Try to imagine what it's like to meet a man who can legitimately claim to be the world's top kung-fu expert, and then have him throw seven punches - in one second.

That's what ZOO faced when we trained with the world-famous Shaolin Monks and met Shi De Ying (left), grand kung-fu master of the Shaolin Temple.

The man in line to become master abbot of the Shaolin Monks, Shi is at the very highest level of kung-fu - level nine (smashing iron bars over your own head is only level five). And you can see why. As a 32nd generation Shaolin monk, Shi combines the skill of Bruce Lee with the temperament of the Dalai Lama. Forget double hard, this is 32 times hard.

In the UK to perform their Wheel Of Life tour, Shi De Ying and his troop of young monks boast an incredible repertoire of stunts. These guys can lay down on top of spears or swords and the metal will barely pierce the skin - their muscles are so ripped, there's no way through.

Given that ZOO's flabby frame might not be quite as taut as the monks' superhuman torsos, we decide that impaling ourselves on a spike might be a bit much. But the monks seem worryingly keen to put us through our paces with the "props" they smash on stage: real-life bricks, poles and bars. So after we've been given a lesson in focusing our "chi" - controlling the bloodflow and energy around the body, a bit like using "The Force" in Star Wars - it seems we're ready for our run-through. Well, just about...

Watch this video of ZOO undertaking the ancient Shaolin kung fu training, taught by great master Shi De Ying himself!

The Shaolin Training Regime
Shaolin monks tran seven hours a day. Their Programme includes...
-Running up a mountain as a warm-up
-Climbing trees at top speed to boost muscle strength
-Thrusting their fingers into compact sand to increase finger strength. They eventually practice handstands using just one finger from each hand
-Doing 4,410 exercise reps (a combination of sit-ups, squats, bunny-hops and six other exercises) in one go, in 30 minutes
-Replicating the movements of wild animals like the panther, the tiger or the crane
-Avoiding all smoking, drinking and meat

PUB FACT: Shi De Ying has to master the training of the top 18 elite Shaolin monks to become the abbot of the Shaolin Temple.

| The Shaolin Wheel Of Life plays at the Hackney Empire in London until 22 November. Call 020 8985 2424 for tickets or visit www.shaolinwheeloflife.com