The Final Push!

Sorry for the delay in posting! I have been dealing with some minor injuries (right ankle, left hamstring, and bruised/broken rib) and that has limited my training. I decided to take the last several weeks off from training to try and let my body recover. I am feeling better.

My life seems to just get more and more busy and I'm not getting any younger. And, the amount of time that I can dedicate to training is not what it used to be. I'll never stop working out or playing basketball. But, I have to prioritize my time and in the near future I'm going to use the extra time I have to work with my 14 year old son. He's becoming a basketball addict just like his father and I want to help him as much as possible.

So....here's my plan. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to give it everything I have for the next 12 weeks and see if I can finally get that 2 hand dunk. After that, I may modify this blog to be about training with him. Not sure yet but I can't chase these dunking dreams of mine forever!

The timing should be perfect as I can finish this "Final Push" of 12 weeks right about the time school gets out and then my son and I can train together. Part of my motivation to train has to learn what works and what doesn't so I can help him. If nothing else, I will definitely be able to help him become a much better athlete than I ever was.

One thing I am committing to do differently for these next 12 weeks is to be crazy strict on my eating. I'm really going to focus on eating more whole and natural foods. Will be limiting dairy and gluten and focusing on protein, fruits, and vegetables.

Thanks for reading and there should be weekly updates for the next 3 months. Please follow along as I go for this one more time!

Another birthday and my training for 2014...

I've had this blog now for over 2 years tracking my vertical jump training! I've been able to reach some of my goals and others I'm still working on. Just had another birthday which now makes me 42 years young.

About 6 weeks ago I was jumping really well. Got some great dunks. And pretty much guaranteed in writing here on my blog that I was going to dunk 2 hands before the end of the year. I'm sorry to say that didn't happen. Not completely sure why. Could have been fatigue. Could have been overtraining. Could have been that I gained nearly 10 lbs during the holidays. 

At any rate, I'm not giving up. I started training again the first week of the year and am now 3 weeks into another 12 week phase. I'm taking creatine again and am rededicating myself to eating healthy so I can get leaner. I'm right around 180 lbs which would be fine if my bodyfat was low but it's not. So, I got to change that.

I'm coaching my son's AAU team (8th grade) and am really enjoying that. I try to incorporate a little bit of what I've learned during the last couple of years into our practices. I can't help but think how much better of a player I would have been had I trained properly back then. If anyone has figured out time travel, please hit me up!

Well...Happy New Year everyone and may all your vertical jump and other worthwhile goals come true in 2014!

Final week of training for this 12 week phase + couple of dunks

I’m finishing up my last week of this phase of training. Just one more workout and I get to take 2 weeks off! But, that doesn’t mean I will just be sitting around doing nothing. I plan to play hoops, do a few light exercises, and do some dunk sessions. I am really excited to see how I’m jumping once my legs are completely (or almost completely) fresh.

Here’s a couple of dunks I got this morning between pick-up games. Not my best jumps but not too shabby.



I’m actually most excited about how close I am to hanging on the rim off my no-step vert. I almost got that today. That will be a key milestone in my progress and expect that to happen in the next couple of weeks as well. 

Keep training guys! It’s worth it!

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 11 Results

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

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

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

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

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

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 10 Results

Quick update...yesterday I tested my no-step vertical again and was fully expecting to have another PR. But, didn't happen. I got 31.6" a few times (31.8") is my current PR that I got last week.

But, I also did the 4 jump test which I hadn't done in several weeks. I saw a huge improvement with this test. My previous best was:


.24 (avg ground contact time)
2.99 (explosive leg power)
25.6 (average vertical for the 4 jumps)

Yesterday, my best results were:

.21 (avg ground contact time)

3.54 (explosive leg power)

27.2 (average vertical for the 4 jumps)

So, I'm very happy with the progress there. 

I ended up not doing a dunk session on Saturday last week but am planning to do that this week. Hopefully, I can get some good stuff.

Thanks for reading!

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 9 Results - another PR!

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I have still been training hard despite my schedule being crazier than ever. I've had to get up at 4:45 am in order to get my workouts in during these last few weeks. But, I'm determined to reach my goals and will give up sleep if I have to!

And it is paying off! 3 weeks ago I got a new PR on my no-step vert and today I got another PR (31.8" on my no-step vert).

Here's the video:



Today's jump was only a PR by .2 inches but progress is progress! And I fully expect to get a new PR next week. I'm feeling so good again after all those injuries.

I'm hoping to make a new dunk video on Saturday. With my no-step vert higher than it probably has ever been (even when I was a "young" lad), I should be able to get some decent dunks. I haven't tried dunking much lately as I've been much more focused on training and playing basketball.

Stay tuned! Big things are coming!

Road to 40 inch running vert - Week 6 Results - new PR!

After some bad luck with injuries, I’m finally feeling good again!  In fact, today I got a new PR on my no-step jump!

Here’s the video with my new PR of 31.6 on my no-step jump:

It feels so good...to feel good! The sprain on my right ankle took so much longer to heal than I was expecting. The worst part was the timing! Two weeks ago, I went to Florida and was able to meet up with Steven Celi who has become one of my favorite YouTube dunkers. I was hoping to make a cool dunk video with him but we were both injured. It was still cool to meet him in person and learn more about his training and what has worked and not worked for him. He’s a big believer in jumping every day or almost every day. He does very little lower body strength training now and mostly focuses on jumping and plyometric work. It definitely has worked for him. He recently tested at 42” on his running vert which is fantastic.

I’m super excited again and look forward to getting another PR very soon. I'm feeling very confident about getting to 34” on my no-step and 40” on my running vert! Big dunks coming soon!

Thanks for reading and following along. I appreciate the support.