where a number corresponds to a specific colour. With punching in Boxing and Martial Arts, it's the exact same thing. Except that the number corresponds to a punch! This can really help in a number of ways. It helps familiarize yourself with the punches and also when hearing combos being called out spontaneously, it's much quicker to just say the number than the words. It makes things a lot easier when you're taking notes as well. Another benefit is that of having to think and respond quickly.…

One thing I've seen a lot in the fitness industry is trainers giving everyone the same workout regardless of their goals and needs. For the most part, this is a bodybuilding style split routine. You know the ones I'm talking about. The programs where you train different muscles on different days. You may have an upper body day and a lower body day, or you may do your chest and back one day, legs and abs, one day, arms and shoulders one day, etc. And depending on your goals, that may be the right program for you. Or it might not…

A question I get asked sometimes is whether or not I feel the time and effort invested in fitness is worth the sacrifice. It's true that I do spend a great deal of time working out, researching, pondering, etc. As a result, I'm not able to spend as much time doing other things such as watching tv shows, gaming, and other similar activities. I'm very selective about which shows I watch as I only have limited time. I do however make time for playing music, spending time with my family, art, and some other interests. But nonetheless, there are things…

Weights are great to use, but it's entirely possible to get a full body workout using nothing but your bodyweight, a few simple pieces of equipment, and a lot of heart! It can be done right in the comfort of your own home, on vacation, or anywhere else.   So for today's workout, I have a combination of supersets and trisets. For those that don't know, supersets is a technique where you take two exercises and perform them back to back. Trisets is the same thing, but it involves three exercises. More than three exercises becomes a circuit, Here's the program   SUPERSET 1 TRX Rows Clap Pushups   TRISET 1 TRX Lateral…

There is a lot of confusion about what makes a good workout program. Unfortunately part of the problem is just plain old misinformation. I'm sure you've heard the terms "toning" and "shaping". But the fact is that both of those terms are meaningless, and there have been countless people who've simply done poor ineffective workouts in the name of shaping and toning.   You have control over exactly two things as far as your muscles and body composition are concerned. They are: 1) BUILDING MUSCLE 2) LOSING FAT   When people look at a so-called toned body, they are looking at someone who has added muscle…

Nowadays we hear a lot about pre-workout drinks. People like the idea of getting an energy boost before a workout. Unfortunately there are also some ingredients in these drinks that may not be the best for your health. In addition, many of their supposed benefits are not backed by research. Also, why would you want to resort to stimulants or other questionable supplements when natural approaches can get the job done safely?   Dried fruits (or regular) have been used for centuries for an energy boost and a source of quick fuel. They are probably the richest natural foods on earth in…