Do You Train for Sasuke?

[Oti]

Whatever you fear the most.

The first obstacle I built was the Sextuple Steps, but that was back when I had this whole "I'm gonna build every obstacle" thing going on. After I built two of the five steps, I realized how hard it would be to get the materials I needed, but since I had already started the steps, I finished them.

After I thought about it, I realized I feared the Cliff Hanger the most. If I got to the third stage, I would definitely lose on it. My fingers and forearms weren't amazingly strong and I had no technique whatsoever. So, I built it first.

Once I was feeling more comfortable with it, I realized I feared the Salmon Ladder (like most people do). So, I built that.

Then the Half-pipe Attack started worrying me. What if I slipped off the wall? What if I missed the rope? I built that.

Etc., etc..

So, I recommend you figure out what you fear the most and build it.

Either that, or you can build the first obstacle you fear. For me, it's the spider climb portion of the Jumping Spider. I now have walls to practice between.

[japantv1210]

I put, "Yes, but not as hard as I should." I realize that the chances of me getting onto Sasuke are very slim, but it is still a goal of mine to compete at least once one day. However, I do a lot more training that isn't Sasuke oriented. This limits the amount of Sasuke training I do. Plus, I haven't been doing much training at all recently. Due to all the graduation parties and things that I have been invited to, I have found it difficult to find the time to train.

[Oti]

To be a great athlete, you have to live it. That means making the time.

I'm not saying I do that. I just skipped training because I feel like crap right now. Just saying, it's like bodybuilding. The serious body builders LIVE their training.

[Badalight]

I train but not near as much as I should. I mean, I do too much obstacle training. I need more strength and endurance training.

My forearms are WEAK. Though my fingers have become strong from all of the cliffhanger and curtain cling training.

I train and wrokout everyday, but it's not like 5 hours every day. It's a very short time but at least I'm doing something and I have been improving a lot. Since last year I've become way more confident, stronger, faster. So by the time I'm 21 I think I'd be ready. Besides, when I start getting close to 21 I.E. 19 or 20 years old, then I'll start training more extensively if Sasuke is still going on and I feel like I actually have a shot of getting on the show.

I still want to atleast watch it live though, even once.

[Oti]

Your Cliff Hanger training should be strengthening your forearms as well. Climbing with your fingertips, oddly enough, works your forearms just as much as your fingers.

Good call on the short training sessions. People who train for 5+ hours a day are idiots. Their training lacks intensity, that's why they can do it for so long. It's like running 20 miles. Chances are you're doing it really, really slowly (lacking intensity).

And yeah, watching it all live would be great. I just don't want to get on the course, lose on the third obstacle, or something, then leave. Like, yeah, thanks, it was fun to fly out here for nothing. BYE!

[japantv1210]

Jun 15, 2009 22:40:31 GMT -5 Oti said:

To be a great athlete, you have to live it. That means making the time.

I'm not saying I do that. I just skipped training because I feel like crap right now. Just saying, it's like bodybuilding. The serious body builders LIVE their training.

Those are great words of advice. Thanks. I think the problem is that I just don't have enough motivation to live my training. Sasuke is definately something I want to do, but I find it difficult to find things to motivate me. I guess I just have to find ways to motivate myself. However each day, I always try to find ways to challenge myself more when I am training.

[Oti]

I know what you mean. I have to wait so long to get on it, and even then, I'm probably going to lose in the long run just because I don't do crazy, stupid stunts. Hopefully, G4 continues picking people who show they can do the course, although even they picked some bad people as finalists. RyogaVee, for example, didn't show any real strength or endurance, he just did parkour.

[quasikoz]

I'm wondering if Parkour really does help for Sasuke. Only on the first stage do you need that agility. After that it's all strength and power. If you can't run and jump at the same time, then you need some agility work, but beyond that you should be spending more time increasing your strength and doing circuit workouts.

[Oti]

Parkour doesn't help. Speed and agility do. So many people say parkour is useful when it is actually the qualities it gives you that are helpful, not parkour itself.

When you really consider the moves in parkour, they don't have a place on the course. It's like the flips and stunts in free running. Unless you want to show off like Levi, there's no place for them on the course.

Don't forget endurance in the third stage.

Running and jumping at the same time doesn't agility, it takes coordination. Agility involves stopping and speeding up quickly or changing directions rapidly and smoothly.

And yes, thank you. So many people overlook simple strength training. Strength training coupled with sprints, agility work and plyometrics is going to yield FAR better results than parkour ever will.

+1 Karma for you, my good sir.

[obakemono]

Jun 16, 2009 16:52:51 GMT -5 Oti said:

Parkour doesn't help. Speed and agility do. So many people say parkour is useful when it is actually the qualities it gives you that are helpful, not parkour itself.

So the qualities it gives you help, but it doesn't help? No, that doesn't make sense. It helps. That's unquestionable. Obviously you need far more to be successful on every part of the course, just like any discipline, and nothing on its own will prepare you for the entire thing. But it does help.

[Oti]

But parkour doesn't focus on those qualities, they simply come as one practices it. You would gain those qualities much faster and to a much greater extent if you trained in other ways. Ways that are meant to target those areas and improve them.

Parkour DOES focus on specific movements, such as vaults and rolls, for example, which are useless on the course. Precisions aren't of much use either. The climbing is somewhat useful because of the small strength gains it can give, but that strength is much better gained through real, old-school exercises, like weighted pull-ups.

Many traceurs (and free runners and trickers) perform supplementary exercises (usually weight lifting) because they know they need more strength than their sport is giving them to reach their full potential.

It doesn't hurt and it can only get you in better shape, yes. That's true. Helping significantly, though? I don't believe that.

[quasikoz]

Gotta agree with Oti on Parkour, but I've been seeing significant strength gains in my fingers and forearms from climbing ropes and rock walls. If you can find a place to climb, I highly recommend including it in your training if you can't build specific obstacles like a Cliffhanger or a Salmon Ladder.

[Oti]

Definitely. You should include all kinds of strength and endurance training, even if you CAN build obstacles.

[Badalight]

Jun 16, 2009 2:14:32 GMT -5 Oti said:

Your Cliff Hanger training should be strengthening your forearms as well. Climbing with your fingertips, oddly enough, works your forearms just as much as your fingers.

Good call on the short training sessions. People who train for 5+ hours a day are idiots. Their training lacks intensity, that's why they can do it for so long. It's like running 20 miles. Chances are you're doing it really, really slowly (lacking intensity).

And yeah, watching it all live would be great. I just don't want to get on the course, lose on the third obstacle, or something, then leave. Like, yeah, thanks, it was fun to fly out here for nothing. BYE!

Like Mark Whitmer? That'd suck.

And yeah, when I first started doing my cliffhanger I could feel my forearms getting stronger, but now they arn't getting any stronger.

I'm not to the point yet where my cliff-hanger is easy, but I'm not really getting stronger muscles from it anymore.

So I definately need to find new ways to strengthen them.

[Oti]

I don't see what your problem is. I say stick with it and let it turn out on its own.

I'm sure my forearms are stronger than yours and I still felt them getting stronger the last time I practice my Cliff Hanger intensely.

[Lennon]

Maybe it's the way you are training them Badalight. I'm not saying I know everything, but sometimes if you don't do it a certain way you don't get as much out of it than a different way.

[Oti]

Climbing uses them, period. That's what I don't understand.

[Badalight]

Maybe it's the way I do the cliffhanger? When I do it my chin is pretty much at the ledge, maybe that way it uses other muscles more or something... I don't know.

*shrug*

Perhaps they're still getting stronger, it's just when I first started it I could feel a significant difference. Everytime I did it my fingers and forearms would tighten up and be sore and I knew they were getting stronger.

It's not like that anymore.

[Oti]

Well yeah, you've conditioned yourself.

[kettlebellistics]

I said I train to compete, but I'm obviously a noob here and not as fanatical as you all! (Props)

But I am a functional fitness trainer and I use kettlebells daily for strength, agilty, and endurance. Do any of you Kettlebell? You should, it is probably the most dominant power training- in conjunction with all the great functional workouts I've seen you all boasting, it would be ideal!

Does anyone live in NC? I'd love to meet up and train for the hell of it. I love pain.