Topic: Awesome Man Training Log

[Joshua Sikes]

Well, I took my first steps, albeit very small, into Parkour today.  I have a membership at this gym called L.A. Fitness where I work out regularly.  So I decided to start there.  In the classroom area we have these stackable steps.  So I stacked some up and practiced landing and absorbing the fall.  Next I tried some rolls from a kneeling position untill I felt comfortable enough to do them from landing.

I was going to attempts some vaults but I was too scared.  I don't trust my ability to jump... being 306 I don't think I can jump very high.  In fact when I was younger (and 40 pounds lighter) I used to joke that on a scale of 1-10 I had a -2 in vertical jumping.  So I took what seemed like the next most logical step and I just jumped.  Jumped as high as I could, and far as I could... to the left to the right, and any other jumps I could think about.

Not much but it's a start. 

[Muse_of_Fire]

It's a good start, parkour-wise. Good on you for starting (which is the hardest part), and in a public place, no less. That's not easy at all (It took me 2 months before I was comfortable training in public).

I would suggest supplementing your parkour training with a substantial amount of conditioning to build up strength and to take off some of the weight. It will also help your vertical. Steve Low is definitely the man to talk to about this.

Good luck on your journey! I'm excited for you!

[chipset]

I suggest as a starter, you spend more time on basics: push-ups, pull-ups, dips and of course running. You want to minimize body fat and improve your endurance/strength before you even start thinking about parkour.

[Joshua Sikes]

Well, I'm not exactly 100% comfortable with training in public.  However at the same time I do realize that at some point I'm going to be doing this stuff in front of people so I might as well get it over with and start getting used to it.  Thanks for the enthusiasm and chipset, thanks for advice.  My goals are more oriented on the basics for the most part.

As of right now I cannot do a single pull-up unassisted.  I use the assisted pull-up machine and can lift around half my own body wieght (150 lbs.) about five times in one set.
Dips I can do one rep.  An ugly rep, but a rep.  On the assisted dip set at 130 lbs. I can do ten reps in a set.  So that would mean I'm lifting about 176 lbs. not great but that's better than before.

I've improved a lot in my push-ups over the past year thanks to the martial arts training I got.  Asking me for ten push-ups before was like asking for the world; now I can do about 25 or so.

[Joshua Sikes]

Ok so yesterday I went out to USF with Crazyrican and some others (don't know the screen names for the other guys but I know there here).  They were awesome, giving me pointers and being very encouraging.  I found out I was capable of doing more than I originally thought.  I practiced some precisions I even managed a few speed vaults.  All in all a big step up.

[Kevin Davies]

That is awesome you are getting out there and doing it.  I would really work on bringing your weight down.  The extra weight will wreak havoc on your joints when you do high impact activities.  It will take some patience to not go out do a lot of the fun stuff at first, but if you screw up your joints you won't be doing the boring stuff or the fun stuff for long.  Plus if you can do 25 pushups now and can do some vaults now, once you lose some weight you will fly.

[Terry McIntosh]

yea man keep it up. i saw your bodyweight, then i saw the exercises you where doing. i was all like whoaaa this guy is strong (most guys half you weight are throwing on weight vest and still cant do the reps and weight you are doing assisted), you keep lossing weight and you will def be beast. 

[Joshua Sikes]

After finally being sore free (mostly) from my day at USF I decided to head to the park and run around.  It's becoming kind of a favorite of mine because when I go it's mostly secluded and it's wide and open. 

I just kinda jumped around, nothing big though.  I'm trying to take it slow so I just jumped onto the seat of the picnic table and back down mostly to practice my foot placement.  Also worked on keeping my balance by walking on those concrete blocks they put at the ends of parking spots (I don't know the real name for them).  Then it started raining so I went home. 

Now before I jumped on here and before I hit the sack I placed mental markings on the ground where I would start and finish and practiced some precisions during the commercial breaks while watching t.v.

Nothing great but at least I'm training.

[Muse_of_Fire]

You are off to a really great start. Don't forget the conditioning!

[Joshua Sikes]

Ok... I successfully vaulted over my couch today.  I knew I could do it but fear kept getting the best of me, which is also why I almost broke the couch two times before I did it.      Now I feel that I have successfully passed another benchmark.  Even though I know I should take it slower... I don't see vaults (as long as performed correctly) has hazardous to my joints.  It's something that I felt I needed to accomplish because it shows that I am capable of more, it'll help keep me motivated because I can look back and say look what I was already able to do now I can work towards other things.  Like getting some of this weight off.

[Kevin Davies]

I learned to monkey and kong on a couch in my basement.  That couch is pretty hammered now.  One leg is broken and one of the arms is broken.  I was increasing my kong distance by putting a toy box by the side of the couch, diving over it, putting my hands on the arm of the couch, and then landing on the couch itself.  I kept moving the toy box farther and farther from the couch until one day I felt the couch arm snap under my hands and knew my couch konging days were over.

[Joshua Sikes]

Ha... it's been a while but I'm back.  I looked into it and it seems I've only been gone from here for a year.  That's not too bad, feels like longer.  I'd almost given up hope, my work schedule and general direction my life was taking previously was making it hard to really get into Parkour. 

Anyway, went to this little jogging area called the Brandon Parkway the past couple of days and didn't do much, tried some cat hangs of very short walls, I was barley a few feet away from the ground... not much success there, I feet keep slipping.  I don't have enough upper body strength to hold my self up either, or to pull my self for that matter.  So I just practiced some rolls in the grass and a few times on the concrete... the concrete will take some getting used to.

All in all, not bad.  Just taking it easy considering my size, I don't need to injure my self.

[Dan M.]

Welcome back , stay consistent with it, you will see improvements for your body and mental health in short time, and especially in the long run.

[Joshua Sikes]

Let me blow the dust off this thing... it's been like nine months since I put anything in this... wow.  Ok so I went to the gym to get some weight lifting in, fellow Gorilla Kyle threw a good routine my way and I figured I'd try it out.  It'll take a week or so to work the kinks out but it's a solid routine.

Tomorrow is Cardio.

My diet is all prepared.  I have a whole weeks worth of food already cooked and packaged ready for me to grab and take to work or wherever. 

[Joshua Sikes]

I've been to the Gym three times this week already.  Really starting to get a feel for my new routine.  It always takes a week or so to work out the kinks and get it just the way you need it to improve, I feel great now. 

So far I've lost 15 lbs.  So only 121 lbs left to go. lol.  I obviously have  ways to go.

[Joshua Sikes]

Still working out the kinks of my new weight lifting routine, but I'm getting there.  

Now, it's time for the scolding from my peers because of my diet.

Breakfast:  Don't hate me too much but I had Mcdonalds Bacan, Egg, and Cheese Bisquit w/ hashbrown and a medium coke.  O_o   I know what the hell am I doing?  That won't help my goals at all. 

Lunch: Subway 6" Roastbeef sub w/ bag of chips and a medium rootbeer.  Better, but the chips and coke?  Bad Josh!  Bad! 

I haven't had dinner yet, but later after my workout I will have the rest of my sub.  But I promise I'll only have water and no chips this time.

[Joshua Sikes]

Breakfast:  2 eggs, 2 egg whites and two pieces of toast w/ a glass of milk

Lunch:  Cup of steak chilie w/ bread and a small sweet tea from Panera Bread.

Dinner: Small strawberry smoothie

Workout: Today was cardio day.  I'm up to 10 minutes now.  I use a brisk walk for a minute, a light jog for 30 seconds and a sprint for another 30 seconds.  Then I go back to a brisk walk to start the process over.  Another week of that and I'll try adding another couple of minutes.

Tomorrow I'm thinking maxing out to find my 1RM.

[Joshua Sikes]

I'm thinking I should list my goals.

Ultimately I'd like to weight in at 180-190 lbs.  Be able to squat 1.5 my body weight and be able to jog for 30 consecutive minutes.

Now as my weight goes down the total amount of lbs I'll need to be able to squat to reach my goal will also decrease of course. 

To break up my goals to be more quantifiable.

In next three weeks I want to have dropped 6 lbs. And I want to increase my squat by 5-10 lbs.