Jump Manual at 40 years old - Week 10 Results

Week 10 of my vertical jump training using the Jump Manual started out great. But, then I went out of town for 3 days to go camping and didn't workout at all! I was fully planning to do the off-day exercises on Wednesday & Friday and my core & upper body workout on Thursday (like I normally do each week) as these are workouts that can be done just about anywhere. But, I didn't do it.

On the bright side, the strength & explosion workout (squats, deadlifts, cleans, etc.) that I do each Saturday did go well. I was able to increase the weights on squats and knee drives. What seemed crazy though is the workout seemed so much harder than it did the week before. Probably because I hadn't done anything for the last 3 days!  Also, not getting much sleep or eating well on my camping trip didn't help. About 1/3 of the way through the workout, I seriously considered calling it a day. So glad I didn't! This week is also going to be tough as I'm out of town for 4 days. Got to do better.

This morning I decided to play basketball since I hadn't played in like 10 days and was really missing it. I felt a little sore from Saturday's workout but not too bad. I did some depth jumps in between games and was able to beat my previous best of 29.1" (shown in my Week 8 video) with 30.8". However, I was jumping off an 18" chair as compared to a 12" step in my last test. So that probably explains some of the increase as I should be able to jump higher off the chair than the step.

Here's the video from today:

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 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!

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.

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?

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!

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!

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!

Sometimes it's good to take a break!

This past week I was on the road again for the fourth straight week and was seriously lacking in motivation for the first time since starting the Jump Manual. This program isn't easy and traveling only makes it more difficult. I also felt like my body was breaking down so I took most of the week off. I told myself that I'm half way through, I've worked really hard, and so why not take a little break?

I'm glad that I did. I played hoops this morning and was feeling really good. I could tell I was jumping better than I have in a long time. So, I had a friend grab my little video camera and film me jump a couple of times while we were waiting for the next game.

The result was I grabbed the rim with 2 hands which is the first time I've been able to do that since starting the Jump Manual. Compared to where I was six weeks ago when I could get my fingers a little over the rim, I've made some solid progress. My vert has increased probably 4 or 5 inches so far. I must say it feels pretty good. I need another 3 or 4 inches and I should be dunking!

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

Half way done!

It's hard to believe but 6 weeks of training has come and gone. I'm half way done with the Jump Manual! But, am I at least half way to dunking?

Yesterday, I made a few dunk attempts on a rim that is 9 foot 10 inches. I got really close on a couple of them. It seemed like I was high enough but was just missing the dunks. So I think I'm just a few inches away from throwing down!

The Jump Manual is definitely working for me. My vertical is increasing and my legs are getting stronger. As I mentioned when I started the program, I have been using a log book to track my leg workouts. I've made some solid progress on several lifts:

Squat: increased 40 lbs
Hang cleans: increased 40 lbs
Calf raises: increased 80 lbs
Dead lifts: increased 40 lbs
Lunges: increased 20 lbs

I will test my vertical again on Monday and post a new video to show where I'm at.

Thanks for reading!

5 weeks of Jump Manual

I've now completed 5 weeks of the Jump Manual. I had a minor setback last week by spraining my left ankle. Like many basketball players, I've had my share of ankle sprains but thankfully this one was not too bad. If nothing else it got me to rest a little which probably was a good thing.

Today, I decided to go ahead and test my vertical again. My ankle isn't 100% but it's good enough. Here's where I'm at after 5 weeks:

My no-step vertical has increased 3 inches (1 inch increase since last test)
My one-step vertical has increased 1 inch (no change since last test)
My running vertical has increased 2 inches (no change since last test)

I was surprised that my one-step and running vertical jumps didn't increase since my no-step vertical did go up an inch. It could be due to the ankle sprain I suppose. I also have missed my plyometric workout the last 2 weeks and focused more on weights. That seems to be helping my strength which is more important for standing vertical but now my quickness and reactive ability may be slipping. Not missing any more plyo workouts that's for sure!

Here's a video of the test I did today. Thanks for reading and watching.

Ankle sprain - no!

I was playing hoops this morning and sprained my left ankle. Thankfully it's not a bad sprain. But, it was enough of a tweak that it didn't make sense to test my vertical today. I'll be doing ice and advil for the next couple of days and may wait until Monday to test my vertical again. Just have to see how it feels.

I'm thinking about cutting back (at least a little bit) on basketball until I finish the Jump Manual. Rest/recovery is so important to get maximum results and avoid injuries. My sprain today may have partially been caused by fatigue. I feel young but there are a lot of basketball miles on this 39 year old body. Got to stay injury free!

Oh well...if this was easy, then everyone would be dunking! And then it wouldn't be so cool.

Vertical Jump Test - after 3 weeks of Jump Manual

I've been doing the Jump Manual for 3 weeks now and so it was time to test my vertical again. After playing ball this morning, I performed the same tests I've done the last 2 weeks to determine where I'm at.

And...here are the results:

My no step vertical has increased 2 inches.
My one step vertical has increased 1 inch.
My running vertical has increased 2 inches.

My max height is now about 10 feet 4 inches and so figure I need 4 to 6 more inches to throw down a one handed dunk.

So I'm up 2 inches in 3 weeks. Not bad! If my gains continue at this same rate, I'd end up with about an 8 inch gain during the 12 weeks of the program. That would put me pretty close to 11 feet max height and should be high enough to throw it down.

Just got to keep going!

Here's a video of the test I did today. Thanks for reading and watching!

Vertical Jump Test - After 2 weeks of Jump Manual program

So I've been doing the Jump Manual for 2 weeks now and thought it was time to test my vertical again.You can read about and watch a video of my original vertical jump test at this previous blog post.

Yesterday, I did the same tests as I had done 2 weeks before. It's a little hard to tell if I've increased my no-step vertical. Maybe just a little? Not sure. I was feeling good about my one-step vertical as it seemed like it was about a 1 inch improvement. But, after watching the video it was clear that I cheated! I actually took 2 steps! So don't have an accurate comparison and will make sure not to cheat next time. :-)

My running vertical has increased about 1 inch. Before, I was grabbing the rim at the knuckle of my middle finger. This time I was grabbing the rim at about the top of my palm which would be about a 1 inch increase.

So a 1 inch gain after 2 weeks. Not too shabby. But, I wish it was more! At this rate, I would be looking at about a 6 inch gain during the 12 weeks. That would mean I would barely be able to dunk on a good day when the planets were aligned and the wind was blowing just right. I'm hoping for more like 10 inches! That would be over 11 feet maximum height and even without being able to palm the ball should be plenty to throw it down.

My no-step vertical seems way too low to me which means I've got to hit the weights harder! Depending on how things go during the next few weeks, I may alter my workout to do less plyometrics and more weights. Many of the "vertical jump experts" out there say you must be able to squat at least 1.5 times your bodyweight and I have a ways to go on that.

I will test again on Monday and hopefully by then I'll have figured out a better way to test and film my vertical jump. Wish I had an extra $600 so I could buy one of those vertecs! Those are sweet.

Week 2 Jump Manual - Recap

Week 2 is over and once again I was able to complete all the workouts for the Jump Manual. Only 10 weeks left which doesn't seem very long. If all goes as planned, I will be dunking before July 4th!

I was planning to do another vertical jump test and video but didn't get that done. Will definitely do that on Monday and see where I'm at. I do know that I've already made some good progress with my flexibility. When I'm warmed up, I can now bend down and touch the floor fairly easily. I know that sounds ridiculous but before starting the program, the furthest I could reach was a few inches above my toes. When I would stretch (which wasn't often obviously), people thought I was joking! Becoming more flexible should help with jumping and injury prevention too.

Another sign of progress is my lifts for the leg workout improved since last week. I've created a workout chart and am recording all my lifts and reps. It's kind of a pain to carry around my notebook and write everything down but it's so worth it! It helped me push so much harder! There is no way I would be able to remember how much weight I had done the previous workout and having that information in front of me was so motivating. I wanted to beat what I had done last time and did for nearly every exercise. No way I would have lifted as much weight today without that info. If you're not logging your workouts, you absolutely should!

That's all for now. I will post a new video in a couple of days. Thanks for reading.

Week 1 Jump Manual - Recap

First week of 12 for the Jump Manual is in the books and I’m pleased to report that I was able to complete all the workouts! I’m only a little sore too which is nice. When I originally started this program about 18 months ago prior to my knee injury (not related to Jump Manual), I remember being so sore that I had to take several days off after the first few leg workout days and plyometric days before I could continue the program. Those workouts are really intense! The Jump Manual is really big on recovery which I also agree is extremely important. My body seems to be a little better prepared this time. But, don't get me wrong it was still crazy hard!

The leg workout yesterday especially challenged me. About half way through, the thought came to me that I would never push myself this much without having this program and a commitment to do it. It’s just too easy (at least for me) to show up at the gym, throw some weight around, get a little sweat going, and call it good. If you do the Jump Manual, you will have to push yourself!

One thing I’m doing much better this time is doing all the stretches every day. My buddies mock me because I’m not able to even reach down and touch my toes. So flexibility is a big weakness that I can improve on and should help my jumping ability. In just one week, I’ve already made a ton of progress.

Another thing I’m doing differently this time is using a log book to record my leg workouts so I know how much weight I lifted and the number of reps. If you’re doing the Jump Manual, I’d be happy to send you a copy of what I created. I’m also finding this blog to be motivating as it has given me a greater feeling of accountability. This is out there for the whole world to see (although maybe no one will ever read it) and somehow that makes me want to try a little harder.

I will test my vertical again and post a new video showing where I'm at in a few days. Thanks for reading!

How high do you need to jump to be in the NBA?

I just checked out last year's NBA Combine Athletic test results and was shocked!

These are the best players leaving college trying to make it to the next level and you would think there would be tons of guys with 40"+ verticals. Not even close!

Out of 52 NBA hopefuls, just one player had a 40" inch vert (Terrico White). The average max vertical jump among these athletes was just 32.94".

So maybe 2010 was a bad year? I pulled up the 2009 NBA Combine Athletic Results. There were 23 players including a now very famous dunker -- Blake Griffen. But, only 1 guy with a 40" inch vert. No, it wasn't Blake. It was Jonny Flynn from Syracuse. Blake's vertical was just 35.5".

What about 2008? There were 72 players in the combine with 6 players who had a 40" vert or higher including some big names like Derrick Rose (40") and OJ Mayo (41").

If I can increase my max vertical by just 4", I will be an "average" NBA prospect in terms of jumping ability based on 2010's results. That's kind of cool! Now if I was only a foot taller and had better skills. I might just have a chance...

I'm starting the Jump Manual

This Monday, April 11 I am starting the Jump Manual vertical jump program created by Jacob Hiller. I'm creating this blog as a way to track my progress and hopefully provide some additional motivation to complete the 12 week program. Yes, I want to dunk!

I actually started the Jump Manual about 18 months ago and unfortunately about 2/3 of the way through, I had a pretty bad knee injury in a city league game that took several months to heal. I'm feeling pretty healthy now and want to make another go at the program. I was getting some decent results and so I'm excited to go for it again.

Jacob Tucker's youtube video and winning the NCAA Dunk contest is partially to blame for this renewed obsession. That guy is ridiculous! And, I want to be just like him. Or just a little like him would be just fine.

I'm just under 6 feet tall and 39 years young. Given those facts, you may think this quest is a tad unrealistic. Great! That will only push me harder. I will tell you that in my younger days I could dunk. But, it has been a LONG time (at least 10 years). So, it certainly is possible. But, is it still possible? This is a race against a clock that seems to be ticking more and more quickly. If I'm going to dunk again, it's going to have to be soon!

The other reason I'm doing this program is I have an 11 year old son who I hope becomes a much better athlete than I ever was. I want to determine which programs are best to help him when he gets a little bit older. What better way to figure that out then do the programs myself?

If you are doing the Jump Manual or other vertical program right now, I'd love to hear about your results.

Thanks for reading and hope you will follow along for the next 12 weeks.