Hey all. I'm looking for feedback on where I am and what my current plan is, so if you'll forgive my lenght at explaining...:
I wanted (and still want) to get into Parkour and I realized that I had a serious problem. I took my good health and fitness for granted and over 3 or 4 years of disuse my strenght for things like moving heavy furniture and pushing cars was all good, but my endurance and stamina was crap as was my running in general. Also, I quickly noticed that while a speed vault was easy enough to do, most everything else needed a bit more controlled streght and flexibilty than I had.
Now, let me give some info on my situation: I'm 24 year old male(25 next month), 6' even, 235.5 lbs (down from 250 when I started 2 months ago). I've got great brute strenght, but little controlled and finely executed strenght. I.e. I can lift and carry odd objects up to almost my 3/4 wieght, but pull-ups are just about out of the question. I see myself as mildly overwieght, but blame some of that on musle development. Would like to be 195-200 again like 3 years ago.
Since I found myself roughly incapable of running for more than a minute, I started dabbling and did find the WOD way out ahead of me, and I was lagging behind even the APK Warmup. So, I looked for alternatives.
I did a lot of reading and found a Wikihow (How to begin running) that detailed a gradual build program for running stamina. It's a 9 week schedule of runs 3 days a week ending with a 5k continuous run. I'm at week 4 now and I feel a push in my stamina each time I run. Unfortunately my shins aren't quite keeping up and I'm getting Shin Splints, so at the end of this week I'm going to take a week off to rest them and let them heal.
During last week I started looking at the Weight training equipment in my Universities Rec Center and started finding what I can be comfortable with weight wise for upper body training. Unfortunately, they then closed the Rec for a three week annual maintnance. So, I can't focus on that while letting my Shins heal.
I want to start working on enhancing my strenght and making it more functional, and the reason I wanted to do Weight training was so I could actually have marked levels of improvement, but I'm interested to know what Bodyweight excersices I should focus on to build up to pull-ups, more push-ups (I suck.) and other essential movements to Parkour.
I look at this point I'm at right now as training for training for Parkour. I know I'm shy of the mark I need to safely practice, and I'm way shy of where most of you are, but I am determined and focused and I welcome all sorts and manner of critique, advice, and encouragement.
I post on Myspace regularly after each run/workout session, so if you are on Myspace, feel free to check me out, or even add me and comment there. I'm just looking for some more guidance so that I take the right track and don't land myself way off in Left Field. If you fish through my posts, the ones marked Workout are relevant and I have some goals listed out in a post there too.
My Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/dark_ambitionsThank you all for your help, and Thank you guys who run APK as it's a hell of an inspiration and encouragment everyday.
