Tai Chi Chuan & Muscle Imbalances

Julio Salado
This essay is based on my 'Maximum Boost Workout© 8 Week Body Sculpting Book.´, Tai Chi Chuan experience, meditation practice, 11 years of Buddhist practice & 10 years of body sculpting. The goal of this essay is to deepen your understanding on how Tai Chi Chuan can benefit your long term health.

There is an epidemic in America of low back pain, poor posture, shoulder and knee injuries that are the result of a sedentary lifestyle. Most of these ailments are preventable! Why live in pain? When you can learn techniques that are effective and long term lasting.

Personal Training based on exercise science and Tai Chi Chuan is the perfect solution.

There is a need for corrective exercises that are safe, time efficient, challenging and that can build a solid foundation for progressive strength & conditioning training.

Tai Chi Chuan benefits:

Develop Core Strength -abdominals, low back, obliques and hips

Practicing Tai Chi Chuan may increase joint's range of motion

Mind-body connection (perform conscious contractions)

Improve blood circulation & muscular conditioning

Increase muscle extensibility & flexibility

Postural Alignment

Improve Motor performance, Balance and Coordination

All ages can participate

Improve Body Awareness for Athletics –Tempo control

Current Research shows that Tai Chi Chuan may help cognition & memory

Tai Chi Chuan helps reverse the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle e.g. less than 30 minutes of daily physical activity, 5+ hours of sitting on a daily basis.

Integrating a Tai Chi Chuan into your fitness program will help develop 'functional movements' that can be used in daily living. In conjunction with strength and conditioning training program based on exercise science you will yield quicker results and self-efficacy.

For example:

Wave hands like Clouds' and 'Wild Horse Ruffling Mane' are great examples of ankle/knee/elbow/shoulder joint actions, spine & hip rotation in all anatomical planes (for pictures please visit my website)

Learning of these two movements will improve balance for seniors and teaches the importance of controlling tempo for athletes. E.g. 'Wave Hands Like Clouds' requires lateral stepping movement & hip rotation action. 'Wild Horse Ruffling Mane' is multi-planar and involves upward & downward scapular (shoulder blades) rotation.

Tai Chi Chuan is designed to help practitoners live a healthy life from the inside out. The art is a blend of corrective exercise & mobility drills. All disguised in elegant, graceful but effective martial art Any one from professional athletes, seniors, youth, gender, computer programmers can benefit from the marvels of Tai Chi Chuan.

Be well and stay ACTIVE!!

Julio A. Salado, AFAA & NASM C.P.T.

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