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Self-Help: Weightlessness Training

Tom Fazio can help you achieve a bearable lightness of being. He can also deliver a David Lee Roth karate kick to your face.
Last updated: 2015-11-09


In an attempt to reverse the downward spiral of your mental and physical wellbeing, in these Self-Help articles we bring you suggestions of classes, sporty things, team events, volunteering and educational stuff that might just pull you out of that boozy tail-spin.

Once upon a time, a man went to the jungles of Thailand for three months to jump in and out of a hole that he dug in the ground and attained hulk superpowers. In addition to superhuman strength, he could float like a feather. Then, he wrote a book about it. Typical.

Not so typical: This man lives in Shanghai, probably around the corner from your house. He spends most of his time listening top 40 music and working out in his studio gym, maintaining the superpower he calls "Weightlessness."

Tom Fazio, an American turned Asian martial arts expert, opened his little-known gym, Enso Temple, in Shanghai four years ago. Before coming to China to study Shaolin kung fu, Tom had been practicing and teaching martial arts like Hapkido, Taekwondo, Thai boxing, and Moo Sui Kwan (a Korean martial art, not a pork dish) for more than 20 years in the US.



At Enso Temple he now offers his own creation, Weightlessness training. It's a personal training journey that deals with a client’s holistic condition—from physical health to nutrition, lifestyle, and mental clarity—aiming to help clients become more powerful and efficient people. The method involves gross body mechanics, strength, cardio, and dynamic flexibility training, and meditation. According to Tom, after months of undergoing his own training regimen, he reached an unreal sensation of lightness, power, serenity, and peace, where “everything made complete sense.” It wasn’t the drugs, he swears.

What is it:


The in-gym portion of Weightlessness personal training involves a variety of elements: Qigong-inspired deep breathing, explosive/ballistic movements, high speed and heavy resistance training, mindfulness training, and dynamic flexibility (fast moving and far reaching—imagine that ultra high ultra fast kick you see in Shaolin movies, over and over and over). Don’t worry, you’ll take it slow. Weightlessness is non-technical and non-combative, but utilizes some training techniques from traditional martial arts combined with a more modern gym workout.



What you need:


Exercise clothes, bare feet, an open mind. Tom will have water and a towel ready for you.

What happens:


Your first session will be a strength and cardio assessment. Burpees, weight lifting, push-ups, planks, jumping jacks, that sort of thing. Halfway through he might look at you and ask, “So, when’s the last time you worked out?” Good luck. You may also have a wider discussion with Tom about your lifestyle, personal issues, and eating habits.



What happens next:


Based on your assessment feedback, Tom will create a Weightlessness training regimen for you, which combines an appropriate amount of strength, flexibility, and lightness training, as well as meditation, nutrition protocol, and time spent working on your personal “Weightlessness Inhibitors” (that job you hate, your addiction to nicotine, etc.).



You'll be given a progressively intense fitness and nutrition routine, and depending on your progress and starting point, your routine will begin to include more breathing, meditation, and mindfulness training as the weeks pass. After 100 days, the goal is to have learned everything you need to know within the Weightlessness method for complete mind/body wellness, and be able to train at home for only 10-20 minutes per day, three days a week to maintain your mental and physical fitness level.



How much of your life will this take up:


If you take it seriously, try one hour per day, 3-4 days per week. You’ll be guaranteed to lose body fat and be flying through marathons in a few months.

How much does this cost:


A 20-session (to be used within 6-weeks) "Transformation" package will set you back 11,000rmb. 10 sessions range from 6,100 - 6,700rmb depending on your personal focus. Sessions range from 45 minutes to one hour. In 2015, Enso Temple will launch its official 100-day Weightlessness training program.




Tom Fazio operates out of Enso Temple. To contact him and learn more about Weightlessness training, click here.

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