If you’ve only ever been doing Freerun/Parkour training then the issue of conditioning has probably arisen. As with any other athlete you need to understand the need to condition your body for the rigors of play or competition. Little or no physical preparation for Freerun/Parkour simply predisposes you to injury and ultimately, stifles untapped potential. Proper strength and conditioning can facilitate your development as a practitioner. For the beginner almost any kind of training will yield an improvement. The type of program you follow will affect the training adaptations you achieve, so following a bodybuilding or powerlifting workout wouldn’t be the best course of action for obvious reasons.
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I’m often asked what supplementation exercises I recommend for serious Freerun/Parkour practitioners. This is an extremely subjective question and the best answer I can give is “it depends…” While this may seem like shortchanging, its common sense because the recommended exercises depend on the athletes training status. But over time I do see a pattern among my exercise choices because these generally give the best returns for beginners and more advanced athletes alike. Here is a list of exercises that really are worth a try: Read more…
More core stability drills but with the use of a Swiss ball. These drills are tough as hell but once mastered, are very rewarding and a great benefit to your regular core training.
This abs workout uses a simple swiss ball and is an absolute killer. It shows that no expensive equipment is ever needed to get the right results.
Parkour/Freerun requires tremendous power in the legs. In nearly every move it is the legs which initiate and finish the movements associated with the discipline. Remember that the muscles in the legs are far greater in size and strength than those of the arms, so they are therefore arguably the most functionally important muscles of the body to a Traceur or Freerunner. Many gym users are guilty of neglecting their legs, concentrating only on upper body exercises to get the beach-goer physique. This leaves them unbalanced, open to injury, and weak overall. Think of it as a chink in the armour.
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Upper body wise, the pull up is one of the best exercises for practitioners of Parkour/Freerun. Not only is it exercising the muscles of the upper back and shoulders, which are used in a number of different techniques such as vaulting, cat leaps, laches, muscle-ups and handstands. It also is done with the practitioners own bodyweight, which makes it far more functional and effective. Many people who train in a gym, avoid pull-ups because they are deemed difficult to do. There are machines like the ‘Lat Pull Down’ that exercise the same muscles but at the end of the day, nothing is as good as a genuine pull-up using body weight as your resistance. That said, the Lat Pull Down is still a good machine to improve your strength but not everyone will have access to a gym and with the regular pull-up, finding suitable places to do them is fairly easy.
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The plank is a very old, yet considerably neglected exercise for developing abdominal strength. Being easy to perform, simply adopt a press up position, and then rest on your forearms. Only the forearms and toes should be in contact with the ground.
This is a very good routine to follow in order to really bring your abs out. Having a good set of abs not only looks great, but serves to make your ‘core’ very strong and as a result, your entire Freerun/Parkour game will benefit massively.
As discussed in the Fit for Life article the combination of speed and strength is power. This combination and subsequent result in power is at the helm of so many popular sports today: Rugby, Mixed Martial Arts, Gymnastics, Weight Lifting to name but a few. Freerun and Parkour are no exceptions.
I get asked a lot of questions, by email, by phone, on the UF forums, at seminars, while I’m trying to train athletes and while doing my own training. Asking questions is always good, nothing better than an inquisitive mind and willingness to learn. But (and its big but) please do some research before you ask. We have the largest resource of information at our hands, it is none other than the internet. Read more…
13 may be an unlucky number for some, but it so happens to be the same number of common training mistakes often made, when adding strength and conditioning to your routine. There are endless mistakes made by strength coaches/ head coaches/personal trainers/sports coaches on a daily basis but here are some of the biggest ones and some ways to iron them out: Read more…
The traceur/freerunner is in danger, danger of becoming a one (or very few) trick pony. It’s great that you can nail a precision, muscle up that wall or cat leap like a real cat with super glue mittens. But it doesn’t mean jack if every time you string together more than 3 moves you collapse in a gasping heap. If this is you, you may just want to improve your General Physical Preparedness or your work capacity. Read more…
To be totally fit for Parkour and Freerun, the practitioner must consider the ‘7 components of fitness’. Arguably someone can appear fit without actually having all of the components. However, to avoid injury and to be at the top their game, a Traceur or Freerunner must have some of each, or at least train each to some degree. It is true that one component may be more important than another depending on the sport trained for. But by ignoring one or two, because they do not seem applicable to your sport could potentially leave you open to injury. Read more…
Health?! What do you mean health?
When people think about health they think doctors visits, colds, medicine and hospitals. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined ‘health’ as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. While the term wellbeing has a new age feel, they do have a point, health isn’t just about disease and doctors. It’s keeping you in good functioning order and having the ability overcome any challenges thrown your way. I’m of the opinion that a health body equals a healthy mind. Read more…
A word of warning first, with any injury it is worth seeking medical advice, just to ensure serious damage has not been caused. I sprained my wrist (or so I thought) so I left it for a month before I sought medical advice. To my horror, it ended up being complete rupture to the ligaments, which required full surgery to put right and has left me with a reduced range of movement. My advice comes from finding out the hard way….it is better to be safe than sorry! If you are positive medical advice is not needed, or have sought advice and the injury is minor rather than major, the following article may be of use. Read more…
Patellar tendinitis (or tendonitis) or more recently called Patellar tendonopathy (or tendinopathy) is what is commonly known as “jumper’s knee” and is the patellar tendon injury that nearly every freerunner or traceur has experienced at one point or another. It is that niggling pain at the front of the knee underneath the knee cap (patellar) that does not stop you doing anything, but aches day and night, and just will not go away. As the name “jumper’s knee” suggests it is a general knee overuse injury that is common to those participating in jumping sports, usually onto hard ground, such as in basketball or volley ball, although rugby and football players repeatedly playing on hard ground also experience this injury. With our discipline commonly being practised in the urban environment, there is no harder surface to land on, and hence jumper’s knee has become prevalent within the community. Read more…
Injury prevention is doing everything you can not to get injured in the course of normal activity. It focuses on all areas of training. There include using the right shoe, building in rest days, strength training, warm up and down and so on. Other areas to focus on are the health and safety aspects involved particularly in activities like Parkour/Freerun. Generally physiotherapists are brought in like fire fighters being employed in emergencies and not generally considered an important part of the regime. Most injuries up to 50% are in new area’s which mean the other 50% are unresolved injuries that result from the injury never being dealt with properly in the first place. Read more…
One of the most common enquiries I get from practitioners is about knee injuries. A lot of the time these injuries come from over-training. Unfortunately many doctors have little experience or understanding of musculoskeletal mechanics or injury, with many just giving out painkillers and sending you on your way. Of course, you should always consult your doctor with any serious injury but for any problems in the knee area, I’d recommend seeking advice from a specialist. This article will hopefully serve as a primer and will arm you with some useful information. Read more…
For every sport the athlete�s body type and build plays a huge part, Freerun/Parkour is no different. Every athlete should at some point consider their body type whether when starting out or attempting to take their chosen sport to the next level. Consider someone who is 5ft 3 and a basketball player. He may be an excellent player, but someone who is 6ft 5 but with the same skill set will obviously have distinct advantages when it comes to playing the game. This doesn’t mean that the 5ft3 baller will not be a great player, there are a number of small players in the NBA, but it means he may be pigeon holed into specific positions and roles within the team. Speed, strength, height, body shape, stamina, endurance are all aspects that we have some genetic predisposition too, some can be improved (i.e. stamina, endurance, strength) others are unfortunately set in stone (such as height). Read more…
One of the most frequently asked questions in the athletic world is “How can I increase my vertical jump?” A higher vertical jump has obvious advantages in several different kinds of traditional sports such as basketball and volleyball. For traceurs and freerunners a bigger vertical jump means reaching higher points in single bounds and more airtime for tricks and flips, basically any activity requiring a jump to start will feel far more effortless. Read more…
Second to the knee the most commonly injured joint picked up from Freerun/Parkour is the ankle. Unfortunately many doctors have little experience or understanding of musculoskeletal mechanics or injury, with many just giving out painkillers and sending you on your way. Of course, you should always consult your doctor with any serious injury but for any problems in the ankle area, I’d recommend seeking advice from a specialist. This article will hopefully serve as a primer and will arm you with some useful information. Here are the 4 most Common ankle injuries. Read more…
As a strength and conditioning coach, I pay close heed to the conditioning programs of athletes looking for possible improvements, efficiency and possible imbalances. When I check out most freerun/parkour conditioning programs and conditioning practices I can’t help but grimace at one main weakness, the posterior.
Many programs have a huge imbalance towards anterior dominant movements, be it quad work from all the jumping and running, the 1000 push ups everyday that “Biggunz69″ on that bodybuilding forum recommended. A lot of trainees if they realize it or not tend to leave lower posterior chain work out of their conditioning sessions or only as an after thought. Read more…
Flat feet; narrow feet; pronation; supination; high arch; low arch; etc… If you’re in the market for shoes you’ll probably hear some or all of these terms from salespeople and shoe companies. But does the shoe actually matter that much at all? What would you say if you could train yourself to be more explosive, have improved balance, and avoid altogether the aches and pains that result from practicing in poor footwear – and all without giving a damn about the shoes? You’re probably asking, ‘where can I get this drug and how illegal is it’? Well, it’s not illegal: it’s called barefoot running. Yes, I said barefoot; meaning no shoes or socks, just skin and surface. Read more…
Balance is possibly the most fundamental aspect of good parkour practice. Here we are not referring to having a good ‘balance’ between the different exercises and actions – though this is also important, of course – but rather the actual ability to maintain proper balance at all times. Good balance carries over into every aspect of parkour: it is vital for precision landings, crucial for moving swiftly on narrow surfaces, and critical for the proper and effective execution of every type of vault. Having good balance and a refined sense of body position is of great benefit to one’s parkour, and is essential to preventing falls and bails. Read more…
Everyone has been there - that gap you’ve wanted to do for three months: you finally work up enough courage to attempt it. You run, you jump, you land… Perfect! Except for one thing; what was that sharp pain in the back of your thigh? That, my friend, is a muscle strain (a pulled muscle). You say to yourself, “I strained my muscle, so what?” So what? That little muscle strain can turn into something very serious if you’re not careful. That’s what. So what do you know about muscle strains, and what can you do about them? Read more…
Without a doubt, the best training for parkour is more parkour. However, this is not to say that the odd injection of alternative training methods can’t help speed your development in specific aspects of physicality relevant to the traceur. Simple running, for example, is the most obvious – arguably the best way to improve cardio-respiratory stamina and overall fitness. Far from being off the wall, cross-training has proven to be of great value to a host of professional sportsmen and women from all disciplines. Read more…
Much has been made of the importance of warming-up before beginning a training session, and yet in general most people underdo or even skip entirely this vital aspect of the discipline of Parkour. Some may not know why warming up is so important, others may not know how; some may perceive it to be a waste of time, while others might see it as boring, wanting to dive straight into the the jumps and vaults with minimal or no preparation. If you fit into one of these categories, you need to read on. Read more…
