Working Together With Yourself For Progression

The only thing that is certain in life is that there will always be some form of progression taking place all the time in any situation. Even if one plant is dying, it will be dying at the progression of another action. In other words, something will always be growing at another things expense. The trick to enjoying maximum progression with minimal sacrifice is to control the progression of all the opposing factors that play a part in improvement.

When we take this idea and put it in a Parkour setting, we look at the mind progressing in conjunction with the body’s progression. As you will see, there is a perfect rate to which these two factors need to progress at, in order to obtain maximum results in your training while limiting injuries and other set backs to a minimum. To illustrate, I will begin with the first example of the “body progressing faster then the mind.”


When the body leaves the mind behind in training

When the body leaves the mind behind it means that the body is able to move on to the next level of training, whatever that level may be, but your mind is simply not ready to take on the next set of challenges and obstacles. It is important to realize when you find yourself in this state then you need to know that changes need to be made to your routine. Another phrase for this particular position is “comfort zone”. A person in this particular state would be in their comfort zone.

You may be asking yourself “how the hell did I get myself into a comfort zone?” and the answer is that although you may have ensured that your sessions have been regular, your body has caught up to the current goals and obstacle set by your mind, and you have improved your physical strength to a point where your body is no longer being challenged by the movements that you are practicing. Being in this position is quite common for traceurs, and also proves quite hard to get out of. Although the risk of injury will have decreased only slightly, the rate of progression is slowed down massively at this cost.

If you find yourself in this position you will find that your body is physically ready to take on more challenges, but not mentally. In order for you to avoid colliding with a situation like this, one needs to ensure that the mind is being conditioned for the next set of challenges constantly and consistently through visualization, goal setting and meditation. Visualization and many types of meditation are crucial for combating a type of comfort zone.


When the mind advances past the body

This is the complete opposite of the situation that I have just explained above, and is also a lot more detrimental for an athlete to be in, as this state can result in all types of injuries related to over training. We often see this in excited and keen individuals who just want to come in and learn everything there is to be learnt as quickly as possible, without first allowing their body to condition itself.

Often the will to achieve a certain movement overcomes the body’s desire to rest, and in most cases this imbalance will actually result in the athlete not even feeling his/her body crying for a break. This imbalance of the mind and body ratio will have the same result as the previous situation; slow progression, but this time due to injury.

The only way to avoid getting yourself into this state is to realize the importance of rest! Rest is the only thing that will get you on the road to improvement, and it is only during this time that your body is actually strengthening. Give your body the much deserved time that it needs to evolve to its new conformities and you will be able to improve your strength, fitness, flexibility and flow, consistently!


The perfect balance of mind body harmony

When the mind and body are perfectly balanced with one another, and are completely aware of one another’s’ positions, growth and improvement can continue at the best rate. I cannot stress this fact more! One will either find himself with mental blocks, injuries, or a mixture of both, if this balance is not achieved.


So here is what to look out for when assessing your current mental and physical state:

Listening to your body talking
This is the most important thing that you can do when trying to determine if there is an imbalance. Your body will let you know simply by telling you in the form of joint pains, shin splints, sleepless nights, anxiety, and many more indicators of over training. Take a rest, eat well and only hit the concrete when you feel 100% again!

Analyze the affects of your training sessions
When your body is always running on full tank, and you are never finding yourself as stiff as you used to when you first started, then that is the perfect indication that you are in your comfort zone, and you need to start picking up the pace.

Increase the intensity of your session in any way possible, using the feedback that your body gives you
When you realize that you are in a comfort zone then slowly increase the duration of your sessions. Try that back tuck or that gainer and push the boundary! Do that high drop off that you have been thinking of for far too long! Move your wall flip from the grass to the tar! This will also provide you with confidence to carry with you to all other aspects of your training. The longer you leave yourself in this state of mind the harder it will be to get out of it. The trick is not the rate in which you improve, but the consistency of your improvements, and the consistency of fresh challenges!

Correct your path without delay by balancing your routine again
When your mind is leading the way with too much of a lead then your body will start experiencing symptoms of over training. It wants you to achieve what ever it is that it sets out to achieve, but your body is just not there yet. The best way to combat this is to take one long break (7 to 14 days is recommendable, although in some cases athletes need to take even longer when injuries are part of the equation) where you would do plenty of visualization techniques to keep the energy there. You will find that once you have let your body rest out and catch up; you will feel better and stronger then ever.


Conclusion:

Simply by balancing between these two states, you can carefully tailor make your training routine, to fit your mind body balance. Remember, if you want to get the most out of your training, then finding this balancing point and maintaining it is of utmost importance!

Peace out and train safe!