I Am Tim "Livewire" Shieff I live 'Life in a Handstand' Parkour/Freerunning is my art - Ask Me Anything

As a vegan, does this mean you prefer grass type Pokemon over the rest?

Grass and water pokemon mutually!

Is 30 too old to start Parkour? Can you recommend somewhere in London for n00bs?

Hey! No way! I'm actually about to shoot a short piece on a guy called Beau a 47 year old from london who does running jumps that scare me, he's been training for 5 years now. Look out for it on Youtube.com/Flow

Yes check out Parkour Generations, they do great coaching for beginners all over London!

Thanks for doing this, Tim.

You are known as the strongest parkour practitioner. May be true, maybe not. But how much effort did you have to put in to get where you are? What was your motivation?

I put in a lot but it never really felt like 'effort' because I really enjoyed learning and progressing, I tried to always keep every training session interesting and unique so it never became like hard work or a chore.

Part of my motivation was progression,learning new limits of my body and the human body in general. The biggest motivation though for me was being creative with my body and trying to combine things no one had thought to combine before and seeing it come together on camera when making videos for youtube!

Just wanna say hi! Cheers for the out of the blue interview the other day, has helped with my Uni project a load!

Are you competing in any competitions this year? Be it Art of motion or even Ninja Warrior?

Hey no problem!

Yes I am doing Ninja Warrior, already competed/shot the prelims in Balitmore and may or may not be at the finals in Vegas next month ;)

As for Art of Motion (Red Bull comp) I will probably be out in Santorini again this year for it!

Sweet! You will be in the final for sure, know of any way for us to watch it in the UK?

Great man. I loved the video from there, looked like such a beautiful place.

Oh yeah is there Tim Shieff 2013 or 2012 coming out any time soon? All the best.

Have to Torrent a download once its been on tv they get put up within a day normally! Thanks =]

Not doing a showreel this year at the moment, we'll see though!

Ah figured as much, annoying but gotta see it!

For your next vlogs would you be able to do some vegan menu suggestions, saw a few people asking in the video comments & I'm curious also.

Thanks again.

Thats the plan! =]

Thanks for doing this AMA Tim

Now that you are on a vegan diet, are you taking any supplements to get any nutrients/vitamins that you don't get in that diet?

Also, when is the next Walters and Shieff show coming out :D

I take B12 supplement the only one you need on a Vegan diet, I really dont believe you need anything else mother nature has thought things out pretty well and theres a lot of money in the supplement business so you dont really know who you can trust. Best thing is to do your own research and find the natural method, theres always a natural method!

Next W & S will be a lost footage one possibly next friday then a mid season break before more eps! Got some good ones coming up coughsblindfolded tumbling

What's taking Scott Bass so long to film Volume 2? We're all so hungry for it!

Scott didn't film volume 1?

He did!

true story

Hey Tim! We've spoken briefly a few years ago, so I'm very happy to see how established you've become in the PK/FR community.

I've admired your handstands and upper body strength since years before you became a YouTube celeb. The b-boying must have played a big part in that, yes?

Also, I'm curious: How much spare time do you have these days? And how much of it do you spend jamming with the other PK/FR icons like Ilabaca, Walters, Phil Doyle, Blue etc?

Bboying definitely help me find a niche in the freerunning community that helped me establish myself, it also inspired me to put things together people hadnt yet e.g. windmill to cork. And I see great potential for much better bboys then me to come over to freerunning and take it so much further!

I think in the future Freerunners will have as diverse styles as you see in bboying today.

I dont have much, spend a bit with Damien Walters and I'm actually with Blue right now but most of it is travelling around producing content and trying to be a better person, reading, experimenting with my life etc.

Hey, my name is josh white and i wan to make parkour and freerunning my life, its my passion and i want to do it for a living, no for money or fame but because it makes me feel happy and whole.. I have no support or any help at all actually i have a bad job and no car what should i do should i keep mastering the basics and wait for life to theow me somewhere i can train harder or just stop? What did you do when you started out did you have a job ? Or did you just go woth the flow?

Make it happen, surround yourself with people that share the same dream as you, make videos, hone your craft. Easiest way though would be teaching, learn and remember how you learnt then pass it on. Go to local schools offering to teach. I showed the universe I wanted it bad enough and the universe got out of my way and let me have it!

Trained and pretty good friends with a lot of the UK scene, haven't actually trained with yourself though, from around St Alban's way.

Just a couple questions;

Who are some people particularly standing out to you at the moment, well known or not?

Where are you intending on going this year?

I know some other guys don't like how the attitude in parkour has changed, what do you think of the behavior and attitude of freerunners now? (I know everyone is different, but in general)

It is really exciting seeing how parkour is developing and with that the fashion side, like how skateboarding changed their style, how different do you think tracuers will be dressing in a some years time?

Cheers man, keep up the good work.

EDIT* Have you read or watched Into the Wild

Farang. Waldi. Daniel Arroyo. Max Henry. Dylan Baker. Pip. Kie.

Asia and the US mostly.

Yea younger generation seem to be doing it more for fame then for purity but it would always happen thats what they see the top guys as and they want to be the same. The same way I saw Daniel Ilabacas skill and wanted that fame wasnt an option or idea back then so didnt think about it (although I dont think I would of anyway).

Yea fashion in freerunning is very interesting and exciting! They will be super unique and way more diverse then the XXXL sweatpants most currently wear.

I have! Great message, "happiness isnt real unless its shared" always felt this

I'd have to agree, and some of the younger UK scenes.

I think for people actually to get "fame" it's more about finding your own style and doing something new whilst having fun, fame will just probably come with that.

Haha, some reason I thought you may have seen it.

One last thing, do you dislike the fame aspect of your training, I hear people stop you take pictures and that, which seems odd but what do you feel about it?

Keep doing cool stuff, i'm sure i will eventually train with you so see you around!

Yea exactly!

Its disruptive to my training as I like my peace but I certainly dont dislike it, its a great thing to be able to help motivate kids to be want to do something in there life and I have to respect that power and be as good a role model as possible.

I have been really inspired to cut down on meat and dairy but since i still live with my parents i mostly eat what they cook. I want to get into cooking more, could you do a video or two about your favorite vegan dishes and how to cook them. Also what veg you need in a meal to make sure you get all the vitamins and minerals.

PS I just ordered "A New Earth" looking forward to reading it.

thanks dan

Yes Im going to do a vegan breakfast, lunch and dinner video all seperate to give people ideas!

Nice job I think youll enjoy that book and what you can learn about yourself from it.

hey Tim, thanks for doing this. You have been a huge inspiration to me. About how long do you train a week?

As much as I enjoy training, sometimes 0 hours sometimes 20. Go with the flow and listen to your intuition, you dont have to do anything you dont want to just do what you enjoy doing when you enjoy doing it otherwise you will make training your enemy and not want to do it anymore.

What is the worst injury you've sustained?

Torn Meniscus in both knees

What is the greatest lesson life has taught you?

When you can live, act, treat every moment and new interaction purely and without ego you will can get soooo much out of life!

Hi Tim. Being someone who was part of a pretty closeknit group of UK traceurs a few years back (phil and the cambridge lads, danny, pretty much anyone wearing the old kalenji success), how does it feel now that everyone's gone their separate ways more, and you're less able to just go out and jam with people you'd be training with pretty often?

I have fond memories of watching stuff like the ampisound vids and seeing what crazy jumps all the familiar faces were doing, it was always great seeing new videos of the top uk guys come out and them having this great sense of community.

Yea its definitely strange how the vibe of the community has changed so much in such a short time but change is a certainty in life and I've just rolled with it. They were great days and shaped who I am today, just a shame the younger generations will never experience it the way we did but it had to happen.

Hopefully there will still be pockets of communities similar to what we felt throughout the world!

Hello again Tim, tis i your rival LiveFire. just wondered if we're still on for our ultimate showdown

why I oughta!!!!

I'm sad I missed this, and this is pretty late. But you are probably the reason I decided to dedicate much of my time to parkour. To make it my life goal to move and inspire others to do the same.

I've been out for 3 1/2 months because of a knee injury I sustained while longboarding, and it's been hell. I worked on handstands for a solid two months and improved them tremendously but became lethargic and depressed that I couldn't do much more. Reading this AMA has reinvigorated me, and now I'm going to go out and continue training.

No question, just many thanks.

Very sorry to hear about your injury! Look into healing methods like Grounding (earthing), diet, yoga etc. Best of luck, give yourself a reason you need to heal not just because you want to heal itself and your body will do the rest!

What do you do when you're injured? I've been out of parkour with knee problems for 3 months now and its killing me, do you have any other passions or interests that you pursue during this time?

Hey, when I got knee injuries I worked on handstands! Sorry to hear you are out though I know it sucks not feeling 100%, look into other things to help healing, Diet, Earthing (groundology), get plenty of sleep, rehabilite. I used to play video games but on there own they became unfulfilling I only enjoy multiplayer now. I read a lot and I read things that can benefit me is a person, health and mentally. This has become my hobby, interest, passion now.

Book that changed my life: "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle

Thanks for the reply man! just ordered the book and am looking forward to reading it. Love all your videos over at the flow channel, keep up the good work! You were one of the first traceurs i saw that inspired me to start training so it was really cool to get a response from you.

You're very welcome!

how's the veganism going? What effects has it had on your overall health and fitness? I myself am vegetarian (9 years now) I tried veganism but couldnt hack it. As an off-topic question, what do you think about Monsanto, their GMO foods and their apparent attempt to take control of the worlds food supply.

Cheers!

Hey, great! I've lost weight I was definitely too big for the size my body wanted me to be before and not that practical for parkour, I always wanted to be lighter and more agile and now I am!

Everybody has an optimal body weight (up or down) and I believe this diet (when done properly) allows them to find it.

Yes Monsanto are playing pretty mean right now but I have faith enough of the world will wake up soon enough and we will resolve this issue and one day become 100% organic like Bhutan have decided to do recently, hero nation!

I am thirteen London free runner and thinking of becoming a vegetarian but not sure about some elements like protein and some vitamins how do you think I should approach this? How did u start??

Do your research, look into the 80/10/10 diet, google has SOO many answers on eating right as a vegetarian/vegan =]

Where is your favorite city/spot to do parkour?

P.S. thank you so much for this AMA. You have inspired me in many aspects of my progression in parkour!

Derby, London, Denver, Bangkok. Nice glad I could help!

Love the videos tim

My question is what would be a good way to increase the amount of pullups/chin ups?

also what do you think about weighted pullups?

Practise them with different grips, hang towells over the bar and grip the towels. Do muscle ups. Yea weighted vest are good if you dont over do it, can damage your joints if you rush big weights in them

Hi Tim! Been following your FLOW Channel for quite some time, much respect for all the work you put in it!

So here are my Questions:

1. What do you enjoy more, training at a gym or outdoors?
2. What are the greatest gyms you have visited and which ones are you looking forward to practice at?
3. Who will win a fight between a bear and a tiger?
4. What do you like and dislike about the freerunning/parkour/tricking community in comparison to the BBoy community?
5. What's your goal in life for the next few years?
6. Water or soda/energydrink?
7. What was the latest song you listened to on repeat?
8. Your favourite childhood comic on tv?
9. Your favourite game of all time?
10. Why is the sky blue?

1) outdoors 4 times out of 5 2) Tempest Academy in LA!!!! Wana go to Woodward in Penn which I will be in August. 3) Tiger 4) Its less competitive, bboys have cooler and more individual styles 5) Help people with health and happiness 6) Water all day! or Vita Coco 7) Joan Osborne - What if god was one of us (lol) 8) X-men 9) Mario Kart (N64 or Wii) 10) not important to life, it is and I love it that way

What do you think of the whole idea of parkour vs. freerunning terminology? I think a lot of people are just sick of it but I'd like to hear what you have to say. Also you are an inspiration to a lot of people and keep doing the Walters and Shieff videos!

Yea their is no difference really both words are interchangeable to me altho it is actually helpful sometimes as a language to mean precision type movements or flips so I can see a purpose for it, just annoys me when it creates disagreements and seperation between people doing very similar movements.

Thanks! Shot 3 more episodes last week so look out for them ;)

Tim what are your opinions on competition in Parkour and Freerunning I know you've been in quite a few. Could you tell us how you feel competition affects the PK/FR community?

I think its great for the people involved we all feel connected and embrace each other but now some kids are coming up way more competitive then we ever were when really the competition is all in your head about doing the best YOU can do on the course and making your mark on it running through it diffferently to everyone else regardless of finishing position. Thanks

Tim your episode on London Real was one of my favourites because of the ideas you brought up (sleeping on the floor, grounded bed sheet, vegan , etc) and being a kool guy! My question is have you recently tried/implemented any new/radical ideas in your life?

Hey thanks! Lately I read the book 'The essene Gospel of Peace' and it blew my mind as a lifestyle guide it resonated with me a lot. From that one thing I took was Fasting on sundays for healing and respect.

Hi Tim! I have seen that you are in Ellie Goulding's video "Figure 8" and I wondered how you got this awesome opportunity. Did she make an approach or did you ask the video producer? I am seeing her live this weekend here in Cologne :) I am also a passionate follower of your inspiring thoughts and videos concerning life and nutrition and I like the way you display them on your blog! I love your open-minded attitude!

Do you travel and live through Freerunning shows and performances?

Maybe it's a difficult question, but what is the sense of life for you? For me it is making other beings happy, because this happiness always comes back to you :)

Do you have a girlfriend?

Thanks Tim :) Also greetings from my mother, she lives vegan, too and is also open-minded about the world and it's cruelties (e.g. Chemtrails)

Yours, Daniel (the guy with the Storm stickers from Cologne :) )

Hey she actually tweeted me saying she loved my movements then I hung out with her a few times and she asked me to be in her video because she thought I was 'fit'. Of course I didnt mind! She is an incredible singer with a unique voice and I was a fan of her since the song 'Lights' maybe I manifested this interaction with my pure appreciation of her talent somehow.

Thats great you enjoy making others happy! For me its helping others to find themselves =]

I have a girlfriend yes shes incredible and inspires me everyday!

Wow your mother is cool, I hope next time we meet you bring her too!

Hey Tim how do you plan your diet, and do you have cheat meals?

I plan a little but fairly loosely. I dont really believe in 'cheat' meals, you should enjoy every meal otherwise your constantly battling with food you 'dont like' waiting for that cheat meal.

hey tim are you going to krap invaders this year would love to see you there ... and could you do us a big favor and check out HardTargetsPK on youtube :) xx

Hey possibly not certain yet

How have competitions changed since Barclays work freerun champs and do you think they will continue to grow?

Yes changed a bit, a lot more creative people entering now! They will grow massively in the next 10 years it will be exciting to witness, also i think more seperate speed comps and skill comps will happen breeding 2 different kinds of athletes within the community!

Hey Tim! I am a massive fan and have been inspired by you and your parkour. I would just like some tips on starting parkour, getting fit etc. because I really love to watch parkour videos and want to start myself but the thing is, i dont really know where to start :L If you could reply, that'd be amazing, keep up the work man! Your my inspiration!

Find a local group or local gymnastics centre or just start with friends, train calisthenics at home

Hey Tim, big fan of your work. What's it like being a WFPF athlete? I was thinking of applying to the hot-shots. Also, there's a summer opening jam in Dun Laoighre West Pier in Dublin on the 18th, it'd be an honour if you'd consider coming. :D

Nice, its cool the guys that run it are really genuine good guys that have made next to no money from it the past 5 years, one day it will pay off for them and they will help breed a good honest community of kind hearted traceurs across america and worldwide. Cant make that date but im honored by the invite thanks

It's alright, man. Maybe for the next one:P

Maybe man ;)

How long did it take for you to work your way up and first get your name out there and recognized?

Within 9 months of starting parkour I got into a team called Urban Freeflow and travelled to Iceland to do a show for a Nokia. So I guess that was when I felt recognition withing freerunning for the first time

Hi Tim, what would be your advice for properly getting into parkour as a 15 yr old living in a small village in Kent? There are no decent spots around here for me to learn and I'm finding it difficult. Also, What are your favorite sub reddits? Thanks :)

Can you get to Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells? Great spots there! Find some friends to start with or a gymnastics centre, train in the woods, climb trees etc. Dont be afraid to travel to other local towns your 15 you can get buses/trains now!

Hey, mate!! i bit of background: I'm 18 years old and i have to take the decision of ''what to do with my life''... So, I'm asking all the people that I consider awesome/extraordinary or i simpli wanna be like...

How did you find your passion(freerunning)??

If you were 18 again, waht advice would you give to yourself?

Any tips/advice in growing up/parkour/life??

P.D: Also, I want to ask you: In one video of reach/escape (kind of) situations (i don't remember the name), there was a reddit logo in a wall, it was you??

I found it when I was a kid, I never wanted to grow up but I out grew the playground physically so had to find a new one!

Normally what we should be doing with out lives we knew when we were 8-12 yrs old but school distracted us and told us we should follow a 'secure' path which in my belief there is nothing worse then just trying to make it through life from 18-80 having 'got by'. Find what you love doing, find a way to make money doing it, it wont be instant but if you want it bad enough you will find a way even if noones done it before.

At 18 I differed a maths/physics degree at university to pursue freerunning career and I made the right choice!

Do you still do any freerunning around Derby? Moved here a few years back and I've never seen you guys around!

Yes but not that often as I live in London now. Its still the greatest place Ive trained I owe its architecture a lot for the skills its enabled me to learn! Contact Street Media PK theyre locals

hey! Loved ya on anw! quick question, what are a few basic exercises to get into freerunning/ parkour? it is easy to watch you tube videos and then break your ankle/leg by doing a stunt you thought looked easy!

Hey thanks!

Look towards Calisthenic exercises, find some on youtube and get creative. Press ups and sit ups are so boring people do parkour because they want to play and have fun so do that with your exercising/conditioning too.

Hey Tim, can you give us a short walkthrough of what kind of exercises you do outside of parkour to stay in top shape? Do you stick to any sort of diet regimen?

I do Bikram Yoga, eat vegan (mostly the 80/10/10 diet) as raw and unprocessed as possible loads of fruit, some veg. Sometimes I train I will drill presicions, height drops (5-8ft high silent landings without heels touching the floot), wall climbs etc. And open Gymnastics when I can.

Hi Tim I have been really wanting to become vegetarian after your videos and I was just wondering about what your diet consists of and how you made the transition to becoming a vegetarian/vegan

I just stopped flat, you find a way. Peanut butter, hummus and Sweet potatoes helped. Not together but they are all delicious and safe vegan decisions whilst you discover all the other great foods vegans/vegetarians can eat!

Thanks Tim, i'll be changing in about a week or so, so thanks for the advice

Nice one! Your body will thank you =]

Could you possibly elaborate a bit more on your daily diet? Favorite grain? Favorite cooking method or favorite meal?

subscribe to my youtube.com/livewire I'll cover it in future videos

Thanks for doing this guys.

My question is ... if I want to give a plant based diet a go .. where can you recommend I go for meal plans and ideas that don't break the bank?

Sourcing fruit and veg can be expensive especially if its fresh. Do you steer clear of frozen foods?

Who online gives you inspiration and ideas for food?

Thanks

Go to local corner shop grocers and build a rapor with the people working their they often give you way more then you can get from supermarkets and loads of bananas for cheap just when theyre getting perfectly ripe (people done realise brown n spotty is perfect hehe). Dont worry about being organic its more important to be eating whole foods regardless of Gm or not then be eating processed meals.

I dont eat much frozen foods but again if its cheaper then its better to eat frozen whole foods then frozen dinners.

Check out ThugKitchen.com hilarious and informative vegan foodblog. Other inspirations on youtube are Durian Rider, Fully Raw Kristina (great advice and recipes), Dr Graham McDougall, Rich Roll (vegan triathlete).

Hey Tim! Sure hope you haven't been asked this yet, but what are your thoughts on honey and/or coconut sugar? All or nothing as it pertains to sweeteners? Big love, thanks!

I still eat honey although very rarely, actually recently discovered Agave Syrup OMG amazing! Not heard of Coconut sugar before will look out for it. Generally fruit is so sweet anyway dont need sweeteners

Hi Tim a quick question! I'm 19 years old and I want to become a vegan. Should I wait until be 21 or if I start know with the diet it'll be good for me too?

P.D : Are you going back to Argentina some day? Patagonia perhaps? places here are incredible

Noo you are born vegan at 0 but parents put meat and dairy into us otherwise I would never touch the stuff. I hope to visit argentina again but a new place next time yes patagonia sounds good! Also Peru is high on my list to visit

what stretches would you recommend?

Bikram yoga stretches!

This has always bothered me, because it's just so damn impressive: How the hell do you manage to do things like walking in a handstand down a climbing wall? The amount of training it must take is mind-blowing.

hahaha you remember that! Its strange I never trained for it just something I knew I could do =]

[deleted]

Sorry about your injury but glad you found a silver lining to it! Keep it up =]

Is there anyway you could send something autographed to me?

Meet me, or buy clothing on http://stormfreerun.com/SHOP we send autographed papers with all purchases!

Could you give any advice on getting over fear after injuries? I broke my ankle doing front handsprings and now I am scared to do them again :/

Find a safe way to do it and keep doing it til youre confident again, it may seem a long way away but if you want it youll get there!

Hey Tim! I've been doing Parkour for 8 years now and I've followed you for the majority of my time training. I hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions now I have the chance! What editing software and cameras do you use for your videos and where do you find your music? Also, do you have any tips or suggestions on how to take my parkour to the next level? Training regimes or health tips? Thanks a lot man and keep up the good work! Train safe!

Hey I actually have a few guys that help me film everything called Visive Productions, they use 5Ds, 7Ds, GoPros and edit on Adobe Premier Pro CS6.

Train often and varied, mix it up, parkour, gymnastics, yoga, cycling, just be active and enjoy it, eat healthy whole foods, get plenty of sleep during the night time hours where possible 8-10 hours. Stay hydrated drink 800ml of water 30 mins before breakfast and again right before you go to bed

Hello Tim!

Wanted to ask you what would you say are your 5 staples right now as a raw vegan? I'm interested in it, but need some staples to get my calories from. Thanks!

Bananas, Sharon Fruit (persimmons), Spinach, Sweet potatos, peanut butter, Hummus with all sorts of veg (can I have 6)

have you had any back problems? if so what did you do for it? ive been getting cramps in upper back from doing handstands with an arched back and it regularly limits my training time.

Yes lower back occasionally in the past when Ive done too much gymnastics the whipping motion takes a lot out of you if your core isnt there. Yoga really helped me out with that one so thats what Id recommend!

Hey Tim, casual follower of you and Damien on Youtube and recently watched your videos on your veganism - your dedication is really admirable. Just wondering if you have some before and after photos of your physique?

Thanks! None to hand but I'll get some in a Vlog at some point!

Hey. Interested in that "sleeps on the floor" bit. Can you elaborate?

I sleep on the floor because I think we may lose something as humans when we lie on a bed that sinks to match out weight, I think a floor helps keep our back, neck, hips in check

Hi Tim, I want to tell you that you inspired me to become a vegetarian.. Also i'd like to tell you that im in a rehab for a broken ACL, Im 16 years old and I want to thank you for being such a good inspiration. Hope to see you In the patagonia some day! Stay true!

Hey I wish you the best with your recovery brother great to see you arent in bad spirits about it, you will heal and be stronger then before for sure =]

Hiya Tim,

1. What are the best Parkour shoes you've ever tried? (Other than Kalenji Successes, if the case)
2. Who are your favourite artists or genres of music at the moment?
3. I haven't seen much from Phil doyle for a while, any news on what he's up to?
4. Although this is an elaborate question to answer, do you believe in a God?
5. What specific parkour achievement that you've done so far this year are you most proud of ?

1) changes a lot but KOs from WFPF are the closest to Kalenji Success 2) The Weeknd is my favourite artist of the past few years but also really like Hudson Mohawke and Disclosure who I recently did a music video for. 3) He's in cambridge doing his thing. 4) Yes I 100% do. 5) Filming more Walters & Shieff with Damien I think, hitting 1 million views in about a week on the gym episode was uplifting for me!

Tim.

have it ever happend to you that people complaint about your training. i mean that they send you away? example: today i was training and an old couple came to me and they wanted to send me away because im damaging the walls and everything. the dirt from my shoes on the wall etc. (the wall was already dirty, full of gravitiy and i broke nothing).

how do you handle it? do you just walk away or what?

ps. sorry for my bad english

Just be polite and respectful, if they are rude its easy to be rude back but people really dont know better sometimes its best just to leave it. The worst thing you can do is be rude back and give them a further bad impression of freerunners. Try to speak with them human to human though, it can be very hard people put up a lot of barriers.

Livewire! I was wondering what was your thought process before and after smashing another mans private parts? Secondly I wanted to say I am pumped you keep growing in the eyes of the Internet/TV & other media. I feel extremely good about having you as a role model for my kids growing up! I also wanted to say heathy eating has really changed my life. Last year at ANW I had a leaking spine (cfs leak).. Almost a year later nothing was getting better. I slowly change my diet and now for about 3 months i have been under a veganish/rawish diet.. All healed never had more energy in my life, keep spreading the message sir.. I'll eventually join you doing the same!

-Horse

Haha yes horse! I tried not to think really :p Thanks bro great to see you growing too! Yes hope you and your family are well. Wow thats amazing to hear it helped I remember how serious that issue was. Diet Plays such a HUGE factor in allowing our bodies to heal by simply putting in the food thats meant to go in. Thanks would love to have you helping out, much love!

Tim, thank you so much for doing this AMA. I've long enjoyed your style, and I use your style as my inspiration, and somewhat emulate it in my own trainings.

I have two questions:

1. How much weight lifting did/do you do compared to how much body weight exercises do you do?

2. What is the best exercise to do to gain handstand balance? I workout a lot, and I workout my handstand balance a ton, but I cannot seem to be able to hold my handstands like I would like to? Is there a certain exercise that will really improve my balance?

Thanks.

1) I dont do any weight lifting just occasional body weight training but really just parkour, yoga and gymnastics. 2) Walk on your hands loads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqc2hVOO6oQ

If you HAD to change ONE thing about yourself, what would it be?

Had to? hmm be born in the egyptian, altho I probably was in a past life ;)

Is planking as hard as it looks?

ha so hard!

As a distance runner, how would a vegan diet affect my performance?

Oh man it would benefit you loads! Theres a runner called Michael Arnstein who went from a 2.45 marathon to 2.28 being a raw vegan. Also Check out Rich Roll, them two recently did a podcast together talking all about it

Hey Tim, I was just curious who your favorite famous or semi-famous freerunners are to watch and why?

Jason Paul, Pasha, Kie, Waldi, Dylan Baker Wells! All unique, strong, passionate, creative

Thanks for doing this man! I always wanted to learn how to jump fences fast as hell and climb up walls and shit, is there any good tutorials that you know of to check out?

haha! Youtube has a ton!

Is there any good parkour training areas in Northern Alberta, Canada?

Only place Ive been in Canada is Whistler, google it!

Hey Tim. I been doing parkour for about 2 years and along with your eating advice it's given me the best body I could ask for. However Monday I completely smashed my pinky on a construction site and docs said ill be out the game for 4-6 weeks. Any advice? I really look up to you man.

AWesome thats great to hear its helped! ah man sorry about that, finger injuries always take a while to heal but you can always work on your leg strength, drill some precisions etc, good luck!

Hi Tim, I am new to parkour and have managed to learn a few things I was wondering tho how you learned precision to rails? I have been practicing on thin wooden retaining walls (about an inch and a half thick what do you recommend doing / being aware of with rails? Also I have a very inflexible ankle any tips/exercises to help with that? Thank you for your videos they have been an inspiration.

Rails are a lot scarier in your head then actually doing them just gotta fine the right environment to do your first one to. Search ankle stretches on youtube!

Darn, I'm late for this AMA. Thanks for doing the AMA. Best of luck in your next vids!

No problem thanks for reading!

I remember you from winning the Barclaycard 2010 Freerunning Championships with your incredible airwalk move.

What is the best way you recommend to go about strength-training for flagpole-type moves, or just in general?

Thanks! Do handstands. walk about in them, try going up and down stairs etc really build you a good core

Dude I saw your unfortunate and untimely elimination from American Ninja Warrior, but you didn't seem too bothered. How much fun did you have in Vegas afterwards? Any crazy stories? Unrelated, whats your usual diet breakdown like?

haha yea everything happens for a reason and I worked out why that happened cant be mad! Yea I actually didnt watch the next rounds I went to a DJ Pauly D party haha! My diet is vegan lots of fruit mostly raw too

How long does it take to learn all those flips ? backflip/frontflip etc a gymnastics teacher told me 1.5 to 2 years that's a but offputting what do you think ?

I have a friend who learnt to backflip and frontflip first session, really depends what attitude you go in with its all you! I taught myself on grass in a few months when I was 15. You got it!

How did you get into parkour? and can you make a video on a good technique for progression towards a standing backflip? Thanks man, big fan :)

I saw Jump britain years ago! I'll get damien to do a backflip tutorial =]

Hey Tim, thanks for doing this. You were probably the biggest push for me to start freerunning. I remember seeing your video Livewire 2009 after training casually for a while and being blown away by how awesome it was, and that was when i started to train seriously. Its also been pretty cool seeing how much you have progressed since then as well.

Where do you see the freerunning scene going in the future? For a while it seemed to grow quite rapidly but now has seemed to slow. I've also noticed a lot of the forums have a lot less activity than they used to.

Nice thats awesome! Its hopefully going to help the world, get old people moving again and keep young people active, everyone can do this its not just the big roof gaps people see in videos! Yea no real forums since facebook and youtube came about

My main mannn! It's me Daniel Potes! We got to jam last year in Manassas Virginia at Urban Evolution! Have any plans to visit Virginia any time soon again?

Nice! I was in DC last month actually! No more plans at the moment though brother

Hey Tim! huge fan, your a major inspiration in my life and i just wanted to say hello and ask you, What was the thing or who was the person who made you want to start freerunning/parkour?

hello! Jump britain initially but Daniel Ilabaca was a HUGE inspiration to me too

Hi Tim, Brian Rose from London Real here.

Perhaps you can explain something: On one hand, you have this World Famous Freerunner who hangs with Jamie Oliver and does Rugby commercials on TV, and on the other is a guy who sleeps on the floor and creates "Life in a Handstand" videos as art for free. How can these be the same guy!!?? Peace homey.

Haha great question thanks Brian!

I just think I'm open minded and appreciate talent no matter where it comes from, I take my inspirations from everything. I think all people with talent have an attitude to life everyone can learn from, Jamie Oliver not being an exception, his Ted Talk is top notch.

Also I love combining my talents with a new variable so a casting where they asked me what I could do freerunning wise with a rugby ball inspired me to come up with new ideas of mixing the balletic movements of parkour with the accuracy of throwing/catching rugby balls.

Please please please tell me how to get over the fear of doing a backflip without a spotter!! I know the technique perfectly, can do a backflip on trampoline without jumping, but cannot have the confidence to try it on grass without a spotter :( PLEASE HELP.

Find sand!

My 9 year old son Jackson has a question...when will you be doing the next London meet up? We have a great video of you two doing handstands down the stairs at the Barbican. Thanks for always making time to share your skills and passion.

Oh nice I remember him! He wasnt there this year I looked out for him we had it in March =[ Not a problem, how is he doing?

Could you ask Tim if he is available on the 25th may? so that he could come to my 16th birthday tell him that i was the small one from the storm jam that one a purple T shirt:) PLEASE.

Hey man unfortunately Im not, have a great day though!

when are you coming back to Colorado to train with APEX Movement? :)

Oh man not soon enough, that gym was awesome last time and hopefully more awesome again, I didnt even get to go to Red Rocks too!