Bodybuilding makes you slow and...

[bawang]

After years of doing normal weight training exercises I think bodybuilding might actually be indeed be not too useful for kung fu. It has something to do with the watery muscle bellies.

[YinOrYan]

After years of doing normal weight training exercises I think bodybuilding might actually be indeed be not too useful for kung fu. It has something to do with the watery muscle bellies.

I've noticed the issue of weight training has been a polarizing issue between different schools of kung fu, often between Taoist/internal and Buddhist/external systems. I tend mostly to use them in conjuction with weapon training, swapping in different weights for knife or pole weapons, regardless of whether the weapon forms are from Taoist or Buddhist systems...

[bawang]

I've noticed the issue of weight training has been a polarizing issue between different schools of kung fu, often between Taoist/internal and Buddhist/external systems. I tend mostly to use them in conjuction with weapon training, swapping in different weights for knife or pole weapons, regardless of whether the weapon forms are from Taoist or Buddhist systems...

u gotta keep in mind modern training relies on extraphysiological amounts of meat and protein intake. I suspect the bloated muscle bellies can act as protein reserves. These water baloon muscles are reported in medical studies to suck nutrients away from tendons and inhibit tendon growth with cellular signalling.
The modern training regimen also often have rediculous amounts of downtime where ur just sore and resting, which is also unrealistic in non industrial society.

another big issue is maladaptive neural entrainment and movement paths. For exaple bench press is notorious for deactivating the scapula.