American Parkour Forum

Well I haven't updated this through intentional lack of training, but because I somehow injured my left achilles tendon (on the 11th of Nevember if I remember rightly), though I have no clue how it happened.  It's been over a month and it's still not 100% but definitely on the way to a full recovery, so hopefully I'll be resuming proper exercise soon.  In the meantime I've been doing some general mess-around exercise but that's about it.

11/11

Squat (kgs/lbs)
65/143 x 5
65/143 x 5
65/143 x 5

Just about!

Overhead press (lbs)
60 x 5
60 x 5
60 x 5

Way way way easier than last time, felt like I could have done more. 

Messed around with some hang clean technique + did some pullups.


Also did some light trampolining, but I'm not onto tumbling yet.

You need to sort your diet out...

8/11

Open gym - wasn't really feeling it today, left biceps tendons felt sore after some pullup stuff and left hamstring seemed to be giving me some grief as well.  Didn't do a great deal but I'm looking forward to lifting tomorrow.

6/11

Had a heavy one on Friday night, didn't get to the gym.  Must get priorities in order. 

7/11 (remember I'm English!)

Trained in town with some experienced practitioners.  Kind of learnt a lazy vault, cat leap and basic underbar.  It was good fun but I'm a total noob.

Your lifts are suddenly going up so quickly.    Keep at it, good work.

2/11/2010

Lifting in the morning, though my lifting partner (lucky of me to find an experience traceur who was looking for a gym) was a little late so we didn't have time for deadlifting.

First session so I only had a vague of what I would be lifting.  Not going to bother writing warmup sets.

Kg/lbs

Squat
60/132 x 4
60/132 x 4
60/132 x 4

Bench press
40/88 x 5
40/88 x 5
50/110 x 5

Both were ok, I'll hit 555 with the squats next time and bench will be fine at 110lbs.

I also made an awesome dinner - Beef steak with homemade tomato sauce - three tomatoes, two small onions, garlic, one green pepper, peas and spinach tossed in at the end.

Rest tomorrow.

1/11/2010

Nice to start this properly at the beginning of a month.  Went for an open gym session, tried to learn a palm spin, did some assisted one arm chins and got shown the basic front flip progressions - I can sort of (big sort of) do a front flip onto a mat with a run.  I'll try and improve it next time. 

Diet was fine. 

I tried making a log before and failed, but I'm glad I did it as I learnt from the mistake of not having done any research into goal setting.  I've recently moved to university in Leicester, England, and there is a smallish but growing parkour population here.  Thanks to a friend with a car, I have access to an open gym on Mondays and actual parkour lessons on Fridays.  I joined a nearby gym (the uni gym is dire) and will be starting Starting Strength this week.  So here it goes...

19
5'10"
140lbs (four weeks ago, no idea if it's the same or not)

Immediate goals:
Two plate squat (100kg/220lbs, not sure what standard plates are in the USA but I will post lbs as well)
Bodyweight bench press 3x5
Two plate deadlift
Achieve one muscle up with proper form

Obviously these are massively subject to change as I may reassess after a few weeks depending on progress etc.

The week is looking like this so far:
Monday - open gym 8-9:30
Tuesday - SS
Wednesday - off
Thursday - SS + some light trampolining in the evening
Friday - off
Saturday - SS
Sunday - off

Let's see how this goes.

I didn't really like the article.  It keeps hinting at criticism of those who think the paleo diet is a 'solution' but some of the statistics used are taken a bit out of context.  For example, speaking of life expectancy; when living a life of a hunter gatherer it is truly a case of survival and it wasn't as simple as living behind a brick wall.


I think this is the worst paragraph:

Research suggests the defining turning point from Paleolithic to Neolithic is – behavior. It shows extreme leaps and progress in the ability to plan, think, and assess situations on greater levels. The humans of the Paleolithic period are thought to be led by an extreme amount of fear, impulse and superstition. Much like a dog reacts to a severe thunderstorm or Brendon Frasier in Encino Man at MTV. What I find to be so fascinating by the Paleo phenomenon, is the desire to emulate such a savage and underdeveloped mindset. The glorification is beyond me. Especially since it is made mostly out of preconceived notion, rather than literal understanding of those times.

Regardless of what our diet was during the paleolithic era we would have had those same characteristics as at the time that was as far as we had evolved.  But was it the paleolithic diet which helped us evolve and progress to become smarter and more intelligent beings? 


What I hate the most are all the people bumming the writer in the comments section; to me it's just another flakey article worded to convince.

Edit:  Also farming your own grains and storing/soaking them is a bit different to buying mass produced/treated grains off the shelf.  I've read an article about this somewhere but I can't remember where.  Again out of context.