Conditioning Movements:
Air Squats
- Feet shoulder width apart with toes slightly outward
- Knees track over your toes
- Keep your chest and head up
- Keep your heels on the floor
- Go as low as you can and fully extend when you stand
Parkour Squats
This exercise is similar to a jumping air squat, except that this movement is mimicking the landing technique of a traceur:
The purpose of this is to train the body to absorb the impact when landing. Regardless of the height of the drop, a traceur should always bring his legs up closer to his body at the height of his jump. This allows him or her more time to see and control his or her landing. Further, it allows the traceur more time for extension of the legs during the last part of the landing. Be extending the legs, you’re increasing the distance the body can travel downwards and can thereby absorb the impact better.
- Start in a normal squat position, feet shoulder-width apart with the toes pointed slightly outward
- Perform a normal squat (bend at the knees while maintaining the spinal s-curve and track the knees over the top of your feet)
- Explode upwards
- Tuck in your knees
- At the height of your jump, thrust your legs downwards
- Land on the balls of your feet and absorb the impact by going into a squat
The purpose of this is to train the body to absorb the impact when landing. Regardless of the height of the drop, a traceur should always bring his legs up closer to his body at the height of his jump. This allows him or her more time to see and control his or her landing. Further, it allows the traceur more time for extension of the legs during the last part of the landing. Be extending the legs, you’re increasing the distance the body can travel downwards and can thereby absorb the impact better.
Precession Ladder Warm-Up
One rep:
Repeat 3x.
If you can’t stick the landing and count to 2, then the rep does not count. Before moving on, you must get three complete reps. The goal is to move the imaginary landing spot .5 feet every three reps. Do this until you have reached 75% of your max broad jump. Once you have reached that point, then reverse the drill. Start moving the imaginary spot back .5 foot every three reps until you’re .5 feet from your take-off point.
This is a skill work warm-up. Take the time to concentrate on the movement. You’ll know when you’re doing it right as you feel almost no stress on your knees and ankles. Listen to your body, if you feel something hurt, you’re probably jumping wrong.
- Imagine a line on the ground. This is your take-off point.
- Pick a spot approximately .5 feet away from your take-off point and jump to it.
- Stand up and count to 2.
Repeat 3x.
If you can’t stick the landing and count to 2, then the rep does not count. Before moving on, you must get three complete reps. The goal is to move the imaginary landing spot .5 feet every three reps. Do this until you have reached 75% of your max broad jump. Once you have reached that point, then reverse the drill. Start moving the imaginary spot back .5 foot every three reps until you’re .5 feet from your take-off point.
This is a skill work warm-up. Take the time to concentrate on the movement. You’ll know when you’re doing it right as you feel almost no stress on your knees and ankles. Listen to your body, if you feel something hurt, you’re probably jumping wrong.
Burpees
Basically a pushup, squat and jumping jack all in one that will turn you into a zombie killing machine!
Jumping Pull Ups
Position yourself directly below the pull up bar. Make sure that you can reach the bar from a standing position. As in regular pull ups, you must put your chin over the top of the bar. The difference is that you are using your legs to propel your body to that top position.
Use your arms to pull your body upwards. Don't let your legs do all the work.
Use your arms to pull your body upwards. Don't let your legs do all the work.
Quadrupedal Movement
Tabata Sets
A tabata set of a given exercise is to complete as many reps of the assigned exercise as you can within 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat this seven more times for a total of 8 intervals, which is 4 minutes of total work per exercise.
The tabata protocol was created by several Japanese scientists who were trying to determine the effect of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and V02max. (If you want to check out the actual published article, go here. The study proved that the above-referenced protocol increased aerobic (endurance) capacity and, more importantly, anaerobic capacity by 28%, whereas the purely endurance training did not improve anaerobic capacity at all. Now, why is this important to a traceur?
First, you need to know what anaerobic capacity is. “Anaerobic” means “without air” or “without oxygen.” Anaerobic exercise is a short lasting, high intensity activity where the demand for oxygen from the exercise exceeds the oxygen supply. Anaerobic exercise relies on energy sources that are stored in the muscles and, unlike aerobic exercise, is not dependent on oxygen from (breathing) the air. In other words, anaerobic capacity is the amount of power available to a person when their oxygen system is depleted.
Without going into the various energy systems in the human body (we’ll save that for later, promise), it is possible to recognize when you’re using anaerobic power. Think of running a cross-country race (or any other long distance). If you were to sprint at the end of that race while your oxygen system was depleted, you would be using your anaerobic power.
This is important to those who practice parkour as there may be a time when your oxygen system is depleted and you need additional power to jump a gap, climb a wall or perform a difficult vault. Having that reserve of anaerobic power will be essential to completing that movement.
Additionally, performing exercises using the tabata protocol will not only increase that anaerobic capacity, but also increase your cardiovascular endurance and functional strength.
The tabata protocol was created by several Japanese scientists who were trying to determine the effect of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and V02max. (If you want to check out the actual published article, go here. The study proved that the above-referenced protocol increased aerobic (endurance) capacity and, more importantly, anaerobic capacity by 28%, whereas the purely endurance training did not improve anaerobic capacity at all. Now, why is this important to a traceur?
First, you need to know what anaerobic capacity is. “Anaerobic” means “without air” or “without oxygen.” Anaerobic exercise is a short lasting, high intensity activity where the demand for oxygen from the exercise exceeds the oxygen supply. Anaerobic exercise relies on energy sources that are stored in the muscles and, unlike aerobic exercise, is not dependent on oxygen from (breathing) the air. In other words, anaerobic capacity is the amount of power available to a person when their oxygen system is depleted.
Without going into the various energy systems in the human body (we’ll save that for later, promise), it is possible to recognize when you’re using anaerobic power. Think of running a cross-country race (or any other long distance). If you were to sprint at the end of that race while your oxygen system was depleted, you would be using your anaerobic power.
This is important to those who practice parkour as there may be a time when your oxygen system is depleted and you need additional power to jump a gap, climb a wall or perform a difficult vault. Having that reserve of anaerobic power will be essential to completing that movement.
Additionally, performing exercises using the tabata protocol will not only increase that anaerobic capacity, but also increase your cardiovascular endurance and functional strength.