Whoa! It's been a month since my last post. I think that is my longest hiatus since I started jumpmanual training just over 2 years ago. It was nice to have a break but it's time to get back on this!
Last Thursday, I got my body fat tested again using a bod pod which is supposed to be the most accurate test out there. If you have been following this blog for a while, you may recall I also did this in January 2012 and was shocked to find out I was 18% body fat (was expecting to be around 12%). Well, nearly 18 months has passed since my last bodyfat test on the bodpod. And I thought for sure with all my training that surely I would be down in the 12% range this time. Nope! I was able to drop a HUGE .1% in bodyfat. My test came in at a disappointing 17.9%.
So, it is painfully clear that I've got to drop some bodyfat. I currently weigh 173 lbs and 31 of those lbs are fat! That is just way too much! My best jumping days were when I was 29 years old and was in probably the best shape of my life. I weighed 169 lbs and was just 7% bodyfat which means I had only 12 lbs of fat. Today, the scale says I weigh only 4 lbs more than I did 12 years ago but I'm carrying 19 more lbs of fat. It also means I have 15 lbs less muscle. That is a pretty substantial difference in the wrong direction.
So the bad news is I am too fat! At least in terms of maximizing my vertical jump. Of course, I'm not saying I'm obese or anything like that. But, I'm too fat to be an elite jumper. And I want to be an elite jumper!
The good news is I am jumping really well right now. I actually had of my best dunks and best misses ever last week. And, if I lose 20 lbs of fat that should surely help me jump a few inches higher which would be two hand tomahawks all day long.
Today, I started another 12 weeks of training. I have made some changes to my workout and diet that I will tell you guys more about in a future post as this one is already quite long and unlikely many people are still reading this. :-)
Have a great summer! Keep workin hard!
And...if you haven't had your bodyfat tested recently, get it done. Maybe you are like me and need to drop some lbs.
Showing posts with label jump manual review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jump manual review. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Jump Manual - 41 years old - 12 week results
I have completed another 12 weeks of Jump Manual training!
I was really hoping to have a video of me dunking 2 hands this week but I'm not quite there. But, I am getting closer. I am back to where I was in the Fall of 2011 and might even be jumping a little higher. What's even more encouraging to me is I have seen some gains in the last 2 weeks as I've started focusing more on single leg work and being explosive with lighter weights rather than always lifting super heavy.
I actually think if I rest for a few days (like I was supposed to do this week) that I can get a two hand dunk off a lob or maybe even the dribble. I intended to take it easy this week so that on Thursday I would be fully rested but instead I played basketball six times this week and also worked out 4 times.
Tomorrow, I go out of town until Thursday and so it will be much easier for me to take a bit of a break. The trick will be eating right and stretching. If I do that, I fully expect to get a two hand dunk on Thu or Fri of next week.
Regardless, some really good things happened during this phase of training.
1. Bench pressed 225 lbs for the second time in my life. Started having issues with my right shoulder so I stopped benching. Not sure if I will go back to it or not.
2. Got a new PR for my no-step vertical jump of 31.1 (see video below). My previous best was 30.8. I am going to test again on Thu or Fri of next week and fully expect to get 32" or better after having some actual rest/recovery.
3. Feel like I've figured out some better ways to train. I've become a big believer in single leg exercises and has me feeling really confident in my training.
Below are a couple of videos from this week. Stay tuned for a blog post and hopefully awesome dunk video next week! Also, I will give an update on what I'm doing for my next phase of training...no, I'm not stopping! :-)
I was really hoping to have a video of me dunking 2 hands this week but I'm not quite there. But, I am getting closer. I am back to where I was in the Fall of 2011 and might even be jumping a little higher. What's even more encouraging to me is I have seen some gains in the last 2 weeks as I've started focusing more on single leg work and being explosive with lighter weights rather than always lifting super heavy.
I actually think if I rest for a few days (like I was supposed to do this week) that I can get a two hand dunk off a lob or maybe even the dribble. I intended to take it easy this week so that on Thursday I would be fully rested but instead I played basketball six times this week and also worked out 4 times.
Tomorrow, I go out of town until Thursday and so it will be much easier for me to take a bit of a break. The trick will be eating right and stretching. If I do that, I fully expect to get a two hand dunk on Thu or Fri of next week.
Regardless, some really good things happened during this phase of training.
1. Bench pressed 225 lbs for the second time in my life. Started having issues with my right shoulder so I stopped benching. Not sure if I will go back to it or not.
2. Got a new PR for my no-step vertical jump of 31.1 (see video below). My previous best was 30.8. I am going to test again on Thu or Fri of next week and fully expect to get 32" or better after having some actual rest/recovery.
3. Feel like I've figured out some better ways to train. I've become a big believer in single leg exercises and has me feeling really confident in my training.
Below are a couple of videos from this week. Stay tuned for a blog post and hopefully awesome dunk video next week! Also, I will give an update on what I'm doing for my next phase of training...no, I'm not stopping! :-)
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Jump Manual - 41 years old - Week 11 Results
Week 11 of my Jump Manual training went better than last week.
I took my sister-in-law's advice to incorporate some additional 1 leg exercises into my workouts such as lunges (stopped doing these a while ago), bulgarian squats (new exercise for me), single leg glute bridges (have done these off and on), and reverse hyperextensions (new exercise for me). It felt really good.
I have already been doing pistol squats (1 leg squats) fairly regularly and will continue doing them. I think pistol squats might be the single best exercise out there for improving your vertical as well as preventing injuries. When I finish this round of training, I am considering going to an extremely simple routine that would heavily focus on pistol squats and other mostly bodyweight exercises and plyometrics. In about 2 weeks, I will start training with my 13 year old son everyday and so time for my own personal training will be very limited. I'm actually excited about it because I think I can still make some really nice gains while actually training less. More details on that later. My son and I will also be making videos to track his progress and so that will also be fun.
Speaking of my son's training, he's at a camp this week with Micah Lancaster, who is one of the top basketball trainers out there. So wish I had access to this caliber of training growing up. Things have changed so much. When I was growing up, many coaches and trainers discouraged basketball players from lifting weights. "It will mess up your shot!" This partly explains why I weighed in at a hefty 140 lbs as a 5'11" senior.
If you don't strength train now, you simply won't be able to compete in today's game. The level of strength and athleticism is just unreal. A few weeks ago, my son played in a basketball tournament that featured some of the best 6th, 7th, and 8th grade basketball teams in the country. I'm not kidding when I tell you there were 7th grade teams that looked like high school varsity teams in skill, strength, size, athletic ability, and talent. They even had a dunk contest. Absolutely blew my mind. Doubt I could even touch the net when I was in 7th grade! Last year's dunk contest at this same tourney might have been even better.
Going to finish this last week really strong! Eating right, stretching, and getting after it for all my workouts. I'm planning to get a dunk video posted this week and then a video next week hopefully featuring a two hand dunk!
Happy "Spring"!
I took my sister-in-law's advice to incorporate some additional 1 leg exercises into my workouts such as lunges (stopped doing these a while ago), bulgarian squats (new exercise for me), single leg glute bridges (have done these off and on), and reverse hyperextensions (new exercise for me). It felt really good.
I have already been doing pistol squats (1 leg squats) fairly regularly and will continue doing them. I think pistol squats might be the single best exercise out there for improving your vertical as well as preventing injuries. When I finish this round of training, I am considering going to an extremely simple routine that would heavily focus on pistol squats and other mostly bodyweight exercises and plyometrics. In about 2 weeks, I will start training with my 13 year old son everyday and so time for my own personal training will be very limited. I'm actually excited about it because I think I can still make some really nice gains while actually training less. More details on that later. My son and I will also be making videos to track his progress and so that will also be fun.
Speaking of my son's training, he's at a camp this week with Micah Lancaster, who is one of the top basketball trainers out there. So wish I had access to this caliber of training growing up. Things have changed so much. When I was growing up, many coaches and trainers discouraged basketball players from lifting weights. "It will mess up your shot!" This partly explains why I weighed in at a hefty 140 lbs as a 5'11" senior.
If you don't strength train now, you simply won't be able to compete in today's game. The level of strength and athleticism is just unreal. A few weeks ago, my son played in a basketball tournament that featured some of the best 6th, 7th, and 8th grade basketball teams in the country. I'm not kidding when I tell you there were 7th grade teams that looked like high school varsity teams in skill, strength, size, athletic ability, and talent. They even had a dunk contest. Absolutely blew my mind. Doubt I could even touch the net when I was in 7th grade! Last year's dunk contest at this same tourney might have been even better.
Going to finish this last week really strong! Eating right, stretching, and getting after it for all my workouts. I'm planning to get a dunk video posted this week and then a video next week hopefully featuring a two hand dunk!
Happy "Spring"!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
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!!!
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!!!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Jump Manual - 41 years old - Week 9 Results
Week 9 training using the Jump Manual was a good week.
I got in all the workouts except for one and that was because I was unusually sore after my Tuesday workout which I changed up a bit this past week. I mentioned in my last post that I was going to start adding in some additional plyometrics and that's probably what the additional soreness was from. So I took Thursday off to recover. I hate missing days as it makes me feel lazy. But, sometimes you just have to rest.
I've continued to modify and tweak my workout during these last 9 weeks and I feel like what I'm doing now is perfect for me. Admittedly, I have a tendency to change things probably a little too much. But, I think this is the right combination of strength, plyo, core, upper body, etc. It pushes me hard, doesn't take too long, and is giving me results.
To be honest, I was feeling a little discouraged (my wife would say I was "very grumpy") last week as I was expecting to see some nice progress after having a week off but didn't see any gains. However, that all changed this morning! I was in the basketball gym at Gold's doing my depth jumps (I prefer to do them with the basketball rim so I have a target and can tell how well I'm jumping) and some guys came over and asked me to play 3 on 3. It drives me nuts when guys ask me to play hoops at Gold's because I have no willpower to say no! And, I need to workout!
So of course, I said okay and we started playing. We played a very low key game where no one played defense or tried very hard (at least I didn't). After the game, they said okay let's switch up the teams and play again. I grabbed the ball and drove in hard to the basket and threw down a pretty nice one hand dunk. I don't think they were expecting that. One of the guys said, "He's on my team!". That made me laugh and feel really good.
Once again, I jumped really well when I wasn't expecting it and didn't have my camera out to capture the moment. I had already done squats and depth jumps and was a little tired and had no intention of playing basketball today. I also had on my old Kobe's that have no traction and wasn't wearing my knee brace either. I'm not very comfortable jumping with all my effort unless I have that on. In spite of those things, I jumped really well today. The modified workout, taking creatine, stretching more, and eating better (I'm now down to 175 lbs) are making a difference.
I'm really excited again and feeling optimistic that reaching my goal of the two hand tomahawk dunk is possible. On the right day, when the adrenaline is pumping, I think I could do it. But, the planets and stars may have to align perfectly.
When is the next full moon?
I got in all the workouts except for one and that was because I was unusually sore after my Tuesday workout which I changed up a bit this past week. I mentioned in my last post that I was going to start adding in some additional plyometrics and that's probably what the additional soreness was from. So I took Thursday off to recover. I hate missing days as it makes me feel lazy. But, sometimes you just have to rest.
I've continued to modify and tweak my workout during these last 9 weeks and I feel like what I'm doing now is perfect for me. Admittedly, I have a tendency to change things probably a little too much. But, I think this is the right combination of strength, plyo, core, upper body, etc. It pushes me hard, doesn't take too long, and is giving me results.
To be honest, I was feeling a little discouraged (my wife would say I was "very grumpy") last week as I was expecting to see some nice progress after having a week off but didn't see any gains. However, that all changed this morning! I was in the basketball gym at Gold's doing my depth jumps (I prefer to do them with the basketball rim so I have a target and can tell how well I'm jumping) and some guys came over and asked me to play 3 on 3. It drives me nuts when guys ask me to play hoops at Gold's because I have no willpower to say no! And, I need to workout!
So of course, I said okay and we started playing. We played a very low key game where no one played defense or tried very hard (at least I didn't). After the game, they said okay let's switch up the teams and play again. I grabbed the ball and drove in hard to the basket and threw down a pretty nice one hand dunk. I don't think they were expecting that. One of the guys said, "He's on my team!". That made me laugh and feel really good.
Once again, I jumped really well when I wasn't expecting it and didn't have my camera out to capture the moment. I had already done squats and depth jumps and was a little tired and had no intention of playing basketball today. I also had on my old Kobe's that have no traction and wasn't wearing my knee brace either. I'm not very comfortable jumping with all my effort unless I have that on. In spite of those things, I jumped really well today. The modified workout, taking creatine, stretching more, and eating better (I'm now down to 175 lbs) are making a difference.
I'm really excited again and feeling optimistic that reaching my goal of the two hand tomahawk dunk is possible. On the right day, when the adrenaline is pumping, I think I could do it. But, the planets and stars may have to align perfectly.
When is the next full moon?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Jump Manual 2013 - took another week off
This past week I took a break from my Jump Manual training. It was nice to have some time off and give my body and mind a break.
I'm now headed for the home stretch. My last 4 weeks of this phase of training! And I'm actually coming up on 2 years since I started using the Jump Manual back in April 2011! In fact, my 2 year anniversary is almost exactly one month from today (April 11). It would be so amazing to reach my goal of the two hand tomahawk before then.
So...I'm going to do everything I can this last month to make that dream come true. Here's the plan:
-- Start taking creatine again (started yesterday)
-- Stretch everyday
-- Adding back in some additional plyometrics
-- Shortened workouts that focus on explosiveness
-- Play basketball 1 time per week instead of 2 times per week. Got to spend the time training instead of playing hoops.
-- Eat super healthy. Get as lean as possible without losing strength during these next 4 weeks.
-- Get more sleep. I regularly go to bed at midnight or later and get up at 5:45 am. Not ideal.
And I'm also going to pray! :-)
Hope your training is going well. Wish me luck during these next 4 weeks.
I'm now headed for the home stretch. My last 4 weeks of this phase of training! And I'm actually coming up on 2 years since I started using the Jump Manual back in April 2011! In fact, my 2 year anniversary is almost exactly one month from today (April 11). It would be so amazing to reach my goal of the two hand tomahawk before then.
So...I'm going to do everything I can this last month to make that dream come true. Here's the plan:
-- Start taking creatine again (started yesterday)
-- Stretch everyday
-- Adding back in some additional plyometrics
-- Shortened workouts that focus on explosiveness
-- Play basketball 1 time per week instead of 2 times per week. Got to spend the time training instead of playing hoops.
-- Eat super healthy. Get as lean as possible without losing strength during these next 4 weeks.
-- Get more sleep. I regularly go to bed at midnight or later and get up at 5:45 am. Not ideal.
And I'm also going to pray! :-)
Hope your training is going well. Wish me luck during these next 4 weeks.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Jump Manual - 41 years old - Week 8 Results
My week 8 training using the Jump Manual went alright. I skipped one of the workouts completely and then did only about half of another workout. Definitely started feeling some fatigue and burn out and so I'm definitely going to take this week off and rest up a bit.
My plan is to play hoops 2 times this week and just do the "off-day" jump manual exercises on those days. I'll do some pushups, pullups, and some core stuff and of course stretching and foam rolling. But, I'm going to take a break from lifting (squats, deadlifts, etc.) and plyometrics. Going to eat really strict this week and see if I can lean out just a bit more before I start taking creatine again on Monday. Seems like I gain an instant 5 lbs within a couple of days taking creatine so would like to get down to around 170 lbs so that when I'm on creatine I'm around 175 lbs.
I also sprained my right ankle last week (not horribly bad) but that's another reason to take some time off. I have been doing tons of ice and advil and most of the swelling is gone already. It's my first sprained ankle since I started doing jump manual workouts almost 2 years ago which is really good for me. In the past, I sprained ankles pretty regularly.
I will upload a new video later this week with some better dunks than that lob from last week.
Thanks for reading!
My plan is to play hoops 2 times this week and just do the "off-day" jump manual exercises on those days. I'll do some pushups, pullups, and some core stuff and of course stretching and foam rolling. But, I'm going to take a break from lifting (squats, deadlifts, etc.) and plyometrics. Going to eat really strict this week and see if I can lean out just a bit more before I start taking creatine again on Monday. Seems like I gain an instant 5 lbs within a couple of days taking creatine so would like to get down to around 170 lbs so that when I'm on creatine I'm around 175 lbs.
I also sprained my right ankle last week (not horribly bad) but that's another reason to take some time off. I have been doing tons of ice and advil and most of the swelling is gone already. It's my first sprained ankle since I started doing jump manual workouts almost 2 years ago which is really good for me. In the past, I sprained ankles pretty regularly.
I will upload a new video later this week with some better dunks than that lob from last week.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Jump Manual 2013 - took a week off
After 4 weeks of hitting it pretty hard, I decided to take a week off from the Jump Manual. I'm glad I did.
Yesterday, I retested my no-step vertical and was able to match my highest jump of 30.6" (for this phase of training back on week 2) and actually got it 3 times! But, what was more encouraging to me was 6 of the 12 jumps were over 30 inches compared to 4 out of 12 a couple of weeks ago.
Here are the jumps:
Set 1: 29.7, 28.8, 30.6, 30.4, 30.6, 30.6
Set 2: 30.2, 30.1, 29.4, 28.3, 28.4, 28.6
So, I think the extra rest was the right choice. But, I will find out for sure next Monday to see if I can finally break the 31" barrier. I'm feeling pretty good about that.
Here's yesterday's video:
This past Saturday since I wasn't doing my normal workout, I decided to test my max lifts on squats, deadlifts, and bench press to see how much progress I've made.
I did 265 lbs for 2 reps on squats and my right knee started hurting so I decided to stop there although I felt like I could do maybe another 10 lbs. Since my right knee was feeling weird, I opted not to test my dead lift max and instead went right to bench press. I've been wanting to put 2 plates on each side for a very long time and so stoked that I finally got 225 lbs! My all time PR on bench was when I was 29 years old and got 225 lbs x 3 reps. Saturday is the second time in my life I have benched that much weight. And, it shouldn't be long until I beat that.
So after kind of a lazy week, I'm all fired up again and ready to get after it. Let's do this!
Yesterday, I retested my no-step vertical and was able to match my highest jump of 30.6" (for this phase of training back on week 2) and actually got it 3 times! But, what was more encouraging to me was 6 of the 12 jumps were over 30 inches compared to 4 out of 12 a couple of weeks ago.
Here are the jumps:
Set 1: 29.7, 28.8, 30.6, 30.4, 30.6, 30.6
Set 2: 30.2, 30.1, 29.4, 28.3, 28.4, 28.6
So, I think the extra rest was the right choice. But, I will find out for sure next Monday to see if I can finally break the 31" barrier. I'm feeling pretty good about that.
Here's yesterday's video:
This past Saturday since I wasn't doing my normal workout, I decided to test my max lifts on squats, deadlifts, and bench press to see how much progress I've made.
I did 265 lbs for 2 reps on squats and my right knee started hurting so I decided to stop there although I felt like I could do maybe another 10 lbs. Since my right knee was feeling weird, I opted not to test my dead lift max and instead went right to bench press. I've been wanting to put 2 plates on each side for a very long time and so stoked that I finally got 225 lbs! My all time PR on bench was when I was 29 years old and got 225 lbs x 3 reps. Saturday is the second time in my life I have benched that much weight. And, it shouldn't be long until I beat that.
So after kind of a lazy week, I'm all fired up again and ready to get after it. Let's do this!
Friday, February 1, 2013
Jump Manual 2013 - Week 4 Results
Week 4 of this phase of training using the Jump Manual was just okay. I missed 1 full workout, part of another workout, and didn't stretch 3 of the 7 days. I definitely felt my motivation slipping and some fatigue setting on.
On Monday, I tested my no-step vertical and my best jump was only 29.6" which is an inch below my best from Week 2. I think it was just a bad day. It also may indicate that I need to get a little extra rest and so I've taken this week off. Several trainers recommend doing 4 weeks on and then 1 week off and so I decided to take their advice. This week I've played some basketball, done some pushups, and stretching. It has been weird to sleep in and has made me feel lazy. But, hopefully it's just what my body needs.
I will start my training again on Monday and go another 4 weeks really hard and may take another week off. We'll see how it goes. I've modified a few things to my workout and am excited about that. I've been on creatine now for about 6 weeks and will go off it for the next 4 weeks or so. Should be able to get my weight down at least 5 lbs but hopefully can keep the added strength. I'm also going to take a break from Freak Jump Technique for the next 4 weeks and will re-start again in March.
Since my vertical jump results this week were less than stellar, I'll instead share a quick video of me shooting some 3's yesterday. Man I love basketball.
On Monday, I tested my no-step vertical and my best jump was only 29.6" which is an inch below my best from Week 2. I think it was just a bad day. It also may indicate that I need to get a little extra rest and so I've taken this week off. Several trainers recommend doing 4 weeks on and then 1 week off and so I decided to take their advice. This week I've played some basketball, done some pushups, and stretching. It has been weird to sleep in and has made me feel lazy. But, hopefully it's just what my body needs.
I will start my training again on Monday and go another 4 weeks really hard and may take another week off. We'll see how it goes. I've modified a few things to my workout and am excited about that. I've been on creatine now for about 6 weeks and will go off it for the next 4 weeks or so. Should be able to get my weight down at least 5 lbs but hopefully can keep the added strength. I'm also going to take a break from Freak Jump Technique for the next 4 weeks and will re-start again in March.
Since my vertical jump results this week were less than stellar, I'll instead share a quick video of me shooting some 3's yesterday. Man I love basketball.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Jump Manual 2013 - Week 3 Results
Week 3 of this phase of my vertical jump training using the Jump Manual went pretty well. But, not as well as last week.
Each Monday I test my no-step vertical by performing 2 sets of 6 no-step jumps. Today, my best was 30.5" which is .1 less than my best no-step jump last week. Out of the 12 jumps, 7 were over 29 inches (compared to 9 out of 12 last week). And, I had 3 jumps over 30" compared to 4 jumps last week. So my results were very similar to last week -- but down just a bit.
Of course I was hoping to break 31" which should be a new PR. So, I'm just going to have to really get after it and make sure I do that next week!
In trying to understand why I didn't have any gains this week, there are several possible explanations. First, I missed part of one of my workouts (core exercises) and I was too lazy to stretch 3 of the 7 days. Rest may have been a factor due to playing a little more basketball than I usually do and not getting as much sleep. Our 5 year old son was down with the flu this whole week and if you are a parent then you know what that does for getting sleep.
But, the reality is gains take time...so I have to be patient. If I stay consistent, I know this is going to pay off!
Here's my video from today showing my best jump of 30.5". Thanks for reading & watching!
Each Monday I test my no-step vertical by performing 2 sets of 6 no-step jumps. Today, my best was 30.5" which is .1 less than my best no-step jump last week. Out of the 12 jumps, 7 were over 29 inches (compared to 9 out of 12 last week). And, I had 3 jumps over 30" compared to 4 jumps last week. So my results were very similar to last week -- but down just a bit.
Of course I was hoping to break 31" which should be a new PR. So, I'm just going to have to really get after it and make sure I do that next week!
In trying to understand why I didn't have any gains this week, there are several possible explanations. First, I missed part of one of my workouts (core exercises) and I was too lazy to stretch 3 of the 7 days. Rest may have been a factor due to playing a little more basketball than I usually do and not getting as much sleep. Our 5 year old son was down with the flu this whole week and if you are a parent then you know what that does for getting sleep.
But, the reality is gains take time...so I have to be patient. If I stay consistent, I know this is going to pay off!
Here's my video from today showing my best jump of 30.5". Thanks for reading & watching!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Tomahawk before Thanksgiving - Week 1 Recap
After taking a week off to let my body rest, I hit my vert training hard this past week. I got in all my workouts and it felt awesome! In addition, I ate really well and stretched every day. Those are two areas that I haven't done very well in for the last several months. And, they are just too important to be neglected.
I looked back at my bodyfat results from the test I did back in January. To my surprise and horror, I was 18% bodyfat with 31 lbs of fat. I got my bodyfat percentage down to approximately 13% in March but over the last few months I'm probably back up to around 18%. If I'm going to get the two hand tomahawk dunk and win the Nike Elite dunk competition, I've got to get my bodyfat down probably to under 10%. So, I've recommitted myself to being super strict on my diet. I know it will help me jump higher.
Another highlight this week is yesterday I met JWdunk (Jeff) at Gold's Gym. I was doing my final exercise of the strength and explosion workout and saw a guy who looked like he was doing the Jump Manual workout and who looked somewhat familiar. I went and introduced myself and sure enough it was him. It is fun to be part of this community of aspiring dunkers and gravity defiers (is that word?)!
So, I'm off to a great start of another 12 weeks of Jump Manual training which will have me finishing right around Thanksgiving (or until I get the tomahawk). I'm calling this phase of training, "Tomahawk before Thanksgiving"!
After that, basketball season will be about to start and I think I'll just play hoops and enjoy the season. Or, I may actually start Crossfit. Either way, I think it will be time to take a break for a while. But, we'll see. When, I get the tomahawk, I will probably want to windmill! So this may never stop! But, I have several friends who are totally addicted to Crossfit and my 12 year old son has also started and is loving it.
Happy Labor Day! Tomorrow is going to be awesome. Will be playing hoops for like 3 hours!
I looked back at my bodyfat results from the test I did back in January. To my surprise and horror, I was 18% bodyfat with 31 lbs of fat. I got my bodyfat percentage down to approximately 13% in March but over the last few months I'm probably back up to around 18%. If I'm going to get the two hand tomahawk dunk and win the Nike Elite dunk competition, I've got to get my bodyfat down probably to under 10%. So, I've recommitted myself to being super strict on my diet. I know it will help me jump higher.
Another highlight this week is yesterday I met JWdunk (Jeff) at Gold's Gym. I was doing my final exercise of the strength and explosion workout and saw a guy who looked like he was doing the Jump Manual workout and who looked somewhat familiar. I went and introduced myself and sure enough it was him. It is fun to be part of this community of aspiring dunkers and gravity defiers (is that word?)!
So, I'm off to a great start of another 12 weeks of Jump Manual training which will have me finishing right around Thanksgiving (or until I get the tomahawk). I'm calling this phase of training, "Tomahawk before Thanksgiving"!
After that, basketball season will be about to start and I think I'll just play hoops and enjoy the season. Or, I may actually start Crossfit. Either way, I think it will be time to take a break for a while. But, we'll see. When, I get the tomahawk, I will probably want to windmill! So this may never stop! But, I have several friends who are totally addicted to Crossfit and my 12 year old son has also started and is loving it.
Happy Labor Day! Tomorrow is going to be awesome. Will be playing hoops for like 3 hours!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Jump Manual at 40 years old - Week 12 Results
So another 12 weeks of Jump Manual is complete! Crazy how fast time goes by. I sure wish I was posting a video with some awesome 2 hand dunks but still not quite there. But, as I've said before...I'm not giving up! And, I'm actually more confident than ever that I'm going to get there. Maybe I'm delusional but I don't think so.
I was thinking that one thing that really helped motivate me during my first 12 weeks of training is I had a few "haters" that were telling me I would never be able to dunk at age 39. It made me mad! But, it also drove me. And I worked harder because of it. Honestly, I kind of miss it. Strange but true.
So instead of asking for some haters to provide some additional motivation, I'm wondering if anyone out there reading this blog would like to have a wager of some kind? Like first person to do X (for me it would be dunk 2 hands and for you it could be dunk for the first time or whatever) gets something cool. Doesn't have to be expensive. Maybe its a pair of Nike Elite socks or whatever. I just love to compete and might be fun to have a little extra bet to go along with our training.
Any takers? Come on. It will be fun!
While your thinking about it, I will leave you with one of my favorite new dunk vids. Enjoy!
I was thinking that one thing that really helped motivate me during my first 12 weeks of training is I had a few "haters" that were telling me I would never be able to dunk at age 39. It made me mad! But, it also drove me. And I worked harder because of it. Honestly, I kind of miss it. Strange but true.
So instead of asking for some haters to provide some additional motivation, I'm wondering if anyone out there reading this blog would like to have a wager of some kind? Like first person to do X (for me it would be dunk 2 hands and for you it could be dunk for the first time or whatever) gets something cool. Doesn't have to be expensive. Maybe its a pair of Nike Elite socks or whatever. I just love to compete and might be fun to have a little extra bet to go along with our training.
Any takers? Come on. It will be fun!
While your thinking about it, I will leave you with one of my favorite new dunk vids. Enjoy!
Friday, August 3, 2012
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
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
Friday, July 20, 2012
Jump Manual at 40 years old - Week 9 Results
Week 9 of my vertical jump training went extremely well. As I mentioned in last week's update, I decided to go back to doing the exact workouts outlined in the Jump Manual instead of the modifications I had made.
After only 1 week, I already know that was the right decision. How do I know? Well, since I track all my workouts, I know my lifts increased either in weight or number of reps on several exercises. That felt great!
Also, I decided to cut back on playing basketball from 3 times per week to 1 time per week. It felt so good to being playing on fresh legs!
So make sure you are getting enough rest. Recovery is HUGE!
I don't have a video to share this week but will make sure that happens on my next update. Thanks for reading!
After only 1 week, I already know that was the right decision. How do I know? Well, since I track all my workouts, I know my lifts increased either in weight or number of reps on several exercises. That felt great!
Also, I decided to cut back on playing basketball from 3 times per week to 1 time per week. It felt so good to being playing on fresh legs!
So make sure you are getting enough rest. Recovery is HUGE!
I don't have a video to share this week but will make sure that happens on my next update. Thanks for reading!
Monday, April 23, 2012
How important is rest and recovery?
Before I start my next round of Jump Manual training, I decided it would probably do my body good to take some time off. So that's exactly what I did this past week!
I didn't do any workouts. I didn't stretch. I didn't eat good. In fact, I ate horribly. I did play basketball three times so I wasn't completely inactive. But, compared to what I typically do during a normal week of training -- this week was equivalent to me sitting on the couch and eating bon bons.
Yesterday, the "party" continued with loads of junk food and staying up until almost 2:00 am. Right before going to bed, I ate two chocolate chip cookies. Go big or go home! I then slept for about 4 hours and got up at 6:00 am to play hoops. Yes, I'm a basketball addict.
But to my surprise, my legs felt really good today. I was jumping higher than I have in a while and I threw down the best dunk I've had in a really long time. And, it felt so GOOD!!! I didn't even take my video camera this morning as this was completely unexpected.
So the lesson here is...don't forget to take a break once in a while! Despite doing so many things wrong this week (bad diet, not enough sleep, and no stretching), giving my body some rest still resulted in jumping higher than I have in quite some time.
Here is a great article on the importance of recovery and avoiding overtraining that you might be interested in. Check it out!
Tomorrow, we leave for Disneyland so I'm sticking with this new workout program of not working out! Here's to hoping another week of junk food and avoiding exercise will result in jumping even higher next week! I'll let you know on Monday!
I didn't do any workouts. I didn't stretch. I didn't eat good. In fact, I ate horribly. I did play basketball three times so I wasn't completely inactive. But, compared to what I typically do during a normal week of training -- this week was equivalent to me sitting on the couch and eating bon bons.
Yesterday, the "party" continued with loads of junk food and staying up until almost 2:00 am. Right before going to bed, I ate two chocolate chip cookies. Go big or go home! I then slept for about 4 hours and got up at 6:00 am to play hoops. Yes, I'm a basketball addict.
But to my surprise, my legs felt really good today. I was jumping higher than I have in a while and I threw down the best dunk I've had in a really long time. And, it felt so GOOD!!! I didn't even take my video camera this morning as this was completely unexpected.
So the lesson here is...don't forget to take a break once in a while! Despite doing so many things wrong this week (bad diet, not enough sleep, and no stretching), giving my body some rest still resulted in jumping higher than I have in quite some time.
Here is a great article on the importance of recovery and avoiding overtraining that you might be interested in. Check it out!
Tomorrow, we leave for Disneyland so I'm sticking with this new workout program of not working out! Here's to hoping another week of junk food and avoiding exercise will result in jumping even higher next week! I'll let you know on Monday!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Jump Manual - Week 11 Recap of "40 at 40"
Week 11 of this phase of Jump Manual training went pretty well. I got in all my workouts and am starting to see some progress again particularly with plyometrics. I can tell because I track how high I'm touching for depth jumps and did better than the previous couple of weeks.
Improving my vertical jump during this basketball season proved to be much harder than I anticipated and believe I fell for one of the most common vertical jump training mistakes -- overtraining! I'm always trying to push myself ("no pain, no gain") and yet that is not the best approach for vertical jump training. The body has to rest and your muscles actually get stronger during recovery. No recovery = no additional strength!
Had I not played on 2 city league teams, I think I would have seen more increase with my vertical jump during these last few months. But, basketball is the reason I do this! I want to continue to compete at a high level and this training has made that possible. So, no regrets!
Basketball season is over and now I'm going to train smarter. Not harder! And, for me I think it will make a huge difference.
Thanks for reading and I hope your training is going well!
Improving my vertical jump during this basketball season proved to be much harder than I anticipated and believe I fell for one of the most common vertical jump training mistakes -- overtraining! I'm always trying to push myself ("no pain, no gain") and yet that is not the best approach for vertical jump training. The body has to rest and your muscles actually get stronger during recovery. No recovery = no additional strength!
Had I not played on 2 city league teams, I think I would have seen more increase with my vertical jump during these last few months. But, basketball is the reason I do this! I want to continue to compete at a high level and this training has made that possible. So, no regrets!
Basketball season is over and now I'm going to train smarter. Not harder! And, for me I think it will make a huge difference.
Thanks for reading and I hope your training is going well!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Jump Manual - Week 10 Recap of "40 at 40"
Another week of my Jump Manual training has passed bringing me to a total of 10 weeks for this phase of training. This was another tough week for me to get my workouts in due to my tournament games. I ended up taking several days off to rest. I always feel guilty and lazy when I take days off and so I have to remind myself how important rest and recovery is.
Unfortunately, both of my teams came up short in the tournament. We took 3rd place in one league and made it to the final four in the other league. I'm disappointed especially since I feel like we had the talent to win both leagues. I'm sure we'll go after it again next year!
As much as I love playing basketball, I'm kind of relieved the season is over. I still really want that two hand dunk and now I can refocus my time and training to really get after it.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to my new friend Aleks in Australia who has started the Jump Manual and made a bet with his buddy that he will dunk in six weeks or less. I'm not a big gambler but my money is on Aleks to win this wager!
Check out his blog and follow his progress!
Unfortunately, both of my teams came up short in the tournament. We took 3rd place in one league and made it to the final four in the other league. I'm disappointed especially since I feel like we had the talent to win both leagues. I'm sure we'll go after it again next year!
As much as I love playing basketball, I'm kind of relieved the season is over. I still really want that two hand dunk and now I can refocus my time and training to really get after it.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to my new friend Aleks in Australia who has started the Jump Manual and made a bet with his buddy that he will dunk in six weeks or less. I'm not a big gambler but my money is on Aleks to win this wager!
Check out his blog and follow his progress!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Jump Manual - Week 9 Recap of "40 at 40"
Week 9 of this phase of Jump Manual training didn't go as well as the previous 2 weeks where I didn't miss a single workout. But, given my schedule I'm still pleased with what I accomplished.
It's tournament time for the 2 basketball leagues I'm playing in and so I had 3 games this past week including a doubleheader last Monday night. I found myself completely exhausted (which is very rare for me) and so I decided to take Wed, Thu, and Friday off from training. I then hit it hard on Saturday for the strength and explosion workout and it felt great to get back in the gym.
Last night, we came in 3rd place in the highest division for one of the leagues I play in. We had a bad game last week and lost to the team who ended up winning the championship. Tonight, we play in the semi-finals for the other league and if we win ("when we win"), we will play tomorrow night for the championship. So will likely have 3 games again this week. I love hoops but I'm honestly kind of ready for it to be over so I can really focus on my training.
My 1 year anniversary of Jump Manual training and posting to this blog is coming up very soon (April 11) which is really hard to believe. I've got to get that 2 hand dunk before then which doesn't leave much time!
Thanks for reading!
It's tournament time for the 2 basketball leagues I'm playing in and so I had 3 games this past week including a doubleheader last Monday night. I found myself completely exhausted (which is very rare for me) and so I decided to take Wed, Thu, and Friday off from training. I then hit it hard on Saturday for the strength and explosion workout and it felt great to get back in the gym.
Last night, we came in 3rd place in the highest division for one of the leagues I play in. We had a bad game last week and lost to the team who ended up winning the championship. Tonight, we play in the semi-finals for the other league and if we win ("when we win"), we will play tomorrow night for the championship. So will likely have 3 games again this week. I love hoops but I'm honestly kind of ready for it to be over so I can really focus on my training.
My 1 year anniversary of Jump Manual training and posting to this blog is coming up very soon (April 11) which is really hard to believe. I've got to get that 2 hand dunk before then which doesn't leave much time!
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Jump Manual - Week 8 Recap of "40 at 40"
For the second week in a row, I got in all my Jump Manual workouts! Yes! I really feel like I'm back on track. Had a tough start to the year but things are going really well now.
After losing weight consistently for the first 6 weeks of training this year, my body seems to want to stay at around 166 lbs. I had my bodyfat tested tonight at Gold's Gym with one of those electronic machines you hold in your hand (not sure how accurate it is) but it said I was 12.9% bodyfat which is a pretty significant improvement from the 18% I was back in January. Still can't believe I was that fat!
Crunching the numbers and comparing to my last test shows I have lost fat and gained muscle so that is very good news. I was concerned that I may be losing muscle from reduced training from my injuries but that doesn't appear to be the case. I will test my bodyfat again using the bodpod next month so I can get a true before and after comparison. I'd like to be 8% bodyfat or less.
This past week I had an awesome coaching session with Jacob (creator of Jump Manual). We reviewed videos of me performing several of the plyometric exercises from the Jump Manual. He provided tons of helpful tips and feedback and I learned some great stuff!
This is one of the reasons I've become a huge fan of the Jump Manual and of Jacob too. Having access to an expert like him has made a big difference for me. He is very willing to help his clients and his weekly coaching sessions are invaluable. Take advantage of them if you aren't already!
Click on the video at the top of this post or picture at the bottom to see the video of us reviewing my depth jumps. Post some comments if you found this helpful and would be interested in me sharing more videos like this. Thanks for reading and watching!
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| Depth Jumps - Coaching Session with Jacob Hiller |
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Jump Manual - Week 7 Recap of "40 at 40"
For the first time this year, I was able to get in all my Jump Manual workouts this past week and it felt sooooo good!
This past week, I also made some more changes to my workout that I'm really excited about. Frankly, I was getting pretty burned out on the Core & Upper Body workout from the Jump Manual and felt like it was time to mix things up. I think it's healthy and productive to change up your workouts from time to time. I think the benefit may be as much mental as it is physical.
Anyways, I came across this video that claims to be the Ab workout that Lebron does and so thought I would give it a try.
I really like this Ab routine and so I've implemented it into my workout in place of one of the standard core & upper body workouts from the Jump Manual. There are a couple of exercises in this workout that I haven't done before and so that is fun and challenging. Try it out and see if you like it!
The tournament starts tomorrow for one of my city league teams and next week for the other team. I really think both teams can win their tournaments and so I'm really looking forward to these games. March madness is also just around the corner so this is going to be a great month of basketball.
Hope your training is going well! Thanks for reading.
This past week, I also made some more changes to my workout that I'm really excited about. Frankly, I was getting pretty burned out on the Core & Upper Body workout from the Jump Manual and felt like it was time to mix things up. I think it's healthy and productive to change up your workouts from time to time. I think the benefit may be as much mental as it is physical.
Anyways, I came across this video that claims to be the Ab workout that Lebron does and so thought I would give it a try.
I really like this Ab routine and so I've implemented it into my workout in place of one of the standard core & upper body workouts from the Jump Manual. There are a couple of exercises in this workout that I haven't done before and so that is fun and challenging. Try it out and see if you like it!
The tournament starts tomorrow for one of my city league teams and next week for the other team. I really think both teams can win their tournaments and so I'm really looking forward to these games. March madness is also just around the corner so this is going to be a great month of basketball.
Hope your training is going well! Thanks for reading.
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