Monkey Bars & Mountain Bikes

Why have I been running off to the monkey bars at the playscapes near my house? Why would I go across them until small blisters formed below the joint on my fingers?

Well, the answer is simple really. I was watching the American Ninja Warrior (ANW) qualifiers the other day and I thought to myself, "That looks so hardcore! I cannot imagine catching my entire body weight after jumping off the trampoline."

These thoughts stirred my imagination. I let the thoughts percolate for awhile. Then, it occurred to me that as you age your WEIGHT:GRIP STRENGTH (W:GS) ratio is probably diminishing as you age unless you work intentionally on maintaining it. But, when I looked at the average age of the ANW's they are about my age. So, I set out to start training with purpose, functionally testing my abilities. I have been using the monkey bars near my house and another set near a park that I frequent. I can move myself across them, but, it is not easy. After a few runs at the park in the afternoon, followed by a few runs at the school, I felt the blisters pop up.

So, based on the longevity tidbits I've read through, GS is one of the indicators of longevity. So, my admiration for ANW and my interest in longevity has pushed me to explore my inner ninja.

On a tip from Ryan, my bank teller at Frost, I found a secret mountain biking trail. I have been going 1-2 times per week for the past three weeks. We were supposed to meet up, but it hasn't worked out yet.

Mountain biking is everything that working out at the gym isn't! When you are mountain biking, your mind must stay completely present. You must be mapping your steps as you go - completely engaged in the moment. I have found myself really drawn to it as it has proven truly energizing. It is a better cardio workout than I was getting at the gym, and really engaging.

I am looking for people who want to join me for some really great times mountain biking.