origami_itto wrote:Muscle tone is a byproduct of conditioning.
Some people speak about arms like iron wrapped in cotton. If you've ever met somebody like that they probably had pretty good Taijiquan.
I've met people like that with no taijiquan, and I've met people with arms like laser cut steel that had phenomenal taijiquan (and vice-versa). Muscle tone in the vernacular sense is a byproduct of conditioning, genetics, body composition, etc. In the sense of the amount of tonus in the muscle either at rest or in movement, it's primarily a function of the nervous system. In that regard, why do people think a grand total of a couple of minutes a week under maximal tension to stimulate a strength increase is going to over-ride several hours of taiji practice, not to mention all the other time just living life? That's where awareness, presence in the moment, or whatever else someone wants to call it comes in. If someone can't relax their body after a couple of kettlebell swings, they are unlikely to be able to relax when some goon tries to punch them in the face or bend their elbow the wrong way.
I'm not saying everyone should join a crossfit gym or train like a pro MMA fighter. I am saying that decades of experience and scientific research both agree that the notion that muscular/strength development will somehow inhibit sensory capacity and/or motor function to do other activities (like gongfu) is a myth. It does take time and metabolic resources, though, so people should be aware of their own capacity and decide how many rabbits they think they can chase at one time.