I think it’s weird every time you see an article or something really about Muscle/Tendon Switch Classic it’s about Bone Marrow Chi Gung. I wonder how this meditation and movement exercises could build and strengthen muscles and tendons. Please don’t get me wrong, I am well aware of the power of the Mind, but to restructure muscles, come on! And again, please don’t get me wrong. I know that Mind can do anything. But is this really what was brought to China, all those years ago? Is this what monks were taught to build muscle? After all, it’s called the Muscle/Tendon Change Classic.
Muscle/Tendon Change Classic, also known as Muscle Restructure, is a series of twelve exercises performed for forty-nine repetitions each. These exercises are known for their Chinese origins, particularly from the Shaolin Temple, but actually originated in India.
Bodhidharma, the Indian monk, is credited with bringing the muscle/tendon shift to the Shaolin Temple. Upon arrival, Bodhidharma noticed that the monks were not living a healthy lifestyle and were passing away at too young an age. Their days were filled with sitting meditation and they had very poor diets. He then he made the monks get up and exercise, muscle change being the best program to develop their bodies. Bodhidharma is also credited with bringing martial arts to China. Chinese martial arts existed long before Bodhidharma made his journey from India. If not, what was the military taught?
Unlike isometric exercises, where you push against objects, cup your hands, and press into each other, muscle/tendon reversals are classic muscle vs. muscle. For example, if my arms are out to the sides, horizontally from the shoulders to the elbows, and vertically from the elbows to the hands. When performing the exercise, from the hands to the elbows (the vertical part of the arms), they try to pull down, while the horizontal part of the arms does not allow them to do this. By pitting muscle against muscle as described in this particular example, you can see how there isn’t much arm movement. Some of the movements are from the region of the chest cavity, this is called “lifting the organs”. It should also be noted that some of the exercises have a lot of arm movement, but keep in mind that you are still resisting with muscle against muscle. Also, keep in mind that the thumbs are tucked into the fists during this exercise.
In the classic muscle/tendon switch, only the first two and the last two exercises are the thumbs not enclosed by the fists. This is to build hamstring strength and give the “span” in the forearms. This is the size and strength benefit your tendons receive from keeping your thumbs tucked into your fists while performing those eight exercises.
People familiar with Chinese martial arts know that the iron vest program is also known as “small body”, and muscle restructuring is also known as “big body”. How many of you knew that there is a sequel to the classic muscle/tendon switch? Well, many have heard of it, and some have read that there “was” a sequel to this classic exercise program. It is the second part of the classic muscle/tendon switch that coincides with the first part to make the body big.
In the second part of muscle restructuring, although much attention is still paid to building muscles through tension, breathing is the key. Well, maybe I should say that there is a different style of breathing compared to the second part of the Muscle/Tendon Switch Classic. Breathing is always important, although in the first part breathing is “common”, inhale when the arms go in, exhale when you push out. Or, inhale before the tension, exhale as you apply the tension. In the second part it is not always like that. The first section of this classic form of exercise can also be considered breathing, Yin Breathing, while the second part is Yang Breathing, also called “hot” or “dragon” breathing.
The classic muscle/tendon switch is a proven exercise program that can benefit everyone. These exercises can be done by most people who are even confined to a wheelchair. It is a program for both youth and adults, beginners, novices or advanced martial artists. Man or woman, it’s your body, so no machine necessary, just your own body and a very small space.
