Topic: Yunana's Training Journal (comment please)

[Yunana]

Goals

• Do a Pull-up (completed 1/7/10)
• Do 10 pull-ups consecutively
• Do 3 reps 10 pull-ups
• Increase push-ups to 15
• Increase push-ups to 3 reps of 15
• Increase burpees to 3 reps of 5
• Complete APK Warm-up in 20 min. with maximum amount of exercises

Day 1
Jogged a few blocks to the nearest playground.  Did the APK Warm-up minus pull-ups.  (It was raining and I could not get a grip on the bars.)  Played for a few minutes on the playground.  Jogged back to apartment and stretched.  I think it took 30-40 min in total (forgot watch and cellphone did not work too well because it flew out of my hoodie pocket. )

Notes:
The alley between my apartment and the next was icy.  The buildings are close enough together for a really cool spiderwalk.  Will have to try it sometime.

I am out of shape at the moment.  The jog up was harder than the jog back.  I also need to toughen my hands more.  It hurt to do pushups on the pavement because of my hands' softness.  I had to cheat a bit when I was doing my last burpee.

There was an old park built into a hill behind the playground but it is locked up.  It has large flower boxes floating on the edge spaced a foot apart and a gazebo.  The fence should be able to be jumped.  Will need to explore this area.

[Grayson]

Goals?

Also, how's your diet, sleep, etc.?

[Yunana]

Goals?

Also, how's your diet, sleep, etc.?

My goal is to focus on getting into enough shape to start doing some tricks.  I don't really want to try anything until my muscles are a bit more developed.  I should be ready in about 2 weeks.  (I haven't really exercised for a few years but I am still in good shape.)  After that, I wanna jump!!!   

I get about 8 hours a night of sleep.  As for diet, when I'm not in a rush, I eat lots of pasta and maybe have meat once or twice a week.  When I am in a rush, whatever is cheap and quick but I avoid most fast food places.  I do make it a point to eat three meals a day or so and take a daily vit.  I need more veg in my diet but it has been doing nothing but rotting in my fridge because I have been working so much.   

[Spencer B]

Stats (Male/Female, Age/etc)

Quantifiable goals, and a link to the General Fitness forum stickies and I'll leave you on your own for now. http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php/topic,21445.0.html

Read up and get back to us with questions.

[Yunana]

Stats (Male/Female, Age/etc)

Quantifiable goals, and a link to the General Fitness forum stickies and I'll leave you on your own for now. http://www.americanparkour.com/smf/index.php/topic,21445.0.html

Read up and get back to us with questions.

Female, late 20's

Thanks for the links.  I'll read up on them. 

[Yunana]

Jogged a few blocks to the nearest playground, different one from yesterday.  Did the APK Warm-Up for about 20 min.  Could not do pull-ups at all.  Will keep trying to do these but increase the amount of pushups to compensate.  For the quad exercises, I played on the playground.  It took three times before I could climb up a plastic spiral slide.  Banged up my elbow on the first attempt but no bruising.  Took three tries to climb up the straight slide also.  Monkey bars are still my enemy but I will conquer them.

Comments:
Inner thighs are sore.  Heels of hands have a throbbing, rug-burn feel but skin is still unbroken.  Numbness in left big toe is back.    Other than my whining, everything is cool.

Goals:
Do a pull-up.  That is all.

Spencer B, thank you for the link.  I tried to do the stretches.  They are nice.  Two links on the post are not working, though: Skill Standards for Building Strong, Useful, Adaptable Athletes & Setting fitness goals & list of goals with high translation to Parkour.  I really wanted to read these.   

[Spencer B]

Pullup would best be helped by doing negatives and jumping pullups. Negatives are where you get to the top of the pullup position and then do a controlled fail, lowering yourself as slowly as possible to the bottom and repeating. You want to shoot for about 5-7 sedons negatives. Jumping pullups are where you jump into the pullup using your arms as much as possible. You can add a negative to the end of these too if you so desired.

And I'll take a look at the links, see what's up.

[Yunana]

Pullup would best be helped by doing negatives and jumping pullups. Negatives are where you get to the top of the pullup position and then do a controlled fail, lowering yourself as slowly as possible to the bottom and repeating. You want to shoot for about 5-7 sedons negatives. Jumping pullups are where you jump into the pullup using your arms as much as possible. You can add a negative to the end of these too if you so desired.

And I'll take a look at the links, see what's up.

Thanks, I'll try these next time.  Any other tips, especially for short people?  It's hard enough to even reach the bar... 

[Spencer B]

Well how short? And hard to reach the bar? Even jumping? Well than stand on something relatively sturdy and use that as a stepping stone to work negatives and stuff.

[Yunana]

Rested over the weekend.

Today:
Jogged about 8 blocks and walked the last 2 to catch the bus to the new campus gym.  Started APK Warm-up.  Pulled a muscle in my lower abs; hurt like hell.  Feeling better now but will take it easy the next day or two so that it heals; planing to walk instead of working out.  Pull-up bar is too high for me to reach.  I will buy one and place it in a doorway.  Walked 10 blocks home.

Thoughts:
Pulling a muscle is not fun.  Being short in a gym is not fun either.  Gyms are too sterile of an environment to practice in.  Will find another playground that isn't at an elementary school.

Well how short? And hard to reach the bar? Even jumping? Well than stand on something relatively sturdy and use that as a stepping stone to work negatives and stuff.

I'm 5' 1-1/2" and your solution is extremely more practical than I would've come up with.  (My solution is to use my inability to reach as an excuse to not do it...)  I think that just getting a bar and setting it up for my height will be the easiest right now. 

[Yunana]

Tues
Rest day due to muscle pullage.

Day 4 (Wed)
Jogged for about 20 mins.  Found a park behind my apartment with fitness trail.  Pull-up bar problem solved.  Workout was cut short due to plans.

Day 4 (Thurs)
FRICKING COLD this morning.  Went to park for APK Warm-ups.  Did 1 round of squats and moved to pull-ups.  Did a pull-up!!! But aggravated the pulled muscle.  Jogged for 20 min instead of finishing the warm-ups.

Goals
Let my muscle heal and get back on track.

[Yunana]

 Friday
Could not be bothered to do anything.

Saturday and Sunday
Rest Day.

Day 6, Monday
Did APK Warm-Up the best I could without further injuring the stoopid muscle.

25 x 3 Squats
10 Pull-ups (Wasn't able to do them consecutively from the pull-up, pull-down position, but it's getting better.)
10 Push-ups (Muscle started to hurt after pull-ups.)
5 x 3 Samsons
Agility x 2 (I probably should increase this to 3 times from now on.)
1 Burpee (Muscle couldn't take anymore.)
Climbed up steep hill with hands and feet.  (Animal scurry)
Played on the playground.
Jogged around the park.
One-handed side hopped a fire hydrant.

Comments
I'm still too hesitant before grabbing things.  I need to get over this and trust my body.

My muscle is healing up nicely.  I can do more this week than last.  Still need to go slowly though.

The park that I like using is kinda sketch.  Need to remember to be alert while training.

[David Glass]

You can try jumping pull-ups as well. I resorted to these when I couldn't crank out any more pull-ups. You basically compensate whatever strength you need to get over the bar with a jump

You can also do these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSpCs4m2n2g

[Yunana]

Wednesday
It was impressively cold.  So cold, that I got outside to jog and then I hear a "clank" sound.  I look down and my male bits had frozen off.  Now, this is just to show you how cold it was because I did not even have male bits when I left my apartment.  Needless to say, I returned home.

Day 7, Thursday
Jogged for a bit.  Started to do the APK Warm-Up.  Something didn't feel right, like I wasn't able to get into the normal flow of things.  I quit my workout early because of this.

You can try jumping pull-ups as well. I resorted to these when I couldn't crank out any more pull-ups. You basically compensate whatever strength you need to get over the bar with a jump

You can also do these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSpCs4m2n2g

Thanks, David Glass.  That's what I am currently doing but I am also testing to see how many I can do in a row with the normal method.  I just want to be able to do them right and I will get there.

[Yunana]

Friday
I think that I didn't feel like working out that day.  But I did walk at least 20 blocks around town.

Saturday & Sunday
Rest days.

Day 8, Monday
Did the APK Warm-up and jogged around the park.  It's going well.  I no longer have any pain in my abdomen, so that makes things easier.

Umm...What exactly is meant by "quadrupedal movement"?  Should I just run around on all fours for that or something?