APEX Movement Climb Up Test - the Measuring Stick

The climb up is one of the most useful moves in parkour, yet also one of the most difficult to master because it requires a good deal of lower and upper body strength along with stellar coordination. Ryan Ford of APEX Movement uses a "measuring stick" to test your prowess, which is 5 climb ups in a row.

Anything 15 seconds and under is pretty impressive. If you can get it down to 11-12 or even less, you are truly an amazing athlete. Even if you don't do parkour, this is a great skill to practice, as it is essentially a complete upper body workout, with a bit of legs thrown in the mix. This is also a precursor to the muscle up, so if you are able to do a good amount of these, you should be able to perform a muscle up without too much difficulty and vice versa.

Also, keep in mind that the time starts from the moment you make your first descent, and ends when your feet touch the top of the wall on the fifth climb up, not when you ascend back down. Have fun and be safe!


The Foundation of Bar Work - Muscle Ups, Dips, 'n Pull Ups

When it comes to working out on the bar, you often see individuals performing complex moves that test the boundaries of human strength. However, you don't necessarily have to try anything quite as daunting to get amazing results.

It all boils down to the basics - muscle ups, dips, and pull ups. As demonstrated in this video here, if performed only a few times per week, this simple superset is sure to provide stellar upper body development. Once these become easy, there are many different variations you can attempt. Happy training!



Welcome to the new blog!

As mentioned on our old Posterous-hosted blog, we've moved over to our new home here at Posthaven! We've also taken the liberty to transfer all of our old posts, so you don't have to worry about not being able to find some of your favorites. However, since Posthaven is still working on ironing out the kinks, some of the features don't quite work yet, such as the index, and the formatting also may be a little bit off.

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you enjoy reading our content. As always, be safe, and have a fun workout!

Parkour Certification at APEX Movement

From March 15-17, we had the opportunity to train with the preeminent parkour coaches in the country, Ryan and Amos from APEX Movement. The newest branch of their ever-expanding empire has recently opened its doors right in our backyard, so we knew we couldn't let the opportunity pass us by.

The idea of this course is not just to learn more about parkour, but to become certified coaches of our own. We figured this would be a great way to complement the calisthenics and bodyweight stuff that we already do. We've always implemented parkour conditioning into our teachings anyhow, so by obtaining this certification from APEX, it will only help to solidify our teachings. Look for more parkour-related content from us in the near future!

 

Oh, and the facilities are pretty nice too! If you are in the area, come check it out, and also see E's Yelp review here!

 

APEX Movement NorCal

930 Detroit Ave. Suite A

Concord, CA  94518

 

Train the Way Mother Nature Intended

The notion of "going to the gym" for an hour or two per day is an entirely modern idea concocted to make up for an entire day of sitting behind a desk. The bottom line is that the human body was not designed to sit sedentarily all day, nor was it meant to compensate for this by fiddling with metallic weights and machinery at an indoor facility for a few hours immediately after a long state of stagnation.

Over the course of thousands of years, humans have evolved to create the perfect physique for hunting, gathering, farming, etc. all day long. This is why you often see individuals with labor intensive jobs who are still ripped to shreds without ever "lifting weights." They are doing what their body was made to do.

So, what if you work at an office? No need to worry. Since exercise equipment is limited, the best way to emulate what the human body was created for is to do calisthenics and other natural bodyweight movements such as parkour throughout the day in short spurts. You can always perform push ups, pull ups, squats etc. every top of the hour or every time you take a restroom break. Best of all, you save a ton of time by not needing to head to the gym.

Something like this always works well!

All Hail King "TUT!"

And by "TUT," we are not referring to good old King Tutankhaman, nor the dance moves that are named after him, but in this instance, it stands for "Time Under Tension." When it comes to calisthenics, in order to build muscle, it's not about how many reps you can bang out in a row, nor the amount of weight pushed or pressed, but rather, as the name suggests, how much time you put your muscles under pressure, or tension.

See how the gymnasts do long sets on the rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse? That is what is referred to as time under tension, and is the very thing that allows them to create such massive musculature. Doing a 100+ push ups every day, while an impressive feat in its own right, will not give you that long sought after shredded physique. As a matter of fact, despite the fact that your strength and endurance may have gone through the roof, your body may not look much different at all.

As demonstrated by the gymnasts, time under tension is accomplished by performing long, drawn out, continuous sets with multiple movements. For example, on the bars, you can start with muscle ups, then move onto front levers, back levers, ice cream makers, pull ups, etc. all back-to-back, nonstop. Basically, you just keep going until you get gassed. The same can be done on the floor, with varying positions of push ups, handstands, planche (or planche progressions), etc. Just remember to do each rep in a slow and controlled motion. The idea is not to do as many as you can, as fast as you can, but to be able to feel the tension on your muscles for the entire duration.

For an example of "TUT" in action, check out this video. It's one of our favorites.  ;-)

Happy training!

 

Ever Seen a Fat Skater Kid?

Me neither. Of course, it could be one of two things: The fat kid tried skateboarding, and eventually quit because it was too hard, or he stuck with it, got relatively proficient, and leaned the heck out! 

 

The bottom line is that skateboarding is great cardio! Now, I am not talking about X-Games style tricks and flips, but rather just "surfing the streets" on a cruiser board or longboard.

 

These past two weeks, I've been simply taking the Globe Bantam board out for a 30 minute spin per day, in the city streets, in the park trail... here, there, and everywhere. I've gotten so lean, even my skinny jeans are sagging now!

 

Don't let the societal perception of "skating" deter you (why is it that you see bicyclists of all ages, but rarely, if ever, a skateboarder over 30?). Dust off that old board, and prepare for one of the most effective, fun methods of stripping the fat off your body! In addition, it is a great mode of transportation!

 

Prepare to get lean!
-EW

RIP Free Gym

Not too long ago, I wrote an article about the pathetic state of calisthenics parks aka parcourse in the area. Well, no need to worry about that anymore. I was going about my morning routine the other day when I was rudely greeted by this.

The weird thing was that I was just at this park a few weeks ago filming my promotional video for MEELectronics. *Please vote for us by "Liking" the video on YouTube!*

I can't help but think that perhaps it was I who contributed to the demise of the park with my moves. Then again, I was merely doing what the equipment should have been intended for... had it actually been maintained properly. Good thing I wasn't actually working my magic when it collapsed! Then again, I could have sued the city for millions! Darn... missed opportunities are the story of my life.

To top if off, I got accosted by a homeless dude for infringing on his territory. The local parks and recreation will be receiving an e-mail shortly.

MEElectronics Sport-Fi S6 Challenge

A few weeks ago, we at First Cut Fitness caught wind of the Sport-Fi S6 Challenge held by MEElectronics, one of the more desirable brands for quality earphones at budget prices. The S6 is the newest incarnation of the wildly popular M6, designed to provide superior sound while staying in place during more aggressive sporting activities.

Part of the deal to receive a free pair of earphones was to film and produce a video of ourselves using them while exercising. Lo and behold, here it is! We hope you find it entertaining, and please "Like" it on our YouTube page if you enjoy it, so we will have a better chance to win the grand prize! Thanks!

Here are some stills from the shoot!

Watch Sport-Fi S6 Challenge Video Here!

Awesome Home Exercise Equipment

A few weeks ago, I made mention of the Rack workout bar I noticed on an infomercial. The verdict was that although this is a great piece of equipment, it is still grossly overpriced, and not absolutely necessary.

Just recently, I caught wind of this great product sold at Wal*Mart of all places. It is a standalone power tower that pretty much allows you to do all of the most effective upper body exercises, such as pull ups, dips, push ups, v-sits, , levers, planches, and it looks even sturdy enough for muscle ups as well.

If you have space in your room, garage, or even backyard (not sure about how rustproof it is), I would definitely recommend grabbing one of these for the bargain basement price of just $117! I just might order one myself.