Week 1 of "40 at 40" is in the books! It was a great week!
My new workout which is a customized version of the Jump Manual is definitely more challenging than what I was previously doing but I really like it. I was a little sore from some of the new exercises but overall felt really good.
Today, I had my bodyfat tested using a Bodpod which is supposed to be extremely accurate. The last time I had my bodyfat tested was 11 years ago. It was after I had done Body for Life and I may have been in the best shape of my life and was only 7%. I'm not as lean as I was then but am still in pretty good shape (or so I thought!).
Here are my results...which completely blew my mind!!!
% Fat = 18%
% Fat Free Mass = 82%
Fat Mass = 31.146 lbs
Fat Free Mass = 141.816 lbs
Body Mass = 172.962 lbs
18%!!!! Are you kidding me??? I expected to be around 12%. I was pretty bummed at first but then I realized...you know I'm jumping pretty high at 18% body fat. Imagine if I got down to 8%! So, I think this is actually really good news!
By the end of this round of training (April 7), I want my stats to be the following:
% Fat = 8%
% Fat Free Mass = 92%
Fat Mass = 13.2 lbs
Fat Free Mass = 151.8 lbs
Body Mass = 165 lbs
This would mean I would lose 8 lbs in total bodyweight but would actually gain 10 lbs in muscle and lose 18 lbs of fat. Not gonna lie...18 lbs sounds like a lot! But, I'm being extremely disciplined with my diet during these 12 weeks of training and so confident I'm going to get really lean.
If you don't know what your bodyfat percentage is, you may want to look at getting it measured. Maybe you will also be surprised to learn how FAT you are! :-) And if it is higher than you want it to be, get a plan in place to get it down where it should be. Most of the players who went to the NBA combine this last year are around 6%. So something to think about...
Thanks for reading!
First off...great stuff. You give us old guys some hope that we can one day dunk on these youngsters on the pick-up courts. I had a question when it came to your old work-outs with the jump manual. I am currently on week 2, and i notice that it takes me at least an hour to do the off day workouts and the other workouts that do not involve the weight training day(which include the streching, warm-ups, and post cool down) on day one. I don't mind the time that it takes, but i recall for an earlier post that you posted that it did not take that long for you to work through those workouts...wondering if you were taking the full 2 minutes to recover after each set?
ReplyDelete@curiousWill - thanks man!
ReplyDeleteI am still doing the off-day exercises exactly as outlined in the jump manual except that I'm doing them only once a week instead of twice per week. This is because I'm lifting (squats, deadlifts, etc) 2 times per week instead of 1 time per week. Previously, I was doing the off-day exercises after I finished playing basketball so I was already warmed up and could knock them out in like 10 minutes.
I probably don't rest the full 2 minutes between sets on the off-day exercises as they are not super tiring (and aren't supposed to be). The strength and explosion workout (squats, deadlifts, etc.) does take a long time (approx 2 hours) and I definitely rest 2 minutes or maybe more between sets because those lifts really kick my butt.
In case it's of interest, here is how I have arranged my training for these next 12 weeks:
Monday: Core & Upper
Tuesday: Strength (squats, dead lifts, etc.)
Wednesday: Off-day Exercises
Thursday: Plyo's
Friday: Core & Upper
Saturday: Strength (squats, dead lifts, etc.)
Sunday: Rest
Hey, this is really awesome, I admire your work ethic. I seriously lack motivation.. I have started the Jump Manual around 3 times now, each time I get in 1 or 2 weeks before being really lazy again. Even with these I've had a noticeable gain of 2-3".. But I haven't worked out for over 3 weeks now.
ReplyDeleteAny tips? What works for you?
Thanks!
@ Satchan - thanks man! Motivation is perhaps the most important thing because without it you won't go very far.
DeleteI think what has helped me stay motivated honestly is this blog and setting goals. Having people (like you) post on my blog and give me encouragement has helped a ton. So you may want to start your own blog and tell the world what you want to do and you might be surprised how much it helps.
I have written my goals down and put them in a place where I see them every day and that helps too.
Also watching awesome dunk videos motivates me to work hard as I want to be able to do what I see in those videos so bad.
Hope that helps!
I have this blog post as well that might be helpful if you haven't read it already...
http://myjumpmanual.blogspot.com/2011/10/jump-manual-tips.html
Satchan - here's my take, should you happen to see this. Some working out is better than no working out in the same way that imperfect nutrition is better than no nutrition changes at all. If you can't work out 4 times a week for longer than 2-3 weeks, pick a goal you can do and stick with it. If you really did see a 2" gain in 3 weeks, your biggest gains are likely from lower body strength training. Is it optimal to do only that one work out per week? No. But if you do it right will you see gains over time? Probably. And if gains don't motivate you, I'm not sure what will :)
DeleteCandyman -
So out of curiosity, what was your vertical when you started Jump Manual? What is it now? I'm curious how long the journey has taken and how ambitious your 40" goal is. I'm also surprised by the fact you're 18% body fat given the nutrition you've described to date.
I'm still working out and seeing gains. I know people talk about huge gains they're getting elsewhere on the web, but I've gotten an honest 3 or 4 inches since I've started (which frankly, even though I have a ways to go, I consider awesome). I swear, the older you get, the harder it is to get the gains (38 here). I sort of feel like the insane gains people brag about are inflated, anyway.
In basketball, vertical jump is important. In volleyball (my sport), those extra 4 inches are _huge_. Every play is about how high you are above the net and the other guy. I'm really happy I did training (and still am). I take a really long view on my training and my goals - if I gain a half inch per month for a year, that's still 6 inches and still insane.
So I'll check back in a few months and let you know if I can grab the rim with two hands yet (5'9 1/2 and 38 yrs old...we'll see).
Hey Hauser,
DeleteThanks for the comments! My stats on vertical jump when i started Jump Manual back in April last year were as follows (see this blog post: http://myjumpmanual.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-1-stats-ouch.html):
Standing vertical jump:
22"
One step vertical jump:
27"
Running vertical jump:
29"
My gains were fairly quick at first but getting harder and harder now.
My stats right now (on a really good day) are:
Standing vertical jump:
31"
One step vertical jump:
33"
Running vertical jump:
36"
So I got 4 inches to get to 40. Not going to be easy but I think it's possible especially if I get really lean. I still can't believe my bodyfat is 18%. I have a 4 pack and fairly decent muscle definition in my chest, shoulders, legs, calves, etc. But, supposedly the Bodpod is super accurate. I hope its true because I should be able to get a couple of inches increase on my vert just by really leaning out.
Congrats on the progress with your vert. That must make volleyball that much more fun. A good spike in volleyball is just as fun as a dunk!
Keep in touch and let me know how things go!