Jump Manual training for 2013

I have been using the Jump Manual on and off now for about 18 months. I got some pretty nice gains during my first 12 weeks of training. But, increasing my vertical since then has not been as easy.

In preparation for the new year, I have been going through my old tracking sheets, blog posts, YouTube videos, etc. to try and determine what has given me the best results and what hasn't. I've also been getting some coaching from Jacob Hiller (creator of the Jump Manual). He has provided some great insights and suggestions on how to improve which I'm very excited about.

The bottom line is...I'm not ready to give up the pursuit of the two hand tomahawk dunk. I know it's possible. So, how am I going to reach this goal?

1. Start Jump Manual again (I started this morning - Dec 31st). Going for 12 weeks and will finish this round of training on Saturday, March 23

2. Post a progress video every week (will post every Monday, starting next week). These provide extra motivation and help ensure I'm really pushing myself and getting all the workouts in.

3. Do Freak Jump Technique again. I only did this program for about 4 weeks back in 2011. But, in looking back at my old videos and blog posts, I got some of my best dunks during this period of time. Coincidence? I don't think so. Time to work on my technique again! I started it this morning.

4. Stretch every day. My flexibility has improved dramatically from when I first started training (couldn't touch my toes back then) but still needs to improve. Want to be able to get my palms flat on the floor.

5. Get to 7% bodyfat or less by March 23. I have been eating so bad during these last 2 weeks and the scale proves it. This morning I weighed 182 lbs and my waist was 35.5"! Ouch!

6. Get stronger! PR's to reach by March 23
Squat 1RM: 300 lbs (current max is approx 260 lbs going a little past parallel with good form)
Deadlift 1RM: 340 lbs (current max is approx 300 lbs)
Bench Press 1RM: 245 lbs (current max is 215 lbs)

So, here goes another 12 weeks of training. Going to really get after it. Hope you will follow along!

Happy New Year!

Jump Manual - Week 4 Recap of "40 at 40"

I'm a few days late posting my Week 4 Recap of my dunk training. I don't have a ton of new things to share but do have kind of a funny story.

In my last post, I mentioned that Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual) was in town visiting for a couple of weeks and so I invited him to play on my city league team. We had another game on Monday night and so had another chance to play with him.

With about 20 seconds left in our game, we had the ball at half-court and my teammate was trying to get the ball in but the defense had us covered pretty well. Just before the 5 second count, my teammate lobbed a pass to me over my head into the backcourt. I jumped as high as I could to try and get the ball. Just as I was about to get it, some guy comes out of no where and literally knocks the crap out of me and steals the ball. No joke. Picture a wide receiver getting taken out by a safety for an interception. That's about the closest thing I can compare it to.

At first, I thought it was someone on the other team and was trying to figure out why there was no whistle blown. But, as I'm falling down I realize that it's none other than Jacob Hiller who skied over me (somehow -- no idea where he even came from) and caught the ball! They fouled him immediately and he went to the line and made both free throws. We won the game. :-)

The not-so-funny part of this story is I twisted my ankle on that play as I came down really awkward from Jacob's basketball tackle. My left foot is purple around the heel on both sides just under the ankle bone. I haven't had a sprained ankle in forever!

So, while I highly recommend using the Jump Manual. Be careful about playing ball with Jacob! You are not safe even when you are on the same team! Beast!

Thanks for reading!

I played hoops with Jacob Hiller!

If you read my last post, you may remember I mentioned I was gonna be playing ball with an amazing dunker -- but I didn't say who it was. Well...that dunker was the one and only Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual)!

Since starting the Jump Manual last April, I have gotten to know Jacob through his weekly online coaching sessions and facebook. He has helped me a ton by answering my questions, customizing my training, and reviewing my videos.

On a coaching session a couple of weeks ago, Jacob mentioned he was going to be in Utah for a few weeks (which is where I currently live). So, I told him he should come and play on my city league team while he was in town. I had no idea if he would be interested or not but wanted to at least invite him.

Well, last Tuesday night he played on my team and it was an absolute BLAST! I wish someone had been recording the game because there were some pretty sweet highlights. After the game was over, I filmed Jacob throwing down a couple of dunks. Unfortunately, I was exhausted after the game and my back was hurting and so I wasn't jumping very well. But, after one of Jacob's dunks the rim didn't snap back all the way and so I took advantage of the opportunity to barely put down a 2 hand dunk (rim was probably 4 inches low).

Anyways, here is a short vid of Jacob and I messing around. Thanks for reading and watching!

Happy Dunking in 2012!

Hard to believe but 2012 is already here! And that means my 40th birthday is just a few days away (Sat, Jan 7th). The last couple of weeks have gone really well with my vertical jump training. The holidays have been awesome spending time with my family and also having some extra time to train and make sure I get all my workouts in.

I mentioned in my last post that Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual) helped customize a new workout for me. I LOVE IT. On Saturday, he had me add another new exercise and I'm SUPER EXCITED about it. The gains have slowed down for me these last couple of months and I really believe this new workout and especially this new exercise is going to help me get a few more inches on my vert. I will tell you more about it in a future post so make sure to come back and visit!

I played hoops this morning. Jumping felt so easy almost like I didn't even have to try. It might have been the highest I've jumped off two feet since I started my training back in April so felt really good.

I will upload a video on Friday or Saturday for sure showing where I'm at in my pursuit of the two hand tomahawk dunk. That's all I want for my birthday this year! :-)

Thanks for reading and check back this weekend for hopefully good news!

Less than 2 weeks left ...

Less than 2 weeks now until "b-day" (January 7). Can't believe it! I haven't been posting as much lately, but that isn't because I haven't been training!

I recently went to a coaching session with Jacob (creator of Jump Manual) and he made some additional modifications to my workout that I'm really excited about. I have done the new workout 3 times now and can feel a difference already. The human body has the amazing ability to adapt and so it is wise to modify your workouts from time to time. I'm hoping these changes will help get me a few more inches that I need to reach my goal of a tomahawk dunk. At this point though, I will be stoked with a two hand dunk as I still haven't been able to do that yet either.

I'm playing a lot of basketball this week and going nuts on my training so anticipate my body getting pretty broken down. Will be making sure I eat tons of protein and get some extra sleep and stretching to help my body recover.

Hope your training is going well and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Want to jump higher? Do this...

There are two things I'm doing as part of my vertical jump training that I think have made a HUGE difference in my results so far. When I tell you what they are, you might be surprised. As they have nothing to do with plyometrics, weights, or nutrition!

The two things I'm talking about are my blog and my YouTube videos. How much difference have they made? It's impossible to say for sure but I don't think you can overestimate their impact. The reason I say this is when it comes to achieving a goal, it comes down to desire. How bad do you really want it? How hard are you willing to work to get it? Most people are just talk. They want to dunk but they workout a couple of times and give up. If you don't put in the work, you don't get the results. It's that simple.

So without this blog and my YouTube videos, I don't think I would have come this far. I think the motivation would have run out a while ago. I also don't think I would have come this far without the encouragement, compliments, and even new friends I've made as a result of pursuing this dream. I've had a few "haters" of course and although they can be annoying they have motivated me too.

I can think of several times when I wanted to skip a workout or not do another set or sleep in. And I would think about this blog and wanting to show some progress in my next video and it would give me that extra motivation I needed in that moment to keep going. And, that's what it takes.

So if you are reading this and want to dunk or achieve some other goal, my challenge to you is to tell the world and hold yourself accountable. Make videos and create a blog. You will have fun and it will help keep you motivated.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this and especially to those who have posted words of encouragement here or on my YouTube videos. I really appreciate the support.

Good luck!

One More Game!

Here is the video I promised to post that shows how I dunked to get one of the guys I play hoops with to stay one more game.

There are so many benefits to being able to dunk! :-)

Operation Tomahawk - Another week off!

Well...last week didn't go super well with my training. I went out of town for a couple of days and was not disciplined enough to workout on the road or when I got back home.

And...not looking so good this week with my training either. I'm playing a ton of basketball (5 times this week) which is super fun but not the best way to make progress on my vertical. So, I will definitely get going again on Monday.

I was finally able to put a short video together of some of my dunks over the last few weeks. Nothing super amazing but some decent stuff. I still have a long ways to go to get the two hand tomahawk dunk and just about 6 weeks left to reach my goal.

Gonna get back on it! Thanks for reading and watching!

Operation Tomahawk - Week 4 Recap

I've completed another week of Operation Tomahawk towards my quest to throw down a two-hand tomahawk dunk before January when I turn 40.

Similar to last week, I missed a couple of workouts. And so here comes the part where I make some rather lame excuses! I'm coaching my son's AAU basketball team which just started and my work has been crazy busy so my time is even more limited than it has been in previous weeks. I'm really looking forward to the holidays when things calm down for a bit so I can really focus on my training leading up to my 40th birthday.

The good news is I got probably my best dunk so far this past Friday. I tossed the ball off the glass, caught it with one hand and threw down a one hand dunk. Similar to the one I got at the end of this video, but instead of rattling around the rim a bit, this one was completely clean and even with a bit of authority. It was on the 9'10" rim but I still am really proud of that dunk. The bad news is that my camera wasn't on! Someday I will learn my lesson to not make any dunk attempts unless the camera is rolling.

I did play hoops yesterday but never got the camera out to film and didn't make any dunk attempts. I will be playing again on Friday and will definitely film no matter how good or bad I'm jumping that day.

This week is off to a lousy start. I didn't workout yesterday (just played basketball) and didn't work out today. I have a huge project due tomorrow and has completely consumed me. Speaking of that project, I've got to get back to it.

Tomorrow, I'm getting up early and getting a great workout in. I hope to post again on Friday and have a video to share.

Thanks!

Operation Tomahawk - Week 3 Recap

Week 3 of Operation Tomahawk is complete!

It wasn't the best week of training. I skipped one of my workouts and only got about 1/2 of another workout done. I also didn't stretch everyday. Sometimes things don't go perfectly. It often seems like there is just not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. But, you just do the best you can and keep going.

I did play basketball yesterday and filmed a little in between games but I wasn't jumping that well. My back has been bothering me a little bit and just one of those days where you just don't jump as high and can't quite explain why. Sometimes it just happens that way.

So, I don't have a new video that I feel is worth posting this week. Instead, I'd like to share a video I sent to Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual) that he posted on his YouTube account that compares my before and after results using the Jump Manual. In less than a week it already has over 1,000 views and some nice comments which is pretty cool!

 I will definitely post a new video next week! Thanks for reading and watching!

Ankle sprain - no!

I was playing hoops this morning and sprained my left ankle. Thankfully it's not a bad sprain. But, it was enough of a tweak that it didn't make sense to test my vertical today. I'll be doing ice and advil for the next couple of days and may wait until Monday to test my vertical again. Just have to see how it feels.

I'm thinking about cutting back (at least a little bit) on basketball until I finish the Jump Manual. Rest/recovery is so important to get maximum results and avoid injuries. My sprain today may have partially been caused by fatigue. I feel young but there are a lot of basketball miles on this 39 year old body. Got to stay injury free!

Oh well...if this was easy, then everyone would be dunking! And then it wouldn't be so cool.

Vertical Jump Test - after 3 weeks of Jump Manual

I've been doing the Jump Manual for 3 weeks now and so it was time to test my vertical again. After playing ball this morning, I performed the same tests I've done the last 2 weeks to determine where I'm at.

And...here are the results:

My no step vertical has increased 2 inches.
My one step vertical has increased 1 inch.
My running vertical has increased 2 inches.

My max height is now about 10 feet 4 inches and so figure I need 4 to 6 more inches to throw down a one handed dunk.

So I'm up 2 inches in 3 weeks. Not bad! If my gains continue at this same rate, I'd end up with about an 8 inch gain during the 12 weeks of the program. That would put me pretty close to 11 feet max height and should be high enough to throw it down.

Just got to keep going!

Here's a video of the test I did today. Thanks for reading and watching!

Jump Manual - on the road this week!

I finished another successful week of the Jump Manual on Saturday which puts me at 3 weeks into the program. I'm definitely feeling stronger and after watching Jacob Hiller's videos showing off his 42" inch vertical and a rim rocking tomahawk dunk, I'm more motivated than ever!

That extra motivation is really important right now because I'm traveling this week which can make getting workouts in a little harder. Eating healthy is also really hard on the road for me. I eat and eat and eat and most of it isn't that healthy. I also miss my green smoothies which I have for breakfast every morning when I'm home.

I'm back in town in a couple of days and will test my vertical again and get a new video posted by Friday. I'm hoping for at least 1 more inch on my vertical.

Jacob Hiller - 42 inch vertical!

Just saw this and had to share it!

Jacob Hiller who created the Jump Manual just posted a video showing that this program does in fact work.

So motivated!

Vertical Jump Test - After 2 weeks of Jump Manual program

So I've been doing the Jump Manual for 2 weeks now and thought it was time to test my vertical again.You can read about and watch a video of my original vertical jump test at this previous blog post.

Yesterday, I did the same tests as I had done 2 weeks before. It's a little hard to tell if I've increased my no-step vertical. Maybe just a little? Not sure. I was feeling good about my one-step vertical as it seemed like it was about a 1 inch improvement. But, after watching the video it was clear that I cheated! I actually took 2 steps! So don't have an accurate comparison and will make sure not to cheat next time. :-)

My running vertical has increased about 1 inch. Before, I was grabbing the rim at the knuckle of my middle finger. This time I was grabbing the rim at about the top of my palm which would be about a 1 inch increase.

So a 1 inch gain after 2 weeks. Not too shabby. But, I wish it was more! At this rate, I would be looking at about a 6 inch gain during the 12 weeks. That would mean I would barely be able to dunk on a good day when the planets were aligned and the wind was blowing just right. I'm hoping for more like 10 inches! That would be over 11 feet maximum height and even without being able to palm the ball should be plenty to throw it down.

My no-step vertical seems way too low to me which means I've got to hit the weights harder! Depending on how things go during the next few weeks, I may alter my workout to do less plyometrics and more weights. Many of the "vertical jump experts" out there say you must be able to squat at least 1.5 times your bodyweight and I have a ways to go on that.

I will test again on Monday and hopefully by then I'll have figured out a better way to test and film my vertical jump. Wish I had an extra $600 so I could buy one of those vertecs! Those are sweet.

Week 2 Jump Manual - Recap

Week 2 is over and once again I was able to complete all the workouts for the Jump Manual. Only 10 weeks left which doesn't seem very long. If all goes as planned, I will be dunking before July 4th!

I was planning to do another vertical jump test and video but didn't get that done. Will definitely do that on Monday and see where I'm at. I do know that I've already made some good progress with my flexibility. When I'm warmed up, I can now bend down and touch the floor fairly easily. I know that sounds ridiculous but before starting the program, the furthest I could reach was a few inches above my toes. When I would stretch (which wasn't often obviously), people thought I was joking! Becoming more flexible should help with jumping and injury prevention too.

Another sign of progress is my lifts for the leg workout improved since last week. I've created a workout chart and am recording all my lifts and reps. It's kind of a pain to carry around my notebook and write everything down but it's so worth it! It helped me push so much harder! There is no way I would be able to remember how much weight I had done the previous workout and having that information in front of me was so motivating. I wanted to beat what I had done last time and did for nearly every exercise. No way I would have lifted as much weight today without that info. If you're not logging your workouts, you absolutely should!

That's all for now. I will post a new video in a couple of days. Thanks for reading.

I'm starting the Jump Manual

This Monday, April 11 I am starting the Jump Manual vertical jump program created by Jacob Hiller. I'm creating this blog as a way to track my progress and hopefully provide some additional motivation to complete the 12 week program. Yes, I want to dunk!

I actually started the Jump Manual about 18 months ago and unfortunately about 2/3 of the way through, I had a pretty bad knee injury in a city league game that took several months to heal. I'm feeling pretty healthy now and want to make another go at the program. I was getting some decent results and so I'm excited to go for it again.

Jacob Tucker's youtube video and winning the NCAA Dunk contest is partially to blame for this renewed obsession. That guy is ridiculous! And, I want to be just like him. Or just a little like him would be just fine.

I'm just under 6 feet tall and 39 years young. Given those facts, you may think this quest is a tad unrealistic. Great! That will only push me harder. I will tell you that in my younger days I could dunk. But, it has been a LONG time (at least 10 years). So, it certainly is possible. But, is it still possible? This is a race against a clock that seems to be ticking more and more quickly. If I'm going to dunk again, it's going to have to be soon!

The other reason I'm doing this program is I have an 11 year old son who I hope becomes a much better athlete than I ever was. I want to determine which programs are best to help him when he gets a little bit older. What better way to figure that out then do the programs myself?

If you are doing the Jump Manual or other vertical program right now, I'd love to hear about your results.

Thanks for reading and hope you will follow along for the next 12 weeks.