What are good ways to practice free running?

I recently saw a video on youtube of people free running and was astonished at how they could take impacts and do flips. Im really interested in trying free running but dont know where to begin. How do you train to do flips and learn to take impacts?

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You don’t need to go to the gym to get fit

By: Carol Bardelli

Home gyms are nice but not necessary to get fit.

The CTV.ca News Staff (article link) and other news sources including Reuters reported that new research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine suggests that a predisposition to obesity may be as easy to overcome as spending a few hours a week at the gym. This study found that study subjects performing a high level of physical activity basically counteract effects of gene mutations that predisposes them to obesity. The findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Did they really need to go to a gym to accomplish this? Probably not.

When we exercise – be it aerobic activity or anaerobic resistance training – our bodies don't care how or where we get it done. After you stimulate a muscle it doesn't second guess whether it should grow based on whether you used top of the line dumbbells, an expensive space age machine, or you simply used your own body for resistance and did push ups or pull ups.

Your cardiovascular system doesn't give a hoot whether you got your running done on a $5000 treadmill or a free track at a public park. And your fat cells will not refuse to release fat for fuel based on whether your caloric deficit was achieved at a high end gym or in your own garage.

I'd like to point you to some free workout sources in this segment. Our budgets and saving money are on most of our minds these days. Even in better economic times I've heard people use lack of money as an excuse not to work out.

It's time to debunk the myth you must spend a lot of dough to keep from looking like the Pillsbury dough boy. Free workout resources are out there and available to nearly all of us. When my son was a preschooler, he and I got in the habit of listening to the radio in the morning and dancing to the music. Most forms of dance are great aerobics workouts. And if you dance in your kitchen like we do you don't even have to be good at it. You can also dance to television shows like VH1 Jump Start and MTV You Rock The Deuce.

Other free workout opportunities are available in many community parks. Check out walking trails, bike paths, free fitness courses like Tai Chi, and guided workout stations in your city. Guided workout stations generally have instructions posted on signs for each exercise. These exercises typically include resistance training like push ups and pull ups.

If you subscribe to cable or satellite services many carry FitTV network which broadcasts a wide variety of guided workout programs for up to four hours a day. We absolutely love Gilad Bodies In Motion, Total Body Sculpt With Gilad, and all their other exercise programs which include aerobics, yoga, stretching, resistance training and more. ESPN Classic has exercise programs including Kiana's Flex Appeal and Denise Austin's Getting Fit. If you're already paying for it why not make use of it.

Online workout resources include websites with free exercise videos and demonstrations including one I plan to review for you soon. You can also find guides online for learning isometrics and calisthenics. These two forms of resistance training require only your body and another surface like a wall or floor as a piece of exercise equipment. Check out the Bodybuilding.com Article 'New Age Isometric Training’ by Kelly Baggett on two types of isometric exercises, yielding and overcoming isometrics, including sample exercises.

YouTube has many well executed exercise demonstrations. If you don't know how to perform certain exercises (ie. bicep curls, squats, push ups) and can't afford sessions with a personal trainer these videos can be just as educational.

You really can get fit without ever stepping foot in a gym. Any of the examples above are a great place to start.

Always consult you physician before starting any exercise program.