Our Approach
At Shaolin Arts we believe that fitness is the foundation of good kung fu and a good life.
There are 11 attributes of fitness – five health-related and six skill-related components. The five health-related components are cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition. The six skill-related components are agility, balance, coordination, power, reaction time, and speed. We develop all 11 of these areas by using functional movements that are constantly varied and performed at high intensity. What this means is that in each class we combine bodyweight exercises, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, and skill training resulting in a total program to teach you kung fu and help you gain whole-body fitness in one hour 3 – 4 times a week.
In class, led by motivating instructors, you will be squatting, lunging, balancing, doing pushups, and more – all with more variations than you thought could possibly exist. You’ll be learning how to kick, punch, block, wrist-lock, sweep, throw and grapple with your workout partners. Throughout, your safety is our primary concern. We teach you how to perform every exercise and technique safely and effectively by focusing on biomechanically correct, efficient and effective movement patterns. This allows you to improve your fitness and reduce the risk of injury at the same time.
Our classes are small, which means you won’t get lost in the crowd. Every class is coached by experienced instructors. Throughout the class, you get personal attention and coaching. Because workouts are unique and you are always learning something new, it never gets boring. At Shaolin Arts, you don’t wander around wondering what to do, just show up and follow the instructor. From first-timers to seasoned athletes, the workout can be scaled to meet any ability and intensity.
Three Pillars of Kung Fu Fitness
Mindset
To meet your goals you must have:
Desire – the want;
Drive – the action;
Determination – the persistence.
Our coaching keeps you focused on what really matters to you.
Training
Our expert instructors make sure that you learn the techniques and movements the right way. This allows you to progress faster and remain healthy.
Nutrition
It is rightly said that six-pack abs are made in the kitchen. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. That’s why we also offer nutritional coaching to help you reach your fitness and performance goals.
Si Bok Christopher Workman
In 1997, Si Bok Workman co-founded Shaolin Arts in Utah with Si Gong Kerry Gracey. In 2000, he left Utah to establish Shaolin Arts in Arizona.
With over 30 years of experience teaching kung fu, Sifu Workman is one of the most experienced martial arts instructors in the Phoenix area. He has dedicated his life to helping people achieve their goals and become their best selves through Shaolin Kung Fu and T’ai Chi Chuan. As a testament to his skill, experience, and dedication, there are students at Shaolin Arts who have been studying with and learning from Sifu Workman for more than 20 years.
Sifu Workman is passionate about teaching others. He still actively teaches students from beginning to advanced. He loves it when students get to the “ah-ha” moments. His dedication to teaching extends to training others to be instructors. Most of the instructors trained by Sifu Workman continue to train with him and remain to teach at the school. The average experience of the instructors at Shaolin Arts is 13 years.
Before studying Shaolin kung fu, Sifu Workman studied a hard-style karate, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, and Jeet Kune Do. After turning to Shaolin kung fu and achieving his initial black sash, Sifu Workman sought out and studied with experts in traditional Shaolin
Prior to teaching martial arts, Sifu Workman successfully competed in full contact and point sparring. He has a BS in Sociology/Criminology.