Fitness exercise Erlang Danshan

The popular "Erlang Danshan" in the fitness field is essentially a compound functional training movement evolved from the traditional martial arts pile exercise. In the standard mode, it can simultaneously strengthen the core anti-rotation ability, shoulder and back stability and lower limb control. It will not increase the burden on the lumbar spine and shoulder circumference. Instead, it can improve the common problems of high and low shoulders, core weakness, and disjointed upper and lower limbs in sedentary people. The current mainstream training system is divided into two major schools: static pile exercise and dynamic walking, which are suitable for people with different training bases.

I first came into contact with this movement seven years ago at a martial arts school in my hometown. The old man who taught boxing at that time asked us to stand in a horse stance and lift an old city brick horizontally on each arm. He said it was to practice "strengthening". In less than three minutes, I was shaking like I was electrified, and my arms were so sore that I couldn't even hold my job. At that time, I just thought it was a trick used by old-school boxers to torture newcomers, and I didn't take it seriously. It wasn’t until I was doing functional training planning in a fitness studio a few years ago that I discovered that this movement has long been transformed into a popular version that does not require the horse step. It has also been given the very down-to-earth nickname "shoulder walking". Many rehabilitation practitioners will also use the low-weight version to adjust the posture of patients.

There are actually quite a lot of disagreements about this exercise in the circle now. Some people tout it as a "one-stop posture correction magic exercise", while others call it an IQ tax after practicing trapezius creatine and suffering from back pain. I have a friend who has been practicing bodybuilding for four years. The first time he practiced, he directly put on a 12kg dumbbell. After holding it hard for 30 seconds, his trapezius muscle hurt for three days. Everyone told me that this movement is anti-human and not as useful as lateral raises.

In fact, this is really not a problem with the movements. To put it bluntly, the logic of practice between the two groups of people is different. When practicing Erlang Danshan in the traditional martial arts school, the emphasis is on "sinking the shoulders, elbows, and heels." The arms are not lifted hard, but as if they are hanging on the shoulders. The weight is transferred down the torso, and the core is stretched like a water-filled balloon throughout the whole process. The trapezius muscles or waist are not allowed to exert force alone at all. And many people who are new to fitness just lift heavy weights dead. They either deliberately lower their shoulders and lift their shoulder blades to compensate, or their core is as loose as dough and their lumbar spine shakes. It's strange that they don't feel sore.

Regarding these two common compensation issues, the two groups’ solutions are quite interesting. The requirements of the traditional school are very simple. First, do the horse step for three months. The core is stable enough to be able to withstand the push of others without shaking. Then you will try this movement again. Once the foundation is solid, there will be no compensation. The improved method of the fitness circle is more suitable for ordinary people. When you first start practicing, you don’t need to stand against the wall. Leave a gap just behind your waist that can fit a palm. Hold a 1-2kg small dumbbell (or even a mineral water bottle with water) in both hands and raise it to your shoulders. High, stop when you feel a stretch on your shoulders and back. There is no need to deliberately lift it until it is completely parallel to the ground. Hold one group for 30 seconds and practice for three or four groups. When you can stand without shaking, your waist is not sore, and your trapezius muscles are not tight, you can then leave the wall and slowly transition to walking slowly with weight.

I used to adjust the shoulder height of a student who is a programmer. He tilts his body to type code all year round, and his right shoulder is two centimeters lower than the left. His back hurts so much that he can't straighten up after sitting at his desk for two hours. I didn't arrange any complicated corrective movements for him, so I asked him to practice four sets of Erlang Mountain static hold every day, using 1kg dumbbells, each set for 20 seconds. After only two weeks of training, the gap between his high and low shoulders has been reduced to less than half a centimeter, and the frequency of back pain has also dropped by 80%. This action requires symmetrical weight-bearing on both sides and the core must not be tilted. It has just restored the muscle imbalance caused by sitting crookedly all year round.

Oh, by the way, I have to remind you, don’t expect to use this movement to improve the dimensions of your shoulders. It is not an movement that isolates the middle deltoid muscles. To improve the circumference, it is not as efficient as doing the rope lateral raise. Its core value is to train your ability to keep your trunk neutral under weight-bearing conditions. The essence is to practice "control", not to practice "muscle growth". If you go against the training target and blindly add weight, you really don't blame the movement itself for injuries.

Now after I do my strength training, I occasionally hold two 5kg dumbbells and walk with them for two minutes, while watching short videos. Time is not wasted, and the tension in my shoulders and back disappears faster than doing stretching. To put it bluntly, training is never absolutely good or bad. Traditional movements are good if they are modified to suit ordinary people. There is no need to worry about one’s origins, and there is no need to follow the trend and say which one is a god and which one is trash. It is better to practice when you are comfortable and can solve your own problems than anything else.