[QUOTE=Fu-Pow;746680]The problem with lifting weights for internal martial arts is that it creates incontinuities in the body’s musculo-skeletal system. That means some muscles get short/tense and some get elongated/stretchted as a result. Its not weightlifting per se but any exercises that has discontinous tension. [/QUOTE]
anything can create “incontinuties” as you say - the way that you walk, sit, sleep, drive, work, etc. are all factors that can contribute to this; lifting weights is no different - like anything, it is the way in which you do it that will create a certain type of results; for example, if you hyper train your biceps, pecs and lats, you will be more prone to a flexion-biased posture anteriorly, which will create an imbalance relative to the anti-gravity extensor muscles (e.g. - lower traps, serratus, rhoboids, triceps, rotator cuff) which already tend to be inhibited / overstretched, given that we are already flexor biased to begin with, and that structurally we are not optimally adapted to live upright in gravity; so this can cause problems; on the other hand, if you emphasize strengthening of the anti-grav extensors, you work towards assiting vertical function in gravity; of course, you could still do those exercises “incorrectly”, but at least you are not “feeding” flexor muscles that are already predisposed to hypertonicity
[QUOTE=Fu-Pow;746680]If you look at the human body, its not the muscles alone that hold it upright. The body is a big biotensegrity structure. There must be tonus in the muscles but the tonus must be continuous throughout the structure to maintain the tensegrity. [/QUOTE]
but at the same time, the organism, being non-linear and adaptative at a certain level, is able to compensate for this to varying degrees without there being any symptomatic signs of dysfunction…
[QUOTE=Fu-Pow;746680]The bones, water and connective tissue are the compressive elements in the tension network and the muscles are the tension elements. So you have a balance of forces pulling in and down (muscles) and up and out (connective tissue, water, bones). If you start introducing extra tension in a certain point in the network you start messing up the balance. [/QUOTE]
true, but again, at what point does this occur? it sounds nice in theory, but what are the pragmatics? this is the trick of figuring out what impact a given exercise has on a given individual; also, there are tensional elements within the CTS: tensegrity is based on continuous tension / discontinuous compression, and CT has both - this is probably what allows for compensation of agonist / antagonist force couple imbalances (Vladimir Janda, MD and Shirley Sahrman ,PhD, PT are two of the most widely recognized “authorities” in regards to this concept); so again, weight training per se is not the issue, it’s what you train and how, which is a bit more complex to figure out and typically, at least with a clinicl population, needs to be individualized to varying degrees
[QUOTE=Fu-Pow;746680]I think doing whole body exercises can be helpful though and if done with the right intention and structure. For example, I do Hindu pushups and Turkish get-ups. Those involve the whole body and you can distribute the tension across the body. [/QUOTE]
it’s true that some types of movement / exercise is more conducie to this concept: Feldenkreis, Alexander Technique, Laban, Arika Gym, etc. - all attempts to do what you are suggesting in various contexts; obviously, taiji is useful, in terms of it being a slow-moving practice at first, which allows you the opportunity to "observe’ what it feels like to move while keeping the relative net tensions in the system equal
[QUOTE=Fu-Pow;746680]Here’s a picture on this cover of a xing yi guy doing what look like Hindu pushups:[/QUOTE]
nice - he’s working on lengthening hamstrings, opening up pelvic floor, and stretching hip flexors: all good stuff from a postural integrity perspective