I just started the basics class with Green Dragon Kung Fu, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me any exercises I could do in the gym - weight training or such - to do outside of practicing the kung fu itself. Thanks.
I suggest just practicing basic pushing hands techniques with three pound weights.
Of course aerobic stuff (running, jumping, anything that gets your heart going)
and if you want to do exceptionally well you can start training all of the muscle groups individually through anarobic crosstraining. Mainly all you have to do for that is go to the gym and look at the little muscle charts for each excercise.. do all the ones you want.. etc
If you know how to do lifting (weights) I suggest that too. It’s almost worth it to pay for one of those stupid fitness trainers for a little while to have them teach you the lifting stuff. Just tell them you want to learn how to use weights.
Personally I perfer weights to machines. Machines smell funny. 
No need to hire a trainer, the guys on this forum can help you enough! First things first though, what are you looking to get from your other training? losing weight, gaining mass, improved, strength or endurance, etc… Tell us specifically what you are looking for, and we can definitely point you in the right direciton.
those who make war against the United States have chosen their own destruction - dubya
Squats, squats, and more squats. Be careful and do them slowly and correctly. At the beginning, I think the knees and leg strength/flexibility are THE most important things upon which to focus.
While weight training has benefits, there is very little involved to help fast twitch muscles needed in fighting. And if you weight train your legs as well as practicing your new kung fu, you might be setting yourself up for premature injury. I don’t know your body type or exercise regemine, so can’t say if this is a fact.
My personal advice would be to practice isometrics and forms of body conditioning that use your own strength and train your ability to control your own body weight, like push ups, pull ups, squats, sit ups, etc.
It’s not only “the strong defeats the weak”, it’s also “the fast defeats the slow” and “the smart defeats the dumb”.
“Waiting is bad.” - Musashi
www.lungyingjingjung.com
And here comes a contradictory opinion.
I started stregnth training–basically it’s weight training but only to gain stregnth. I use a medium weight (in between the lightest and heaviest I can handle). I worked one set of 10, then 2, and I’m up to 3 sets of ten.
I’ve found that the stregnth I’ve gained is helping me in my kung fu (and Taekwondo) training. What I’m doing because I’m still a newbie to weight training (not to kung fu–4 years, and 7 in Taekwondo), is I’m using the circuit machines. I work below the waist muscle groups one day, then above the waist the next (alternate). I use the machines to make certain that my form with using the weights is correct to help prevent injury. I also stretch in between sets and at the end of my workout, which has also helped my flexibility.
While you need to be quick with your techniques, stregnth is also a part of it. I’ve heard a lot of talk about fast twitch and other fibers. In my opinion, adding stregnth to your body will not hinder any fibers, as long as when you practice your techniques, you do them properly. Speed will come with practice.
Robin
Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.
I have recently bought a book that is quite good
“Complete Conditioning for Martial Arts” by Sean Cochran.
It may be what you are looking for.
Little Dragon
Meltdawn learned everything she knows from me.
Hee hee! 
Just kidding kiddo.
We are trained in wushu; we must protect the Temple!
Silumkid… donchaknowit!!!
Robin, I completely agree with you. I clarify that my opinion is that weight training isn’t neccessary and can be possibly a negative influence right at the beginning. I’m sure you’ve seen your share of newbies who go full-bore into training. Not always a good idea to double the effect on the joints early on.
“Waiting is bad.” - Musashi
www.lungyingjingjung.com
Smootchie bootchies!
We are trained in wushu; we must protect the Temple!
I find the person who comes into martial arts already having been bodybuilding (whether recreational or other) is the most hindered. They tend to simply go for poundages and have forgone any type of stretching routine, thus they have limited flexibility which makes even the rudimentary in any martial art that much more complicated. I have seen some who are literally 'spring loaded
I believe an all around approach to physical activity will aid in one’s journey to improved wellness. Look at Robin, for example, in another thread on another post she mentioned that since she started to workout (weights) her energy level has increased and her body has healed itself in a fashion it had previously not. This is a person who has been a dedicated martial artist since…well, for a long time anywho 
My point..
My point is that she intelligently added another aspect into her living approach or lifestyle and has since improved her state of wellness. Congratulations Robin! Remember, our perception will lead us to a visual map of unending achievement.
As you said meltdawn, many are over-zealous in the beginning. I definitely agree with you!
nospam.
I have found that lifting weight slows you down and constricts flexability. the goal in kung fu is to move fluid like with relaxed muscle, if you spend the day tightening them and then you spend your night trying to loosen them what have you done?
My suggestion would be to just lift your body weight! pushups, dips, pullups that type of workou, one of my students lifts weights a lot and last week he told me he feels a lot slower and stiffer than usual, I said why? he said I started lifting heavier weight and doing a heavy work out, and now my legs and arms are feeling tired! this was in the first half hour of class,
If Iron and the gang see that, flames will fly!
Weight lifting doesnot constrict flexibility. As long as you are stretching properly, you will be fine. I never feel slow and stiff in class. I bet your student is doing medium to high sets and reps, as opposed to hardcore strenght training. All of the sets and reps will have him sore in class.
Bodyweight exercises are awesome, but they only help strength to a point. Then they tend to train muscular endurance. If student Z does pushups and student X does bench presses, after a period of time, you will notice that Student Z has more muscular endurance, but student X has more raw power.
“You ain’t got enough calcium to have a bone to pick wit me,
like a Gracie, I’ll choke a ***** out wit his own gi” - Rass Kass
“I find the person who comes into martial arts already having been bodybuilding (whether recreational or other) is the most hindered. They tend to simply go for poundages and have forgone any type of stretching routine, thus they have limited flexibility which makes even the rudimentary in any martial art that much more complicated.”
This I agree with. The bodybuilding didn’t stagnate their flexibility though, as earthdragon was saying. The person didn’t stretch anyway, so he had zero flexibility. The average Joe that doesn’t work out has the same problem when beginning MA. Strong muscles tend to be more coordinated than weak ones though, so a bodybuilder new to MA may progress faster than someone inactive that is new to MA.
“You ain’t got enough calcium to have a bone to pick wit me,
like a Gracie, I’ll choke a ***** out wit his own gi” - Rass Kass
I used to pump iron, but only do yoga now. I’m definitely more flexible, and possibly faster now…
Try…
Pilates for a bit then move to Nautilis and free weights.
Free weights have proven to help women combat the onset of osteo-perosis later in life besides the benefit of strength and stamina.
I’ve been in kung fu for almost 4 years, and Taekwondo for 7 (I’m also an instructor in both, so my dedication fans out beyond being dedicated to my own training).
I began weight training just three weeks ago after years of urging from my instructor. I didn’t start until just recently because I finally got into the right mindset. I set attainable goals for myself–the stregnthen my legs to help alleviate a knee problem; to stregnthen my hamstrings to help heal an injury and enable me to do a specific exercise in class; and to stregnthen my arms to help my wrist recover from recurrent sprains. The mindset I went in with was to weight train in order to HELP me HEAL. Then, beyond that would be to improve my techniques.
I had weight trained in the past, but my mindset was different and I didn’t train flexiblity in conjunction with my lifting. I also did the total body circuit instead of splitting it up and spending more time with fewer muscles at a time.
Now, I’m very quickly reaping the benefits of a proper mindset and a good routine.
Thanks, nospam for all of your help and support. That has also helped keep me on the right track.
Meltdawn,
I understand your point now and completely agree with you. I’ve seen many beginners come in with the “all or nothing” attitude and end up injured very quickly or burned out quickly. If they manage to last, they’re not really able to get to their full potential because the weight lifting does get in the way–they fail to train their flexibility at the same time, and fail to train speed when practicing their techniques or fail to train techniques altogether because they’re weight training and think that is the key to their improvement (this was my original mindset when I weight trained years ago).
That’s why my advice is to go in, alternate muscle groups, and use the circuit machines to help learn proper motion/form (and in case you have no training partner to spot you–I tend to weight train alone). I also advise folks to “take your time”. Speeding through the workout will not help. Enjoy feeling all your muscles come alive and pull for you.
I’d love to train alongside anyone who is a newbie to weight training. Posting progress and things. Or anyone who is experienced and is still progressing. Maybe that should be a new thread.
Robin
Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.
Thanks for all the advice. I’m just trying to get as good at kung fu (hell, I don’t even know what style it is!) as possible, because the better you are at the end of the basics class, you’ll be more likely to be invited to continue at the Green Dragon school, as far as I understand it.
As for the training, I got a “exercise perscription” from the rec center, so I’ll try that out. And squats… ugh.
Thanks again, I’ll try to make sense of it all!
Well I don’t have the time or willpower to refute all the bad/false/myth/plain wrong information given in this thread…these questions are answered in other threads in this section of the forum…basically everything up to sevenstar’s post is just plain wrong.
I’ll just summarize…weight training won’t add to any risk of injury..more like the exact opposite…it will also aid in increasing your flexibility…weight trainig anaerobically specifically targets fast twitch muscles…if you are strength training you shouldn’t be doing sets of 10 reps…you should be doing small sets of 3-6 using a weight that you will need a spot for on the last rep…keep adding 5-10lbs each week if you can. Remember that training isn’t going to help you too much without proper diet either…
ElPietro,
How long have you been training/weightlifting? Also, are you a certified trainer that you have studied all of this before and can contradict folks without a doubt?
Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.
Bah…Nonsense
Weight training does not hinder your speed or flexibility. If that was the case you would not see 300 pound linemen running lighting fast 50’s. I’ve been working out since i was about 14 and i am very limber.
Btw…i like the pic BAI HE! The misfits are my favorite band. I liked them better with danzig though.