BJ Lang

Parkour, Gymnastics, Tricking, Hand Balancing, Old School Body Building, Conditioning, Training, Nutrition, Climbing, Philosophy, Yoga, Art, Drawing and Graphics.

Age 17 from Scotland, UK.

 

BJ has a myspace web page set up going into great detail about himself and his training. You’ll find it at http://www.myspace.com/bjlang

I highly recommend reading BJ’s posts on the forum including a thread he started entitled ‘Devotion to Training’.

Hey there BJ thanks for your time in answering these questions. Since so much of what you do, believe and think is contained on your myspace page I’ve left out the basic questions. Although you’re only 17 there’s clearly a wisdom to you that transcends age. I’d like to get straight to the heart of the matter.

Why do you train? Are there many reasons or is there a primary motivator?
When I started training it was merely to improve my physique and physical power, but as time went on and I became involved in more disciplines I connected more deeply with my training and it began to mean something more to me. Training is a great release from stress and troubles etc as it is easy to be in a state of no-mind when you are enduring a multitude of intense physical tasks in succession. When I started training for the sake of training itself I found the tranquillity and stillness that arises from physical hardship and from this I began to realize that there was something more to training than just the physical gain.

Why do you participate in so many various training activities? Is it boredom or exploration? If you are exploring, what is it that you seek to explore?
I have always been attracted to the sports and disciplines that some of the most excellent physical specimens were part of, such as climbing, gymnastics, bodybuilding, yoga etc. As a practitioner of Parkour I have to be prepared for any obstacle, I incorporate these sports into my training in order to develop a wide range of capabilities as far as overcoming obstacles is concerned. Also you will notice that the sports I have listed are individual disciplines, this is because I seek self improvement, development and exportation rather than the enhancement of team synergy - I also don't like relying on other people and find the competitiveness of team sports off putting.

Do you have a favourite activity?
My favourite activity would be Parkour because of its natural and animalistic qualities. It is such a primal discipline and is incredibly refreshing and rewarding to practice. Practicing parkour serves an obviously useful purpose and the environment around them shapes a traceur’s experience and development, the challenges and opportunities for improvement are endless. It is definitely the oldest discipline on earth although it has only officially existed for a small number of years. Through my experience, I believe it is the most important and rewarding discipline to practice.

As a coach, what are your main activities?
I am currently working as a part time assistant gymnastics coach at my local leisure centres. I work with children in structured gymnastics classes and it is brilliant to see so many young people adopting such a rewarding discipline.

You state your religion as Buddhist yet cite heavy metal as one of your favourite music genres. Do you see a conflict between the apparent and tranquillity of Buddhism and the raucous nature of heavy metal?
I don't class myself as a religious person, I view Buddhism as a practical philosophy rather than a religion. I list power metal as the music I listen to because I like to use it in my videos as it creates a fast paced and dynamic quality. I also used to listen to metal when I was training but now I prefer to train in the tranquillity of my own presence without any distraction. However, what I don't listen to is angry death metal, it creates tension, aggression and negativity, which I would prefer to avoid.

Explain your reasoning for being a Buddhist. Is it Buddhism as an ideal or are you agnostic in the sense of an open mind and always seeking?
I pay a lot of attention to Buddhist teachings, as I said before I see it is a practical philosophy and I am attracted to it because it is based on observations of the way things are rather than beliefs. You can observe all of the teachings as fact rather than forming blind beliefs about things that create conflict and war rather than peace and completeness. The emphasis of meditation and mindfulness is something that has helped me over the years I have been training; this has also lead to the realization of the deeper and more philosophical aspect of training.

I love the paradoxical nature of your philosophies and activities. I think it’s best encapsulated in your love of both metal music and hard training juxta supposed with your reading material including the writings of Sarswati. What are your immediate goals in life, if any? This includes the goal of no goal or just going with the flow.
Well I want to make the most of the 10 years or more of training I have left until I reach my physical peak. I don't believe in being a victim of life, I believe actions and efforts create outcomes. Everything I need I already have, I don't have any particular goals in life other than to realize it all lies behind the clouds that being a physical being has created.

"To accept what you are is to be content, and there is no wealth to compare to contentment. If we can go deep into ourselves we will find we possess exactly what it is we desire." This is your tag line on the forum. Why have you chosen this statement and what does it mean to you?
These are quotes I have taken from a little book called, "A thousand paths to enlightenment" by David Baird. I chose to use these sayings because I think they depict the essence of what I believe is important in life.

Explain what discipline means to you and how you apply it in your life.
I am a very disciplined person, I have no trouble applying it to my lifestyle if I decide to. I think discipline is necessary in order to achieve anything and particularly if you are to achieve physical excellence or spiritual realization. Discipline is important to me because these things are a momentous influence in my life.

What does the term detachment mean to you and how do you go about detaching from the material world?
Over the past couple of years I have cut out a lot of things from my life in order to separate myself from unnecessary attachments. The obvious ones would be drugs, alcohol, junk food, television and unnecessary comforts, as they do not aid me in my physical, mental and spiritual development. The contents of my room consist of a bed, a book shelf, a computer and a drawer containing clothes, documents and training equipment. I understand that it is not necessary to physically separate yourself from adjunct material possessions in order to be detached from them, but for me it only makes things more difficult to maintain involvement with them.

You’re currently in college. What are you studying and why?
I am currently studying sports coaching at college. I want to be able to share and pass on my experience and skill with other athletes once my peak of physical performance has passed.

Now the ubiquitous questions…

You’re provided some great insight into the philosophy of life and the exploration of truth on the Brutal forum. What attracted you to the Brutal site?
The philosophical side of training is a significant part of the content of the Brutal site and this is what has made it stand out to me over other sites which deal with training. The emphasis of intensity and hardship, which is even suggested in the name, appealed to me too.

What are your most favourite and least favourite parts of Brutal and why?
I admire the knowledgeable and down to earth people that are part of Brutal. I can't really pick out anything I dislike about Brutal, there is loads of useful information and many experienced people to learn from.