The Beginner's Guide to Parkour

This is a guest post from NF community member Dakao, who trains in all kinds of awesomely nerdy things like weapon making, martial arts, and parkour. I’m fascinated with the concept of parkour but haven’t tried it yet, so I asked Dakao to put together a guide for people who want to get started but don’t know how. Take it away Dakao! It’s inevitable that someone would connect the dots between Nerd Fitness and parkour. After all, parkour’s approach closely follows the precepts of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion: If you have NO idea what parkour is, watch this quick 4-minute video and get inspired: Parkour Australian Team Video What Is Parkour? Parkour is natural, effective movement. In French, we use the term passement for overcoming any obstacle. What is the least effort and stuff you need in order to live the most meaningful and happy life you can make for yourself? What Is It Not? Flips, tricks, aerial acrobatics, etc. Success is a must, and looking cool comes from success. On To the Good Stuff

TECHNIQUE « Parkourpedia Parkour is not a set of moves or tricks, there are base techniques that are used regularly but they are not the “moves of Parkour”. They can be varied and changed to suit a particular situation or environment. These tutorials are designed to give you the building blocks to go out and innovate and find your own way of doing things. As long as the application of speed and the correct intent are observed, you are applying the principles of Parkour. Download all the technique tutorials in a single PDF file Basic Balance Quadrupedal movement Running General Landing Technique Rolling Climbing Climb up (Basic) Climb up (Advanced) Passement (Speed Vault) Passement (Dash Vault) Passement(Lazy Vault) Precision Saut de bras (Arm Jump) Passe Muraille (Wall Run/Pop vault) Saut de Chat (Cat Pass/Kong/Monkey/Panther/Gorilla) Demi tour (Turn Vault) Franchissement (Underbar) Tic Tac

Strength Training 101: Equipment Note: This is part two in a series of strength training from NF Team Member Staci. Check out part one, which goes over the reasons why you should start strength training. I have a confession to make. When I first decided I was going to start lifting, I was scared to death of the weight section of the gym. For weeks before I even walked near it, I did what any rebel would do: I started researching like crazy. I even bought a PVC pipe so I could practice at home in the mirror, so I wouldn’t look like an idiot at the gym. The next day, I get to the gym, look around, and see the squat rack. Yes! Later that night, while going to post in my thread to say “I did ALL the squats today,” I wanted to show everyone the squat rack I was using, since it was a little different. Not only was I NOT the master of the squats, but I didn’t even find the squat rack properly, and broke one of the cardinal rules of the Rebellion: NEVER use a smith machine (unless it’s for inverted rows). Crap. Racks and Machines

How to Start Parkour: A Beginner's Guide to Parkour FOREWORD: 2014 is my tenth year of parkour. As I reflect on this milestone, it’s incredible how much I’ve seen parkour grow. Unlike when I started, there are now many fantastic leaders and resources for new people to guide you and learn from. I’m happy to share my knowledge with you so that you don’t make the same mistakes I did as a beginner in parkour. In this article, you’ll find a collection of information to help jumpstart your parkour journey. While this article was written to be highly educational, it is also intended to be concise. Are you ready to take the red pill? What is parkour? Parkour is a method of training your body and mind to overcome obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally intended as a synonym for parkour, freerunning evolved into a style of movement similar to parkour that also incorporates acrobatics and extraneous movement for fun, creativity, difficulty, and aesthetics. Anyone can do parkour. Shoes Parkour shoes are a complicated subject.

FAQ:The Lifts - Starting Strength Wiki Frequently Asked Questions The Main Exercises Edit The SquatThe Bench PressThe DeadliftThe PressThe Power CleanThe Accessory Exercises This section will give a relatively detailed description of the exercises performed as well as a variety of links. Make sure, if you wish to have your technique assessed for any particular exercise, that you post a video of yourself to youtube, putfile or google video. The Squat Edit How do I properly perform a squat? Edit This warmup is the first thing Mark teaches on a squat and it's covered in Starting Strength. Warmup: Without a bar, squat all the way down. The basics: Get under the bar with your chest high and your upper and lower back tight. Once you have squatted down all the way into "the hole", without pausing or bouncing (more on this later), stand back up. Should my knees stay in, or should I push them outward as I squat down? Most people will need to think about forcing their knees to stay outward during the up and down motion of the squat. ... Meow.

NZ Parkour » Training, Services & Community faq - xxfitness