Had a thought on the Tai-Chi paradox, hope I'm not too late :)
I don't claim to be any sort of expert on Tai-Chi, Yoga, or any sort of
eastern mind/body fitness. I have had a bit of exposure to it through
attending lectures, reading, etc.
From my understanding, Tai-Chi and Yoga involve quite a bit on
concentration on what your body is doing, or trying to do, at the time.
Could it be that you are actually training your mind to use your body more
effectively rather than pure strength training? I understand that the body
is sore and you feel like you get a workout, but I don't see anyone
becoming a massive bodybuilder or weightlifter purely on these forms of
exercise (maybe I'm wrong). I do see great tone, and a better ability of
the mind to control what the body is doing. I think those PET scans would
be very interesting with Tai-Chi masters vs. weightlifters.
Some of my friends that are heavily into strength training claim to get
better results when they concentrate on what they are doing.
Any other thoughts?
Zachary Sommermeyer, SPT
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