Knees bowed out which the I.T. Band on the outside of the can be contracted and shortened which will contribute to mis-alignment
Tight muscles on the inside of the leg contribute to bowing the legs in
Twists and counter twists of the up and lower leg bones and these can be cause by tight muscles in the back down to the ankle
Rick notes that #3 above is the most common. I’ve noticed many instances in which there may be counter twists in my upper and lower leg bones, not just in taiji/standing practice but in everyday motion. Example, while sitting at my desk, I have a tendency to stretch out my legs and cross my feet at the ankles. I notice this adds a little strain to my left knee and creates a twist/counter-twist in my right leg. Solution: Uncross legs and place feet flat on the ground. The "tipping point": Notice when this type of thing happens.
Additionally, some light stretching can play a major role in loosening the tension. Check out Knee Mystery Solved | Get Fit Slowly for some stretching exercises.
As of late, things have been a bit rough with lots of changes happening. As such, one of the first things to go was my evening workout. I had been doing P90X for a while and got some good results, but time became a scarce resource in my world.
I recall some communications with Dave of Formosa Fitness regarding my workout. He had hinted to me that some kettlebell circuits may offer “more bang for the buck” in terms of caloric burn. Yesterday, I decided to put Dave’s theory to the test. Last night, I did 4 circuits of Dave’s Kettlebell Fat Loss Circuit.
Video of the workout:
Dave was able to complete the circuit in a little over 2 mins. I figured 4 circuits would be around 10-12 mins and provide a good workout. Here’s a synopsis of my own workout using a 25 lb kettlebell.
Duration: 25 mins
Heart Rate (Avg/Peak): 138/176
Calories Burned: 526
First off, the results are quite amazing in my opinion! I would say I did about 20 mins of actual working out with some warm-up and cool down. For comparison, I burned about 850 calories in 60 mins during a P90X Core Synergetics workout, measured with a Timex Heart Monitor. If I do a straight linear projection, 50 mins of the kettlebell circuit would result in about 1050 calories burned. However, I don’t believe I would be able last 50 mins of the circuit!
My first circuit took about 4 mins to complete. Afterwards, I was winded and took a 30 second break. At the beginning of the third circuit, I was feeling a bit dizzy so I had to take a breather. During this time, I noticed the burn in my quads and glutes and feeling some tenderness in the shoulders, but I pushed through. By the middle of the 4th circuit, I knew my form was off and my intensity was definitely slowing down. I had to take a full 2 min break before engaging in the last 25 straddle jumps of the circuit.
One thing that really surprised me was how quickly my heart rate shot above 160. To me, that’s a pretty good indication of training intensity and “working it”. I’m very happy with the results and plan to ease back into my workout routine slowly. Plus, I’m a bit sore today in the quads, glutes, inner thighs, abs and shoulders from yesterday’s workout!
Overall, I had a blast doing the workout. There was enough change and variety to keep my mind engaged on the action at hand. In fact, I had to focus and concentrate less I hurt myself. I did the workout in complete silence so the only thing I could hear was my breathing. I’m looking forward to my next challenge of the circuit!
I woke up this morning with a pain in my left ankle. Really weird since I didn't do anything strenuous. Perhaps it was the weight of the blanket or the way I slept? I've noticed myself thinking more and more about retirement and physical health lately. I have more than 25 yrs to go before retirement … one of my biggest concerns is physical health and well-being. Having a history of knee pains and aching joints starting in my 20s is not a good sign for how I may be in my 60s …
Review: I Want to Look Like That Guy – The documentary chronicles the journey of a guy named Stu, who has tried every diet and exercise fad out there and still can't "look like that guy" in the fitness commercials. Is the fitness industry deluding us in thinking we can look like the folks in the commercial by just doing X?
Does the same hold true for martial arts and taiji? We see all these feats that taiji masters are able to do, but are we able to "be" that guy [the taiji masters] with the information presented to us? Are we able to achieve the same feats or is it all a delusional marketing ploy?
Stu was able to achieve results within 6 months, but it required a LOT of hard work and dedication on his part. What if we look back and reflect on our own taiji training? In the last 6 months of training, have we gotten anywhere? Are we putting in the correct amount of work and dedication to achieve our goals? Has our skill level increased in the last 6 months? How are we measuring/tracking results?
Below is the Formosa Fitness Challenge: 100 Squats:
So here’s the challenge: do 100 squats with your butt touching a basketball or medicine ball. Can you do it?
… Many people have trouble squatting properly because they don’t move from the hips. Sitting BACK into the hips takes the pressure off of the knee and allows for a deeper squat, giving better fitness results.
… Many people claim that squats hurt their knees but not going low enough actually contributes to that problem. If you don’t squat with the hip BELOW the knee (an actual parallel squat) the hamstrings don’t fire, meaning the squat will only work the quads. You end up with a muscle imbalance from doing the exercise improperly
While I didn’t count the exact number of squats in the video, I’m pretty sure Dave did a 100. Dave is a former taiji blogger (formosa neijia) turn personal fitness coach. As such, he has quite a bit of insight into biomechanics and movement. I’ve gotten a lot of great tips from Dave over the years and would highly recommend everyone check out his website, Formosa Fitness, and blog!
For more on the challenge and discussions on imbalances between the quads and hamstrings, read the full article on the Formosa Fitness Challenge: 100 Squats.
