PARKOUR Fitness
Strength Training for Parkour

Parkor Fitness & Strength Training for Parkour

If you were to randomly ask a number of people what they understand Parkour or Parkour fitness to mean, do not be surprised if you come across many blank stares. In fact, be surprised if you actually come across someone who is not French that has heard of it before. But you cannot really blame anyone for this lack of awareness considering that parkour is a fairly recent non-competitive activity especially when compared to similar disciplines such as the martial arts that have been around for centuries.

Note though that Parkour fitness is distinct from martial arts in the sense that whereas martial arts teaches self defense, parkour is more focused in escape from danger. The name Parkour is derived from the French term "le parcours", which refers to the obstacle course employed by the military during training but that is now part and parcel of civilian fitness training programs.

The genesis of Parkour fitness can be traced to the beginning of the 20th century when George Herbert, a French naval officer, was greatly inspired by the fitness and agility of native tribes he had seen in Africa during his many travels. What he found remarkable is that the tribes did not have any fitness instructor to lead them in the best strength training maneuvers but rather derived their finesse from how they used their environment. After leading an evacuation of the residents of a French town that were living under threat of a volcanic eruption, Herbert became even more convinced on the importance of combining physical fitness with a keen sense of spatial understanding in order to be able to move around obstacles quickly and efficiently.

Strength training for Parkour was thereafter born when he began to structure his own unique fitness strength training program which was eventually adopted by the French military becoming the official standard of personnel training. But it is David Belle, the son of a famous heroic firefighter, who is credited with moving the parkour back into the mainstream civilian fitness agenda. Parkour practitioners are referred to as traceurs (male) and traceuses (female). Nowadays, Parkour fitness has continued to grow in prominence. Hollywood has not been left out of the fun as there are a number of action movies that feature parkour moves sometimes classified as stunt men and women.

In its purest form, Parkour fitness is the art of displacement. Engaging in a Parkour strength training program will significantly develop your physical fitness and spatial awareness thus enabling you to efficiently work around various real life obstacles that you may encounter. To become a competent Parkour practitioner requires a great deal of discipline in order to develop a strong and flexible physique capable of adapting to the challenges presented by a variety of obstacles along one's path. But Parkour fitness isn't simply limited to physical strength training. The physical fitness must go hand in hand with mental strength. Each move requires a quick acquisition and analysis of data that relates on one's surrounding and this is something that demands a high level of spatial understanding.

As any Parkour fitness guru will tell you, the parkour mantra is ‘to be and to last' which means not just performing the feats but also doing them in a way that ensures your safety to ‘fight another day' and also in a way that ensures you cannot. If you have watched Parkour gurus in their element, this is a statement that carries a lot of weight. Little wonder that Parkour is often classified as an extreme sport due to the inherent risks one faces when performing certain moves.

That said, Parkour just like any fitness discipline requires progressively challenging tasks. You do not have to start with the complex moves. You can start with the simple ones and use them to enhance your sense of balance, your agility and perception of the space and objects around you. What is important is to work with your instructor to come up with a clearly defined program that should help you work your way up the Parkour skill set. And because Parkour is a discipline that religiously emphasizes the principle of non-rivalry, you can do all this in a fun environment with both your instructor and fellow traceurs and traceuses.

There are certain types of exercises that must form part of your Parkour strength training program. One of this is squats which will help you build the strength of your leg muscles. This is important when you consider the amount of leaping movements that parkour generally involves. Your exercise program must also include pushups and pull ups to help firm up your arm muscles. Doing this will place you in better stead when you need to hoist yourself over an obstacle.

As you progress in your skill, you must always remember that you do not need to be under any pressure to perform extreme moves. You must not see a Parkour fitness program as just being about bravado but as a way of improving your overall health. There is no harm in posing for some time as you contemplate a move. Before you make that jump you must make sure that you have first clearly conceptualized the manner in which you will fall in order to avoid any injury to yourself. You might also not get many moves you try right the first time. A measure of patience is required and you might have to do it several times before you master it.

Do not be afraid to get creative as you continue to grow in confidence. You do not have to do things the exact same way that another Prakour practitioner does it. Make your own judgment of the space you are in and make your moves based on your understanding of the most efficient way to move forward. However, never be shy to ask for help. Parkour fitness is a sport that values a sense of community among its practitioners or traceurs. Look for the nearest congregation of Parkour fitness practitioners and get to know them. More advanced traceurs can help you greatly with your points of weakness and can help elevate you to higher aptitude levels by introducing you to new techniques and moves in addition to showing you areas in your locale which are most suited for Parkour strength training.