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Loren Christensen and Wim Demeere
Lesley Jackson talks to the authors of 'The Fighters Body' - a book about martial arts and nutrition, as they describe how their massive collective experience in the martial arts helped to shape the writers and people they are.
Between them, these two gentlemen have approximately 63 years experience in a huge variety of martial arts ranging from Karate, Judo and Jujitsu to a complete range of Chinese martial arts and Muay Thai. Loren Christensen took up Kong Su in 1965 after injuring his back weight-lifting and then needed, “someplace to put my 19-year-old energy” and then went onto study a huge variety of styles, ending up with, “10 black belts spread over all these arts.” Wim Demeere started training in the grappling arts of Judo and Jujitsu in 1986 but went onto an in-depth study of a variety of Chinese martial arts after he, “witnessed a demonstration of a traditional Chinese style called hung chia pai.” He immediately signed up for classes and, “Ever since I’ve trained in several Chinese styles: tai chi chuan, sanshou, wing chun, shuai jiao and a few others.” During his competitive career, “I cross trained in ring-sports such as Muay Thai, kick boxing and shoot fighting to become a better fighter.” Wim further comments on his range of martial arts, “Every art I studied gave me insights I wouldn’t have found without it.”
Martial Achievements
Both men have been successful competitors with Loren becoming successful in competitive karate; he, “competed for about five years. During that I time I got ranked in the top 5 in my region.” Although Loren puts his successes into perspective when he says, “Although I competed for a few years, I never really cared about competition that much. Whether I was better than someone else didn’t interest me.” And he better appreciates, “the fact that I’m responsible for my progress... my toughest opponent is me.” Wim has also had a winning competitive career as he, “competed in Chinese full contact fighting (Sanshou) and held the national title in my weight class several times. Internationally, my best result was the bronze medal at the 1993 Wushu world championships. I coached the Belgian national team for a while and still work as technical advisor to it.” He again credits one of his hardest challenges as, “my instructor’s test in hung chia pai. It was a gruelling 7-hour ordeal of showing forms, performing applications, full-contact sparring and facing multiple opponents both armed and unarmed. The test ended after we held a low horse stance for an hour. I stood there with a broken nose and wrist, so it still gives me great satisfaction that I managed to hold on until the end and pass the test.”
Although these two men are modest about their achievements within the world of martial arts, they have endeavoured to synthesise them fully into their working lives. Loren is down to earth and unassuming in his approach, but in actual fact is a bit of a real-life action hero as he, “was a Military Policeman in the Army for three years, one of those years in Vietnam, and I was a street cop in Portland, Oregon for 25 years. During those years I got into hundreds of fights, small ones and big ones. “ He went on to utilising his actual experience using, “that experience to develop a training program that works in the street. I have communicated much of it in my books, DVDs and magazine articles. I’m always pleased to hear from people who tell me that they learned something from me that helped and even saved them.” Wim counts himself lucky as he has, “been fortunate enough to make a profession out of my passion so martial arts are a part of my everyday life. As a personal trainer teaching the arts to clients on a daily basis, they are constantly on my mind. I couldn’t be luckier.”
Time Changes Training
Loren and Wim have both been training for a long time, but they have not become entrenched in their ideas. They have changed and adapted their training over the years to shape their approach into a more common sense, practical and thus safer method. Loren states, “It’s been 42 years since I took my first lesson and my approach to the martial arts now isn’t even close to what and how I studied in the beginning.” His views on some traditional methods are, “we train a lot smarter now than when I started. Guys my age started with returning servicemen who had learned their arts in the Orient, methods that were often unwise as far as overtraining and employing ancient exercises that were physically dangerous. Today, modern science has improved the fighting arts tremendously.“ Wim agrees with Loren as he experiences, “my vertebrae popping in the morning as I yawn and stretch my arms tell me I should have been smarter.” From this he, “got interested in finding more efficient ways of training: periodization, splitting my training into different topics, different programs of weight training and much more. I still love gruelling work outs, the feeling of giving it your all despite your body and mind screaming at you to give up. But now I allow my body enough time to recuperate and avoid injuries.”
From their wealth of experience, these two gentlemen have a rich bank to draw upon when it came to writing about the martial arts. They have managed to adapt their training to a style that suits them and not waste time with superfluous methods, therefore offering the reader straightforward advice that is practical and easy to understand. Before they met, they were both successful writers in their own right and although Loren is American and Wim is a native of Belgium, they met via, “an international martial arts internet list. We swapped emails a few times about various things and I could see that he was a pretty sharp guy and wrote amazingly well.” Loren further complements Wim on his writing skills as, “English isn’t even his first language.” The two literary martial artists became firm friends and Wim tells further, “Loren then asked me to work with him on our first book, The Fighter’s Body, which got the ball rolling.”
The Fighter’s Body
When writing ‘The Figher’s Body’, Loren and Wim, “decided from the beginning that we wanted a highly readable and fun book, something that martial artists would read and benefit from.” Wim furthers this he says they, “we tried to balance out theory on nutrition and training with no-nonsense, practical tips and techniques the reader can apply immediately.” From their collective experiences, they saw many nutritional practices that concerned them. For example, whilst coaching the Belgium Wushu team Wim, “met lots of fighters who didn’t stay close to their fighting weight throughout the year. Too many of them can’t be bothered with sound nutrition and have too much body fat. They then have to resort to all sorts of unhealthy tricks to make weight the day of the competition: Fasting, using diuretics to purge water from their bodies or hitting the pads while wearing sweat suits, all to lose a few more grams. They invariable perform much worse at the competition than when you see them during training sessions. Unfortunately this practice is still all too common.” Loren’s concerns also follow a similar vein as, “Too many martial artists follow diets of excess: excess calories, excess fat, excess sugar, and so on. Not only does this lead to obesity, which is epidemic in some places, it’s detrimental to your martial arts progress and your general health.”
“Eating regularly (every three to four hours) is perhaps the most important nutrition tip you can follow. Doing so increases your metabolism but most of all, it prevents you from getting hungry and overeating or snacking on junk food.” The martial artist as a parent has a role to, “help them learn sound eating habits and give fruit and other healthy alternatives throughout the day. Teach them well while they’re young and they’ll thank you for it later in life.” - The Fighters Body
Loren prefers to offer this advice, “Take the middle path. Don’t get excessive with any food or any supplement... Eat a balanced diet of everything.” Since ‘The Fighter’s Body’ was published in 2003, Loren has noted from the press about coverage of, “the negative side-effects of taking high dosages of vitamins,” With, “at least one study showing that it can lead to prostrate problems among older men. Some scientists are recommending smaller dosages. I’m currently following that.” Wim has also noticed a change in training for weight control since, “the jogging craze of the 1980’s the whole world was led to believe low-impact, low-intensity, aerobic exercise was the ultimate training protocol and this has become a part of modern thought on exercise and health: to lose weight or get in shape, you have to jog slowly once or twice a week.” However, “Numerous studies show how efficient high intensity, anaerobic workouts are at building endurance and strength, while simultaneously providing lots of other health benefits, as well as allowing you to train in a safe manner.”
Specific Advice
Loren and Wim’s specifically advise women to be aware of, “getting sufficient amounts of calcium and iron. In general, women need 15 milligrams per day, 5 milligrams more than guys. Women age 19 to 50 need 1000 mg of calcium; women over 50, about 1200.” This is because, “ As martial artists, you’re in the business of banging bones together with others. You want yours strong.” With regards to children, Loren also offers specific advice as, “The irony is that at a time when teens and younger kids need quality nutrition the most, so many eat high-fat, high-sugar, and greasy foods.” With regards to the martial arts, “Doing so slows their progress.” Therefore, Wim asserts, “Eating regularly (every three to four hours) is perhaps the most important nutrition tip you can follow. Doing so increases your metabolism but most of all, it prevents you from getting hungry and overeating or snacking on junk food.” The martial artist as a parent has a role to, “help them learn sound eating habits and give fruit and other healthy alternatives throughout the day. Teach them well while they’re young and they’ll thank you for it later in life.” Both Loren and Wim speak from experience as Loren says that, “There is no argument about this because as a father of three I know how kids like to argue!”
Since writing ‘The Fighter’s Body’ both Loren and Wim have written many books as well as producing DVDs on a wide variety of training methods. You can check out their websites, listed at the end of the article, to browse for their other works. However, although between them they have achieved a tremendous amount within the martial arts world, they still have areas they want to pursue. Loren comments generally that, “Not only are there new styles, systems and techniques to learn from, but there are constantly new findings in science – sports medicine, fitness, and nutrition - to help us progress.” Personally, he has been, “training and researching as to how best to deliver devastatingly effective techniques as I get older... I can’t rely on raw power forever. So I’ve been slanting my training to emphasize vulnerable target selection and to develop techniques that cause damage without the need of great muscle power.” Wim hopes to further his training to, “Not just “know” the techniques or concepts but research how and why they work. And then discover how they fit into the bigger picture of that system. This research fascinates me and I hope to continue it for a long time.” Something Martial Edge is sure they will achieve as both men continue to produce training guides that are practical, sensible and most of all, fun to read.
For further information on Loren Christensen and Wim Demeere’s work, visit:
Interviews 
Lesley Jackson talks to the authors of 'The Fighters Body' - a book about martial arts and nutrition, as they describe how their massive collective experience in the martial arts helped to shape the writers and people they are.
Both men have been successful competitors with Loren becoming successful in competitive 
ideas. They have changed and adapted their training over the years to shape their approach into a more common sense, practical and thus safer method. Loren states, “It’s been 42 years since I took my first lesson and my approach to the martial arts now isn’t even close to what and how I studied in the beginning.” His views on some traditional methods are, “we train a lot smarter now than when I started. Guys my age started with returning servicemen who had learned their arts in the Orient, methods that were often unwise as far as overtraining and employing ancient exercises that were physically dangerous. Today, modern science has improved the fighting arts tremendously.“ Wim agrees with Loren as he experiences, “my vertebrae popping in the morning as I yawn and stretch my arms tell me I should have been smarter.” From this he, “got interested in finding more efficient ways of training: periodization, splitting my training into different topics, different programs of weight training and much more. I still love gruelling work outs, the feeling of giving it your all despite your body and mind screaming at you to give up. But now I allow my body enough time to recuperate and avoid injuries.”
says they, “we tried to balance out theory on nutrition and training with no-nonsense, practical tips and techniques the reader can apply immediately.” From their collective experiences, they saw many nutritional practices that concerned them. For example, whilst coaching the Belgium Wushu team Wim, “met lots of fighters who didn’t stay close to their fighting weight throughout the year. Too many of them can’t be bothered with sound nutrition and have too much body fat. They then have to resort to all sorts of unhealthy tricks to make weight the day of the competition: Fasting, using diuretics to purge water from their bodies or hitting the pads while wearing sweat suits, all to lose a few more grams. They invariable perform much worse at the competition than when you see them during training sessions. Unfortunately this practice is still all too common.” Loren’s concerns also follow a similar vein as, “Too many martial artists follow diets of excess: excess calories, excess fat, excess sugar, and so on. Not only does this lead to obesity, which is epidemic in some places, it’s detrimental to your martial arts progress and your general health.”
the business of banging bones together with others. You want yours strong.” With regards to children, Loren also offers specific advice as, “The irony is that at a time when teens and younger kids need quality nutrition the most, so many eat high-fat, high-sugar, and greasy foods.” With regards to the martial arts, “Doing so slows their progress.” Therefore, Wim asserts, “Eating regularly (every three to four hours) is perhaps the most important nutrition tip you can follow. Doing so increases your metabolism but most of all, it prevents you from getting hungry and overeating or snacking on junk food.” The martial artist as a parent has a role to, “help them learn sound eating habits and give fruit and other healthy alternatives throughout the day. Teach them well while they’re young and they’ll thank you for it later in life.” Both Loren and Wim speak from experience as Loren says that, “There is no argument about this because as a father of three I know how kids like to argue!”
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