Wing Chun/Choy Lee Fut 500 push-up routine

[Gowgee]

Hi, here is a question for the Wing Chun/Choy Lee Fut guys on the board.

I just returned from China, where a relative suggested I take up a new training routine. Part of the routine involves 500 push ups per day, including knuckle, finger-tip and panther fist versions.

I guess my question is, is this routine plain nuts long-term (in terms of joint fatigue etc) or is this pretty much par for the course?

[Mr Punch]

It's nuts.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Don't see the point of putting an arbitrary number like 500, but many systems do that in their training, Ip training fro example.

Doing 500 push-ups ALL day is not that whack, I mean, if you are awake for the typical 16 hours, from 6 to 10 for example, that is 32 per hour.
Typically you do the harder ones first and finish off with the easy ones.
EX:
If you are doing knuckle, 5 finger, two finger and phoenix-eye fist push-ups you would do as many PE fist ones, rest 30 -60 sec, do as many 2 finger, rest, do as many 5 finger, rest and do as many knuckle ones and you are done.
Repeat every hour if you can.

I wouldn't do it everyday mind you, your body need recovery time, especially your joints.

[jow yeroc]

Yeah i don't know about every day. I do 200-300 3-4 days a week with my
workout. Sets of 40-50, regular, incline, walrus(fingers pointing out), closed grip,
and either divebomb, frog or triangle(hands close form triangle). Not saying my
way is right or wrong for anyone else, just how i do and its only part of my routine. But try the 500 for yourself for a couple weeks and see how it works
for you. I remember as a kid reading that Jhoon Rhee did 1000 a day! 10 sets
of 100. That's pretty gangsta.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Yeah i don't know about every day. I do 200-300 3-4 days a week with my
workout. Sets of 40-50, regular, incline, walrus(fingers pointing out), closed grip,
and either divebomb, frog or triangle(hands close form triangle). Not saying my
way is right or wrong for anyone else, just how i do and its only part of my routine. But try the 500 for yourself for a couple weeks and see how it works
for you. I remember as a kid reading that Jhoon Rhee did 1000 a day! 10 sets
of 100. That's pretty gangsta.

Yeah I heard that, also so how sloppy he did them, focusing on doing as much as possible rather than quality ones.
See, the whole point of doing lots of reps is the time under load principle and that can be done by doing many very very fast or doing them at a pace:
Doing 100 push-ups in 3 min as fast as you can
or
Doing 60 in 3 minutes at an even pace in 3 min
or
Doing 40 at a very slow and controlled pace in 3 min

All work muscular endurance at the same time under load, just in different ways.

[diego]

Yeah I heard that, also so how sloppy he did them, focusing on doing as much as possible rather than quality ones.
See, the whole point of doing lots of reps is the time under load principle and that can be done by doing many very very fast or doing them at a pace:
Doing 100 push-ups in 3 min as fast as you can
or
Doing 60 in 3 minutes at an even pace in 3 min
or
Doing 40 at a very slow and controlled pace in 3 min

All work muscular endurance at the same time under load, just in different ways.

Jhoon did tkd or kuk soul won!?...I'm guessing he would do them half ass and fast cuz he likes the flippy energy of his Korean art!?.

typing while thinking, was gonna mention Mr. Rhee

[Cimaroon]

Shoots, i got me one of them perfect pushup jobbers....you can rip em off pretty good on that thingy.

[Gowgee]

LOL thanks for the feedback! Apparently in the old days my relative's teacher would only teach the young guys on the previso they go out back and do the "warm up" of 500 of the various push-ups, then they would start training.

jow yeroc, if you don't mind, what's your regular conditioning workout like??

[Hebrew Hammer]

If you're an elite athlete or martial artist, it could be a fun challenge. Probably not realistic for most martial artists...especially if your class only runs an hour or an hour and a half...our CLF school had two hour classes...might also be a good way to thin out class attendance. I'm sure more than one student would be very displeased with that kind of routine.

I couldn't do that many now...but in my youth, many moons ago in boot camp, our drill Instructor made us do over 700 push ups the day before a physical fitness test. I know because he made me count them for the two recruits that missed out on all the fun...they did them for our entertainment the next day.

500 is certainly doable but would be offered as a part of a martial fitness class...if you're school offered them (I understand that most kung fu classes are fitness classes)...I've personally never seen more than 100 required for any of my martial arts classes.

[jow yeroc]

LOL thanks for the feedback! Apparently in the old days my relative's teacher would only teach the young guys on the previso they go out back and do the "warm up" of 500 of the various push-ups, then they would start training.

jow yeroc, if you don't mind, what's your regular conditioning workout like??

Hey gowgee

Mon, Wed, Fr: 200-300 pushup (various) sets of 40-50. Admittedly i can't do
40-50 fingertip yet.

Dips, 5 sets 10-15 rep

Pullups, 5 sets 7-10 rep, various grips (stiil kinda weak here)

dumbbell curls 5 sets, 10-15 rep, 35lb, 40lb, 50lb, 35lb, 25lb

6 min nonstop(sorta) ab routine

3 mi run, sometimes 2mi. Sometimes don't want to run so i do
a 200-300 jumping jack/jumping horse/squat thrust routine.

begin and end with stretching. Some chi kung exercises and
hand/palm/fist conditioning with shot bag and da saam sing
with an iron bar i have rigged up.

Tue, Th: Train at the gwoon (when i show up) usually drills and forms,
stance work.

Sat Work the heavy bag full on 5 2Min "rounds", then practice forms.

Sun Watch football, drink beer, eat wings

I do a blue collar job so some days after working 10-12 hrs the workout gets 86ed.

Also as a disclaimer, I'm 40 and am not training to fight in the octagon, so some
may say my workout is wrong or a waste or not suitable for fighting but whatever,
i don't care. I workout because it makes me feel good.

[Gowgee]

Thanks! Your mention of two training workouts at the kwoon each week has got me wondering. I'm also training two to three days a week at class, but wonder what the number of days a week is to maintain or improve your skill. Sounds like time for a new thread..

[fopah]

We'll do burn out days once our twice a month where we start at twenty, take a ten second rest, then to nineteen, ten second rest, 18, ten second rest, 17 rest etc. etc. till we reach one... then we will train on something like kicks or punches, then to that routine again, sometimes we'll end up doing it 3 or 4 times on a burn out day... just once comes out to 210 pushups.... the next day sucks.

[jow yeroc]

Thanks! Your mention of two training workouts at the kwoon each week has got me wondering. I'm also training two to three days a week at class, but wonder what the number of days a week is to maintain or improve your skill. Sounds like time for a new thread..

True, but training and improving shouldn't stop just because you're not at class.
A person could go to class 5 days a week but if they're not pushing themselves to
improve in some way or in some facet then they are just taking up space and air
from people trying to get better/stronger. I quite enjoy my home workouts. It's
more akin to homework/study whereas the gwoon is classwork/correction. Just
my opinion tho.

[Mr Punch]

par for the course with traditional training at the foundation level.

That wasn't the question. The question was whether it was 'nuts long term (in terms of joint fatigue etc)...' to which the answer is, 'Yes, it's nuts.'

10 sets of various push ups at 50 each.

As Sanjuro suggested, that may be OK spread over the day, so your body adapts to the stress, but certainly not in one big block.

However the adaptation will then make this statement:

Those and other traditional exercises will beef you up. It typically ads 10 or so lbs of muscle.[/QUOTE] out to be highly dubious.

[sanjuro_ronin]

People need to NOT confuse the different types of strength training.
You can train for muscular endurance ie: how many push ups you can do
You can train for explosive power
You can train for pure strength ie: how much you can lift
You can train to add muscle mass
You can even combine all of the above, though not in the same workout, you just have to be clear as to you you are doing.