My Attachment
As you all know, Bruce Lee is someone I highly admire. Yes,
he is dead but his spirit is living through me. Now there is a video
I watch almost every single day because I just cannot get over the
character of that particular game. It is called Dead or Alive by the
company Team Ninja and the fighting character that I like is called
Jann Lee because his moves are very similar to the ones' of Bruce.
Now I know the game creator see Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do as
a style which is 100% incorrect! I know that and I know the fighter's
mentality is not of a martial artist, but yet I still love watching people
play him. It makes me have to evaluate myself and ask myself why
am I so obsessed with Jann Lee? Is it because I am still insecure?
Is it because I am ashamed to be self-expressive? There is a video
below on his combo training.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSjmRjgOE50

I want to learn to get rid of this obsession. In that way, I will not be
attached to Bruce Lee anymore. This video game character is a systematized
version of Bruce Lee and I know that. Is something wrong with me or am I making a
big deal out of it? If anybody can help me through this would be highly appreciated.

My Progress with the Choy Lay Fut Form

Finally, I am able to monitor my progress! I recently bought this Sony Bloggie HD camcorder and I received it on Friday. However, I tried to turn it on yesterday and it didn't work. So I charged it but it was blinking. Therefore, I looked it up on the internet and see if I can find an answer to that problem and I did! All I had to do is to reset it by pressing and holding the on/off button. Now it is charged fully and ready to rock and roll! I also owe an apology to everyone because I cannot live up to the kwoon's expectations. I just had some problems recording myself, and I recently lost the job that I had before. It was seasonal so I ended up not working anymore. However, I am going to school and see if I can have a part time job here. Hopefully it will turn out all right. The link is below and let me know anything you want me to work on.

See you next time!

Free

Free from cash, free from pain...Input the desires of life and the pains of poverty into this body and, through another body, you will still feel the same freedom and the same happyness that i represent. Kill me, i still live through my mother and father. Kill my entire family, i still live in a bigger one which is the human race, kill the race, and you will realize i'm into plants, animals, water, oxygen and earth. Destroy the entire planet, and i will still be here somewhere in the galaxy, in the universe in the form of water. Take out all water in the universe, and through that chaos, i will be here somewhere waiting patiently to be reborn.

Free from concepts, and then attached to them. Flowing like no other, as one. Crazy it sounds, crazy it is, crazy life is until it is understand. Free from comprehension until i read an hundred books again. I am and i am not. We are and we're not.

I like to go deep into thoughts, explore them and then screw them. Harmonizing is the roughest, toughest challenge we're giving in my opinion. Simply harmonizing one self through any kind of situations is almost impossible. Harmonizing a city, a country, the planet seems impossible. Until we are free...

Today i'm beautiful, tomorrow i'll be ugly. There must be a balance? That's the Tao, that is why we feel for our close ones, that's why we're linked to beauty, to joy, to pain, to compassion. That's why we won't be lost in this gigantic universe, because there's a Way, a Tao. You might care or not about the Tao, but the Tao flow, and we flow. And through that flow, life breathe, life cry, life live, life die, life be reborn, life die again but still life flow so don't be scare.

I'm in love people, in love with something i can't describe, i know it's there, but i can't tell you what it is, and then i see a smile, i see my cousin having a beautiful baby, i see my parents shaking hands after fifteen years of silence. I see ugly things too, ugly undescribable things happening, and i hold on as hard as i can to hope. There's a deep connection with life and hope. I hope but even if you take my hope, i will hope through somebody else and here goes the flow again.

I'm free until i'm a slave, i'm a slave until i'm free, where i am going with this? If only i knew...

But i don't need to know, because i trust the Tao, i trust Hope, i trust life. I trust freedom. I trust the beauty of music, of any arts. And until my hearth stop bumpin' that rhythm...I can use a media and tell somebody, that hope told me that one day, life will be in harmony and truly free, somewhere, somehow...

Free

CLF Attempt, Week Two

Here is my update.  I think the videos are a better learning tool for me than using a mirror.  I tried this several times, and when I watched the videos I noticed more things that I wanted to improve on than I noticed by looking in a mirror.

I'll work on holding the stances longer.  My legs were getting tired because I had been practicing a lot to get them right.

Appearance Vs. Ability

About a week and a half has gone by since my last post. Early on in that period, my grandma did pass away as predicted. I really appreciated having the FMK venue, where I could talk about this experience and explore a few associated thoughts…

In addition to this family matter, I’ve been on the road, and very busy prepping and delivering my start of semester lectures. Again, if it weren’t for the dawn wushu sessions – in the park or hotel room – I’d be far more overcome with stress

As regards training, I’ve been focusing primarily on improving my performance of the TKD-inspired form. Though it’s slow going, I’m making progress…

Also, I picked up a pair of hexagonal dumbbells, which I’m keeping at my college office while home, and taking with me to my hotels when on the road. The upper body workouts that all of you in Chicago have been featured in lately are great guides for various quick routines with the dumbbells that I can draw from

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it, but my younger brother is a professional body builder.  As part of his work for his sponsors (ON Nutrition), he’s starting to host these workout events on Facebook. His first one is the Abs Challenge, where he’s having participants start at 40 full-range sit-ups per morning, and then move up by 15 per week over six weeks. He’s offering small prizes for the participant who demonstrates – by before and after photos – the greatest transformation. Though I’m totally disinterested in the prizes (supplements), I decided that I would play the game as a means of connecting more with my brother. Plus, I know a few others who are going to do it, including my first kung fu sifu, the guy who trained me from the age of twelve to eighteen. Yet though the actual game hasn’t commenced yet, I’m already kind of regretting my agreement to play. It’s nice that this is a challenge where nobody’s going to get hurt, and that it might even help motivate some people to increase their health. But at the same time, it’s the underlying values that I’m struggling with. And this is something I’ve long known about my brother, and what makes him a good body builder… what he cares most about is the surface impression, the appearance. When we were kids, and I used to drive this giant boat of an Oldsmobile, he’d want me to roll the window down and drive by the side of our school really slow, so he could dive into the back seat and lay on the floor without being seen. The car was too surface ugly. But it had eight cylinders, and I’ll tell you it rocked as far as power goes. Didn’t matter. And I can see it’s kind of the same with this Abs Challenge. The greatest visual transformation of the stomach is what’s going to be rewarded, regardless of what that stomach can actually accomplish. I hope I don’t seriously regret accepting his invitation to play. I will probably be posting more ab-training videos as this challenge unwinds. I’ll probably have a philosia video or two to post in reflection

Anyway… it’s late here, so I need to hit the sack. Just didn’t want to let another day pass without taking care of my overdue update

My Kung Fu & Zen Martial Arts Experience

I started my Kung Fu at age 9, the physical aspect of it, the spiritual aspect started from birth, the mental aspect started at age 17.  When people ask when I started MA, I go with age 9, so my experience totals 22 yrs, but in actuality, it is in my blood.  My Kung Fu is within my father and mother, it is in their genetics & the merging of their genetics brought upon my physical presence. 

I see Martial Arts as a way of life, so asking when you started MA is similar to asking how long have you been educated?  For the most part everybody starts his or her education from birth, but will everybody get to the PhD level?  No.  Getting to the Ph.D level is likened to being at the level of which you can claim yourself to be a Martial Artist, which will take at least over 2 decades.  

Martial Arts is the development of the Physical, Mental, & Spiritual.  The physical is developed since birth but may or may not be aimed towards a high athletic level of development during ones lifespan.  The Mental aspect of the Martial Arts is the development of the combative aspect, this formalized, and concentrated, & direct focused training may or may not occur during ones lifetime.  The spiritual development may or may not occur during ones lifetime.  Most of what is considered “spiritual” or “religious” here in the West is actuality corrupted and would not be considered spiritual training in my eyes. 

Kung Fu is the inner discipline you have within to excel, it is a conscious decision you make to place great efforts in developing yourself to reach your potential.  My Kung Fu started at age 9, through my focused energies in developing myself as a proficient basketball player and athlete.  My spiritual training started before my birth but I did not become conscious of my spiritual training until age 21, the time of my enlightenment.  The mental combative aspect of my training in the Martial Arts began at the age of 17 when I first started to receive formalized instruction in Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu from a Sifu. 

My total experience is actually the total life experiences I bring to the table.  I share everything that I have learned in life, that is my Kung Fu.  When people ask, “how long have you been practicing Martial Arts?”  It is a difficult question to answer in order to have them gain an immediate understanding of what Martial Arts really means to me.  So I go with the basic consistent response of stating that I started at age 9, the time I started to consciously develop myself in Kung Fu. 

Realize that I teach Kung Fu, Kung Fu is not a style of the Martial Arts, it is a way of life, it is an inner discipline you have within to excel, you are all studying and learning my “Modern Kung Fu” in which to better understand your own Kung Fu. 

Part of the Martial Arts is cooking
Couple weeks ago, I learn how to make pancakes. Although, I will need supervision doing it again, I can still get started. I cannot quite cook my own dinner food yet so making breakfast should be a start. I already know how to make scramble eggs which is great. How is cooking related to the Martial Arts? To me, it's like asking how the arms is part of the human body because if you ask me such question, it tells me that you have no idea what Martial Art is.
Martial Arts encompasses everything; that makes it life. Someone who is living is not someone who limits himself or herself. A martial artist needs to be proficient in combat of course but that is only a glimpse of what martial arts is. A martial artist needs to be physically fit and healthy. How can you be fit and healthy if you do not eat properly and exercise? You might look healthy but it does not mean you are. Home cooked food is the essence of being healthy. If you do not eat healthy, chances are you are not going to be at your best. Your punches and kicks will be slow and sloppy and you will die in less than 45 seconds!
Although my passion is not cooking, I rather cook than fight for egotistical purposes. Fighting for ego is the stupidest decision anyone can ever make no matter where you go. Cooking is a more peaceful way of expression. It is also essential for our survival as human beings. I remember reading from The Art of Expressing the Human Body by Bruce Lee and John Little stated that Bruce Lee could not even boil water. Bruce Lee was a great martial artist. He inspired me to see impartially but he was not perfect. Therefore, we need to go beyond Bruce Lee and learn how to cook so we do not end up starving as Martial Artists. If Jenny can give me some cooking tips, I would be delighted. Haha. I hope my fellow martial artists cook themselves and strive towards health.

Week One

I have been working on the fitness videos and learning the stances.  Here is a video of me practicing the legwork for the beginning of CLF.  I know I still need some work on the form, and also on videotaping.  Normally I try to avoid being on video camera, but I think this is a really fun project, and a new challenge is good for you sometimes.  I have started working on the arms, but still need practice.  Maybe by next week I can make a better video.

Holding Hands

Though it certainly wasn’t without physical challenge, the past week found me far more engaged in spiritual training. I’ve experienced three insights I’d like to share:

The first is more a reminder than a new revelation. When I went to the park to train one morning, a merlin swept in, attempting to catch one of the magpies I feed. Unfortunately for the hungry merlin, the smaller birds saw him coming and scattered into the brush. But I myself was caught completely unaware. I hadn’t noticed the sudden departure of the magpies, and I only learned of the merlin when he swooped past my head, close enough to reach up and touch. Seconds later, he was gone. If I had been a small bird, it would have been lights out. And for me, this was a strong reminder of how important it is to develop greater powers of awareness. I often talk about this need for awareness, as an aspect of my core [artistic] project, training to more fully realize my natural human potential. For the most part, in this respect, I concern myself with learning to recognize and pay attention to the other species we co-exist with. I feel compelled to learn to identify all of the plants and animals I regularly encounter, to understand the ecological relationships between them, and to engage with them in a variety of ways, particularly for food and medicine. This study alone keeps me very busy. But what the merlin and magpies made clear is that ‘being aware’ is about more than recognition, familiarity, and understanding. It’s also about looking out for, and being prepared to respond appropriately to, potential dangers. When I think about it, we really don’t have any exercises in the martial arts to train ourselves toward better awareness, in this respect. If we were highly aware of everything and everyone in our environment, chances are we’d be far more capable of avoiding dangerous physical attacks. Yet, just as with myself and the merlin, it’s more often the case that we’re completely oblivious until an attack is already underway. This needs to change. In my opinion, we should strive to be, in a sense, like the best detectives and diagnosticians of our fictions, like Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Gregory House, characters who are keenly aware of all the behavioral and physical minutia of their environments all the time, and who can read in these elements the behavioral histories that ‘normal’ people simply can’t perceive. Developing these kinds of skills would involve some of the same identification training that I’m already involved in. But to address the merlin factor, it should also include self-testing to demonstrate how much of the goings on in my environment I’m aware of. For instance, if sitting in a restaurant, I might ask myself, “What is the guy three tables behind me wearing?” Or if walking down the street, “Where could someone hide if they wanted to ambush me?” Moreover, if we are to help people, by developing ourselves as instructors of fitness and martial arts, shouldn’t we also learn to read, at a glance, as much as possible about a person’s health/ medical background? The magpies have again inspired me to develop greater awareness capacities. The merlin has reminded me that failure to do so could mean serious danger, maybe death

After the merlin encounter, I decided to head out into the river coulee, to see what else the animals might have to teach me. Among those I encountered were the Canada geese, goldeneye ducks, and mergansers. The geese, when they aren’t up above the coulee rim feeding on grain off the stubble fields, are down at the river, crowding around the open water crags. The goldeneyes and mergansers hang out in these crags as well, hunting. What I notice though is that whenever I see these diving ducks feeding, they’re almost always close to the geese. There will be open water crags with no other birds around, but the ducks will choose to use those already occupied by geese. I think the reason for this is because the geese offer protection. While diving, the goldeneyes and mergansers are vulnerable to predators like bald eagles. But if there’s danger approaching, the geese would certainly sound an alarm, and this might help the ducks to survive. Clearly, these ducks are somewhat (though not absolutely) dependent on the geese; they benefit from associating with them… not in a parasitic way, but just by relying on the natural defense system of the geese as an extension of their own. At surface consideration, it doesn’t seem that the geese gain anything from this relationship. But considering the matter more deeply, I would argue that they actually do. From my perspective, ‘fitness’ (in the evolutionary sense) is a measure of how well you fit-into the eco-social matrix. In this respect, the more benefit you bring to others through your relationships with them, the more integral you are to the system, and therefore the more likely you will be to survive long-term. This is an important lesson, both for the continuation of our species, but also for its utility in our everyday.  Want to ensure the persistence of ‘real martial arts’ in the future? Find ways to bring more people into relationships with true martial arts. I am seeing, for example, comments from people on the FMK YouTube Channel, where they say they’re using the recent videos of training sessions at the Chicago Kwoon. They’re following along with the workouts. It’s unfortunate that the Kwoon isn’t benefitting financially from them, that nobody’s giving donations. But at the same time, the more people who are utilizing these videos, the more likely FMK will benefit long-term, perhaps by getting a sizeable following of freeloader practitioners who up the ‘hits’ on the videos and ads. Certainly, the more who are engaging with the videos in this manner, the more expressions of interest we’ll start seeing in official online training. So this is just one example. Just because it doesn’t appear like you’re benefitting from a relationship doesn’t mean you won’t. Perhaps you’re just too focused on the immediate gains. In the long-term, the more you can give to others freely, the more secure your own persistence

So these were two of my insights this week. A third came just today, and is not so much my own, but something that came through dialog with a friend. It happens that my maternal grandmother is dying right now. Even as I write this, she could be taking her last breath. It’s clear that she’s going to pass sometime tonight or tomorrow. She lives in Oregon, which is two days drive for me, so I’m not going to be able to get there in time. I was, however, able to talk to her briefly on the phone today, and my brother has been keeping me updated with text messages and photos (the image at the top of this post is of my grandmother holding onto his hand). I got very choked up this morning, after talking to her and seeing some of the images. The tears were not of sadness, because I don’t see her passing as a loss or tragedy. It is simply what happens with all of us. We live, we die. It’s the natural cycle. And she’s had a very full life. What touched me though was the power of the death experience itself. It’s sooo powerful. Can you imagine what it must be like to be in that seat, knowing that you are soon to be no more? I can’t imagine it. But what I see in my grandma is something I’ve seen in critically injured animals many times, and that’s a kind of noble act of facing death courageously. She’s looking it in the face, but she doesn’t feel sorry for herself. In fact, when I was making small talk with her, telling her about my day, asking how she’s been feeling, she apologized to me. She said, “I’m sorry, Rye,” as though she was guilty of ruining my otherwise good day by dying. It was very powerful. One of the things I considered telling her, but didn’t, was that I really cherish a few things she’s given me over the years, items she’d owned for a long time herself. There’s a little wooden statue of a crane, and then a larger wooden statue from Mexico that had once belonged to my grandpa’s friend John Wayne, and then a scalping knife that had been passed down several generations (it still has human scalp and hair attached to the knife handle). These are the things I will have to remember my grandma by when she goes. I was telling one of my friends this afternoon about it, and he pointed out how interesting it is that we use these kinds of inherited objects as representations for the relationships, once the people aren’t there. Sometimes, however, we use objects in similar ways, even when there are real people to relate to instead, and that’s part of the illness of our society. But it’s important to note that the mechanism that this illness derives from is our capacity to use objects in this way, out of love. I think we should pay more attention to the ways we rely on objects in our lives to represent relationships. We should not be too attached to these representations. Rather, we should always be mindful of the importance of the relationships themselves, and how we are (or are not) honoring those relationships in the manner we actually live

Hi!  I just recently joined FMK.  Here is my introduction video.

Working out vs being at peace within

What's harder? To constantly workout, or to constantly be at peace within? I think it's subjective, but i think also that for the majority of people including myself, it is harder to constantly be at peace within. Working out is something you do and then your done until your next session. Being at peace withing is something that has to be constant, something you got to preserve at any moment, something that might take a lifetime to achieve. A lot of people die without being at peace within themselves. If you don't accept the fact that your body will break one day, you're not at peace. I don't consider myself a spiritual person, but i like spirituality, i think spirituality can bring a lot of peace within. If everything in your life goes well, been well from your baby years to now, working out could seem harder. But if everything went well for you, it does'nt mean it will continue to go well and then, that peace might be challenged.

 I think that for most martial artists, and that is coming from a non martial artist, i think it's harder to find constant peace within than getting proficient at combat. That's why you will see a lot of fighters who cannot make the transition from being a fighter to becoming a true martial artist because they can't find that peace. A fighter might think he's at peace kicking asses here and there, but they be lying to themselves. You can't really be at peace if you need to hurt people. That's why you will see a lot of people on steroid, they can train but yet they don't have enough peace within to train naturally.

 I think that there's different level of internal peace. You might get to level 5 but it doesn't mean you can get to 10, meaning being in ultimate peace. I think a 10 would be for a very few people, you might get the chance to feel that 10 in your lifetime in a couple of occasions but to stay at that high level would be very difficult, way more difficult than lifting weight since a training session doesn't last 24/7 and 365 days a year. Personally i think i'm approximately at 7, sometimes 8 and sometimes i can go down to 5 on very bad days. I know i can get better in my workout, but i know i can get better at being at peace within myself too. To me, fitness achievements ain't worth shit if you can't be at peace within yourself. You can be the world champion in something, but if you're not at peace within yourself, and dissrespecting other beings, then your title ain't worth shit but ego. We need balance in this world, as human, as animal, as life. If we don't find balance, something else will find us; hate, destruction, anarchy, in a simple word; chaos. The challenges that life brings alone in itself are tough enough, we don't need additional negativity to make it harder. So on that last note; hope, optimism, acceptation, forgiveness, efforts, dedication, discipline and a thirst for learning new things are keys for a better life, for being healthy and at peace within until our souls finds its next path.

A little story plus my training program

I thought about sharing my fitness programs with you guys, i never had a camcorder, i might get one someday but until then why not sharing with you what i do to stay in shape? Before i write it down, i'll tell you a little more about myself. I'm a autodidact, i've been one since i was around 15 years old. The way i've learned most of my english is somekind of unusual, for those who did'nt know, i'm french Canadian. I've learn some of it at school but much of it i've learned by buying 'The Source' magazine and 'XXL' magazine. I've read them no mather if i understood or not what was written, i knew that as time would go by, i would understand words that would make me understand other words that would make me understand sentences. Of course, i always liked to search into the dictionnary for complete definition. And then i started reading books, watching movies, and more i consumed english material, more i understood the language. But a language is not only about understanding it or being able to write it, you have to be able to express it verbally, and that's where i'm lacking skills since all my entourage are french Canadians just like me. There were a period of my life where i had a music studio with some friends and i was or could i say trying real hard to rap in english, i thought this could help me to develop verbal skills, it helped a little but it helped me more to realize that rapping was not my thing, most of my texts were good until i expressed them. So, i wanted to make a parallel with my studies of english and my studies of fitness. I've been studying fitness for years on my own, i think it's a very interesting subject to study and practice. I always created my own programs, and i keep learning about my mistakes and keep improving for the better. Now i create a new fitness program every two months. Here's the one i'm working with right now, i started it the 22nd of December 2012, i will end this one and make a new one around the 22nd of February 2013.I train at home. I will insert below the program a picture of myself i just took minutes ago with my old cellphone. As for the intellect training, eat books for breakfast; 10 pages minimum!...i mean read..  :)

Day 1

Warmups; -Push-ups                                                               20 Reps

                -Standing Triceps extensions with lightweight dumbell 20 Reps                 

                -Squats without additionnal weight                             20 Reps

Workout;   -Incline Dumbbell Press                                            2 Sets

                -Dumbbell floor press                                                2 Sets

                -Suspended Push-ups                                               2 Sets

                -Superset; EZ-bar skullcrushers & Dips                      2 Sets                   

                -Lunges with dumbbells                                             3 Sets

                -Barbell Squats                                                         2 Sets

                -Calf raises with dumbbells                                        3 Sets

                -Donkey calf raises without additionnal weight             2 Sets  (High Reps)

                -Superset; Suspended leg raises & Sit-ups                 2 Sets

Cardio; 10 to 15 minutes steady

Stretching; Pecs, Triceps, Legs, Calves, toe touch, hanging lat stretch (Spine decompression hang)

Day 2

-Take a walk outside, minimum 10 minutes

Day 3 

Warmups; -Lateral raises with lightweight dumbbells                    20 Reps

                -Bent over row with lightweight dumbbells                    20 Reps

                -Standing alternate dumbbell curls (lightweight)            20 Reps

Workout; -Superset; Lateral raises & Standing shoulder press with dumbbells 2 Sets

               -Side lying rear delt flys                                               2 Sets

               -Superset; Wide grip pull ups & Bent over row with dumbbells 3 Sets

               -Tri-sets; Dumbbell shrugs & Up right row & Neck curls           2 Sets

               -Tri-sets; Standing alternate Dumbbell curls & Chin ups & Wrist roller 2 Sets

               - Dumbbell wrist curl                                                       2 Sets

               - Superset; Side plank(each sides) & Front plank               1 Set

               - Lower back extensions on the floor                                 2 Sets

               - Band internal rotation for rotator cuffs                              2 Sets (High Reps)

               - Side lying external dumbbell rotation                               2 Sets

Cardio; 10 to 15 minutes steady

Stretching; Shoulders, Traps, Neck, Biceps, Forearm, Legs, hanging lat stretch (Spine decompression hang)

Day 4

-Take a walk outside, minimum 10 minutes

Day 5

Warmups; -Push-ups                                                                  20 Reps

                -Standing Triceps extensions with lightweight dumbbell  20 Reps

                -Squats without additionnal weight                               20 Reps

Workout;  -Dumbbell floor press                                                   2 Sets

               -Incline dumbbell press                                                 2 Sets

               -Suspended push-ups                                                   2 Sets

               -Superset; Standing dumbbell triceps extension & Dips   2 Sets

               -Barbell front squats                                                     3 Sets

               -Barbell squats                                                             2 Sets

               -Calf raises with dumbbells                                            3 Sets

               -Donkey calf raises without additionnal weight                 2 Sets

               -Crunches                                                                    2 Sets (High Reps)

Cardio; 10 to 15 minutes steady

Stretching; Pecs, Triceps, Legs, Calfs, toe touch, hanging lat stretch (Spine decompression hang)

Day6

-Take a walk outside, minimum 10 minutes

Day 7

Warmups; -Lateral raises with lightweight dumbbells                    20 Reps

             -Bent over row with lightweight dumbbells                    20 Reps

                -Standing alternate dumbbell curls (lightweight)            20 Reps

Workout; -Superset; Seated shoulder press with dumbbells & Lateral raises 2 Sets

              -Superset; Standing rear delt flys & Wide grip Pull ups    2 Sets

              -One arm dumbbell row                                                 2 Sets

              -Tri-sets; Dumbbell shrugs & Up right row & Neck curls   2 Sets

              -Barbell curls & Chin ups & Hammer curls                      2 Sets

              -Superset; Wrist roller & Barbell wrist curls                     2 Sets

              -Tri-sets; Suspended leg raises & suspended knee raises & Crunches 2 Sets

              -Lower back extensions on the floor                                2 Sets

              -Band internal rotation for rotator cuffs                            2 Sets (High reps)

              -Side lying external dumbbell rotation                              2 Sets

Cardio; 10 to 15 minutes steady

Stretching; Shoulders, Traps, Neck, Biceps, Forearm, Legs, hanging lat stretch (Spine decompression hang)

Day 8

-Take a walk outside

Specs: (1 minute of pause between each warmups, 2 minutes of pause between each exercises, 1 minutes of pause between sets with 12 reps or higher, 1 min.30 of pause between sets of 11 reps or below,2 minutes of pause between Supersets or Tri-sets, no pause between each stretch), (When your able to complete an exercise by successfully reaching between 12 to 20 reps for all of your sets, upgrade the weight at the next session; 5 pounds for small muscle groups and 10 pounds for big muscle groups), (Go to failure as much as you can, especially the last set of each exercises except for the lower back and rotator cuffs exercises, for those 2 exeptions, go hard but not to failure)

(Day 9); restart to day 1

Here's a picture i took with my old cellphone today; i'm 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall and i currently weight 175 pounds.

Peace!!

What is Martial Art?

Martial Art is the balanced integration of the body, mind, & spirit & its expression of it.  Martial Art is the integration of Yin/Yang.  Martial is Yang, Art is Yin.  The balance is Martial Art.  The imbalance is not Martial Art but rather a corrupted version of it.  A balance is like walking on tight rope, it is easy to become unbalanced in which to fall.  Those who are balanced correctly are representing harmony between the two forces of Yin/Yang.  Yin/Yang goes by the philosophy of Tao.  Martial Arts is the Tao.  True Martial Arts must integrate the Physical, Mental, and Spiritual.  Any lack of, is not Martial Art.  Any and all combat sport is not Martial Art, it lacks the spiritual.  Football, basketball, golf, tennis, etc. are not Martial Arts, it lacks the scientific development of combat, it lacks the spiritual understanding, and it lacks the complete physical development that is relevant to self-defense, sports is not Martial Arts.  

Dancing is not Martial Arts, but it retains the creative/artistic qualities of Martial Arts.  Michael Jackson was not a Martial Artist, but he clearly was an Artist.  Mike Tyson was a Boxer, not a Martial Artist, he would more closely resemble a street fighter than a Martial Artist.  Although Mohammed Ali was a professional Boxer, his inner spirit, his expression of compassion, his inner character in standing up against the Vietnam War, his gracefulness in the ring, made him resemble more of a Martial Artist rather than a street fighter.  A Martial Artist does not fight for money, a Martial Artist will not hurt others for profit, a Martial Artist will find another way to make a living.  A Martial Artist will not train others to become bullies, a Martial Artist will train others to become good, loving, and compassionate people within.  

Martial Arts is not purely just self-defense.  A soldier is not a Martial Artist, a Police Officer is not a Martial Artist.  They are both in lack of the spiritual development, and they are clearly in lack of the artistic and creative aspects of what makes an Artist.  They may possess or have knowledge on the most efficient way to kill, but they are not Martial Artists.  In Martial Art, there is an aspect of creativity and self-expression that cannot be found in self-defense tactics alone.  Self-Defense tactics is more scientific, it is not artistic.  There is clearly a difference between self-defense and Martial Arts.  

Martial Art requires an understanding of the Eastern way of living and being.  Martial Art derives from the East, not from the West.  In order for a Westerner to truly understand Martial Art, he must surrender his Ego and learn the ways of the East in which to create a balance between East and West.  The Westerner is representing Yang, the East is representing Yin, the westerner who refuses to learn the ways of the East, cannot be a Martial Artist.  He can be a soldier, he can be a fighter, he can be capable of defending himself in combat, but he is not a Martial Artist.  The West teaches violence and effective ways of killing, the East teaches peace, love, and compassion, learning both ways creates the balance, creates the harmony.  

The proud wearing of traditional uniforms that represent the culture of the East is important in Martial Arts.  This shows the appreciation of the history, culture, and ways of the East.  Uniforms play a significant role in society.  We know who a Police Officer is when we see his uniform.  The mailman has his uniform, the UPS driver has his uniform.  The sales clerk has his uniform.  The uniforms that you choose to wear will represent your understanding and appreciation of the Martial Arts.  If you choose to wear no uniform, the Martial spirit is still within you but the public will not be able to identify you as a Martial Artist unless they already know what it means to be a Martial Artist.  Combat Sport Fighters, Street Fighters, and thugs have their own uniforms that represent their ways.  Martial Artist's have uniforms that set themselves apart.  

If it is not the uniform, it is also the way you move and the way you physically express yourself as a Martial Artist.  A Martial Artist knows how to move like a dancer, most Fighters do not.  A Martial Artist is graceful with his movements, most Fighters are not.  A Martial Artist is peaceful with his expression, fighters are not, they are destructive.  A Martial Artist will demonstrate his talents and abilities without having to hurt others, a Fighter will hurt another for a price.  A Martial Artist has a good heart within and will not abuse his powers.  A fighter is an immature child who is irresponsible with the powers that he possesses.  

Martial Artist's are found in all walks of life doing good for society.  You will find Martial Artist's that make a living as actors, fire fighters, Police Officers, soldiers, teachers, personal trainers, fitness instructors, nutritionalists, professors, doctors, dentists, service clerks, security guards, etc.  You will find Martial Artists who take on professions that are contributing something positive to society.  You will not find Martial Artists in Combat Sports, you will find fighters, boxers, wrestlers, bullies, and athletes, but not Martial Artists.  It is not easy for talented Martial Artists to reach fame, as there are less and less professions available in the entertainment businesses that require the unique skills and talents of Martial Artists.  

The invention of computer graphics and the use of stunt doubles has nearly eliminated the need for movie producers to hire Martial Artists for action roles.  Martial Artist's are left with occupations that are typically low-paying and do not provide the opportunities to reach worldwide fame.  A Martial Artist in the real world is like the very talented and inspiring teacher that is known locally but not worldwide.  Fighters are known worldwide and get paid much money because they are willing to hurt and destroy others for profit, similar to how a drug dealer can make much more money compared to a Police Officer or how a "porn star" or stripper can make significantly more money than a school teacher.  

Martial Artists are becoming more extinct in the real world, just as many of these beautiful wildlife animals are becoming extinct because the human population has taken over the world and have used up all available resources.  The humans move in, the wildlife disappears.  Fighters are moving in & Martial Artists are disappearing, that is the reality of the situation.  No more is the public idolizing Martial Artists like Bruce Lee & Jet Li.  The public is now idolizing Fighters.  Those who see and observe what is occurring can make a change for the better in which to represent the Martial Arts the way it is meant to be represented.  

Shi zu Freddie Lee

Founder & Owner

Tao of Freddie's Modern Kung Fu