Blog Archives

Feb 12 2014

How to undress in style

Professional gymnast, coach, forerunner and stunt-man Damien Walters shows off a wide variety of skills in this amazing compilation from 2011. Leaps from buildings, trampoline, parkour moves, tumbling routines, high dives, and death-defying stunts like leaping over moving cars are mixed with fun, creative tricks like a tumbling routine that works him right out of his clothes. Damien has a gift for showmanship and ingenuity to match his athletic skills. He shows off in gyms, abandoned buildings, the pool and his own home in this beautiful high definition video. Music is “Follow U” by Yogi ft. Ayah Marar (Xilent Remix).

+ Who

Damien Walters is a British former gymnast who specializes in tumbling and trampoline, and participated in four Trampoline World Championships. He has focused on his career as a stuntman since 2007, performing in films like Hellboy II, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Eagle, I Am Number Four, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Captain America, and Kick-Ass. He won an award for “Best Fight” at the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2010 for the film Ninja Assassin. He is also a freerunner and has one of the most-watched youtube channels, with over 80 million views. Currently Damien runs Derby City Gymnastics Club in Derby, England.

+ Where

This video is a compilation of a lot of tricks in different locations: a jump from a building, trampoline work in a gym, parker in a parking garage and on a city street, tumbling in a park, gymnastics in a gym, inside of a truck, his own bedroom and living room, a pool, a street, the woods and an abandoned building.

+ What

After an intro with his personal logo, Damien appears at (0:20) and starts the video off with a bang by doing a stunt-jump off of a building. At (0:27) we see Damien doing trampoline flips in a gym. At (0:30) we get a taste of parkour in a couple of city locations, and then at (0:35) we begin a mix of freerunning and tumbling in the gym, the park and city streets. He takes on two big wooden cylinders at (0:50), leaping one and then ducking the second. He leaps a car at (0:52) and leaps through a moving truck at (0:57). Tumbling and freerunning return at (1:00) in the gym and the city. Damien does some creative gymnastics in his home at (1:04) and then at (1:10) leaps a moving car from the top of a ladder. At (1:16) he grabs onto a moving workcart and zooms away. At (1:21) Damien returns to tumbling in the gym and then at (1:24) he heads to the high dive for some impressive pool work. At (1:27) he takes parkour to an abandoned building and then back to a park. He does a stunt where he leaps out of a car at (1:37). Trampoline, tumbling and diving follow in quick succession. At (1:56) he does a tumbling routine on the trampoline while removing his hat, shirt and pants. The video finishes up with more tumbling outdoors in the park and city, in an abandoned building and inside the gym, showing off Damien’s impressive skills. Credits roll at (2:26).

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Oct 22 2013

Glycogen depletion gymnastics & weights training schedule

Considering I’ve basically been doing the same routine for nearly three years now I figure it’s time to switch things up a little. I’m already starting a new nutritional plan to try and trigger glycogen depletion and super-compensation on a weekly basis and I need a revised training schedule to match. My plan is to do two hours of gymnastics from Monday to Wednesday while not eating any carbs. Thursday I’d start doing one hour of gymnastics followed by an hour of strength training as I switch to a high-carb diet. Saturday since there is no gymnastics class in the morning I’ll go to a park to practice parkour and follow that up with an hour in the gym as well. Sundays I rest and ear whatever I feel like to reward myself for a week of dieting and training. I feel having a cheat day or at least a cheat meal is essential in any diet in order to stay motivated and avoid cravings.

Split training schedule

  • Monday: With plenty of stored glycogen I should get the most physically demanding and explosive exercises done first. For me, that means pommel horse and floor, equating to back, shoulders and legs.
  • Tuesday: This is the first day of reduced glycogen stores. The first hour of class we usually focus on stretching so that leaves two half hours to practice tumbling track and parallel bars, equating to legs and shoulders again, but less intensely.
  • Wednesday: Glycogen should be pretty much depleted by now so I’ll focus on high bar and trampoline. High bar mainly works abs, arms and upper back. Trampoline mainly works legs but supposedly it’s one of the only ways to exercise every significant muscle in the body at once. However, it’s not as intense, which is why I usually switch to trampoline when I feel I don’t have a lot of energy or strength.
  • Thursday: This is the first day that glycogen will be replenished, which means the muscles trained today will likely get the most benefit from the rush of carbs. As such, it’s recommendable to try and train the entire body. During gymnastics this means still rings and some floor work, mainly focusing on vertical jumps. Since I’m only spending an hour to an hour and a half doing gymnastics, these two combined with some stretching should be enough. At the gym I focus on my upper back and shoulders, since the latter is what I feel I need to improve on most.
  • Friday: My goal during gymnastics on Fridays is learning something new or work on a movement I haven’t mastered earlier this week. In the gym I’ll do my favorite workout: chest and arms.
  • Saturday: Since there isn’t any gymnastics class on Saturdays, I visit a nearby park where they have some parallel bars, high bars and trees that can be used to warm-up and practice some parkour. Afterwards I hit the gym to work legs and lower back.
  • Sunday: Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest.
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