The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior's Way (Hardcover)

~ Sifu Shi Yan Ming (Author) "In a typical loft space in Manhattan's hip Greenwich Village, a not-so-typical New Yorker is warming up..." (more)
Key Phrases: Shaolin Temple, Shaolin Workout, Chan Buddhism (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In his loft in New york City’s Greenwich Village, Sifu Shi Yan Ming trains men and women of all ages, body types and backgrounds in the fundamentals of kung fu. A 34th generation Shaolin Warrior monk from China’s Shaolin Temple—the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the mecca of all martial arts—Yan Ming teaches the students at his USA Shaolin Temple that there is no better workout program than his brand of kung fu for getting the body and mind into warrior condition.

Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of four-color photographs, the warrior workout, distills a lifetime of Shaolin training and wisdom into a 28-day workout.  This  complete-unto-itself program of both fitness and spiritual lessons can be applied to every aspect of one's life: work, relationships, family.

Kung fu gives a superb aerobic workout at the same time that it dramatically increases flexibility, power, and speed.. The ultimate promise of the book is this: readers who stick to the plan for 28 days—for as little as 15 minutes a day—will be transformed inside and out. And the enormous sense of accomplishment that results will radiate through their life, allowing them to tackle the world with a warrior’s confidence, calm, and poise.

About the Author

SIFU SHI YAN MING, a 34th-generation Shaolin Warrior monk, is respected not only in the martial arts world, but also in the entertainment world by stars like Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes and the Wu-Tang clan. His kung fu classes have been featured in USA Today, the New York Times, New York Daily News, and Entertainment Weekly. Brian Gray of Inside Kung Fu magazine has called him a "living treasure of China." He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (May 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594864004
• ISBN-13: 978-1594864001
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,492 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best book on basic martial arts on the market, May 16, 2008

By	T. H. Davidsen "T. H." (Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is, in short, the best book on the basics of martial arts I have ever come across. It is inspirational, well set up and the routines will work wonders for anyone, if they follow through with the books premise, which is to work with it every single day for 28 days. Continue with the program after the 28 days and the book may change your whole life.

Surprisingly, it seems quite a few people are giving this book very negative reviews - claiming that the excercises within are too basic and too simple ... that you can learn them in any martial arts class. I very much disagree with this.

I have over fifteen years of experience in the martial arts, and have taught several styles at various dojos throughout Scandinavia, Scotland, Japan and the US. During my career, I have trained with some of Japan's elite MMA fighters, British and European karate champions, fought and defeated grappling champions and have had the priviledge of studying under some of the most learned figures in martial arts today.

This of course does not mean I am automatically right about whatever I say on this topic - all it means is I have some experience to draw on and have been down a lot of roads that were dead ends. And it is from experience that I believe this is a very, very useful book.

This book teaches the reader basics and basics only. Some may find this annoying, but I cannot stress enough just how important those basics are and how well they must be perfected for a student to advance. One of the books winning points is how well this book stresses the beauty and grace of basics, instead of just treating them as some sort of initiation ritual that must be completed before the student can move on to the `real stuff'. I have seen so-called beginners, who trained their basics and basics only solidly and with utter dedication, absolutely floor much higher ranking students in contests, higher ranking students who just learnt the basics and then immediately moved on to all that stuff most of us find so cool: flashy forms, complex moves and the like.

Flashy forms are icing on the cake, nothing more, nothing less. If you want to move like a character out of a martial arts flick - do the basics slowly, properly and with utter dedication, and you will be moving in ways you never believed possible. If you can perfect the moves in this book, learning a form - any form - will be a snap for you, because you have already learnt every aspect of the body's mechanics ... and that is in essence what forms really are: a reshuffling of body mechanics you ought already know. Train with real dedication and this book will make you a more lethal martial artist than 90% of the enthusiasts I have ever met.

It is not easy and it takes a lot of work, but nothing worth having comes without a price.

So, after all the praise, why only four stars and not five? Because the stretches and moves, while wonderful, are in my opinion taught without regard to safety and may likely lead to injury if not performed with care. The author thrusts an attitude of reckless abandon on the reader, which is the only right attitude to have when learning something new, but regardless of this, safety ought always be a factor - especially for beginners, who through no fault of their own do not yet have proper knowledge of safety and the body's limits. If you are injured, you can't train and may even make the very natural mistake of thinking something worthwhile is actually not for you.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to Shaolin and an inspiration, June 14, 2006

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This book is beautifully photographed, first off. If you have interest in Shaolin warrior ways or the philosophy, or the related disciplines in karate (Shorinryu), this is one fabulous book to own.

As a how-to, it's limited because all martial arts and especially the more subtle ones have to be shown and taught in person. You need a master and you need to be corrected in how your body moves. But that's not a fault of this book, that's just how it is to learn certain things in life.

The book covers a good bit of the Shaolin philosophy (how does a Buddhist philosophy encompass a warrior philosophy? A puzzle.)

While there is a 28-day transformation plan here, this book is really more to get you inspired and on your path to higher learning. I'd recommend it to any budding martial artist. A truly inspiring book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent , practical quotes., June 13, 2006

By	Eric O. Odera "Audio programs for your fitnes... (www.ericodera.com , NY, New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Other than the book being filled by the author's pics, I think the book is still of value to anyone who wants to experience something different.I really liked the stretching exercises, which are a shift from the western method of stretching.In particular there was a hamstring stretch that had you stretch these muscles from a different angle.This is very admirable, in the sense that I clearly saw how these exercises would promote stability and strength.
The stretches are 3 dimensional in character-I couldn't help but to love them to death!
He has some motivational words peppered throughout the book, and they got my attention:
-You can't break bricks with just your mind, or just your hand.
-Confidence is the key to success.
-Paradise is inside you.
These words have a life, and they complimented my biblical studies.You don't have to be an aetheist, budhist or follower of any particular faith to find this book valuable.
Last but not least the Kung Fu moves really help in relaxation, I felt like some webs had been removed from my mind.