This week's Tai Chi Tuesday shows you a way to increase your strength without using weights, or body-weight exercises. Instead of adding weights, monks would practice increasing their neuromuscular connection, giving them the ability to activate more muscle fibers on command than the average person. This requires a lot of focus, and can be done as a form of meditation. I call this technique "Squeeze the Orange."
This exercise can also do wonders for the elderly, who are at risk of losing muscle mass and developing sarcopenia, a condition which is described by Dr. Irwin Rosenberg who coined the term here.