I would like to know how many hung gar practitioners out there weight train to supplement your training. I’m especially interested in your opinions on squats vs. horse stance training.
yeah, I weight train, squats, deadlifts, bench, powercleans, and others, mostly to develop usable strength rather bodybuilding. I use this in addition to, to supplement my Hung Gar rather than in place of horse training.Since weight training, my kicks have gotten stronger,my punches stronger, and my inch power has improved dramatically. I am much more explosive in my attacks as well. Monks have used resistance training, stone weights,etc, and the other training in your Hung Ga, i.e. kwando, monk spade, butterfly knives, tiger fork, lion dancing, rings, jars,eight diagram staff, all develop strength, and stamina
I have been weight training for years along with my experience in Hung Ga. I can personally vouch that weight training encorporated with the appropriate strectching program will produce excellent benifits in speed and power. Once your body is in good conditioned shape try polymetric training (explosive training with weights), this will build incredible explosive power; however as I mentioned you must be in excellent physical shape to avoid injury. Specifically, squats will train the almost the same muscle groups as the horse stance but the horse trains those muscle in a different way which is static training. Static training will build muscular endurance and is very good in building stong tendons and dense bone structure. Squats however will build more muscular power - I find it’s good to integrate both methods if you have the time, but remember do NOT over train, your muscles actually build themselves while they rest.
Good Luck
I encourage practitioners to avoid weight training
I did some weight training early on in my martial arts training (waayyyyy back in the '70s). But I never went back to it after being taught the senior forms, Kung-Tse, Ten Forms, Tiger & Crane, Iron & Thread, etc.
My belief is that if you understand how to work these forms then you need very little in the way of supplemental weight training (in order to build power, etc). For the last ten years I have had zippo interest in external power training (concluding it is mostly a waste of time), foregoing this for Hung-Gar internal strength training and conditioning.
If you continue in your study of the Hung-Gar system I am certain that eventually you will also arrive at the same conclusion.
have a nice day.
isometrics
If you do horse for long enough, it not only builds up the legs, but sends chi to help you keep yourself standing and helps you relax and sink into your stance. The three-circles arm posture can be included to build chi more and keep your mind off the sore legs, while building up the arms a little as well.
Weights
Weight training I have always believed is great when combined with classic training. Like Yin/Yang it has to be balanced. Look at the pro boxers bodys and their way of training. It is a real eye opener.
Hung-ga & Weight training
As a former gym rat and now a Kwoon rat I guess, I have found that I do not need to lift weights in order to be strong. I have found that between the dynamic tension movements in the forms, bridge work, push-up variations and pull ups as well as the stance training, I have no use for the weight room. When I was seriously into the gym my muscles were big and strong but not as dense as they are now. My muscles have never been so tight as they are now from just over 1 year of Hung-ga training. My body actually feels stronger now than I have ever felt and I haven’t touched a weight (aside from iron rings) since I started training. In my opinion, I believe that if you train forms and also train to strengthen your foundation (stance training, push-ups, pull ups, bridge training) you don’t need to lift weights. The only reason I would lift weights would be to look good on the beach, which isn’t a bad thing…Train hard and train often Hung Brothers
In my previous experience in Hung gar and now Yau Kung Mun, i believe you don’t have to do weight training simply because the forms & conditioning if done correctly will build your body.
Through the dynamic tension forms in Hung Gar & in Yau Kung Mun as well as conditioning, horse stance training etc, the body is being developed.
I used to weight train and yes the results are quicker yet through Kung Fu you become leaner & the strength is internal(Chi cultivation)as well. weight training develops the muscles on the outside only.
Kung fu training develops them on the outside as well as inside with iron body etc. And all this through the dynamic tension forms.