Can PCPing be continued for capoeira?

During the peak condition project diet was by far the easiest part. Sure, weighing and storing and washing up did get to me, but the benefits were that I had a sense of freedom. I didn't worry about how much I was or should be eating. Getting targets for how much veg/carbs/protein for every meal, plus some restrictions like no alcohol, added salt, added sugar - sounds like hell on paper! It was actually kind of liberating. Guess you had to be there to know!

The exercise on the other hand was a moving target. Every week the reps got higher, the exercises meaner, and the final week involved 'supersets' when we did a batch of reps on opposing muscle groups back to back. Throw in some 8-minute abs for those who felt up to it, plus a load of mandatory jump ropes, and you get a few very nice lines on your body. Your muscles that just sit well on your frame.  Natural exercises mean integrated sleek muscles. This is what I want to build on and put to good use in capoeira, a natural exercise if ever there was one.

Now the exercise part is up to me and its become easier. If I want to slack off totally within the failure sets of the maintenance progams I can do. I'm not slacking, but failure is coming faster - a sign of a stronger body and better form (I am told). Feel more and more 'on top' of the exercises. Example:  I hit my first 1000 jumps in a row, the night I came back from an 8-hour teaching day and a five-hour journey. And it felt relaxing! My skipping has reached the form I was trying for all PCP - like a piston, smooth, steady. There are still breaks but these largely come from a lack of mental focus rather than my lungs being week.

The areas of my body that I will probably always be working on are


 1. Back flexibility and strength

2. Flexibility around hips and groin. I can't do a lot of exercises and stretches other people can. I need to do more of the simple stretches at home. I guess I think 'sitting down with your legs like this is too simple to be worth practising' - but I need it.

3. My brain! My mind rushes through moves when there should be quiet focus and a pause. And if I 'try to relax' it never works. I think just practice of the moves is enough. And start meditating more. Again, you'd think that just sitting still and doing nothing for five minutes would be easy, eh!

Looking forward to class tomorrow.

PCP II - Skipping turns Brazilian in the park

So this evening I was verrrry tired from a business trip to Hokkaido at the weekend, then a  late class. I thought I would just do some jumps and maybe 8-minute abs, a strangely addictive workout program. Instead, I decided to do the 'short maintenance workout' that I received on completion of the PCP program. Only with the addition of a bit of jinga, amarda, and martelo kicks.

One of issues I faced in the early days of PCPing was feeling self conscious about exercising, specifically jump roping or as my friend Hayden insists, 'skipping'. You can't avoid doing it in front of someone as you have to go outside. I got to skip early in the morning and strike up conversations with dog walkers, people sweeping the park, my neighbours, and it was lovely. I kept skipping outside, including one memorable morning on the platform at Kozu station. But I am still a bit self conscious as it just isn't something anyone does! Odd that if you go to a gym then you do exercise in front of everyone and you do see people checking each other out....Oh, to be a gay man!

This evening I did my jumps and then played around with some capoeira moves. The gravel in the park makes it unsuitable for any acro or 'upside-down' time, but the few moves were enough to break the ice. I need to be doing this much more if I'm going to get higher kicks and more control. Looking forward to the next class on Thursday and seeing what Cacapa has for us!