Topic: Parkour and Body Image

[Uberman5000]

One reason that I'd like to get in shape is to have a better-looking body. It may sound selfish, but personal image is important to someone. I'm fine with how I am and this isn't the reason I want to get in shape, but if parkour can help me look more strapping, I'll be all the more fired up about it.

Is parkour itself useful for toning your body, or is there anything else I should do with it? Should I eat more? Should I pull that weight set out of storage?

[Chris Salvato]

Diet will be huge in changing your appearance.

Next it is how you integrate proper diet with proper training.

Parkour conditioning, depending on what you do can increase body weight and lean mass  (heavy lifting to increase jumps)  or reduce body fat (high intensity skill training and long duration conditioning sessions).  Parkour is great for getting the whole body tuned in to a functional level of fitness.

[Steven Low]

Eat clean
Lift heavy
Do the occasional HIIT/metcon/tabata

Easy as pie.

[Uberman5000]

Do the occasional HIIT/metcon/tabata

What are those?

[Steven Low]

high intensity interval training, metabolic conditioning, tabata protocol

Search if ya still go no clue. There's tons of info on this forum or google if you prefer that.

[Matt Hudson]

what exactly is your goal?
build muscle? or lose fat?
cause running every morning for a 2 weeks got me from 12%bf, to 7%bf.
as far as building muscle, eats clean like Steve said, and eat a lot, also you really want to have intense workouts. intensity is gonna be a lot more helpful, than doing 23 exercises for the same bodyparts.

However, what the guys posted above is really gonna help you out, you'll meet your personal appearance goals, as well as become hella strong and conditioned.
btw, I understand you want to get into parkour for changing your personal appearance, but it's a doorway to true happiness, if you have the dedication, and motivation to see it through.

[Muhammad]

if you train parkour regularly and with intensity, it will have a pronounced and visible effect on you physique.

[Muse_of_Fire]

if you train parkour regularly and with intensity, it will have a pronounced and visible effect on you physique.

These are key. The only way to get a physically fit/lean/attractive body is through hard work.

You have to push your body (that's the "intensity" part) to get any gains. Obviously you want to train safely and work within your limits to avoid injury, but if you stay very comfortably within your limits you will never get better and your body will not be pushed to adapt. The trick is to make sure you are doing sustained, hard work, just past what is comfortable. This forces your body to go, "Oh crap, I'd better use some of this fat as fuel, and build more muscle fibers, and use oxygen and food more efficiently in order to be able to do this again!" If you do that on a regular basis (daily or almost daily; that is the "regularly" part), then you will see gains quickly.

Steve's "How To Build A Routine" article is gold for what you're looking for.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Uberman5000]

what exactly is your goal?
build muscle? or lose fat?
cause running every morning for a 2 weeks got me from 12%bf, to 7%bf.
as far as building muscle, eats clean like Steve said, and eat a lot, also you really want to have intense workouts. intensity is gonna be a lot more helpful, than doing 23 exercises for the same bodyparts.

However, what the guys posted above is really gonna help you out, you'll meet your personal appearance goals, as well as become hella strong and conditioned.

My goal is to build. I'm 140lbs and a bit underweight; I've got to bulk. It's tough, though; I eat like a bird, and my metabolism is pretty low. Gaining two pounds is an achievement for me, and it falls clear off after a rigourous DDR session. 

btw, I understand you want to get into parkour for changing your personal appearance, but it's a doorway to true happiness, if you have the dedication, and motivation to see it through.

That's part of why I chose parkour over anything else. It's a profound discipline that fulfills many goals I seek for my body; physical, mental, and spiritual. It's nice to know it doesn't lack in one of those fashions, though... 

[Steven Low]

Eat. More. = secret to gaining weight

Seriously though...

Do Starting Strength (by Mark Rippetoe.. get the book). Drink the gallon of milk.

You will get bigger, trust me.

[Corey Cedeno]

I'm just finishing up an 8 week stint on SS.  It's a great way to go.  Drink the gal. of whole milk a day, it's terrible but suck it up and love the benefits in the long run.

[Chris Salvato]

I'm just finishing up an 8 week stint on SS.  It's a great way to go.  Drink the gal. of whole milk a day, it's terrible but suck it up and love the benefits in the long run.

Im doing it right now too.

First two weeks I put on somewhere between 6 and 9 pounds while maintaining BF% levels.  Thats like 90% lean mass gains.

Not to mention i'm getting tons stronger.

[Poet (Jesse) Clark]

That's...disgusting. I'd puke after about a half gallon. I hate milk so much...

[Corey Cedeno]

It takes some dedication.  I've always hated milk and I'm lactose-intolerant to boot.

[Uberman5000]

Eat. More. = secret to gaining weight

Seriously though...

Do Starting Strength (by Mark Rippetoe.. get the book). Drink the gallon of milk.

You will get bigger, trust me.

I was trying that when I was into bodybuilding. Isn't size a bit detrimental to the nimbleness parkour requires, or does SS parallel parkour rather than enhance it?

That's...disgusting. I'd puke after about a half gallon. I hate milk so much...

Fortunately, I love milk, but my parents only buy 1%, and I have to drink a gallon a DAY??



And that's whole milk! That's gonna be bloody expensive! Can't I get a protein shake or eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches or something?

[Steven Low]

If you're underweight.... putting on mass could be of great benefit.

Otherwise, probably not.

[Uberman5000]

If you're underweight.... putting on mass could be of great benefit.

Otherwise, probably not.

I guess it speaks volumes about the world's food shortage that it's really expensive to gorge. 

You're sure a protein shake won't fill this niche without me having to get two jobs to pay for groceries?

[Matt Hudson]

If you're underweight.... putting on mass could be of great benefit.

Otherwise, probably not.

I guess it speaks volumes about the world's food shortage that it's really expensive to gorge. 

You're sure a protein shake won't fill this niche without me having to get two jobs to pay for groceries?

in my first days here I learned about diet and supplements.
Eating whole foods is the way to bulk up, and besides, Mark Rippetoe is a pro, I'd follow his advice, a protein may be added to your diet, but it's just a supplement, if you want to be an over achiever, mix your gallon of milk with protein powder, well.. pour a glass of milk and add the protein powder, and do that all day with your gallon of milk, I cant afford to buy the milk, but right now, I'm really focusing on technique, and not so much size, I've gotten stronger but not much bigger.

Follow the program to the "T" but feel free to "ADD" your protein powder, not "SWITCH" your milk for protein powder.

[bjkpersonal@aim.com]

..I have to drink a gallon a DAY??



And that's whole milk!

          lol, wrong and wrong.  Just thought it was a little humorous.  Man, I gotta agree on this one, though, a whole gallon?  Damn, that'll be hard to do every day.  I'd probably puke after a couple of days, I can't have suck a repetitive diet, especially after EIGHT MONTHS.

[Matt Hudson]

lol, a gallon of milk a day isnt hard I'm already doing that, I just cant afford all the whole foods... lol but next month may be a different story