Chin-ups and Quadrupedal Movement

So guys finally here are the pictures of the chin-up bar I got for my home. It's pretty cool. It sets up in 1 second and come down even faster. Uses my door-frame or any door-frame really. Does no damage. And has upgrades I can purchase later. It's really neat and I see know way that I can wear it out ever so it seems like a good purchase for just 45 bucks. Not to mention it took 5 minutes to build.

So here is the bar and what it looks like not on the door

And here it is set up from the front

And the back. 

You can see how it works now. The rectangular bar sets on top of the trim in the back and the front cross-bar sets on the sides for the trim on the front. When you get on it the cantilevered effect holds it in place and can support 300+ pounds depending on the door. So here it is being used in action!

Cool huh? It's pretty neat I think I really dig it. 

So I also wanted to talk a little bit about Quadrupedal movement. Which is using your hands and feet (arms & legs) to propel yourself. They work together to improve speed, reach, balance, or strength.  

Basically it is mimicking certain animal movements in nature and naturally these quadrupedal movements are a huge skill in Parkour to develop.

So on the days that I have to do the creep walk in our work-outs I do other things out on my driveway. Among them being . . .

Cat Walk

Gorilla Walk/Run

Monkey Walk/Run

Rolls

and/or Monkey Crawl Mix-up

So I'll give some brief definitions and then hopefully later I can post some pictures.

Cat Walk - See Adrian & Emiko blog since Emiko did a great job doing this on a railing and they have video! Basically you go left hand, right foot, right hand, left foot, repeat. Keep your back straight and head up to see where you are going. It can be practiced on flat surfaces but is great for railing or narrow surfaces as your balance is much easier to hold with at least 3 point of contact at all times. 

Gorilla Walk/Run - Basically start by sitting like a frog. If you reach out in front and put your hands down you can get a feel for your "reach" the faster you want to go the farther you will reach. And the stronger you have to be. Beginners use your palms but if you want to make it tough use only your finger tips. If you use your finger tips your hand should look like you are holding a big grapefruit. Fingers curved, no knuckles buckling, or bending toward the ground. If you can't keep your hand like that do it with your whole hand, kind of slap your palms down.

So you reach forward place and shift your weight forward by giving a little leap with your legs. All weight will go to your arms in that place right before being able to somersault if you wanted. Then your legs drop back down next to your hands and you repeat form there. It's a great way to travel fast and work great muscles. Also it a great way to learn the movements for a kong vault and getting used your your butt being over your head. 

Monkey Walk/Run - Harder to describe in words but I have seen it described as a cross between a cat walk and a gorilla walk. you can lead with your right or left  side and you run like a chimp! You know how they kind of do that sideways shuffle? Well that's what thing is!

You place your leading arm followed by the next right behind it. then swing your legs forward in the same way as you did your hands. and your leading foot should be the farthest thing forward. Repeat. 

Rolls - Well I cannot explain it as good as the instructional videos out there so go watch some! But basically I have been practicing rolling over both left and right shoulders so I do not favor any side. The basic principles are dispersing impact. Not rolling directly along the spine. Avoid hitting your head. And conserving energy and speed. It's a lot of fun but when you are first starting boy are you sore after doing a few dozen on asphalt.

Monkey Crawl Mix-up - This is my name for it and there a ton out there. It's basic quadrupedal warm-ups and stretches. Slow everything down to an easy speed and move from form to form. Do anything that feels natural and stretches you in a healthy way. Throw in some rolls and hand stands even. Some pistol squats or even down-dog pose and up-dog. Anything really just be like a monkey having a good time and fooling a round. Who knew working out could be so fun!

That's all guys. Have a great one!

Records, Records Everywhere!

So I had a really busy weekend. Sorry for my absence but I am back and the PCP has been growing strong over here! I got to sleep for about 10 hours yesterday and that was fabulous I haven't had a chance to sleep until I naturally woke up in a very long time! But i did have to work at night but I'm not complaining when I'm getting paid double-time and a half! 

So today I had a really good jump-roping experience. I have been doing my 1500 in sets of 300 these past few days. The great thing is I have been able to push past the point where it's hard and you kind of hit the zone and your muscles keep going and going. Well today I also had gotten the rhythm! On my second set I had an all time record of 274 in a row with no trips!

But then . . . 

In the next set I got 348!!!!!!!

I was so freaking happy.

The weird thing is that I think sleeping is what helped. Not being rested but mental rehearsal. The brain is an interesting thing and it works on solutions to problems while asleep, often in dream format. Last night I was dream of jump-roping and doing it as fast as possible and getting many in a row. While it seems like it certainly helped! Thanks Subconscious. You rock.

So besides that I was gonna say on little thing about my shoulders. That's that I agree 100%  with Adrian that my shoulders are not up to snuff. Man! I can't believe how hard it is to do some of these sets to the max, or minimum for that matter. If I want to get into Parkour I will definitely have to work more on my shoulders so I'm glad with the PCP that they are targeted EVERY DAY!

So other than that not much else is new. I just picked a number of interesting peppers form my garden and can't wait to experiment with them. Habeneros, jalepenos, hot thai peppers, and cubaneros.

So 2 posts back a reader from Germany (That's awesome by the way, simply great that the PCP is spreading it's borders! And I am delighted that you would comment on my blog Jochen) asked for some descriptions of the exercises we do. I would be happy to oblige and here I will explain 2 today and tackle some more tomorrow. Sometimes it's easy to forget Patrick explains everything to us and we get to pass it along!

Lawnmowers: For these guys you anchor the dongle for your resistance band at knee level. Stand sideways with your forward arm on your hip facing the door. Then with the other hand grab both handles and pull back. You just move your arms and exhale as you pull. Return to starting position with control. This works the lower lats in your back.

Ski Jumpers: Anchor the dongle at about waist height. Face the door and slightly squat and lean forward lie you are skiing down a slope. Grab a handle in either hand and start with your hands near your hips. Bend at the elbow to extend the forearm backward. This will give a great burning sensation in your triceps!

Try em out!

Have a nice evening everyone!