Jump Manual 2013 - Week 5 Results

Week 5 for this phase of training using the Jump Manual went extremely well!

I'm really glad I took the previous week off to rest. I admit it was hard to resist the temptation to work out and I was worried about losing some of my gains or slowing down progress. And, there's always a chance when you take time off that 1 week turns into 2 weeks and so on. But, I came back super motivated and was able to push hard with my body feeling fresh again.

I got in all my workouts and stretched every day. Also, my flexibility is finally starting to improve again and believe it is due to changing how long I hold each stretch. Previously, I would hold a position for 10 seconds and repeat 3 times. This past week, I began holding each stretch for 30 seconds and doing just 1 set. Holding each stretch for 30 seconds has allowed me to push just a little further and as a result my range of motion has improved. I still can't quite get my palms to the floor with straight legs but I'm getting much closer.

Yesterday, I tested my no-step vertical again. My legs were feeling great. I was absolutely convinced I would finally break 31". But, I didn't quite get it. I got 30.8" two times which matches my highest no-step jump on the mat from about 6 months ago. So next week has to be the week I finally break 31"! This is the reason tracking is so important as I'm so motivated to do everything I can this week to make sure I get a PR next week. Eating right. Stretching. Really getting after it on my workouts. If I wasn't tracking, there would not be anywhere near the same level of motivation.

Here's the video showing one of my 30.8" jumps.

I'm planning to start making dunk videos again. Maybe later this week. Stay tuned!

Jump Manual 2013 - Week 2 Results

I had another awesome week of training using the Jump Manual! I got in every single workout (including Freak Jump Technique) and stretched everyday.

Every Monday, I'm doing the "off-day exercises" which among other things include performing 2 sets of 6 no-step jumps. Last week, 5 of my 12 jumps were over 29" with my best jump being 29.7". Yesterday, 9 out of the 12 jumps were over 29" and I had 4 jumps over 30" with my best jump being 30.6". Almost a full inch increase! Now to be fair, I'm still working my way back to where I was so these are not "true gains". But, good news nonetheless. The best jump I've done on the mat is 30.8" about 6 months ago and I expect to beat that next week. I'm pretty confident anything over 31" would be a PR even if you go back to my younger days as my no-step vert has never been that good.

Anyways, here is a short video showing a couple of my jumps. Notice my friend in the background mocking me on the second jump. Lol!

In other good news, I got 210 lbs for 3 reps on bench press. My all time best is 225 lbs for 3 reps when I was 29 years old. I'm on track to beat that fairly soon.

Very excited! Progress feels good!

Tomahawk before Thanksgiving - Weeks 8-9

If you read my last post from a few weeks ago, you may recall I went to Europe for a week. It was an awesome trip! But, derailed me a bit on my vertical training with the Jump Manual and on updating my blog. Since I returned from my trip, I've lacked motivation, strength, and energy and I missed several workouts. I'm ready to change that!

This morning I had a great workout and am confident this week is going to be a good one. I also started taking creatine again after being off of it for several months. I'm anxious to see how it impacts my results this time. 

The next several weeks my focus is going to be on getting stronger. I think my strength is a bigger weakness compared to my "springyness" although I'd like to improve that too. My goal is to get my squat over 300 lbs and my deadlift to 325 lbs and get my bodyfat under 10%. When I do that, I should be dunking 2 hands easily!

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!

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 - 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 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!

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?

Round 2 of Jump Manual Training + Freak Jump Technique Reloaded

I recently finished 12 weeks of Jump Manual training and have been thinking a lot about what do next to continue improving my vertical. In a few months, I've gone from getting my fingers a little over the rim to being able to throw down a basic one hand dunk. Pretty cool...but I'm not satisfied. I want to dunk in a game and to dunk with AUTHORITY! This means I probably need to increase my vertical another 6 inches. That shouldn't be too hard...right? :-)

I have been talking to Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual) and also attending his weekly coaching sessions. He asked me to provide him a video showing my squat form and jumping form. After reviewing the videos, he had some great insights and also gave me a modified workout which I'm really excited about!

In addition, I've had some people comment on my YouTube videos that if my jump technique was better that I would be dunking really easy. At first, I kind of dismissed these comments but enough people brought it up that it made me start to wonder. So I watched a ton of dunk videos as well as jump technique videos and I finally started to see some of the things I was doing wrong. Turns out my technique does need significant improvement which is actually GREAT news. Improving jump technique has got to be easier (hopefully) than doing more squats, deadlifts, plyo's, etc!

To improve my technique, I purchased Adam Linkenauger's Freak Jump Technique Reloaded program and started it yesterday. There is so much more to jumping than I ever imagined. I'm confident by combining technique training with the modified Jump Manual training, I will get those 6 additional inches.

So here goes another 12 weeks of torture! I mean fun! It is mostly fun, but some days training really sucks and I'd rather just stay in bed. The results are worth it though in the end for sure.

I hope you will continue to follow along during my next 12 weeks of training. Thanks for reading!

12 weeks of Jump Manual completed!!!

I'm very pleased to say I have successfully completed 12 weeks of Jump Manual training. I'm even more pleased about my results!

Today, I got my first dunks jumping off one foot since starting my training. It was totally unexpected because my left knee gives me problems sometimes. I don't think it will ever be the same after tearing my MCL about 18 months ago. But, today it felt great and just felt so easy to jump.

My 2 foot jump also felt really good until I had the ball in my hands. I wasn't able to get down any dunks jumping off 2 feet today. I have been focusing a lot on my technique for the last week and think it will help in the long run. But, today I felt kind of uncoordinated when trying to dunk off 2 feet. I've had several people comment on my youtube videos that if I improved my technique that I would be dunking really easy. So I'm definitely going to keep working on it.

Now that I've finished 12 weeks of Jump Manual workouts, I'm working with Jacob Hiller (creator of Jump Manual) to take my training to the next level. My new goal is to be able to dunk 2 hands with AUTHORITY. No more of these weak dunks!

Well, here is my latest video. Thanks for reading and watching!

11 Weeks of the Jump Manual now complete!

If you have been following along at home, you already know that last week I got my first dunks since starting the Jump Manual. And yes, I am pretty excited about that. It felt really good to achieve my goal of dunking before I turn the ripe young age of 40!

But, instead of that motivating me to work even harder. I found it more difficult than ever to push myself this last week. It didn't help that I was out of town for 4 days. And that I have no self control when it comes to eating healthy when I travel. Why is that?

At any rate, I went down to Gold's Gym this morning with high hopes. Made about a million dunk attempts and only got one very weak dunk. I came home and my wife asked how it went. I told her that I was bummed because I only got one weak dunk. She told me that just a few weeks ago that was not possible so that I should be excited.

As usual, my wife is right. But, don't tell her I said that. Ok?

So...next week I hope to get some REAL dunks.

Thanks for reading and watching.

Here's my latest video.

I like low rims and I can not lie...

The court I play basketball on a few times each week has one rim that is 2 inches low. Everyone prefers to have that hoop. The team going to that basket has an advantage for sure. It's easier to shoot on. And, it's also easier to dunk on! :-)

Last week, after several weeks of Jump Manual training, I dunked 3 times on the low rim. But, didn't get any of them on video!

Today, I got another dunk on the 9'10" rim and this time had the camera rolling. Come on! Just need 2 more inches. Is that too much to ask???

Got to dunk on 10 foot next week!

Here's a few of the attempts along with my one dunk. Thanks for reading and watching!

Jump Manual - after 9 weeks of training

I was so sure today was going to be the "big" day. And by big day, I mean the day that I would dunk since starting the Jump Manual program around 9 weeks ago.

Here's why...

Last week I dunked 3 times on a 9'10" rim and yesterday I set some personal bests in my plyometric workout in terms of how high I was jumping on depth jumps and a couple of my standing vertical jumps. I went to bed at a decent time (which I rarely do), ate perfect, and so on. I even watched a ton of dunk videos in case they would somehow give me more hops!

But, to no avail...I must admit I'm a little disappointed or maybe I'm just getting worn down and tired after all this training. It's not easy. Thinking about taking a few days off to let my body rest. But, probably won't knowing me.

At any rate, I'm really hoping this Monday, July 4th will be the big day. That will make for the perfect holiday!

Here is a short video that shows my best dunk attempt from this morning. Thanks for reading and watching.

Some common Jump Manual questions...

I've been posting a video on YouTube each week to track my progress during my Jump Manual training. And, I've been getting quite a few comments and questions which has been pretty fun. Some of the same questions keep coming up so thought I would do a blog post answering those questions.

Q. Do you need a gym or weightroom to do the Jump Manual?
A. This is probably the question I get asked the most. You don't have to join a gym or have access to a weightroom in order to do the Jump Manual. However, it would make things easier and your results may come faster. One of the workouts you do each week called the "strength and explosion workout" includes squats, deadlifts, lunges, cleans, etc. So having access to a weightroom is ideal. If you are serious about improving your vertical, you must get stronger and lifting weights is one of the most effective ways to do that. So if at all possible, figure out a way to get into a weightroom at least once a week. There are so many places (schools, community centers, rec centers, local gym, etc.). If for some reason this isn't possible, don't let that stop you! You can do alternative exercises the Jump Manual recommends in place of lifting weights such as single leg squats.

Q. What equipment do you need to do the Jump Manual?
A. I do all my workouts at home with minimal equipment except for the "strength and explosion" workout (squats, deadlifts, etc.) which I do at Gold's Gym. For the other 5 workouts that I do at home, I use the following equipment:

- 10 lb medicine ball (highly recommend getting one of these)
- Speed jump rope
- 10 lb dumbbells
- pull-up bar

I also highly recommend getting a foam roller. I use mine everyday and it has been a huge help for getting properly warmed up before a workout and to speed up recovery following a workout.

Q. How many days per week do you workout with the Jump Manual?
A. The Jump Manual is 6 days per week. I take Sundays off.

The workouts include 2 days of core & upper body work, 1 day of plyometrics, 1 day of strength training, and 2 days of CNS (central nervous system) training.

Q. Will you send me the Jump Manual for free?
A. No, sorry. I won't and couldn't even if I wanted to. The Jump Manual is an eBook you download to your computer and is password protected. So there isn't a way to email it to someone. To some people, spending $67 may seem like too much for something like this. For me personally, the investment in the Jump Manual has been perhaps the best $67 I've ever spent. Being able to dunk at my age (39) and height (5'11") is a dream come true and you can do it too if you put in the work.

Bottom line - don't let money be an excuse to not improve as an athlete. If you really want to get better, figure out a way. If you don't have the money to buy a vertical jump program, search the internet or talk to your coach or someone you know who can jump really high. There are tons of free videos, websites, forums, and articles easily found online if you will spend a few minutes searching.

Q. Is the Jump Manual a book that is shipped to you?
A. The Jump Manual is an eBook you download to your computer. I believe it is around 60 pages. You can download it immediately after purchasing it. I printed the entire thing and put in a 3 ring binder and take with me whenever I workout. Some exercises (like squats), I had done before. But, there are several others that were new to me and having the printed version has been really helpful. Even after doing the Jump Manual for quite some time, I still refer to it often.

Q. How much time do the Jump Manual workouts take?
A. I would estimate the total amount of time I spend during the week doing the Jump Manual workouts would be about 5 hours spread across the 6 days of training. I really like the workouts. I remember trying to do the Strength Shoe workout in high school and quitting after 2 weeks because I felt like it took too much time. I really wish the Jump Manual had been around in those days! 

Also, one of the things I really like about the Jump Manual is there are really only 2 workouts that I consider hard and that take more than 30 minutes. The other 4 workouts are very short and don't "kill" you. The Jump Manual is really focused on training your explosiveness rather than endurance and so some people are surprised at how "easy" some of the workouts appear to be.

Q. Do you play basketball during the Jump Manual training?

A. Yes, I play hoops 3 times per week (at least). I'm 39 years old but am still a basketball junkie! I think the Jump Manual is going to allow me to play for many more years and still be competitive. I can't imagine a day in the future when I don't play this game.

Q. Were you sore after doing any of the Jump Manual workouts?
A. I was already very active before doing the Jump Manual. I was playing basketball and working out regularly so soreness was not a huge issue for me. The only workout I got sore was the strength and explosion workout. The first few times I did that specific workout I was sore for a few days after. Since about week 3 of the training, I don't recall being sore after any of the workouts. If someone went from being very inactive to doing the Jump Manual, I think they would be crazy sore and would need to take some additional days off for recovery for a while until their body adapted.

Q. How long did it take before you saw results from the Jump Manual?
A. After 2 weeks of Jump Manual training, my running vertical increased 1 inch. My standing vertical didn't increase until 3 weeks of Jump Manual training. Since then the gains have been fairly steady.
 
Q. How many inches have you gained on your vertical from doing the Jump Manual?
A. I have completed 9 of the 12 weeks so I'm not done yet. But, so far my standing vertical has increased 5 to 6 inches and my running vertical has increased 6 to 7 inches. My goal is 10 inches. That would mean I would be able to dunk pretty easily even on a bad day.

Q. Is it true that the Chicago Bulls are thinking about offering you a contract?
A. I can neither confirm nor deny this. Why, did you hear something? I wish! :-)

My mid-life crisis...

Some people who have a mid-life crisis do silly and sometimes even dumb things. Like buying some exotic sports car they can't afford.

My mid-life crisis to most people would probably seem ridiculous. Of course, I"m talking about deciding I have to dunk before I turn 40. I'm now in week 9 of my 12 week training program called the Jump Manual and I can tell you for the last several weeks, that I've been completely obsessed with this goal. Just ask my wife!

When I set my mind on something, I go all out. I suppose that is a good thing as long as I've set my mind on something good!

My goal is to dunk by July 4th which is now just a little over a week away. I dunked 3 times this week on a 9'10" goal so I know that I'm very close.

Hoping for some extra fireworks this Independence Day!

2 inches...just 2 more inches!!!

In addition to doing the Jump Manual training six days per week, I also play hoops 3 days per week. The basketball court I play on has one rim that is 10 feet and another rim that is 2 inches low (9' 10"). Yes, I have measured both rims!

One of my goals during my vertical jump training has been to dunk on the low rim. I have tried several times during these last few weeks without success. That is...until today!

I'm very pleased to announce the 9' 10" goal has been conquered! I'm so bummed this wasn't caught on video! I should know better by now than to make dunk attempts without a camera rolling. My best jumps always come in between games when I'm completely warmed up but when it's not particularly convenient to grab the video camera. So I don't have a video to post (yet), but I do have several witnesses including my buddy who threw me 2 perfect alley oops for 2 dunks.

And oh man...it felt so good! Especially the first one.

2 more inches! I just need 2 more inches!

I'm so motivated! Gonna get there!

8 weeks of the Jump Manual completed

I've now completed 8 weeks of the Jump Manual. Time is flying! Wish I was too! :-)

As usual, I played hoops this morning and wanted to test my vertical again. I'm jumping high enough now that I'm starting to make some dunk attempts. Not quite there yet but feel like I'm getting closer. I'm also getting more steals, blocked shots, and rebounds. If nothing else, my basketball game has improved and that is fun.

Below is my latest video showing my progress thus far. My closest dunk attempt came right after a game when the blood was really flowing but of course when the camera wasn't rolling. It was closer than the ones you will see in this video but I guess you will just have to take my word for it.

Thanks for reading and watching!

7 weeks of Jump Manual in the books

Another week has passed and that means I've now successfully completed 7 weeks of the 12 week vertical jump program known as the Jump Manual. 12 weeks sure seemed longer when I started this adventure back in mid April. Got to finish strong and achieve my goal which if you haven't figured out by now is to dunk!!!

These final 5 weeks, I'm going to be very disciplined with my diet and get as lean as possible. I'm also going to push really hard on the weights. I am convinced that the increases in my vertical thus far are more to do with my gains in strength than due to improvements in quickness or reactivity from the plyometric portions of the training. I guess it's impossible to know for sure but that's how I feel. This is a bit surprising to me because I had always thought that plyometrics were most important for improving your vertical. I don't believe that anymore. To really fly, you've got to be really strong in relation to your body weight!

As usual, I played hoops this morning and brought my little video camera along and had a friend film me in between one of the games. I'm pleased to report that I can now touch the rim on my standing vertical which is an increase of 5 inches since I started 7 weeks ago. You can watch my initial standing vertical jump test here.

I also had him film a jump off the run. Like last week, I was able to grab the rim 2 hands. My best jump of the day wasn't caught on video unfortunately but I know it was higher than the one you will see in the video. At any rate, my running vertical has also increased around 5 inches.

My current stats are now:
Standing vertical jump: 27 inches (start was 22 inches)
Running vertical jump: 34 inches (start was 29 inches)

Here's the video. Thanks for reading and watching!