Fit Bums

[Miroku]

Hi, it is probly quite important to not only do some light qigong but also take care of ones muscles a bit, so what would you recommend as a full body workout suitable for a lazy bum? I do pushups and also some crunches what else should I add? I do not have a possibility of going to gym. What exercise regime keeps you fit?

 

[C T]

If you are restricted to only home workout, i'd recommend checking out Yantra Yoga.

 

 

Couple this with about a hundred prostrations a day. 

 

If you have to pick just one, do the prostrations. 

 

Its my main exercise routine, besides swimming and walking. In the warmer months I do some biking too. 

Im coming to 58, with a lean frame (not thin), practically no fat, toned body, and with abs maintained since i was 15. 

 

Prostrations! The best workout. Do a long session in the morning, one in the afternoon, and a shorter one in the evening. 

 

 

 

[Miroku]

1 hour ago, C T said:

If you are restricted to only home workout, i'd recommend checking out Yantra Yoga.

 

 

Couple this with about a hundred prostrations a day. 

 

If you have to pick just one, do the prostrations. 

 

Its my main exercise routine, besides swimming and walking. In the warmer months I do some biking too. 

Im coming to 58, with a lean frame (not thin), practically no fat, toned body, and with abs maintained since i was 15. 

 

Prostrations! The best workout. Do a long session in the morning, one in the afternoon, and a shorter one in the evening. 

 

 

 

Thanks! I have tried Yantra few weeks ago after 2 years without it but my knees don't seem to take it well they hurt after practice of yantra. Do you have any advice? I had to cut down my prostratio practice because I am quite worried about the knees.

[C T]

I see the difficulty alright. 

 

Are you taking any supplements for the knees then? 

 

Swimming will be great, but I suppose that's an issue for you too, seeing you can't get to a gym. 

[Miroku]

No I do not. I think I might have been too rough, but don't know. One of my friends and older practitioner adviced me to massage the knee joint with alcohol to warm it up.

I find this quite odd that my knees hurt from it when some other practitioners I know claim it helped heal their knees.

[C T]

Any traditional Thai massage service near you? Most of them stock therapeutic balms and liniments from Thailand, and they might have some for sale. Better than alcohol. Their massage therapy is really good too. 

[Miroku]

Yes there is. I will give it a try since you recommend it.  Do you think that gentle warming up and stretching and maybe just tsigjong movements, could help if done for week or longer? I kinda suspect it could be due to me overworking the joints and muscles and etc around it while I did yantra.

[C T]

11 minutes ago, Miroku said:

Yes there is. I will give it a try since you recommend it.  Do you think that gentle warming up and stretching and maybe just tsigjong movements, could help if done for week or longer? I kinda suspect it could be due to me overworking the joints and muscles and etc around it while I did yantra.

 

Warm-ups and stretches are always good. If you had done that maybe the injury could have been avoided. Glucosamine/chondrotin supplement should speed up the healing. 

[Miroku]

I did go according to the dvd of yantra, but maybe did something wrong. Thank you very much.  

[C T]

Hope you'll recover quickly 

[thelerner]

I do a couple at home.  Like you, Pushups.  Squats are good, they hit the lower half, that pushups don't.  I have some kettlebells I'll squat with, then raise them above my head.  Using a dumbbell would work just as well. 

 

 

[dawei]

Any chance you can get those Physical Therapy bands?

 

The reason the bands are smaller and easy to pull (relatively easier than weights) is not only because they are for recovering from injury but there is a basic principle:  Exercise the small muscles to get them involved. 

 

When we do heavier or stronger like exercises, the bigger muscles simply take over and the little ones don't really get worked out.

 

This seems to me similar to the slow movements and practice of Taiji... but that can be hard on the knees but with some care you can practice some of the basic motions very slowly.

[zanshin]

Do your feet turn out when you stand or walk? Most people’s do because we sit too much and that outward rotation strains the hinge (knee joint) until it wears and breaks down like a warped screen door- oiling it with supplements doesn’t fix the structural strain. Strengthen hip abductors, gently stretch tight lateral rotators, and work on keeping feet straight should help knees, especially straighten outer edge of your feet when getting up from a chair. 

[Miroku]

1 hour ago, zanshin said:

Do your feet turn out when you stand or walk? Most people’s do because we sit too much and that outward rotation strains the hinge (knee joint) until it wears and breaks down like a warped screen door- oiling it with supplements doesn’t fix the structural strain. Strengthen hip abductors, gently stretch tight lateral rotators, and work on keeping feet straight should help knees, especially straighten outer edge of your feet when getting up from a chair. 

Thanks for the advice zanshin. I have them usually forward since doing qigong. 

[zanshin]

Good, I found you a link with more on hip-knee kinematics including some exercises that can be done at home. 

http://www.fix-knee-pain.com/train-your-butt-to-fix-your-knee-pain/