Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 11 Results

Last Monday, I was feeling really stiff and sore and had a horrible jumping day. My highest no-step vert that day was a 29.9 which is about 2 inches below my PR. So, on Tuesday I decided to take a rest day. I slept in and skipped the gym. On Tuesday night, I fell asleep checking email at 8:00 pm lying on my bed.

I got up at 6:00 am and headed over to play some hoops. My legs were still a little sore but definitely felt better. After a couple of games, I went for a couple of dunk attempts and was jumping higher than I have in years. I then got the best dunk I've gotten in months and it felt so good. I am almost positive I could have dunked 2 hands that day based on how high I was getting. 

So...my training is working and I'm making gains again. I just wish I got that dunk on video!

I'm hitting it really hard for the next 2 weeks and then I'll be taking 1-2 weeks off which is when I will likely be able to see the full results from my last few months of training. I know I've said this before but I am absolutely sure that I will dunk 2 hands very soon. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and say that it will happen during the next 3 weeks. Before the end of 2013 for sure.

Thanks to all those who are still following this blog and especially those who post comments and ask questions. Hope your having success reaching your goals!

Dunk Competition for Nike Elites!

In my last blog post, I asked if anyone would like to enter a friendly competition with the hope it would give me some additional motivation in my pursuit of the 2 hand dunk! And, maybe it would provide some additional motivation to someone else too. Well, I'm happy to report that 4 people have challenged me so far:

Aaron Perry - he can dunk 1 hand similar to me. So, we're racing to the 2 hand dunk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq3kllU7Vys

d - he can get a few inches over the rim. So, he's racing to the 1 hand dunk vs. me getting 2 hand dunk
http://dunkbot.blogspot.com

Mason Collier - can dunk 1 hand similar to me. So, we're racing to the 2 hand dunk
http://projectmason.blogspot.com/

Joe C. Thomas - can grab rim with both hands. So, he's racing to the 1 hand dunk vs me getting 2 hand dunk
http://joejoesbucketlist.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Aaron, d, Mason, and Joe! Good luck guys!

So, what's the wager? Whoever accomplishes their dunking goal first, gets a pair of Nike Elite's!

I'm looking forward to having 4 more pairs of Elite's very soon! :-)

Let the competition begin!

Jump Manual at 40 years old - Week 11 Results

Sorry folks! I'm very late posting my Week 11 Results. I guess I haven't been super anxious to update my blog as this past week was not super great from a training standpoint. I was on the road again (for the 3rd straight week) and that makes things really tough for me to get all my workouts in.

Probably the best thing that happened this past week is I had the coolest and most realistic dream I can remember in quite some time. I dreamed I got my 2 hand dunk! And it was so real and felt so good. I am a firm believer that you have to believe you can do something before you can do it. If you don't believe you can dunk, can pretty much guarantee that will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. You've got to believe it! Really believe it!

Along those lines, one thing I've been doing more is visualizing myself dunking two hands during the strength and explosion workout. I especially like to visualize that for calf raises and knee drives. It doesn't require much skill or thought to perform those exercises, so its easy to really picture dunking in my mind while trying to be as explosive as possible. Maybe it sounds a little corny, but I think it helps.

Well...that's about all for now....

Oh, be sure to check out these blogs created by some new friends of mine who are chasing their dunking dreams and start following their progress too! Knowing that a few other people have been inspired to go after their goals after reading my blog makes me feel really good and motivates me to keep working hard. So thanks to everyone out there who is reading this blog and especially to those who have posted comments, asked questions, started their own blog, or whatever. I really appreciate it!

DunkQuest2012
Quest to dunk by November

My 40th Birthday!

If you have been following my blog, you know that my goal was to throw down a two-hand tomahawk dunk by my 40th birthday which was yesterday (Sat, Jan 7th).

On Friday night, some of my buddies pulled some pretty hilarious pranks and that was followed by a surprise party that my AWESOME wife put together. It was a great night!

On Saturday morning, I got up early for my son's basketball game and then headed down to Gold's Gym for a dunk session. I did a really thorough warm-up while listening to a custom playlist I put together on my iPod. I was getting pretty fired up and ready to thrown down some dunks.

But...unfortunately the two-hand tomahawk dunk is still on my to-do list. I've worked really hard these last several months but I'm not jumping high enough...YET.

While I'm disappointed and a little frustrated, I have to remember I've made some solid progress since last April and there are very few guys my age and height who can dunk a basketball. I've come a long ways but I'm far from satisfied. And, there is no way I'm giving up now!

I have some new exercises and other changes I'm going to make on my training moving forward. I've already been thinking a lot about it. I'm not sure what to call this next phase of training as I really liked "Operation Tomahawk". So, let me know if you have any suggestions! One idea is "40 at 40" as to do the two-hand tomahawk, I think I'm going to need a 40 inch vertical.

I'm leaning towards taking this week off. These last 2 weeks especially I have trained really hard and my body could probably use the rest. Recovery is really important and I've neglected that in favor of training harder leading up to my birthday.

Thanks for the support! Good luck with your training!

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!

Jump Manual Tips & Tricks

Over the last few months, I've had several people ask me for tips and advice to increase their vertical and being successful with the Jump Manual. Here are some of my thoughts:

• The Jump Manual emphasizes over and over that you are training explosiveness, not endurance. This is absolutely critical. Focus on this during every rep, every exercise, every time you workout. Never pace yourself in any of the exercises. Give everything you have.
• Set specific goals with a deadline. For example, my goal is to dunk 2 hands by July 4, 2012.  Big goal with an expiration date. Provides tons of motivation. Write your goals down and put in a place you will see everyday.
• Film your vertical jump before you start the program and then regularly during your training. Closely study the technique of guys who can really jump (Tdub, Golden Child, Jacob Tucker, etc.) and see how your technique compares to theirs. There is so much more to jumping than most people realize and you can learn a ton by watching other high flyers and seeing how your jumping style and technique differs from theirs. Adam Linkenauger and Jacob Hiller have some great videos on jump technique as well.
• Be consistent. During my first 12 weeks of Jump Manual training, I think I missed 3 workouts out of 72 (12 weeks x 6 workouts per week = 72 workouts). The way you break down your muscles through the different forms of training (plyometrics, strength, CNS, etc.) and then re-build them over and over again through nutrition and rest is key. The order of the workouts and timing between workouts is important. You will slow down your progress if you skip workouts so that there is too much time between workouts or don't get proper rest so there is too little time between workouts.
• Follow the Jump Manual program. Before I started the Jump Manual, I read that thing several times and had it with me when I would workout so I could re-read how to perform certain exercises to ensure I was doing them correctly. Some of the exercises are a little tricky and take time to learn. Print off a copy of the entire manual and take it with you. Make sure you understand how to do all the exercises.
• Do the "Off-day Exercises". Based on some of the comments I've received, I'd be willing to bet that many people skip them. They don't understand them, think they are silly, or not that important. That is a huge mistake!
• Do a dynamic warmup before each workout and finish each workout with static stretching. Get a foam roller and use it especially in your warmup. I used to see people using them and thought it was ridiculous but I am now a foam rolling addict. I use it everyday. Get one and incorporate into your workout.
• Improve your flexibility. If you have bad flexibility (like I did), you will increase your vertical just by getting more flexible. Before I started Jump Manual back in April, I was about 6 inches away from touching my toes when bending over with my legs straight. No exaggeration. I can now touch the floor easily even when I'm not warmed up.
• Have a protein shake or other quality source of protein (chicken, tuna, fish, etc.) immediately after each workout. For more details about what I'm eating, visit my previous post on Jump Manual nutrition.
• Use creatine. I'm not a big supplement guy as I believe you can get most (if not all) the nutrition your body needs by eating healthy. But creatine works. I will use it for 3-4 weeks and then not use it for a month or so and then take it again for another 3-4 weeks. Great stuff.
• Don't overtrain and listen to your body. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between being too sore to workout and the temptation to make an excuse to take the day off. If you are very active and already in good shape, it is unlikely you will need to skip very many days of Jump Manual training due to soreness especially if you are eating right, foam rolling, stretching, and getting enough sleep. But, listen to your body. Take a day off if you need to but don't look for an excuse to be lazy either.
• Don't neglect your core. The Jump Manual has some great core exercises. Do them! 
• Record the weights you lift during each strength workout. This has been one of the best things I've done. Every time I workout, I try to go heavier than I did last time. No way I would push myself as hard without having that information right in front of me. It's also really satisfying to see the progress. If you can keep yourself motivated, the more likely you are to stay on the program. 
• One of the most important things to do is take advantage of the weekly coaching sessions that Jacob offers. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons the Jump Manual is superior to any other vertical jump program out there. During these online coaching sessions, I've shown Jacob videos of my squat form, my jump technique, etc. and he's been able to give me specific feedback that has helped tremendously. He's also taken the time to answer my questions and customize my workout to better suit my particular strengths and weaknesses. You also get to hear other Jump Manual users ask questions and share their experiences which has been beneficial to me as well. I can't say enough about how valuable the coaching sessions have been to me. And yes...they are free to all Jump Manual users.

Hope this helps. Post your questions, comments, and especially anything that has worked for you. I would love to pick up some tips and tricks from anyone else who is having success using the Jump Manual or another vertical jump training program.

Good luck!