Inspiration - And What to Wear

Parkour: n.m (from the French word parcours) physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's environment. it is a non-competitive, physical discipline of French origin in which practitioners run along a route, attempting to negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible. (Wikipedia)
To sum that up, parkour is just getting from point A to point B as time-saving (and as legal) as possible, no matter what gets in the way, even if it is a twelve foot wall (don't worry, we'll get there). 
Parkour is not as hard as it may seem. We, as humans, only make it hard. Why? Because of fear. And fear is the number one reason as to why people don't do anything they should do, and usually end up regretting that they didn't do it. An old saying goes, "You can't live in fear." No, that did not come from the movie Ghost Rider, it is much older than that.
Fear is natural. Everybody fears something. But when you overcome fear, the feeling of breaking free is wonderful. You feel powerful, near invincible. However, if you stay within the dark clasp of fear, well... You'll just never know, will you? 
But exactly what is fear? Fear is an evolutionary concept that has kept humans alive for millenia. It's how we knew when we should slowly back away from the 200 lb. lion. It's what injected heaps of adrenaline when that lion started chasing after us. Fear is almost like a fuel for parkour. But I hear what you're thinking. "If fear has kept us alive, why would I want to do something that might kill me?" Because parkour cannot kill you. Unless, of course, you're an idiot and decided to run right out in the middle of traffic, but that'd be your own stupidity, not parkour. We fear certain activities because fear has also evolved into a tool to keep us from getting hurt. An example, a boiling pot of water. You know the pot is hot, but you're still afraid to touch it. Why? Fear is telling you it'll hurt.
HOWEVER!
Pain is only temporary. You might hurt for a second, a minute, a day, maybe even a year, but eventually, it WILL subside. If you are to quit/never even begin, however, the pain will last forever. 
Parkour is in the human genetic code. It is with all of men and women, boys and girls. You can do it! So stop procrastinating, stop saying "I can't," and get running (just finish reading this first)!

Do these pants make my butt look big?

Ah, yes, clothing. From a fashion statement to a fashion nightmare, clothes are important. Not only do they cover our happy parts (and keep us safe from the police) they also offer us protect. So what should I wear while doing parkour?Well, let's start from the bottom and work our way up.
Feet: Now if you are a beginner, I absolutely recommend a really good pair of track or running shoes. Now don't go breaking the bank, just find a shoe that has really good traction and feels really comfortable to you. "How will I know if my shoe has good traction?" Your shoes are, in the most basic form I can think of, the tires of your human being. You will feel it when that shoe really grabs the ground.
For you more advanced tracueses/tracuers, here's a little fun thing to try. Either by Vibram Five or take off your shoes and walk/run barefoot whenever possible. Then, once your feet have developed a resistance to the ground, go do some parkour. It will really take you back to when humans didn't have any shoes to start of with, yet we still ran.
Lower section (pants): Sweatpants. They're loose fitting around the legs allow for maximum movement. If you have jeans like that, I suppose it's okay. I do it sometimes. Skinny jeans, tight fit, or even regular fit are absolute no-no's. Unless you want to face plant into the ground.
Torso: Tee shirts, jerseys, wife beaters (why are they called that, it's horrible), anything really. Just make sure it's appropriate.
Head: You may use sweatbands . Bandannas are acceptable, however, if you choose to "represent," that's not my problem. That was your decision.
So whattdaya say? I promise that if you stick with me, you're gonna be have some fun. Unless we get to the moves and you finally decide that parkour sucks. That ends this post. Check out the next one where we discuss our very first move! The Parkour Roll...

The Ezio Workout

     If you want to be a good traceur/traceuse, get out there and start practicing. But if you want to be a great traceur/traceuse, you absolutely must get in shape. Not only should you be able to run for an extended amount of time, you must be able to carry your own weight. And this is not shown better with anyone than the mythical Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed II. You don't need to be an Assassin to do parkour (but wearing a costume will definitely make you feel even more like a bad ass).
     Let's keep in mind that Ezio was an multiple things. An Assassin, a playboy, and a brawler. Due to his rebellious character, he has spent most of his life running. To or from just about anything. So obviously he is VERY fit cardiovascular wise. But what about strength? Come on. He's a brawler and a playboy. Ezio's strength is amazing due to all the fights he gets into and all the girls' rooms he climbs into.
     The Ezio Workout mimics how we can attempt on how to be just like Ezio. Now before I post it down there, remember. It takes lots and lots of time before you get near perfect. I beg of you, start from level one and work you way up. If you find level one to be easy, go to level two the next time you do the exercise. Now let's look at that workout.

Equipment Needed:
Chinup Bar
Chair
Hill

Cardio:
Level 1(beginner):
Walk at a brisk pace for at least thirty minutes.  Pick a pace that will be strenuous for you, without completely killing you, then just do that for half an hour or more.  Vary your inclines/terrain for added challenge.
Level 2(moderate):
This is more of a general progression.  Interval running/walking.  Walk for two minutes, run for one minute.  Repeate this for at least half an hour.  When this gets easy, decrease walking time and increase running time until you're running for the full half hour.
Level 3(advanced):
Run at an even pace for two and a half minutes, sprint as fast as you can for thirty seconds.  Repeat for half an hour or more.
Level 4(assassin):
Level 3 for at least half an hour, finish up by finding a good steep hill, sprinting up it, and walking back down it as many times as you can.

Strength:
3x10=three sets of ten repetitions.  Perform all exercises listed in order for one set, rest two minutes, then go again.
Level 1(beginner): 3x5-10 Chair assisted pullups(palms facing away), 3x5-10 Kneeling pushups, 3x10-20 Bodyweight squats, 3x10-20 Standing Lunges, , 3x10-20 Calf raises, 3x10-25 Crunches, 3x10-25 Leg lifts.
Level 2(moderate): 3x5-10 Hanging pullups(palms away), 3x5-10 Standard pushups, 3x20-30 Bodyweight squats, 3x10-20 Calf raises(one legged), 3x10-20 Jumping lunges, 3x10-25 Bicycle crunches.
Level 3(advanced): 5x10-20 Hanging pullups(palms away), 5x10-20 Burpees(with pushup), 5x50-70 Calf bounces(calf raises but hopping into it), 5x10-30 Jumping lunges, 5x25-50 Leg lift crunches.
Level 4(assassin): 5x10-20 Muscle ups, 5x15-30 Burpees with clap pushup and jump at end, 5x50-70 calf bounces, 5x10-20 tuck jumps, 5x20-40 Jumping lunges, 5x25-50(per side) russian twists holding weight plate, medicine ball, or heavy bookbag.  Shorten rest between sets to one minute, perform sets as fast as you can.

Schedule:
Day 1: Light cardio, followed by strength workout.
Day 2: Cardio.
Day 3: Light cardio, followed by strength workout.
Day 4: Cardio.
Day 5: Light cardio, followed by strength workout.
Day 6: Cardio.
Day 7: Rest.
Light cardio means either do the cardio workout one level down from your normal difficulty level, or do your normal difficulty level with less intensity.

     If you are unsure about what any of the exercises are, look it up on YouTube. Just make sure you don't go to THAT side of YouTube again. Be sure to copy and paste this workout so that way you will always have it at your disposal. Our next post will have a few more inspiring words before we get to the fun stuff.

Let's get some shit straight...

Parkour: The ability to overcome any obstacle in your path and get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. From French origin.

This does not mean flipping off of two story building, jumping twenty feet between rooftops, or any of that other crap YouTube has made it seem.

That, my fellow tracuers and traceusues, is the fine line between parkour and freerunning. This blog is to help, entertain, and be interesting to those who wish to survive that upcoming zombie apocalypse or run away from that ripped six foot seven bully coming for you for your lunch money. Learn the difference, and it can save you from being an ignorant wanna-be know-it-all.

An FYI, parkour is both a mental and physical discipline and art. You will only get good at it if you put hours and hours and hours of hard work at this craft. If you do NOT train, you will only end up being afraid to try. And how do you get good at something if you never try? Due to the physical stress, the workout I use to train will appear in a later post.

Now, for those of you whom stumbled across this site because a friend recommended it to you, and you are now sitting there going, "What the hell is parkour?" Here's a video link for you. THIS is parkour, NOT freerunning. Really, it's Parkour, literally.

ANYBODY can do parkour. It's not a new thing. Humans have been doing parkour for a very, very long time. It's actually a survival instinct hardwired into our brains. When someone is in trouble and you care deeply about them, ever noticed how you hop a fence much more efficiently than if they weren't? Or how about when you're being chased by someone who you know is going to hurt you, don't you notice how you start to do more incredible things to try and get away from that person? Parkour is basically just having the knowledge of how the science of running to or running away works. It also makes these tasks look cool as all hell.

Stick around and learn, or just click out of this blog and forget about it. Regardless, parkour will continue to grow and this blog will continue to write. This wraps up our first post. Look out for the next one, where we discuss the Ezio Workout (Assassin's Creed, anybody? Anyone? Bueller?) to prep ourselves for parkour.