Learn Taiso: The Japanese Daily Exercise Plan For All - English Language Edition: Radio Taiso, #1

By Richie Neville

FITNESS, health, longevity, well-being, and mental health all benefit from Tai-So, the famous system of Japanese body conditioning exercises for all ages and abilities. Sometimes described as warm-up calisthenics, this just means we are only using our body weight as resistance in order to exercise fully.

What is TAI-SO?

For simplicity let's translate it as Tai = Body, and So = Conditioning. It's a neat variant of Tai Chi, which is Tai = Body, and Chi = Energy.

Tai-So routines are a series of gentle, yet invigorating body conditioning exercises designed to warm the body up, raise energy levels and encourage overall good health.

The 'radio' part, when described as 'Radio' (or Rajio) Tai-So, comes simply from the fact the instructions and tempo for performing these exercises are broadcast on the radio in Japan.

Whether you are looking to banish early morning aches with gentle stretches to loosen your joints, or you just want something to energise you during the working day, then a Tai-So routine could be just the exercise program for you!

Exercises For Health And Vigour

Exercise routines that can be performed by any age, fitness and gender for EQUAL benefit are hard to come by. The first Tai-So series of exercises however is one such routine.

Performed with a nice light rhythm, the aim of these exercises is to allow you to move more easily as you develop well-balanced muscles and nice supple joints throughout your entire body. This isn't bodybuilding, this is building a better body!

History Of Radio Tai-So

Japanese radio calisthenics emerged in the 1920's and have been performed in schools and workplaces ever since for building HEALTH. The program is also used to build a sense of COMMUNITY in neighbourhoods, where the exercises are performed all together by young and old alike.

What Are Radio Calisthenics?

In a nutshell, they are simply exercises set to a musical radio accompaniment. Every day an instructor plays special music to guide the listeners through the movements. They are workouts that practically every Japanese person knows by heart, having learned some variation from a very young age.

They are an extremely popular form of exercise in Japan and it is estimated up to 10 MILLION people practice them regularly. They are becoming even MORE popular (including globally) as their many health benefits are championed by medical experts.

What Are The Fitness Benefits Of These Exercises?

The primary benefit of these exercises is that they put joints through their full range of possible motion. In daily life joint movements usually fall well short of their full range, so muscles can gradually shrink.

Simply by moving your body through a FULL range of motion every day you can see how your body will keep working better for longer.

The exercises can also improve agility and posture, which can in turn help with simple things like getting up from a chair or getting down onto the ground.

Furthermore, performing gentle exercises such as these in the morning will get the blood flowing around your body, which in turn will energise you, loosen your joints and get rid of accumulated stiffness.

Does This Mean All Japanese People Are Fit?

At the time of writing, it is estimated under 4% of Japanese people are considered 'obese', and while there are of course many factors at play here, the fact so many Japanese take part in a daily exercise routine surely must play a part.

Also, a great many Japanese people remain 'fitter' for longer, i.e. keep functionally active well into old age. Again, a lifetime of performing stretching and movement-based exercises is a likely piece of the puzzle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richie Neville
• Release date: Jun 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393526551

Book preview

LEARN TAI-SO: BOOK ONE

By Richie Neville

Copyright (c) 2024 Richie Neville / Internal Force Fitness

All Rights Reserved.

Disclaimer: Please note that the author and publisher of this book are not responsible in any manner whatsoever for any injury that may result from practising the techniques and/or following the instructions given within. Since the physical activities described herein may be too strenuous in nature for some readers to engage in safely, it is essential that a doctor be consulted prior to training.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the author.

A Body In Motion, Stays In Motion

Isacc Newton (kind of!).

The Learn Tai-So series from Internal Force Fitness will walk you through each of the three exercise programs STEP-BY-STEP, so you can perform each routine on your own with CONFIDENCE.

This is program number one - performed by MILLIONS of people across the world!

Whether you are looking for gentle stretches to banish early morning aches and loosen your joints, something to energise you after the working day, or just a quick series of exercises you can do sitting down, then a Tai-So routine could be just the exercise program for you!

Introduction to TAI-SO

FITNESS, health, longevity, well-being, and mental health all benefit from Tai-So, the famous system of Japanese body conditioning exercises for all ages and abilities.

Sometimes described as warm-up calisthenics, this just means we are only using our body weight as resistance in order to exercise fully.

What is TAI-SO?

For simplicity let’s translate it as Tai = Body, and So = Conditioning. It’s a neat variant of Tai Chi, which is Tai = Body, and Chi = Energy.

Tai-So routines are a series of gentle, yet invigorating body conditioning exercises designed to warm the body up, raise energy levels and encourage overall good health.

The 'radio' part, when described as ‘Radio’ (or Rajio) Tai-So, comes simply from the fact the instructions and tempo for performing these exercises are broadcast on the radio in Japan.

Whether you are looking to banish early morning aches with gentle stretches to loosen your joints, or you just want something to energise you during the working day, then a Tai-So routine could be just the exercise program for you!

Exercises For Health And Vigour

Exercise routines that can be performed by any age, fitness and gender for EQUAL benefit are hard to come by. The first Tai-So series of exercises however is one such routine.

Performed with a nice light rhythm, the aim of these exercises is to allow you to move more easily as you develop well-balanced muscles and nice supple joints throughout your entire body. This isn’t bodybuilding, this is building a better body!

History Of