I don't know if anyone visits this blog anymore! But, just in case here's the latest on my dunk training.
The last few months haven't gone super well. I've gained some weight and had some nagging injuries and just haven't been jumping very well. Some days my left knee really bothers me and other days it feels alright.
I've been trying to ice and stretch more and that has helped some. I've also started using the leg extension machine at the gym and that has seemed to help the most. Makes me think there could be a muscle imbalance between my quad and hamstring that is causing some of the problem. I've noticed if I do leg extensions the day before I play or jump, it feels better than other days where I haven't done leg extensions.
To address the weight gain, I started a 10 day cleanse yesterday that hopefully will allow me to drop some fat quickly (without losing muscle) and get me on track for eating healthier. For most of my life, I've always been one of those skinny guys who wanted to gain weight and had the hardest time. That is no longer a problem! I can gain weight pretty easily if I don't eat right.
I'm going to take the next few weeks off from training to let my body recover. I will hit it hard again in early August.
I do feel like my next round of training (12 week phase) will probably be my very last attempt at chasing the 2 hand dunk. My life is just too crazy and Father Time is becoming harder to battle. But, I'm going to give it one more shot.
Stay tuned!
It's good to see you're still training and keeping up on your blog. Don't get discouraged though, you help people like me to stay motivated!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nohalfstephen!
DeleteHope your training is going well!
Keep it going
ReplyDeleteI am44 years old,
ReplyDeletereach 88 inches, my goal is to touch the rim in 3 months,melts see who get there first, 5 9 with shoes.
Hey that's awesome! Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Deletewas never a good jumper. just want to see how much I can accomplish with training, no specific program, just from what I know.
Deletejust curious, when you were younger, before you started think about dunking, were you able to touch the rim just from playing basketball?
DeleteYes. Actually I have been obsessed with jumping/dunking since about 8th grade (almost 30 years ago). I actually did my first vertical jump program the summer before 9th grade. It was only bodyweight and jumping/plyo stuff (no weights). I did make some gains though. During highschool, I got a few basic 1 hand dunks. But it was very rare and never consistent. I started focusing so much on skill development and playing basketball all the time instead of working on my vertical and getting stronger. If I could go back in time, I would have done far less skill work and used that time to become a better athlete. But, back in those days (maybe like you) lifting weights was still kind of discouraged for basketball. Most people thought it would mess up your game if you lifted weights and got too big.
DeleteThanks for letting me know. That gives me an idea where I stand. I played as a casual player when I was younger, never trained for anything, my best jump was able to touch the board with two fingers, I am glad I did not set dunking as my goal, will keep you posted.
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