Heel Hang

A couple of weeks ago, Jarmo sent me a link to this video:

Looks easy enough. Here is my go at it:

Needless to say, apparently, I can only succeed at parkour workouts if I look like an idiot. Which brings me to a topic I wanted to discuss. What is the difference between lava and parkour/free running? Simply that lava is slow and uncool. Anyway, Try the heel hang for yourself and set a time-release camera on a tripod to send in a picture. Or make friends. Or do a drawing of yourself how you would imagine completing the hang. Or send in more ideas for creative ways to test our lava hang-skills. Plus, I want to start a lava club. So send in ideas for names. Like: T.L.C. which stands for The Lava Club. Or L.O.A.F. Lava Only And Forever. Or. L.A.V.A. Lava And Various Anecdotes. See you on the phlip slide!

Best Menu Ever

"Alright, now that we're under the jungle gym, what are we playing today?"

"Restaurant."

"Great. Okay, I'm only three but I've got a permanent marker and a preternatural gift for spelling."

"Then Let's make a menu, dude."

"Okay, go."

"Tatertots."

"Good. What else?"

"Um. Pizza."

"Mmm. Good. Next."

"That's it."

"What?"

"That's all we're serving."

"What about the vegetarians?"

"Vegi-what?"

"People who don't eat meat."

"Tatertots aren't meat."

"No. But we fry them in beef tallow. Totally not vegi-friendly, dude."

"Let's play firefighters."

"Okay."

"I'm the one with a gun for an arm. What are you doing?"

"Writing poop."

"Ha haha aahaa. Poop."

"Poop."

"Poop."

"Let's play toilet."

"Okay, I'm the one with a gun for an arm."

Aerial Orangutan

Another transfer, the aerial orangutan is used when traversing a gap between two horizontal bars that are further apart than the lavaist's arm span. The move is performed in steps. First, swinging to gain forward momentum. Second, snapping off of the initial bar, knees up and arms forward. Third grabbing the second bar (usually with one forward hand first followed by the second for further jumps). Fourth, absorbing the momentum with a chinup landing and controlled swinging. It is not terribly pretty, but it is terribly hott.

Precipitation

Today, Jarmo sent in some suggestions for lava workouts during adverse weather, replete with black and white muscles from the previous century. I quote:

"It's raining. Lava workout of the day:

Jetpacks: 4 sets, 25 reps or until failure. Use jetpack chair or hang from a bar if you're a real baller. Raise legs, keep knees from bending as much as possible. Do this hard up, slow down and try not to blow your brain. This exercise will increase your core strength, allow you to better momentum in leg-swinging movements, and increase your cerebral fortitude.

Wide grip chins: 3 sets, 10-15 reps or until failure. Grip

wide, overhand. Pull up and try to touch your nipples to the bar, if you're a dude. Doing these will strengthen your back, biceps, forearms, and hands, which are all vital for hanging, climbing, and doing pretty much anything in lava.

Pullovers: 3 sets, 10 reps or until failure. Read the directions in the picture (right). These increase the size of your thorax. Additionally, they will give you better range of motion in your shoulders to prevent injury, and will help climbing and hanging movements.

Wrist curls: 3 sets, 10 reps or until failure, 80% of your body weight. Stand with barbell held behind your back, hanging at waist level. Curl up, hold momentarily, and ease down for 1 repetition. Open your hands as you lower the bar and let the bar roll slightly down your fingers. This will increase your grip strength and forearm size, both of which are vital for many climbs and long hangs.

Dumbell flys: 3 sets, 10 reps or until failure. Read the directions in the picture. This exercise focuses on the chest, which is important when bear-hugging objects, climbing underneath structures, or doing orangutan maneuvers.

Conversely, one could also always go and play lava in the rain. Or eat Chinese food, pizza, potato chips, and play video games. On a related note, Dan and I tried for the first time a workout Jarmo had suggested earlier in the year. I'll post photos from that and explanation tomorrow.

For now check out this sweet playground we found at the end of Birch Hollow in Ann Arbor. It was like an acid trip spiderweb, and full of new possibilities, including a dunkstick onto that netting, a move which, incidentally, turns out to be harder than Link makes it look in the games. So that is that for now. Hope everyone is climbing safelyish and not burning too many singe holes in their shoes/eyes/brains. Tomorrow I will post Jarmo's other workout challenge and a new move of the day.

Introducing

Jarmo

Lava-Go-Round

Yesterday's photo came from a lava challenge that Simon completed in East Lansing a couple of years ago. He has provided a couple of more photos of team challenges to follow as well. How hot is it to cross a river with a rope? 77.6. That is the exact number. Dan and I took a day off from lava on account of the damage the lava-walk did to us, and instead played Knights of the Old Republic and went to the mall. On a brighter note, lavagames.blogspot.com has now been visited forty million times, and was named to the Forbes list 'Hot Three.' Anyway, the move of the day!

Blindfoot

Blindfoot – Like the orangutan, the blindfoot is a transfer from a one pole to another, but in this case, the lavaist extends a foot back blindly from the nestclamp in order to create a wedge between the two poles. Once contact with the back foot is made the lavaist then either pivots their body so that the transfer has been switched to the new pole or takes the leverage as an opportunity to perform a kind of guided orangutan. With enough space the blindfoot is very efficient and in some cases possible where the orangutan is not. The only real danger to the blindfoot is hyperextension (groin), or conversely, ridicule when performing the awkward swivel from pole to pole.

Simon: Boom

A Moment of Bloggerific

Silence in Honor of

Sweetness