Parkour Training And Joint Actions

Recently my attention was turned to training specific joint actions (I'll describe those in a minute) by one of my instructors. He asked me what I thought would be the best functional opposite to an overhead press (shoulder flexion). I thought for a minute and came up with the answer he was looking for: a wall climb! It's (in my opinion) the perfect expression of shoulder extension. So what are these words I'm starting to throw around? They're pretty much anatomical jargon for the ways the shoulders move in a specific plane of motion. This plane is called the Saggital plane and is one of three planes of motion the body can move in.

Here are the two joint actions of the shoulder in the saggital plane:

Shoulder Flexion

Ignore the funny face...my photographer caused it!

Shoulder Extension

Flexion and extension are exact opposites when it comes to joint actions, and training opposing muscles using joint actions trains functionality much better than you standard push-pull workouts.

This also go me thinking about the possibility of combining strength training/calisthenics with parkour training to make a complete, functional workout, both for the parkour enthusiast and for the average person wanting to be more functional and efficient (or just move better).

I had my first opportunity to test this idea (which ended up being quite successful) during my jam with NorCal Parkour.

Needless to say, there will be many more experiments like this one! Now let's get down to the nitty-gritty:

The Handstand Pushup

Please excuse the quality...I only had my phone on me.

The Handstand pushup is considered one of the best exercises for the upper body. It's a difficult one, though, and I'm not saying everyone should start here. If you can't do a handstand pushup quite yet, you can do dumbbell or kettlebell presses at whatever weight you can handle for 5-6 reps without going to failure. You can also do pike pushups (put your hands on the floor and your feet on a chair or bench with your hips high and your back straight). Combine with handstand practice against a wall (try to do timed holds...every time you practice try to stay up longer than last time). Here's a great handstand tutorial.

The Wall Climb

Didn't get a shot of the pull-up portion, I'll have to do a video tutorial.

The wall climb is one of the most complete expressions of shoulder extension, especially if, instead of doing the standard parkour climb, you transition to a dip and press up instead of going all the way up with straight arms. Here is a great tutorial for the standard wall climb. If you watch the last couple minutes of the NorCal Parkour jam video, we all do a wall climb. The way we do it in the video involves the dip and is the best demonstration I have (at the moment) of the wall climb as an exercise. I would recommend starting to practice the wall climb with a wall about shoulder height to get the right mechanics, then try it on progressively higher walls. You get extra credit if it's a wall you need a running start to get up. It adds an extra level of intensity to the workout!

Flexion/Extension Workout:

Try this one out for size. 3 rounds, 60-90 seconds of rest between rounds, no rest between exercises.

Handstand Pushup (or any of its regressions), stopping 2-3 reps before failure
5-10x Wall Climb, stopping 2-3 reps before failure
10x Burpee

It's technically full body, but it has a strong flexion/extension focus. Try it out! If you have a kettlebell, you can substitute swings or snatches for the burpees, or just add them to the workout for an added challenge.

Why I Do Calisthenics

There's a quick answer to this and a much, much longer one. Today I will tackle both!

Here is the quick answer.

It is the most versatile and effective form of training on the planet.

Now here's the long answer.

Calisthenics happen to be the world's oldest known training methods. Long before padded machines, cables, bench press, barbells, dumbbells, and all other man-made exercise equipment men (and women) regularly trained exclusively using their bodyweight. The greek warriors and Olympian athletes were some of the best-known to have used Calisthenics, but their use has spanned from the Shaolin Temples to Soviet Russia to turn of the century America. Up until the advent of machines and bodybuilding (a.k.a. the "Age of the False Athlete"), anyone serious about fitness or athletics used Calisthenics as a part of their training.

The word Calisthenics is derived from the Greek words kallos, meaning "beauty," and sthenos, meaning "strength."

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Calisthenics: 1. systematic rhythmic bodily exercises performed usually without apparatus.

Calisthenics can be used in many different applications, be it strength, muscular endurance and work capacity, conditioning, speed and explosiveness, etc. I will be writing articles specifically about developing each of these. For now, let's look at the big picture, what all of these methods have in common.

First, the only equipment you need is your own body. A pull-up bar can be useful, but isn't necessary.

Second, there are ways to progress exercises. You can even get to the point where you are moving your entire body with one limb (I am currently working on a few goals based on this), or moving in a very difficult position in a slow, controlled manner (like Stand-To-Stand bridges).

Third, you can work for reps, going as high-rep as possible. Coupled with other high-rep bodyweight exercises, you can develop high levels of conditioning. Crossfit uses this principle in many of their workouts.

Fourth, you can train explosiveness easily. Clap pushups and jump squats are just two examples.

Fifth, Calisthenics help your body to regulate healthy fat storage. It's a simple equation. More bodyweight equals more difficulty moving said bodyweight. When you have to move your body through these types of movements, your body will do whatever it can to make it easier and adapt. This often leads to quicker fat loss and increased muscle, which can also help burn more fat (not a ton like the Muscle & Fiction mags will tell you, but every little bit helps right?).

Last, but most definitely not least (technically not the last, but to continue would go beyond the scope of this article), it is the most functional way to train. What do we have to do the most in our lives? Move our own bodies. How do you do it better? Move your own body! It helps to strengthen not only the muscles, but also the tendons and joints. It prevents injuries and can help to rehabilitate existing ones.

For advanced athletes, calisthenics can also be done with added resistance in the form of weight vests and wrist/ankle weights.

Some examples of Calisthenic exercises are as follows:

- The Pushup (variations include Incline and Decline, Close, Weighted, and One-Arm)

- The Squat (Variations include the Hindu Squat, the Lunge, the Jump Squat or Box Jump, and     the Pistol)

- The Pullup (Variations include the Body Row, the Chinup, and the One-Arm Pullup)

- The Bridge (Variations include Hip Raises, Full Bridge, Wall Walking, and Stand-to-Stand     Bridges)

- The Handstand Pushup (Variations include the Pike Pushup, the Half Hanstand Pushup, and     the One-Arm Hanstand Pushup)

- The Leg Raise (Variations include Lying Leg Raise, Hanging Knee Raise, Hanging Frog Raise,     Hanging Straight Leg Raise, and V-Raise)

New to exercise?

All of these movements can also be regressed for beginners and those in physical therapy and injury rehab. For example, you can substitute the standard Push-up with the Wall Pushup, you can do a Supported or Half Squat instead of a full one, you can do Seated Knee Tucks instead of Leg Raises, etc.

Or are you an exercise veteran?

Advanced athletes can try their hand at more Gymnastics-based movements such as the free-standing (away from a wall or support) Handstand Pushup, the Planche, the Lever, or the Muscle-up. Advanced athletes can also continue to increase strength in the basic movements by adding weight, suchs as weight vests or kettlebells. Steve Cotter, RKC can do a pistol with two racked 24kg (53lb) kettlebells with ease.

The bottom line is this:
If you want to lose weight, build muscle, and develop lot of functional strength, Calisthenics are the way to go!

Don't take it from me, though. Take it from these guys:

Bud Jeffries

Pavel Tsatsouline

Steve Cotter

Jim Bathurst

Ross Enamait

Matt Furey

These are just five of the countless advanced athletes who swear by Calisthenics and its benefits. So what are you waiting for? DROP AND GIVE ME 20!