- In many far eastern techniques, without giving too much away, the body is the base. Hardly any material is used for training. Our potential is enormous (deep muscles, awareness of movement, etc…) let’s learn to make use of it to utilise this fabulous ‘vehicle’ better.
Therefore by working on the posture on a daily basis certain ailments can be relieved. I put the emphasis on a basic posture and then, according to the objectives, I adapt proven techniques in order to stimulate the body effectively. For example, a vital and deep muscle like the transverse muscle is very rarely stimulated whereas without it there would be no real support for the abdomen. It is inescapable for the protection of your back with the spinal muscles (deep muscles of the spinal column). My abdominal series do not go against this rule. The transverse muscle is permanently supported for two reasons: awareness and support of the lower back. Strong abdominal muscles are the keystone to your body. Work them intelligently and say goodbye to interminable and ineffective exercises. Look to see if your lower abdomen (just under the belly button) is really flat and toned. The centre of everything is there!
- I use cardio-vascular activation to burn fat, but once again without rushing the body. Look at the physique of a marathon runner or that of 100m runner. It is not the same training program, the same energy channel, the same diet; therefore it is not the same physique. It is not a question of doing the same but only of applying the basic rules to burn fat: a workout at medium intensity on a long term basis with constant control of the heart rate. Indeed, the lipids are used from the beginning of activation. But as they represent a lot of energy (1g = 9 calories), it is necessary to last without overdoing it too much; in which case, you would look for sugar and you are sure to feel ‘drained’ afterwards. In my opinion, it is necessary to minimise impact to the ground in order to protect your joints, especially in a cardio program: effort by respecting the body.
- All these exercises are based on particular breathing exercises. I have seen many people who do not know how to breathe and quickly become exhausted. Learning how to breathe during exercise teaches you in fact how to manage stress. Stress, which is a situation of nervous tension, accelerates the heart rate and therefore the breathing. You stop all movement, the machine races out of control, you exhaust yourself unnecessarily. Certain people with whom I work used to do everything whilst ‘holding their breath’. Effort rhymed with loss of breath… what a waste of energy! How surprised they were with the ease with which they carried out certain movements once they learnt how to breathe. If you control your breathing, then you manage your stress and the benefits will be felt in your daily life.
- These stimulation techniques can not exist without stretching. Too often relegated to the ranks of a ‘subsidiary’ technique, it is nevertheless inescapable and essential. Stretching is necessary to eliminate toxins and to regain the original insertion of the muscle. If you contract your muscles to tone up without stretching, you rapidly lose your muscular suppleness. Shortened muscles alter your posture; look at yourself when you are tense, contracted. Many men neglect this technique whereas in the world of martial arts, which includes some of my friends and business partners, suppleness cannot be ignored as it is required in order to develop real power. Furthermore stretching leads to a reduction in electric activity of the muscle and through that physical relaxation is brought to the practitioner. Nothing better to link body and mind after a day of tension or intense physical effort than postural stretching.