Exercise forms part of the daily routine of a large part of the population and it can take many forms.
Keeping it interesting, fun, and relevant is the challenge for most of us…
In our household, TomO spends a lot of his waking hours on our Olympic Standard trampoline and I usually get a bounce in most days as it is great for core strength and stability.
And Janet is out walking the MilO every day in between pilates classes and is our chief gardener, pushing the lawn mower over the yard regularly. This makes for a solid workout, especially given how fast our lawn grows during the warmer months.
Yes, I know lawn mowing is typically a man’s domain, but strewth, if I was to ever touch that lawn mower I’d be in strife, that’s for sure.
And of course, most days I can be found up in The Shed in the pre-dawn hours, or in the mountains and on the lake in my kayak most weekends.
But we are always on the lookout for new ways to exercise and of course, it has to be enjoyable.
Recently, TomO decided he wanted to give Parkour a go.
Par what I hear you say…
Don’t worry, I said the same thing!
It roughly translates to “the art of displacement” and like many training disciplines it was borne out of a military background.
The idea is that you move, jump, run, and tumble between and over obstacles of various shapes and sizes, even scaling walls.
We did a search to see if anyone was teaching Parkour in Sydney and found a group of young people at Jump Squad HQ teaching it on Sydney’s northern beaches, not too far from Narrabeen Lake where I train on my kayak.
This weekend TomO commenced his basic training and all I can say it was awesome, well TomO said that as well. I was watching from the sidelines, but wishing I was in amongst it.
This is a discipline that teaches balance, agility, core strength, and judgement. All the things I need to focus on as I head to the world’s highest mountains…
Balancing on top of a mountain with a severe drop either side with crampons on is quite an art! Self-preservation helps mind you…
What really took my interest was an old round trampoline frame that they had the kids walking around for balance and agility. I have been racking my brains as to how I could improve this skill myself, and there it was.
And we have a large trampoline in our backyard.
Now I might just look a little conspicuous and out of place joining TomO’s class, but I’ve already spoken to them about private lessons, and I might even be able to rope my partner in all things outdoors and adventurous, brother-in-law, Ray, into a session.
He’d be up for it no doubting…
So if you are looking for something to liven up your training you could always give Parkour a go…
And remember, if all else fails, just remain out of control and enjoy yourself…
XPLORE - Out & About 
Hi! I’m a journalist working on the launch of a magazine about parkour and am looking into a story about how parkour could be used in mountaineering/high-altitude rescues. Would love to pick your brain a little about this. Thanks!
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Hi Danielle, happy to assist, if I can…
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Reblogged this on Sykose and commented:
@SykOse.Live.Extreme.
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I explored Parkour for a post last year, but I’m going to try it out again for my Spartan Race training! (#teamfireninja) Those guys are redonk!
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Hey, good luck with your Spartan Race, we are looking at it here!!
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SO COOOOOOL!!!
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Kinda surprised you never joined in. Have seen climbers tie webbing together and try to walk across, just in case your old trampoline dies on you. :0
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Tell TomO I’m very jealous, I’ve always wanted to try parkour! I’m sure he’ll be really good at it 🙂
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Give it a go! Yes, TomO is loving it….
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So many activities to try, so little time…:(
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Parkour is awesom! I took classes outdoors here in Brisbane last year for a few months. I got so strong as a result.
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Fantastic discipline and I like the approach that they are taking at Jump Squad, and the way they are teaching it…
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One of our local Crossfit boxes has started having weekly Parkour training/introductions. I’m clumsy enough I worry I’d just hurt myself but it’s fun to watch!
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Reblogged this on Sykose.
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