So, we decided to run our own Hell Night after seeing and hearing of the benefits from traceurs in Leicester and Notts. We've been doing this for 4 weeks this thursday and already we can see the improvements in ourselves. So here is the schedule and might get some pictures to explain some things.

Peterborough Hell Night

We meet at the Green Box usually at 5:30 where we loosen up and do some gentle stretches.
Then we run an entire lap of the Business Park which is probably 800m or so. After this we stretch fully, this takes around 10minutes, after we are all ready, we crawl a short distance to the first area.

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The first area we go to is a tree, at the tree we hang on a lower branch, pull ourselves up and transfer onto a higher branch, we do this 10 times with 5 press ups in between each repetition.

After this we grab hold of a branch and hug the tree with our legs, we work our way round the tree 3 times without touching the floor.

Then we crawl to next area

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The first part of this area is also a tree, on this tree we do one muscle up, come down and do 5 press ups (or 10 press ups if the muscle up is a failure) we repeat this 5 times.

After this we go on to the spiral staircase, here we hold onto the outside of the steps and climb up the staircase and then back down.

Whilst we are waiting for the other person to finish we wait in push up position. Still on the same area we move onto the Big Box. Here we hang on the box for 30 seconds (counting out loud for motivational purposes) then shimmy across to the middle where we hang again for 30 seconds. This is very painful on the arms and shoulders after the first few exercises.

To move onto the next area we precision our way there, over car park spaces.

Once we reach the death box, we get into a cat leap position and repeat 5 slow get-ups, and then 5 fast get-ups.Then depending on the weather (wind and rain) we will stand on the walls of the box and move round it, on each straight part of the box we do one pistol on each leg.

From here we then run to the next area which starts with another tree. On this tree we grab a branch and hug the tree with our legs and move around it, we then move up a branch and have to lache onto a lower branch. This proves difficult because the take off branch sways quite uncontrollably. If this move if failed, the person has 2 do 10 press ups and work their way round the tree twice. Each person then works their way round the tree twice, and then twice more.

Still on the same area we move to a traffic island. Here we drill small precisions. We do 10 normal precisions, then 5 on left leg, then 10 normal, then 5 on the right leg, then 10 normal again, equaling 50 precisions.

Now for one the most grueling exercises, we crawl from the last area approx 100m, then break to cross the road, and then another 50m to our next area, this really works all the body.

The next area is a rockery. However the first activity we do is this one, we place our feet on the car park and then our arms in push up position on the lower level so our body is diagonal, we then shimmy along the length of the car park side, the difficulty with this exercise is that the decline gets narrower as you go along so it pushed harder.

Once we do this we get up and walk along the narrow slabs back to where we started. After this we drill some casual rock precisions, then we do some speed runs using the rocks to stay of the ground as long as possible, this works mentally aswell as physically because you need to know which rock to go to next.

We then move quietly to the next area which consists of 4 pillars. We climb up one side and down the other and crawl in between pillars. We repeat this twice. Then we crawl down a diagonal wall and then reverse up.
After this me move to a line of wooden bollards.We then slowly hop between each bollard to the end and back, this is quite difficult if it is dark or wet.Now for the last activity. We raise our feet onto a memorial, and then assume the push up position, so we are again in a diagonal position, we shimmy round the memorial to the other side, then we dismount and sprint to the building opposite, touch the door and sprint back, we repeat this 3 times.

Then we cool down by lightly jogging round the car park, gentle stretches and rotations. Then we walk back to the Green Box. We stretch again, and do the ritual precision and then leave.

Even after only 3 weeks, both Mark and I have seen improvement in our physical strength and Parkour skills. If anyone wished to come along, your more than welcome, and if you can't get here, start one in your own area. They really are worth it and it doesn't take long to see it's helping.

Training Regime Update

I have decided to increase some areas of my current training program and add some new exercises in. I have recently realised I'm lacking lots of strength in my legs, so therefore I will now be concentrating of building muscles in my legs aswell.

Monday: Rest (recover from the weekend's training)

Stretching, flexing, general low intensity work

Tuesday: upper body day number 1

-8 sets of 15 pushups (do 2 sets with hands wide apart, 2 sets with them close) = 120 pushups.

-4 sets of 10 crunches (take 6 seconds to do one crunch, 3 seconds to contract, 3 seconds to relax) = 40 slow crunches.

-8 sets of 5 chinups (palms facing body) (start with hands really wide and bring them closer each set) = 40 chinups

-8 sets of 5 slow dips = 40 dips

Wednesday: Lower Body Day 1

-4 sets of 25 calf raises on a step = 100 calf raises

- 3 sets of 10 Plies = 30 Plies

-2 sets of 10 burpees = 20 burpees

-Practice pistols

Thursday

HELL NIGHT

Friday: Back and Abs

8 sets of 5 pull-ups (start with hands wide and bring them closer with each set). = 40 pull ups

-4 sets of 10 leg raises = 40 leg raises

-2 sets of 30 seconds planks = 1min planks

-3 sets of 20 second V-Sit holds. = 1min V-sit

-2 sets of 5 Deltoid chinups = 10 Deltoid chinups

Saturday and Sunday...

Parkour, as much as possible. Drilling techniques, get ups pull ups, jamming etc

Anything you don't understand just ask me.

PK4LYFE

2007 - A good year for Parkour

I've got a feeling that 2007 is going to be a great year for Parkour, for me individually and as a community on the whole.
Personally I feel there is a good year of progression ahead for myself. Therefore I have decided to record some aims, and hopefully I'll be able to look back and tick them all off by the end of the year :-)

Get a Job - This may sound un-related to Parkour, but a job will provide me with more money, and with money I can achieve other aims (to follow) and provide with cash to spend on items needed for progression, ie Chin up bars, appropriate clothing, weighted vest and so on.

Travel - and more often. In 2006 I only went to London 3 times (2wice for PK events) and Leicester once. Leicester was the best jam I have attended and have tried to make it back since but weather and cash stand in the way. I hope to jam a different city every month, or the same city more than once. Which leads me to ...

Meet New People - I'm met a few people from different areas of England ( callum, jack, dan, luke, joe) from doing Parkour and every single one of them has been great, they've been encouraging and inspirational and I hope to meet many more in 2007.

Sort of Some P-town Hell Nights - I have been speaking Callum (Leicester) and he says that the Leicester Hell Nights have not only helped him physically with Parkour, but mentally too. I hope by sorting one out in Peterborough, will encourage me to go out more, even to lone train if necessary. This will also obviously improve my Parkour as well, which will help with my progression.


That's all for the moment but I may add a few more in the coming weeks.

I wish all traceurs the best for 2007.
Cheers.