Somewhere in the bowels of Google, AI, or whatever, algorithms have recently decided I should be inundated with adverts for a Tai Chi app.
The ads are patently ridiculous - a hefty, slow-moving older woman is shown in a “before” photo followed by an “after” photo 1 month later where she is suddenly trim and flexible. Or a cranky, paunchy elderly man suddenly looks spry and springy after a couple of weeks. Yeah, right.
But just because some money-grubbing app developers have latched on to Tai Chi as an income source doesn’t mean the entire practice of Tai Chi is bad.
What say Dopers? Are any of you Tai Chi believers? Tried it, loved it, didn’t like it? Or what?
All I can say after a few sessions is that it is more of a workout than it looks. Those ads are exaggerated bullshit, but the exercise benefits are there, despite not being the primary focus.
I’ll be watching this thread with interest. After decades of noticing older folks in parks, I’ve arrived at the point where it looks like a darned good idea, even if I have to strain a little bit to think about my Qi.
Yeah, you wouldn’t think some stretching would be so tiring. Tai Chi is more than that, though, as you know. The major benefit is balance and knowing where you are in space. Sounds a bit woo-woo, I know, but knowing where your body is at all times and being deliberate in your movements is what helps prevent falls. I only took Tai Chi lessons for a short while, as the teacher suddenly retired, but the exercises that I do now are very much in the spirit of that discipline. The leader of the classes is a physical therapist with a background that includes Tai Chi and yoga, so it gets included in what she does.
This year, I regularly get ads that are a variation of: an AI-generated guy in his 60s has the body of a 30-year-old bodybuilder and tells me that Tai Chi is the only way to a great body.
I’m just wondering who the hell profits from showing me this (I’m not clicking to find out). Tai Chi in my area is taught at the community center at hours that suit retirees. It’s 2026, it’s not like I’m going to order an exercise VHS. Is it badly-aimed Chinese propaganda of some sort?
I wondered the same and clicked through once. They were selling an app. I don’t know if the goal is just to make a few bucks from an app or to get something on your phone.
I agree with you, I tried it a little bit, but didn’t stay with it. I think it is very good for people who don’t exercise, but not even close to what the ads show. The ads are beyond ridiculous, but they do demonstrate that even though we know they are foolish, a little part of us wants to believe there may be some truth in it.
Thanks for inviting me, I do indeed practice Tai Chi on a regular basis. I have a small stretching routine I do every morning and I do a full hour long work-out three times a week.
There are around 11 different forms of Tai Chi, I do Sun Tai Chi which was formed with old farts in mind. It focuses on balance and flexibility.
One of the hardest exercises we do is to stand on one foot and hold one knee up horizontal for ten seconds. Easy right? Now hold the opposite arm up so elbow is also at a 90 degree angle. (Kinda like wooden soldiers march.) Not nearly so easy because your brain is now involved. Hold for ten seconds and then do the opposite leg/arm. Do it ten times.
As was mentioned above, Tai Chi looks like a bunch of nothing, but a full session is a real workout.
I haven’t lost any weight, but my fat is toned and doesn’t do that bouncing thing anymore. My balance is excellent and I’m not worried about falling, because I can easily get up unassisted. There were about five years when that didn’t happen, I was grabbing things and dragging myself up on door sills.
Unless you select one of the self defense forms of Tai Chi (and mostly even then), you are mostly learning slow, deliberate movements. I have degenerative spinal compression so there are some things I cannot do, but the regular exercise has improved my back pain and allows me to sleep better.
When I started, I was attending a class led by someone who drove past my house on the way to the class. If I wasn’t getting in my car, she would stop and pound on my door until I gave in and stopped being lazy. That was really helpful as far as getting into a routine! Now that I’ve moved across the country, I listen to a recording of her class because I tend to rush and TC is all about slow controlled movements.
I really do strongly suggest Tai Chi for everyone, but us old farts benefit from it most of all.
I’m fascinated by those ads. I especially like the version where an American young woman is interviewing the shirtless, ripped old man, asking perfectly cromulent questions like, “How my father go from beer belly to being ripped in 30 days?”
At any rate, they’re selling apps and plans. And in doing a search for an explanation, I triggered yet more ads, including one I haven’t seen where a dude with the most comically exaggerated AI beer gut is lamenting how bad he’s going to look at his daughter’s wedding. Well, guess what? Tai Chi walking allowed him to loose what must easily have been 100 pounds and got to chiseled abs in 30 days. Nice.
I only watched part of this video, but it’s a deep dive into the phenomenon. The part I saw was interesting enough that intend to ad least read through the transcript later.
Is it your complete exercise program or part of it? Do you also do anything to complement it in upper body/grip strength and/or cardiorespiratory fitness? (Not saying anyone needs to; just curious)
No my upper body strength is atrocious. I have TMJ and some cervical spine issues so I’ve been kind of avoiding upper body stuff since around 2021. I can tell this is a huge gap in my training. We’ve been doing more moves that involve holding one’s arms up and I’m dying.
Tai chi isn’t a heavy cardio exercise hit HIIT or running but you do get some cardio benefits. I walk daily.
Just anywhere above your waist. Move them around all you like; just don’t let them hang or rest anywhere on your body. It’s more taxing than you think.
I remember that thread, I learned that I was doing everything wrong as well. Very discouraging
I’m glad you are still doing it, I know your body is happier about it. I would still be going to the classes but I left the state and haven’t been able to find an open class here. It seems as though Tai Chi is a very popular “sport” in states with large percentages of old farts.
It is all I do. My upper body strength is decent but that’s because my arms are always fully involved in all of the movements. Just keeping your arms above elbow level for an hour is a pretty good workout all by itself.
If I was more motivated, I would add some cardio to my routine, but I’m pretty lazy and pretty happy with the status quo so changing things probably won’t happen.
