"40 at 40" starts tomorrow!

After taking a week off, I'm ready to start my next round of vertical jump training! This next phase I'm calling "40 at 40" because I'm going for a 40+ inch vertical at 40 years old! This round of training begins tomorrow, Monday, January 16, and will run for 12 weeks ending Saturday, April 7th.

I will be uploading videos and posting to my blog regularly during the next 12 weeks and hope you will follow along!

Here are some of the changes I'm making to my training:

• Adding bands to my squats. Jacob (creator of Jump Manual) suggested I start using these because it adds resistance to the lift particularly as you are coming up where you really want to be explosive. Here's a video Jacob posted recently on using bands and another video on setting up bands. I got the orange bands from elitefts.
• Writing down the weights, reps, sets, etc. on all my workouts. I was doing this for the strength workout (squats, deadlifts, etc.) but not plyometrics, the off-day exercises, core & upper body, etc.
• Doing strength training for my lower body twice per week instead of once per week. I see this making a HUGE difference for me.
• Testing, measuring, and tracking my vertical every single day. See my last post for more details on how I'm doing this.
• Getting my bodyfat tested a week from tomorrow (January 23rd). I haven't had this tested in years and really curious where I'm at. I will test it again in six weeks and again at the end of twelve weeks. I want to see my bodyfat percentage no higher than 8%
• Going to be super strict on my diet and write down everything I eat. I will be having green smoothies every morning after my workout and then healthy meals throughout the day. Before bed each night, I'm going to eat cottage cheese and a banana (or other healthy snack with casein protein) to ensure my body has sufficient protein during the night to repair broken down muscles. On Sunday, I will take a "free" day and eat whatever I want. Looking forward to my Sunday morning doughnuts! Maple bars are the best.

There are some other changes but those are the big ones. One thing I've noticed during the last several months is some days I can jump at least 4 inches higher than other days but can't really explain why. By being much more diligent on recording my lifts, my vertical, etc. I should be able to determine what things are allowing me to jump higher and then modify my workouts accordingly. I also believe testing my vertical on a daily basis is going to really push me to improve every single day. And, that's what it takes!

Here are my goals to reach by April 7, 2012:

• 34" standing vertical
• 38" one-step vertical
• 41" running vertical

If you are working on your vertical jump, I strongly encourage you to set some very specific goals and create a detailed plan on how you will achieve those goals.

Thanks for reading!

Testing my vertical

I've been regularly attending coaching sessions with Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual) to get feedback on my training. It has been really helpful and one of the biggest reasons I am a huge fan of Jacob and the Jump Manual.

As a result of the coaching combined with my own knowledge and experience, I'm going to make several changes to my workouts during this next round of training which starts on Monday. One of these changes is I will be testing my vertical every single day. Jacob has been really pushing me to do this and so I have been trying to figure out the best way to test, measure, and track my vertical.

Probably the best way to do this would be using a Vertec like you see in the NFL and NBA combines. But, those are like $600! And even if I had an extra $600, I'm pretty sure my wife would not be down with me spending that kind of money on something like that. Sometimes you have to improvise and so today I made my own vertec! Well...sort of.

Here's a little video that shows my $8 version...

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!

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 5 Recap

Just got back from traveling for a few days so I'm late in posting this week's recap. This past week was fairly successful in that I got in most of my workouts.

I have a funny story to share from this past week. One morning after we had been playing hoops for a while a few guys left and so we were down to just 10 players. Then another guy said he had to take off which would have left us with just 9. This guy had not been out to play with us since about last March which was before I started using the Jump Manual. So, I told him, "if I dunk, you have to stay another game." Since he thought there was very little chance of that happening, he said, "sure!" Well...you probably can guess what happened since I'm telling you this story. Yes, I threw down a pretty good dunk and he was man enough to follow through on his word. Everybody was laughing pretty hard and it was a really fun morning. He also asked me what I've been doing to work on my vertical which made me feel pretty good (he is actually a professional athlete). Even better, I got the whole thing on video and will upload soon!

Thanks for following along!

Operation Tomahawk - Took the week off

After a lousy start to my training this past week, I decided to go ahead and take the entire week off. I'll admit it was nice to have a little break.

Things are going much better this week. Had a great workout yesterday and had a couple of decent dunks in morning basketball. I've been watching tons of dunk videos on YouTube and that has gotten me really motivated. It's amazing how easy some of these guys make it look.

I've got to get a lot stronger! City league basketball is also starting up in about a month and am really hoping to be able to dunk in a game -- something I've been dreaming of since I was a little kid.

I ordered some new creatine and excited to get started with that. Also, going to get strict on my diet again. Way too much candy and junk food lately and time to get really disciplined with my eating. Clock is ticking. My birthday is now just under 2 months away and I still have a quite a ways to go to reach my goal.

Another area I've got to do much better on is stretching. Gotten lazy with that and I know it makes a difference. 

Thanks for following along. I will get a new video uploaded soon.

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!

Operation Tomahawk - Week 2 Recap

Week 2 of Operation Tomahawk -- my 12 week plan to throw down a nasty two hand tomahawk dunk before I turn 40, has come and gone.

I got in all my workouts and started off great with my diet. But, the last couple of days I gave into some cravings (burger, cheese fries, milkshake, etc.). Sunday is my "free" day to eat whatever I want. And let's just say that Sunday came a little early this week! Oops.

My workouts went really well though. I set some personal bests on squats and deadlifts which felt great. I know I'm getting stronger. And stronger means I'm going to be jumping higher!

This morning, I played hoops and brought my video camera. My legs felt great and was really jumping well and also playing well. I didn't film very much as I was having so much fun playing. The basket felt huge and shots were falling. One of those days where you just want to play forever.

I threw down one decent dunk off the dribble and had a really nice lob attempt and was excited to see how they looked on video. But, when I got home to watch the footage those particular clips didn't get recorded somehow. So unfortunately, I don't have a video to post today. Really bummed.

I'm trying to limit playing to one or two days per week to give my body more rest. But, I may play again on Wednesday so I can get some footage.

Thanks & stay tuned!

Oh...one more thing...I'm pretty sure I can grab the rim with 2 hands off just one step now. I did a couple one step jumps and realized that I was probably high enough to do it. Can't wait to get back to the gym and find out for sure.

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!

Operation Tomahawk - Week 1 Recap

I had an AWESOME first week of "Operation Tomahawk" which is my 12 week plan to be able to do a two-hand tomahawk dunk before I turn 40 in January.

If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I completed 12 weeks of  Jump Manual training back in July and reached my goal to be able to dunk. While that was pretty cool, it left me wanting more.

After taking a few weeks off, I restarted the Jump Manual in combination with Freak Jump Technique and got about 3 weeks into it and unfortunately lost my motivation and started missing most of my workouts and eating really bad. But, that is over. I'm totally focused again and will do what it takes to reach my goal to dunk like this (okay...that might be a stretch but I'll do my best!).

So this past week, I got in all my workouts. I ate pretty much perfectly. Stretched everyday except one I believe. I did play basketball twice instead of once. So hard for me to skip morning hoops! My intention is to only play once a week to help my body have a little more recovery time. It was a great first week and can already feel a difference. It reinforced to me how important your diet is and how much better you feel when you're eating right.

I'm thinking about filming some of my workouts to show some of the exercises I'm doing. If you think that would be beneficial, post some comments below. If I get quite a few people saying they are interested, I may take the time and effort to put something together. We'll see.

This morning I played hoops and didn't play that well but I had a pretty good dunk so I still came home in a good mood.

Thanks for watching and reading!

Operation Tomahawk - starts tomorrow

I didn't want to post my last video. Nothing but crappy dunks or missed dunks. Watching it was frustrating and frankly kind of pissed me off. But, some good has come out of it. I'm fired up and ready to go to work.

So tomorrow, I'm starting my second round of Jump Manual training over and calling it "Operation Tomahawk". I have just a little over 12 weeks until I turn 40 in January and want to be able to throw down a two-hand tomahawk dunk before that happens. I'm estimating that I need another 4 inches on my vertical to be able to do that.

4 inches in 12 weeks? Doesn't seem like that much. But, I know this will not be easy. What am I going to do to pull this off?

First, I'm going to change a few things for this round for training. I'm going to play basketball just once a week instead of three times per week. Getting my workouts in for the last several weeks has been hard and often I've opted to play basketball instead of doing my training. I also think having a little extra rest between workouts will help.

I'm going to post a video every week (most likely Fridays) for the next 12 weeks as this really helps my motivation. Knowing I'm going to post a video each week pushes me to train harder as I want to see progress. The mostly positive comments and "likes" I've gotten on my YouTube videos have also been very rewarding and help me to keep going.

I'm also going to hold off on Freak Jump Technique training for the first 6 weeks. It doesn't take that much extra time, but it has felt a little overwhelming trying to do both jump manual and freak jump technique. I just want to focus on jump manual for these first 6 weeks and then the last 6 weeks, I'm going to add back in Freak Jump Technique.

I'm also going to make sure I get in my stretching everyday. I hate stretching and so it's easy to make excuses or procrastinate. But, the little things like this make a difference. I'm going to need every inch I can get so can't neglect flexibility anymore.

Finally, I'm going to be super strict on my diet. I've been eating too much fast food and other junk lately. No more of that nonsense. Going to get super strong and ripped during these next 12 weeks. Would like to see my weight be 165-168 lbs (I'm currently 172 - 175 lbs depending on the day) and drop my bodyfat % down as well. Not sure what it is right now but would guess around 10%? Would like to be 6% or so.

So...Operation Tomahawk. You and me. See you tomorrow.

Motivation...where have you gone?

I really thought I was back in the groove with my jump manual training, but I'm not there yet. The last few weeks have been tough.

My 40th birthday is now almost exactly 3 months away and will be here before I know it. I think I may actually start over again on Monday and do the full 12 weeks again leading right up to my birthday. I think it might help me stay on track.

Can't decide what to do about the Freak Jump Technique program. I do like it and think it helps but I feel like maybe trying to do both at the same time is just a little too much for me and all I have going on. The older I get, the more I realize that there isn't enough time to do all the things I want to do and so you have to prioritize.

Here is my latest video. I almost didn't post it as I am pretty disappointed with what I have to show for the last couple of weeks. Missed workouts = missed dunks. Not good.

Thanks for reading and watching.

Back in the groove!

After a couple of weeks of excuses, procrastination, and a serious lack of motivation -- I'm very pleased with how things have gone this week with my Jump Manual and Freak Jump Technique workouts. I'm back to pushing myself and making sure I get the workouts done even when I don't feel like it.

I can feel myself turning a corner and excited and confident that I will reach my goal to throw down a two-hand tomahawk dunk before I turn 40 in January.

As usual, I played hoops 3 times this week and between games I got some video of my dunk practice on a 9'10" rim. I got pretty close on a two-hand dunk and I was finally able to get a toss off the backboard (one hand) dunk to go down. I've been trying that one for a while now and was pretty excited about it as you will see in this week's video.

Thanks for reading and watching!

2 weeks of laziness

Since completing my first week of Round 2 of Jump Manual training combined with Freak Jump Technique, I have been VERY lazy. It started when I went out of town for 5 days. For me, traveling is training kryptonite!

Sometimes a little break is good for your body and your mind but you also have to be careful about that just being an excuse to be lazy. These last 2 weeks were more of the lazy kind than needing a break to recover. I had already taken time off recently after I finished 12 weeks of Jump Manual training.

It was much easier to stay motivated when I was younger and had fewer responsibilities. Being married, 3 kids, busy career, family life, etc. makes it pretty easy to say, "I'll workout tomorrow."

Enough of this lazy crap!

Labor day is on Monday and is the perfect day to "get back to work"!

What kinds of things help you stay motivated?

Jump Manual (Round 2) + Freak Jump Technique - Week 1

After taking a couple weeks off for vacation and to rest and recover from my first 12 weeks of Jump Manual training, it's time to get back to work!

I've now completed my first week of "Round 2" of Jump Manual training which is a modified version of what I did the first 12 weeks. I'm also working hard on my technique using the Freak Jump Technique program.

And...I'm already seeing a difference in just the first week which is super motivating and exciting. I just feel more explosive and aggressive in my jumping. As I mentioned in my last post, I got a really good dunk this week (but no video to prove it). It was by far my best dunk since I started this adventure.

One of my dreams is to dunk in a game and so I've started practicing dunking off the dribble on the low rim (9'10") where I play hoops a few times each week. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't dunk on this rim even with someone tossing the ball right above the rim (the easiest dunk) and now I can dunk pretty easy off the dribble. Feels really good.

Here's a short video from today's dunk practice on the low rim. Thanks for reading and watching.