Hello

[Mad Rocker]

Hi guys, I found this site yesterday and I think it's fair to say I've never identified with a website more.

I've always enjoyed watching things like parkour on Youtube, but have never tried it and never really even thought about it. While I've been in fairly good shape for the past year or two I'm still not fit, although since reading some articles and forum posts yesterday I was motivated enough to go for a run - my first ever, I believe (voluntarily at least). This is quite a major breakthrough and though I only had confidence enough to do it in the dark (not that I have much choice, I live in quite a small town so there's not much illumination), hey, it's a start.

I'm a long way off from jumping over or climbing onto things, I need to get the basics first (and I mean basic...like the running bit), but from today I'm one step closer!

Some things about me:

-I play guitar, hence the username.

-I'm 18 and starting University in September/October to study History (and, you know, do other things).

-I do not like sports, thus I hated PE at school and still avoid it to this day. Exercise for me is something to be done alone - it's a subject I don't mind talking about, but not during - this want of peace during exercise also contributed to my general lack of activity.

-In terms of my exercise history...well, it's upped recently. I'm still in no way fit and this is something I want to change very much. Another problem I had in the past was a lack of competitiveness - I'm not that fussed about beating others, rather, I want to win against myself. This has got me through many-a-successful-exam (nerds, right?) and is an approach which I hope I can apply to physical as well as mental activity. We shall see...

Can't think of anything else to say...except thanks for having me. You're doing a good thing.

[Alethea]

Hey, welcome! We have tons of musicians around the place. Let us know if we can convince you to post some music you've played!

Yay for running! Good for you! What'd you think of it? Fun? Do you like the idea of long distance, sprinting, or both?

I'm not a competative person either, and was releved to realize that there are TONS of activities that don't involve competing with others, but simply trying to be better than you were before. Be it strength training, running, agility work... all of it you are really competing against your former self.

[SpongeBob]

Hi Rocker,

Welcome, and all the best for your efforts. I know what you mean about identifying with this site. Parkour is a great goal, and hopefully one i will add to my bow in time Keep us informed how ya go

Sponge

[Mad Rocker]

Haha, well I do have a gig on Saturday but I doubt anything will be recorded. It will be my first time singing lead on a song, so I'm quite nervous - it's quite high in the range too (Help by the Beatles) so I'm desperately trying to avoid getting the colds which seem to be circulating.

The run was okay - not bad for a first attempt. I imagine I'll enjoy it more and more as I progress - there's potential at least. Not sure about distance really, haven't given it any thought as of yet. Give me a month or two and I'll get back to you. How about you? I assume you're a fan of running...any tips?

Parkour is a goal alright, not sure how realistic, but time will tell. Unless I start swinging from trees, there's very little I can do where I live at the moment, when I move in a few months there might be greater scope though...perhaps by then I can be fit enough (and practice some of the exercises mentioned elsewhere on the site) in order to give it a go.

Thanks for the welcome.

[Alethea]

Hey, parkour is realistic if you say it's realistic. It's all a question of what you want to do and how much you want to do it!

I am by no means an expert on running. I got up to running a sub30min 5k, then broke my foot. Looking forward to picking it back up again this summer. There are tonnes of runners and aspiring runners on this site (we even had dedicated running squads this past challenge), so I'm sure you can get lots of ideas.

Good luck on your gig this weekend!

[Brometheus]

Parkour can be done. It's a goal of mine too...eventually

Welcome to the boards, and good luck!

[Mad Rocker]

Thanks! Maybe eventually - if I can get my fitness up first...

[bildungsroman]

Hello fellow musician! Good luck with singing on stage, but just as with the running, it gets easier (and more fun) the more you do it =)

Once you're comfortable with running regularly, I suggest you switch to interval running to get more out of it. I'm pretty sure Steve has an article about it on the website, and I've found that it works better for me than just normal jogging.

[Plex]

Howdy MR, and welcome to the Rebellion!

That's awesome that you are singing in front of people. Takes a lot of willpower and dedication to get there.

Universities are great places for parkour as they tend to have a lot of the railings and stone and steps and things.

Keeping meticulous notes of times, reps, and dates will help your competitive edge against yourself and also allow you to track your progress.