Free time and motivation are two factors that influence your fitness. But what about where you live? How does your environment contribute to how often you exercise or engage in physical activity outside of your home? The public health community uses the term “food desert” to describe neighborhoods that lacks easy access to fresh fruit, …
Recommended Reading for People Who Love Movement
Do you get lost watching videos of people using their bodies in remarkable ways? Is your Instagram feed filled with acrobats, yogis, dancers, skaters, and other athletes? Me too, and guess what? It’s time to put down the screen, and pick up a book. Here are eight titles for people who love human movement: The Story …
Strong like your great-great-great-grandparents
Ten years ago Michael Pollen wrote an article for Time magazine, titled “Six Rules for Eating Wisely.” One recommendation that always stuck with me was that you shouldn’t eat anything that your great-great-great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. His point was that in our age of packaged food products, much of what is on the …
2016 Parkour Injury Survey Summary
Anecdotal advice about parkour injuries is easy to encounter. Unfortunately, that type of guidance only works for an underground tribe. As a sport enters the mainstream, a more complete strategy is needed. With dozens of gyms and tens thousands of new athletes joining our ranks, it is time to get serious about parkour injury prevention. Ryan …
How to start a daily agility practice
I bet that without much effort, you could tell me exactly where your yoga mat and foam roller are. I bet you could also quickly find your lacrosse balls and voodoo bands. The idea of having a daily mobility practice has been never been as popular as it is today. Thanks to Kelly Starrett, everyone …
2 Static Holds For Better Parkour Vaults
In the parkour world, to vault an obstacle means that you jump over something using one or two hands for brief upper body support. Think of how you might quickly hop over a low gate. You might let a foot touch down, but in general both feet clear the obstacle without contact. From beginner moves …
Shoulder Flag Tutorial
Holding yourself above the ground in a flag position is an amazing sensation. Imagine being able to soar above the earth like Superman, while also being able to rip a telephone pole from the ground like the Hulk. It is weightlessness and pure strength combined into a single drill. In this tutorial, I am going to …
3 Reasons Why Parkour Should Replace Gymnastics in Schools
The 2016 school year marks an important milestone for the history of physical education. Earlier this summer, American Parkour announced that parkour would replace gymnastics in Washington DC middle schools. That is huge news! From its debut on French televisions 20 years ago, to becoming a taxpayer-funded PE class, the sport has gained immense respect. …
Muscle as padding: One more reason to do your strength training
Hit the heavy bag. Drop to the floor for a push-up marathon. Flip over for 300 crunches. That is how we finished every class at Chavez Kickboxing. I trained there for a few months, while grinding through my physical therapy pre-reqs in Albuquerque. I LOVED stress-release of those workouts. The sparring boosted my confidence, and …
Achilles Tears and Parkour
Hearing your body pop unexpectedly is an athlete’s worst nightmare. It happened to me once when I was 15 years old. I went to toss a front flip during gymnastics practice, and as soon as I punched the ground, my leg popped like a mini thunderclap. After crashing on the spring floor, I looked down to …