Daily routine? Help!

[Samoobramba]

What is your daily routine?
I am very busy and don't have a lot time for training, but I need to setup a effective routine to (do at home to) develope my body and martial abilities.
I thinked to do (daily - spread through the day) 15-20 minutes of Zhang Zhuang, 15-20 minutes of Chalistenics (combined with Isometrics and Dynamic Tension exercises), 15-30 minutes od martial arts (basic movements internal martial arts) and 10-15 minutes od sitting meditation.
Any opinion, recommandation? I don't have more than 45-60 minutes daily, so it must be a short and effective routine. Do you suggest any other exercise or change (in exercise and time)?
Thanks for help.

[TaoBoxer]

If you have a teacher and could train for several hours at a time a few times a week, this daily program would be fine. If this is all you have, then it is not enough.

Lewitt

[Samoobramba]

Maybe something is better than nothing. ;-)
In my opinion a hour a day (of training) for a nonagonistic/amateur man is enough.

[DeusTrismegistus]

While I am at work I frequently stand in san ti while talking to people. Close my door and do a few push ups which only takes 30 seconds. I practice a form in the common room when I have a few minutes. When I am driving I will stretch my hands and wrists out and practice different hand positions. When I am standing next to a wall I will practice different strikes.

You can find lots of time to tap your practice throughout the day if you try.

[Samoobramba]

Thanks DausTrismegistus! I need adiveces like yours
I like to do Zhan Zhuang when I wake up. Bodyweight exercises through the day (Grease The Groove method) - also 1-2 times daily in the office. In the afternoon/evening the internal martial arts (drills, forms,..) - and maybe some heavy bag workout. In the evening (1 hour before I go to sleep) maybe some sitting meditation. This is all the time that I have for my trening (maybe one hour spreaded through the day). Once or twice a week I do sparrings and sensitivity drills with a training partner (one hour in the evening).
How I said any suggestion and advice will be will be appreciated.

[wkfung108]

While I am at work I frequently stand in san ti while talking to people.

And your coworkers don't look at you strangely??

To go back to the original post, I think if you learn to budget time effectively, you'll find that you have more time available for training than you realize. For instance, the 20 minutes you spend browsing EF could be used for training ;-)

Still, if you have just one hour a day to train, you can still make real progress -- obviously not as quickly as you would if you trained more, but hey, we all have lives that can't be put on hold ...

My approach to time-restricted solo training would be: 15 minutes intense calisthenics (this will serve as both strength, cardio and conditioning); 20 minutes of stance holding; 15 minutes forms, and 10 minutes in which I focus on a different single technique each week. For instance, perhaps this week I'd spent 10 minutes a day drilling all aspects of beng quan or something. I'd eliminate the meditation, or, if I absolutely must meditate, I'd do it during my lunch break.

- Kent

[Shanghaijay]

The less time you have the more time you need to plan.

First read up on periodization

Then write down every training methodology in your system and every form. Categorize the system into Strength & power building, Restorative and skill enhancement.

You goal is to get better over your life so you need to hit every aspect of your training over a macro cycle or one year. You then divide up the macro cycle into 3 meso cycles and the 3 meso cycles into 3 micro cycles. You can even divide up your daily work out into 3 nano cycles of 20 min each.

Science and Natural systems bear this out (look at Fibonacci and the golden mean)

You want to alternate between the three types of exercises (keep the yin and Yang in balance)

Traditional systems have these 3 systems to protect the body and improve. You can not do all yin or all yang without creating some type of imbalance and getting an injury.

Jay

[chud]

Maybe something is better than nothing. ;-)
In my opinion a hour a day (of training) for a nonagonistic/amateur man is enough.

That's how I look at it. Right now with a job, wife, and 2 small children, that's about all I can afford to practice. It would be nice to practice more, but I have no doubt that I am receiving benefit from my practice and improving myself. When the situation improves in the future and I can devote more time to practice, I will.

[Bao]

What do you want to accomplish? health? strength? Martial skill? Be sure to first set a very clear goal with your practice.

Many people who brags about spending a long time practicing every day, actually spend a very little time on what is the very goal with their practice. Personally, I don't spend much time on warm-up or various strength exercises. Time is precious so one have to carefully select what to focus on and try to understand the consecuences on every choice you make. If you have just a little time everyday, you need to make sure to spend quality-time practicing and not waste time. First - all kind of practice that is to extreme - I would throw away immediately. That's my simple advice.

[Fubo]

What is your daily routine?
I am very busy and don't have a lot time for training, but I need to setup a effective routine to (do at home to) develope my body and martial abilities.
I thinked to do (daily - spread through the day) 15-20 minutes of Zhang Zhuang, 15-20 minutes of Chalistenics (combined with Isometrics and Dynamic Tension exercises), 15-30 minutes od martial arts (basic movements internal martial arts) and 10-15 minutes od sitting meditation.
Any opinion, recommandation? I don't have more than 45-60 minutes daily, so it must be a short and effective routine. Do you suggest any other exercise or change (in exercise and time)?
Thanks for help.

I think the routine you've created for your self is fine, but if your goal is martial effectiveness, I personally would exchange the 15 minutes of sitting meditation with 15 minutes of bag work or throwing dummy depending on what you want to work on. Some cardio work wouldn't hurt either.

[Samoobramba]

Bao - My goal is good health, above the average strength and superior martial skills.

Fubo - I added the "sitting meditation" because I heard that is an essential practice of the internal martial arts and maybe can also help with stress reduction. I don't know how it is effective or if is useful.

[Bao]

Bao - My goal is good health, above the average strength and superior martial skills.

Agree with the bag work then. But what you really need is a lot of partner work, as sparring.

Fubo - I added the "sitting meditation" because I heard that is an essential practice of the internal martial arts and maybe can also help with stress reduction. I don't know how it is effective or if is useful.

Nowadays, I don't believe in IMA or meditation as a full proof method of stress reduction. Learning to handle your body and body awareness is one thing, but we also need to be able to control our work, social life etc. Life is not that simple.

[Ian]

If you want stress reduction, you'd be much better off keeping a journal.

[wkfung108]

Stress reduction can be accomplished a variety of ways, and I would think if you fully focus yourself in your training, any of the ideas outlined here (cardio/strength work, stance training, forms, bag work, etc.) will help. No need to meditation (not that I think meditation is worthless, but if your time is limited, it doesn't seem to me to be all that efficient).

If by superior martial skills you mean fighting ability, there's no substitute for sparring. But with your time limitations, I doubt that will be possible on a daily basis. Perhaps alternate technique work with bag work and shadow boxing?

- Kent

Bao - My goal is good health, above the average strength and superior martial skills.

Fubo - I added the "sitting meditation" because I heard that is an essential practice of the internal martial arts and maybe can also help with stress reduction. I don't know how it is effective or if is useful.

[Samoobramba]

As I understand you don't recommend me to "lose" time with sitting meditation (because of my limited amout of time). Probably the Zhan Zhuang will covet the "meditation" part (necesitty) of my daily training.
So "sitting meditation" in you opinion is not essential and can be skipped.