Getting Older...But Jumping Higher!!!

I'm posting more often on Instagram so follow me there @overthehilldunker

At 44 years YOUNG, I'm on the verge of jumping the highest I have ever jumped and certainly the highest I've jumped in over 15 years.

I got a few really nice dunks on Saturday including a couple of 2 handers off the glass and know I could have had several more good dunks but there were a bunch of guys who just wanted to play pick-up so I was only able to get in a few attempts. Would have liked to try a few more windmills and other dunks I'm trying to learn but didn't get the opportunity. Next time!

Jumping felt so easy. It was also the first time wearing the Jordan 29s and they felt great. So maybe it was the shoes! So stoked with my progress and so stoked I set the crazy goal of being in the fitconutah dunk contest as it has pushed me so hard to reach my goals. No way I would have come this far without this big goal.

Go get your dreams!

Started vert training again - Week 9 (couple of dunks, lots of misses)

I've now completed 9 weeks of training for this phase. Only 3 weeks left!

This week went really well. I felt really good and was jumping well. I missed a TON of dunks off the dribble. I really thought I'd get at least 1 to go down but missed them all. I did get 2 dunks off the lob and those felt really easy.

I definitely noticed a difference in my energy this week. And, I'm sure that is from the creatine. That stuff definitely works! I'm also really happy that I didn't gain any weight this week as I've typically gained 5 lbs the week I start taking creatine. But, so far -- no weight gain. I think the difference this time is I've been drinking a ton of water. Creatine does pull water into the muscles and so you need to drink extra water. I have and that seems to be working.

Here's this week's video. Enjoy!

Started vert training again - Week 8

Another week in the books!

I've now completed 8 weeks of this 12 week phase. I am still 100% on hitting every single workout so far. This week was the first time though that I was not able to complete all the exercises in every single workout. It was on one of my plyo days and I still had a few jumps left to complete. But there was nothing left in the tank.

It wasn't a great jumping week. My body actually doesn't feel that broken down but it has to be after this many weeks and workouts. I'm also still playing basketball three days a week on top of all the workouts. I would probably get better results if I didn't do that and let my body rest more. But, I have to play. It's an addiction!

I mentioned last week that I was going to start taking creatine again and I started yesterday. I am very curious to see how my last few weeks go and am counting on some extra energy from creatine to help me get a few inches in gains!

I'm also adding in my "secret exercise" during 2 of the workouts each week until I complete this phase. Right now,. I'm focusing primarily on getting super explosive and that exercise in my opinion is one of the best on teaching you to get off the ground as quickly as possible.

That's about all for now. Here's this week's video. Enjoy!

Back at it!

The last few months have been crazy busy and among the most stressful of my life. My training has taken a back seat and it shows. But, all that really means... is it's time to get back to training!

I started on Monday of this week and I'm going to give everything I've got to reach my goal of dunking 2 hands over these next 12 weeks. Besides the workouts, I will be super strict on eating healthy, stretching and icing every day, and getting proper rest each night.

As far as workouts go, I'm doing a mix of Jump Manual and other exercises that have given me the best results over the last few years. That includes my "secret exercise" that I've mentioned in a couple of my previous posts.

Speaking of this exercise, check out this email thread from a few weeks ago:

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On Wed, Feb 11, 2015 at 1:23 PM, Derrick James <derrickjames330@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi I Am willing to try your secret exercise and share the results with you.

Could you please snend it. 

Thanks in advance 

On Friday, February 13, 2015, Andy Nicholson <andy@kalunaproductions.com> wrote:

Hi Derrick,

Here is the video of the exercise that has seemed to make a difference for me. Hope it helps! Let me know it goes.

my "secret" vertical jump exercise

On Sunday, February 15, 2015, Derrick James James <derrickjames330@gmail.com>wrote:

Hi Andy 

Thanks, I'll get back to you in 4 weeks 

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, Derrick James James <derrickjames330@gmail.com> wrote:

Oh hey

The exercises helped improve my quickness, I can dunk now thanks.

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, Andy Nicholson <andy@kalunaproductions.com>   wrote:

That is fantastic! Congrats! How much higher are you jumping now?

On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 4:12 PM, Derrick James <derrickjames330@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks, I am jumping about 2-3 inches higher now 

On Thursday, March 19, 2015, Andy Nicholson <andy@kalunaproductions.com> wrote:

Awesome! First time you ever dunked? How tall are you and what is your age?

On Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 4:16 PM, Derrick James <derrickjames330@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes first time I've ever dunked 

I'm 6,2 15 yrs old

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So that makes 2 people I know of who started dunking after they did this exercise for a few weeks. Pretty cool!

Happy training everyone!

My Dreams or My Son's? Or Both?

So over 2 months has passed and I've not posted any updates! So lame! I see I'm not alone as the other blogs out there that I follow for tracking vertical jump progress also have not seen much activity.

Are we giving up? Anybody still training? Does anyone still read this blog? :)

I used to get quite a bit of traffic. But, of course it helps when you are posting on a regular basis!

The last couple of months I have been training some but not consistently. I have been spending much of the time I used to train to workout with my 14 year old son. Sometimes I miss playing and working out, but I love working with him and seeing him improve. He's made so much progress and still has so far to go to reach my goals (I mean HIS goals! LOL).

So...summer is almost here and that should allow us to do vertical jump training together -- instead of just skill work. Maybe I will "outsource"this blog to him and he can start making the updates!

Post some comments and let me know what you guys are up to.

Final week of training for this 12 week phase + couple of dunks

I’m finishing up my last week of this phase of training. Just one more workout and I get to take 2 weeks off! But, that doesn’t mean I will just be sitting around doing nothing. I plan to play hoops, do a few light exercises, and do some dunk sessions. I am really excited to see how I’m jumping once my legs are completely (or almost completely) fresh.

Here’s a couple of dunks I got this morning between pick-up games. Not my best jumps but not too shabby.



I’m actually most excited about how close I am to hanging on the rim off my no-step vert. I almost got that today. That will be a key milestone in my progress and expect that to happen in the next couple of weeks as well. 

Keep training guys! It’s worth it!

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 9 Results - another PR!

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I have still been training hard despite my schedule being crazier than ever. I've had to get up at 4:45 am in order to get my workouts in during these last few weeks. But, I'm determined to reach my goals and will give up sleep if I have to!

And it is paying off! 3 weeks ago I got a new PR on my no-step vert and today I got another PR (31.8" on my no-step vert).

Here's the video:



Today's jump was only a PR by .2 inches but progress is progress! And I fully expect to get a new PR next week. I'm feeling so good again after all those injuries.

I'm hoping to make a new dunk video on Saturday. With my no-step vert higher than it probably has ever been (even when I was a "young" lad), I should be able to get some decent dunks. I haven't tried dunking much lately as I've been much more focused on training and playing basketball.

Stay tuned! Big things are coming!

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 6 Results - new PR!

After some bad luck with injuries, I’m finally feeling good again!  In fact, today I got a new PR on my no-step jump!

Here’s the video with my new PR of 31.6 on my no-step jump:

It feels so good...to feel good! The sprain on my right ankle took so much longer to heal than I was expecting. The worst part was the timing! Two weeks ago, I went to Florida and was able to meet up with Steven Celi who has become one of my favorite YouTube dunkers. I was hoping to make a cool dunk video with him but we were both injured. It was still cool to meet him in person and learn more about his training and what has worked and not worked for him. He’s a big believer in jumping every day or almost every day. He does very little lower body strength training now and mostly focuses on jumping and plyometric work. It definitely has worked for him. He recently tested at 42” on his running vert which is fantastic.

I’m super excited again and look forward to getting another PR very soon. I'm feeling very confident about getting to 34” on my no-step and 40” on my running vert! Big dunks coming soon!

Thanks for reading and following along. I appreciate the support.

I admit it...I'm addicted to basketball

Last week, I sprained an ankle for the second week in a row. My right ankle was a cankle!

So, I started ice liking crazy, popping Advil, and whatever else I could to speed up recovery. And, to my surprise this bad boy is healing up pretty quickly! I sprained it last Wednesday and so I took Thursday and Friday off. But, I was able to workout on Saturday.

Because of my basketball addiction, I played on Monday and again today even though that probably wasn't the best idea. Good thing I've never been into drugs! Pretty sure I would be the worst addict ever.

Here's what it looks like now:

It's still not 100% but so glad it's getting better so quickly.

I will test again on Monday and see where I'm at. If I can stay healthy, I'm confident there are some nice gains in my near future.

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 3 Results

Another good week of training despite spraining my left ankle playing hoops (luckily not a bad sprain). The "cool" part was I did it blocking a guy's shot. But, there was some contact in the air and got off-balance and landed wrong. It's still a bit swollen and I need to do a better job icing it.

Last week was also kind of crazy because my oldest son was trying out for 2 competitive basketball teams and I probably get more stressed out than he does. But, he did great and is so fun to see his hard work pay off!

My best no-step vert was down this week almost an inch. I got 29.5 compared to 30.4 last week. I attribute that to having a bad day, some soreness, and my sprained ankle.


No-step vert test results so far:

• Week 3 best no-step vert = 29.5 
• Week 2 best no-step jump = 30.4
• Week 1 best no-step jump = 30.1
• PR for no-step jump = 31.1 (April 2013)

I also did the 4 jump test again. My best of 3 attempts was:

.24 (ground contact time)
2.91 (explosive leg power)
23.4 (avg vertical for the 4 jumps)

Ground contact time (.24) is same as last week.
Explosive leg power (2.91) is down from last week's 2.99.
Average vertical for the 4 jumps (23.4) is down from last week's 25.6.

This kind of shows I just had no "bounce" this day which also helps explain my no-step vert being down. Just one of those days. Next week will be better!

Jump Manual - 41 years old - Week 10 Results

Week 10 of Jump Manual training was kind of mediocre.

So, here's where I make excuses....

My brother and his wife and kids came to town (which was awesome) to ski and hang out. As a result, my wife made a plethora (jefe...do you know what a plethora is?) of yummy food which I ate way too much of. There was also extra junk food around the house since we had guests and my will power just sucks. The day they arrived my weight was the lowest it had been in a while (175 lbs) and when they left it was back up to 178 lbs. I also missed a workout and didn't stretch very much. Dang!

On the positive side, my brother's wife is an athletic trainer and so we talked at length about vertical jump training, strength training, etc. She really knows her stuff and gave me some great advice. She is a big believer in doing exercises that as closely mirror the athletic movement as possible. So for example, she said I should be doing more 1 leg exercises as you do a lot of jumping off 1 leg in basketball. She also suggested doing squats, lunges, etc with your feet in the same placement as when you jump (which would actually be somewhat of a staggered stance at least for me when I jump off 2 feet). So I will be trying to incorporate some of her suggestions and am curious to see how they impact my results.

No video this week. Sorry about that. Will make sure I get one next week.

Only 2 weeks left!!!