all for parkour

Time to set some goals.  Most of us train without really defined goals, which makes it hard to sometimes measure our progress.  Take time this week to write down 10-15 of your goals for the next 6 months, whether it is to become smoother, to nail a particular jump at a particular location, or to just be able to have the ability to try a new move.  Write this down somewhere and check it in 6 months and see how far you’ve come.

I’ve done this since I’ve started, five years ago.  It’s always super cool to look back at the lists and see what my old goals were and how easy those challenges I set for myself back then are now.

the 100 challenge.

Pick a technique you’re feeling a little weak on.  Precisions?  Cats?  Cat-passes? Etc.  Spend a day and do them 100 times.  100 precisions, 100 arm grabs, 100 vaults. etc.  Whatever it is.  Commit yourself to doing perfect form and technique.  It doesn’t have to be all at once, you can break it up over the day, at different locations, etc.

6000 pushups in a month! 

Ok, so this isn’t a ‘weekly’ challenge but a good challenge none the less that I want to take on now that I finished the no-excuses month-long challenge.

This challenge essentially requires 200 pushups a day.

if you break it down to sets of 50 every few hours, it is completely doable.

You’re out training with your friends and someone stops you on the street.  You tell them you are doing Parkour and their first question naturally is, “Oh, what is parkour?  They’ve never seen or heard of parkour before.

Challenge:
Explain (use the box below) in 3-4 sentences or less: what is parkour/fr ?

In Parkour/Freerunning (or anything challenging in your life), we often allow ourselves to be conquered by fear and thus choose to step away from obstacles.  “I’m too tired, I’m too sore, I ripped my hands, my knees ache, I can’t.”  I cant. How many times do you say that? How many times do you back down?  How many times do you psyche yourself out.

It’s time to break that habit!

For the next 30 (or 7 if you’re doing the weekly-challenge version) days: Every time you make an excuse while training or conditioning (Or anything at all during the day if you want to be really hdc)—you must immediately drop and do 10 pushups, or 10 squats, or 10 _____ of your choice.  Start keeping a daily tally of total pushups/squats/etc done and post your tally every night.  And fight to stop making excuses!  Watch your numbers hopefully decrease over the next 30 days!  I will be doing this starting tomorrow! 

Change your attitude today!

This is a fartlek challenge.  Fartlek training is a form of interval training that helps you build up a higher max-speed and endurance speed.  It is all about going back and forth between max speed and jogging paces at particular intervals.  You’ll need to start out with a solid warm up (you should be sweating slightly) and you’ll also need a way to time yourself (or mark out distances)

Basically:

jog, 1 minute
sprint, 90-95% 1 minute

repeat 10-12x. 

Do not underestimate this challenge. If you do it right, you will be out of breath and hurting for the last couple.  The key is to really really push for those sprints.  Don’t cut out, really sprint for that max minute.  If you can’t do the full minute, try 30 second sprints instead, with a few more sets.  If this is too easy (bravo to you), try 3-5 minute sprint intervals with 2 minute jog rests.

Shoot! Completely forgot to post this challenge last week! 

This week is prettttty simple:

1000 squats for time (30 minute max)

good luck!

The Jump Challenge; A 3 Circuit Workout
This is a challenge that is about quality over quantity.  If you don’t know how to execute some of these exercises, I linked them to youtube videos that demonstrate for the most part the exercise.  The rest period between sets+circuits are critical in order to get the most out of the plyometric exercises.  You also want to use max effort on each jump (hence the low rep number).  This workout not only is challenging when done right, but can help you increase your vertical through a mix of cardio+jumping

Dynamic Warmup
it is critical before doing this type of workout to get a full warm up in—NOT static stretching but a legit dynamic workout. Should take you about 10 minutes to do.
example; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f65aqrIyYYc

Circuit 01
2 min jump rope; fast pace
10 Dynamic Lunges ea leg; max depth. @ bottom of jump/squat, pause and hold position for 5 seconds.
20 pushups
2 minute rest

Repeat 3 Times

Rest 5 min before moving to next Circuit

Circuit 02
2 min jump rope
10 single leg tuck jumps ea leg;explosive and quick, seen @ 0:55
20 toe taps, ea foot; use stair or soccerball etc.
10 single leg butt kicks ea leg; explosive and quick, seen @ 1:59
3 min rest

Repeat 3 Times

Rest 5 min before moving to next Set 

Circuit 03
2 min jump rope; fast pace
7 depth jumps, proper form + max effort.
2 minute rest

Repeat 3 times

Rest + cooldown!

Fitness Test/Workout of the Week

20 Burpees (with pushup on the down)
25 meters QM
5 Handstand Pushups OR 5 x 15 second Handstand holds
10 each leg up/downs; Step up, high knee, step down, back lunge
12 Knees to Elbows (or easier variation via crossfit)
10 dips
100 meter jog
10 Side-to-Side plank+ pushup (get in to plank position, move sideways 3-4 meters, pop up to hands, pushup, pop down, move in other direction)
10 assisted pullups OR 10 negative pullups
50 jumping jacks

x 3 (2 if too difficult) sets, For time.
Go as fast as possible while maintaining good form
3 minute rest in between sets