Gymnastics (The Non-Bedroom Type) and My Back flip

I probably would have got a lot more views if I'd called the blog bedroom gymnastics for the adventurous ha ha. I'm not into tricking people into reading my blogs by using controversial and clever titles, you are all here because you are interested in what I have to say right? Right? Guys?

Ah well, here we go...

I did a back flip.

The End.

To be fair that is pretty much it. It does go a little deeper than that though, are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin.

As a young boy I would watch cartoons (OK I still watch cartoons). All the action heroes would be jumping about and doing flips and kicks, knocking the bad guys all over the place, you know, just generally making the world a better place. As I got older I watched Bruce Lee films and he too would be doing his thing, flare kicking and being awesome in the way only he knew how. Time marched on and Blade was now slaying vampires flipping all over my flat screen TV - he looked so cool! I've always wanted to be able to do a backflip, and I looked up to these action heroes for their ability to be able to master their own bodies and do things that not everyone else could do. I did watch a lot of the gymnastics on the Olympics, and for the most part my jaw was on floor at what these young men and women could do with their bodyies. Then on Friday 7th of September I was watching re-runs of 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' and this happened...

It's only bloody Aston from JLS doing a backflip!!! ...HELL NO, look at him! He ain't no Blade!! If he can do it, you've got to believe I can... right? I said to myself "Self, I will have a go tomorrow and see how it goes." :-\  

I'd been doing some CrossFit with my brother @James_Dandy and @Jade_Grove up on the beacon early in the morning. It was a dry morning and there was some dew on the grass as it was still warming up, and there was a faint scent of fear in the air. That scent was me. I was somewhat apprehensive about my decision to try and back flip. I had made my intentions know to James and Jade earlier on and explained that I would need James's help to spot me in case it went wrong, and Jade to video/call the ambulance if I landed on my head lol (lol now but at the time not so lol) . 

This is what went down 

Not bad hey, I was on a high all that day. I woke up Sunday morning and said "Self, let's do that again!" But this time I had no brother to spot me, and no Jade to ring the WAAAmbulance. It was just me and I kind of liked that. It was like going through all the fear of the previous day all over again. Mind over matter Benny, mind over matter, is what I kept telling myself. I stood in the back garden in my shorts and t-shirt and went through the motions.... "This isn't going to work like this," I thought, I was talking myself out of it. It was make or break time, what would Bruce Lee do? I'll tell you what he'd do, he would grow a pair and do a damn back flip. I took my top off (standard backflip procedure) and hit the record button on the camera, and this, my friends, is what went down .....

Ah success, the feeling is like no other, adrenaline rocks! I know it wasn't perfect but at the moment that's good enough for me. I'll always listen to advice if anyone has anything constructive to say. 

I would like to thank James and Jade for the initial push, Marvel, Bruce Lee and Wesley Snipes, without whom this would not have been possible. ...What? Someone else you say? Fine, I would also like to thank Aston out of JLS ;)  

Have a great weekend everyone...

Barbell Benny

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