Traditional Chinese Weights

[GeneChing]

The bicycle might not be traditional (depends on your definition of 'traditional') but carrying stones is a traditional thing in Chinese training.

Wuhan man stays fit by riding his bike 10 km a day with 74 kg of stone balanced atop his head



How does this 52-year-old man from Wuhan stay so fit and strong? The secret is in his daily workout routine which involves balancing 74 kg of stone on his head while riding his bike a good 10 km.
Zhang Xunmu says that he has followed this workout regime every day for the past 13 years. After hearing reports of the man, a reporter from the Wuhan Evening News paid a visit to the area around Jiangxia Stadium and witnessed Zhang riding his bike while a 34-kg millstone was balanced atop his head, along with several other blocks weighing 25 kg and 15 kg.
He revealed to the reporter that his workout routine started back in 2002 and grew naturally out of finding a millstone abandoned by the roadside some eight years before. He began trying to balance the enormous rock on his head and found that he quite enjoyed the challenge.
"At first, I just wanted to ride with these stones balanced on my head, but then I became obsessed with this way of working out," Zhang said. He added that the stones never fall off.
We sincerely hope that this will soon became the latest fitness craze in the mainland, though it is important to note that Zhang says he has developed a bald patch because of the rocks.
Try combining Zhang's method with that of a 55-year-old Sichuan man who walks 200 meters every day wearing a pair of 70-kg stone shoes for the best results.



[Images via Tencent]
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By Alex Linder in News on Dec 8, 2015 2:35 PM

I posted on Sichuan's Huang Baoquan (70 kg stone shoes) in our Muk Yee Pai - (木耳牌) Wooden Ear Plates & Sek So - (石锁) Stone Locks thread.

[MarathonTmatt]

The bicycle might not be traditional (depends on your definition of 'traditional') but carrying stones is a traditional thing in Chinese training.



I posted on Sichuan's Huang Baoquan (70 kg stone shoes) in our Muk Yee Pai - (木耳牌) Wooden Ear Plates & Sek So - (石锁) Stone Locks thread.

Hello all,
A very nice article about training with stone weights... thnx for the share. 74 kilo-grams is roughly 163 pounds. That is awesome. I have balanced wood on my head before, also supported by my shoulders, but have never balanced stone on head like "the man" riding the bicycle. I am glad that kung fu people appreciate such things!

[GeneChing]

Here's some more for you.

Man claims to have lost 30 kg by walking around with a cement block on his head



A 54-year-old man has been spotted wandering around the streets of Jilin with a block of cement balanced on his head, he claims that it's his secret to staying so fit and slim.



Three years ago, Cong Yan weighed 115 kg. With his 1.63-meter height, his weight posed a serious threat to his health. Cong began searching for a way to lose weight and soon heard about one unconventional method of weight loss. "I didn't want to take diet pills, so I decided to give the exercise a try," he explains.



At the beginning, he balanced a 15 kg cement block atop his noggin, but slowly progressed up to a 40 kg block, CCTV News reports. As long as the weather is suitable, he roams around with the massive block on his head for around 3 km. "It's working, I'm down to 85 kg after three years," he boasts.



Cong has even created his own unique exercise routine, including practicing two sets of martial arts, circling around the bell tower 22 times and climbing 50 steps up and down six times, NetEase reports. According to ECNS, he says he wants to put his routine into the Guinness World Records.
Even though Cong claims his unusual exercise regime is responsible for his weight loss, netizens are skeptical:
"Don't copy what he's doing! It will only add extra pressure to your knees and when you get older, you may have difficulty getting around," one web user warned.
“It isn’t worth trying. What if this kind of exercise causes some serious damage to the neck?” another wrote.
“That’s right, he loses weight but look at his bald head. I prefer being fat to having no hair left,” one netizen joked.
It seems that to get a good workout, you don't need any kind of expensive equipment, just a couple of hefty stones. One 55-year-old man puts them on his feet and walks 200 meters every day to preserve his hot bod.



While another 52-year-old man from Wuhan balances them on his head while riding a bike to stay in shape.



Will this become the next natural weight loss craze?
By Katie Ngai
[Images via NetEase // CCTV News]

I can't imagine weights on the head would be good for you in the long run, but it's totally badass.

[SteveLau]

Kung Fu fanatics like other fanatics are no good in general, LOL. I use metal rings for my arm training if that is traditional Chinese weights.



Regards,

KC
Hong Kong