Zhang Longxiang, a 53-year-old Chinese martial arts master, has practiced the ancient Shaolin conditioning art of Iron Palm for more than 20 years. As a result, his palm is 8 centimeters thick, about twice as thick as an ordinary adult mans hand. The unusual training has remade his anatomy: hardened fingers and joints let him drive iron nails into thick boards with his bare hands.
How hand-strengthening training works
In 1998, Zhang Longxiang met the famous master Yang Xinchuan. The teachers huge, conditioned hands so impressed the young man that he spent seven years on basic technique and another eight in formal apprenticeship. Since then, Zhang has trained at least 2 to 3 hours every day.
"Practice is boring and painful. I had to hit a sandbag 6,000 times a day," Zhang Longxiang said. "There is no secret. The more you train, the better the result. I lost count of the injuries I got pounding a bag of steel balls. But I never stuck my hands in a cauldron of hot sand. That is a kung fu movie invention."
Secret wine and bone deformation
Iron Palm aims at extreme bone density, stronger tendons, and near-total suppression of pain receptors. In training, Zhang methodically strikes bags filled with fine steel shot with his palm, fingers, and knife-hand edge.
Tissue deformation also depended on a special medicinal brew: an herbal wine whose recipe his teacher passed on. The master applied it to the skin before and after every session. The brew did two jobs:
- Protected deep tissue and blood vessels from deadly hematomas and tears;
- Stimulated unnatural growth of connective tissue and calluses.
After years of adapting to microtrauma, a shell of hardened skin formed on the back of Zhangs hand, fingers, and joints. Today his right palm is 8 centimeters thick, thicker than two ordinary hands stacked together.
In demonstrations, the master easily smashes concrete blocks bare-handed and drives heavy metal nails into wooden beams with his palm.
His fighting skills were officially recognized by the professional community. For five years running, from 2006 to 2010, Zhang was absolute champion of the annual national martial arts competitions. Today he is officially recognized as one of the few remaining living masters of authentic Iron Palm in the world.
