To increase efficiency and avoid injury, you should always warm up and stretch before a wushu training session. Additionally, to help remove harmful substances like lactic acid and prevent soreness, you should also cool down after training. Find more wushu-related topics in Wushu Main.
Nutrition: Your last meal before training should be eaten about one and a half hours before your wushu session.
Warm-Up:
Start by warming up your joints for a few minutes. I don’t recommend joint circling as it is outdated and can actually harm your joints. Personally, I prefer doing squats and calf raises rather than pressing or squeezing my ankle into the floor. If you want to circle your ankles, do so in the air (without pressure).
Cardio Warm-Up: About 10 minutes of activities like running, rope skipping, etc.
Your pulse during this stage should be between 135 and 160 beats per minute.
Stretching: 5 to 15 minutes of static and dynamic stretches.
Sport-Specific Warm-Up: Wushu exercises and movements.
Power-Out: About 10 minutes of very intensive cardio such as 100m sprints, frog jumps, etc. Pulse can reach up to 180 bpm. Not everyone likes powering out at the end of the workout—this is more common in Chinese and Russian training styles.
Stretching: 5 minutes of static stretches only. No isometric or dynamic stretches.
Massage: 5 minutes of partner-assisted massage exercises.
Hot-Cold Showers: 5 minutes total. Cold showers can help prevent inflammation, while hot showers increase blood flow and help remove waste products like lactic acid.
Start with warm water, switch to hot after one minute, then 10 seconds cold, followed by 50 seconds hot, and repeat.
Nutrition: Don’t eat immediately after the workout. Wait at least 20 minutes, then eat something light, rich in protein and carbohydrates.
Visit the Wushu Video Section for demonstrations and tutorials.
