Creation of an Explosive Mofo - My Training Journal :)

[coolcolj]

I might train today, only 2 days rest from Sunday BBall, usually 3 days rest - so that I may get 5 days rest from weights to next BBall/Jump session on Sunday.
But this also leaves me the option to BBall on Saturday again like I had been doing until 2 weeks ago....

My legs feel pretty good for squats, CNS might not be in as good a condition though, and I do want to lifter stronger than 2 weeks ago.

----

Might be joining a new gym. My boss was telling me about the gym he goes to near work, which is also pretty close to me. Much closer than my current gym, and only slightly more expensive, but it offers so much more! Will check it out sometime this week

It's way bigger, on 3 floors, has an indoor pool, and tons of cardio rooms I won't use.
I've been there a long while back, but now it's owned by a big corporation and they have expanded everything. Free weights area is supposed to be much bigger now, and has 3 power racks, 2 on one floor. Everything is new and all bars are straight
It even had a small indoor track area before, but may not be there now, or may be even bigger. Only thing is it might not have a lifting platform or bumper plates

My current gym is privately owned and the owner is a cheapskate, all bars are old and bent etc... Gym fees are cheaper, but it's fals economy...

As long as they allow chalk and deadlifts, and have enough plates, it sounds good so far.
By the way my boss described the place, I might be the strongest person at this gym, only mums and cardio bunnies inhabit it

 

[coolcolj]

Tuesday 2nd September - Micro Cycle 9 - Week 8 - Day 2 - Workout B Heavy

Crap workout. I certainly missed the extra day of rest. CNS still recovering.
I made progress, but I didn't feel good doing it.
Definitely need at least 3 days rest from BBall/Jumps.

Plus the last week, I've been going to bed 1-2 hours later than normal, I think that had the most effect on my poor jumping over the weekend. It all adds up over time.

Body weight at gym - 197lbs in partial winter clothing
Workout time - 1.5 hours
Workout rating - 6/10

General warm up -

3 min moderate speed walk on treadmill
foam roll routine

1 set each of my usual dynamic mobility exercises
behind the neck band pull aparts - green mini-band help 3/4 length 2x8
lateral deep lunge x8
situp complex on swiss ball
single leg RDL mobility + psoas activation walk
2 short runs of low effort prime times (stiff legged runs)

A few sets of hops in place - 2 legged and then single legged
3x10 seconds rope skipping - 2 legged then 5 reps single leg, each leg, then alternating legs - 30secs rest

45lb oly bar complex - slow clean pull, GM onto toes, high hang powerclean, military press - 5 reps each


Low bar Full Back Squats - shoulder width stance - Oly Shoes - no Belt


warmups - 45 seconds rest between double sets on the same weight. Then 2-3min rest between each weight increase

in Nike Free 5.0 trainer - 95x4, x2, 135lbs 2x2, 185lbs x2, switched to oly shoes 205x2, 225x2, 255x1, 285x1, 315 x 2 sec support


325lbs x 6 (+10lbs) --> gut busting grind on last rep


All the warmup sets felt crappy, but at least the loads didn't feel mega heavy on my back, so I guess that means I'm still recovering from BBall/Jumps but not overreached.
Barely made the last rep with 325lbs, d**n slow rep, for me anyway.
That puts my 1RM around 375lbs, up 10lbs.

Enough strength for a 32 inch vertical jump. Which means I should be able to touch the rim from a standing jump, when I'm fresh, with my fully stretched up hard 7'4" standing reach in shoes.
If I was still at 188lbs, like a few weeks back, I'd be jumping 33.5 inches now, but I probably wouldn't be able to squat as well

Now I have to consolidate things, and work up to 405lbs over the next 2 months. About 350x6. 345x6 happens to be my all time best, but at a much heavier bodyweight....
And finally get that 35 inch vertical jump and 38-39 inches off a run!
So I can start practising dunks with a small ball

Who knows I may still reach a 40 inch vertical jump by the end of the year if my squat continues up to 465lbs. Putting my wrist at the rim. A 10lb fat loss could make things easier no doubt. Good for 2 inches, and 25lbs less strength needed on the squat. 440lbs or 200kg


rested 10 mins before moving on


Single leg kneeling Deadlift

1.5 mins rest between each side
- 2 sec pause at bottom - BW x 5, 2x55lb dumbbells x 8

Kept same load as last time, felt freaking hard as hell!


Upper body/shoulder prehab stuff

Low incline dumbell face pull to forehead - elbows at 90 degrees, palms facing with a hold at top - 2x2kg x 3, 2x3kg dumbbells x 13 (2-3sec rest between each rep) --> reduced the dumbbells by 1kg each, but added a rep.
Focusing more on quality of the rep and feel.

close grip triangle Push up on floor - paused top and bottom x 19 (+1 rep)

6kg dumbell x13 (+1rep) (2-3sec rest between each rep)
single arm face down on bench subscap rotation - hold at top


Side Plank hold warmup - supported leg raises x 8

1 min 20 secs each side - up 5 secs

d**n hard as hell and body shaking a lot! Obliques pretty d**n strong now. Will change things up. Gees I hate this exercise

Single leg standing calf raise machine

warmup - BWx5, 2 plates x 3

1.5 mins rest between each side
1 rep + 30 sec ISO hold at top x 4 plates (+1 plate)

not bad, making fast progress

 

[coolcolj]

Nice free little Self Myofacial release e-book by Mike Robertson
http://www.robertsontrainingsystems.com/Self-Myofascial Release, Purpose, Methods and Techniques.pdf

 

[coolcolj]

it's pouring rain today, and local indoor court facility is booked out by netball games...
so no BBall/jumping today. Plus I feel pretty tired

So tomorrow it is. It it's dry, outdoor courts, if not then indoor court should be free.
Been a while since I played/jumped in an indoor court with springy wooden floors and rims that should be right on 10 foot - kinda curious to see if I can get my fingers over those rims as well as I do on an outdoor court, and if the wooden floors help my hops

 

[coolcolj]

Sunday 31st August 2008

crap sleep last night late night. Feeling a little achey and tight, but not too bad.

Nice and sunny today, so BBall/Jumps are on for an outdoor court.


weighed 88kg 193.6lbs this morning
waist is 34 inches around belly button

With this Body-Mass Index, Waist-to-Height Ratio and More...
it puts me at 13.8% bodyfat

Tanita scale = 24%
I usually take 10% off that, so 14%, pretty close to that other calculator!

took some fairly accurate measurements straight out of bed as well
Height - 5'8.5"
Wrist - 6 6/8
Forearms - flexed 12
Arms - flexed 15
Neck - 15.5
Chest - 43.5
Waist - 34
Hips/Glutes - 39.5
Thighs - 26.75 (+0.25 inches)
Knee - 15
Calves - 16 1/8
Ankle - 8.75

Legs have gotten bigger from last week, up 1/4 inch. Man my hamstrings have really filled out since I switched to low bar full squats! Hard to tell where the glute ends and where the hamstring starts now. Before the glute would stick out way over my flat hamstrings...but now my legs are starting to look like a horses hind legs from the side!
I figure my legs will hit 27 inches by the time I get to 405lbs, or 355x6, even though I'm not training for size, or doing much volume, "blame" my genetics
And hopefully a 35 inch vertical jump, and a 39 inch running jump around then

25th May 2008

weighed 85.7kg 188.5lbs
waist is 33.75 inches

With this Body-Mass Index, Waist-to-Height Ratio and More...
it puts me at 13.9% bodyfat

waist 33.75
Wrist - right 6 5/8
Forearms - 12
Arms - 15
Neck - 15.5
chest - 42.5 - lats flared
Hips/Glutes - 39.5
Thighs - 26.5
Calves - 16
Ankle - 8.75

compared to my stats from 25th may 2008.
Interesting - my chest/torso got bigger. Might explain why my paused closegrip triangle pushups went from like 6-8 to 19 reps. Upper back has thickened up a lot too.
Fat wise I look about the same, just holding a lot more water and food weight, from eating more. More food always fills out my torso more than my lower body, which explains why my bench goes up when I eat more and vice versa....

But I'm a hell of a lot stronger in my lower body and can jump higher at a heavier bodyweight.

back then -188lbs, 29 inch vertical jump, Fullsquat = 255x8 = 325lbs
now - 194lbs, 31-32 inch vertical jump, fullsquat = 325x6 = 375lbs

plug the numbers into my VJ formula here
Vertical Jump Calculator
and everything lines up as it says

 

[coolcolj]

Sunday 7th September - Micro Cycle 9 - Week 9 - Day 1

Kinda cold today, I should have stayed in my winter clothing. So it took me ages to warm up, so a longer session.

Did some foam rolling at home before heading to the court

Bodyweight = 88.3kg 194lbs in shorts and t-shirt

Outdoor BBall court Complex - one with 8 foot netball rims on the back of each hoop - Nike Free 7.0 Trainer


70 mins total

1) did some dribbling, shooting, moves and low/medium intensity jumps and some dunks on the 8 foot netball rims for 45 mins

2) did max effort jumps of all types for another 25 mins, resting about a 30secs - 1.5min between jumps

Courts were very crowded! I initially shot around with some guys on one rim, then moved over to another, when it emptied so I could work out on my own.

Lats and upper body was tight and achey today. Dribbling and shooting was crap. But at least my jumping was decent.

Felt pretty explosive, but feels like I'm having trouble controlling the power, like riding a bucking bull
Vertical jump was about 31 inches, so still the same.
Could backboard tap 9 feet, with ball in my hands, and whole hand over the bottom of the backboard standing.

On a casual 3 step jump, I could get 2 knuckles over the 10 foot rim, with the arms at a slight angle for a few jumps. So at least 34 inches not counting the angle of the arm. Guessing around 35+ inches
Off a step, I was able to get my eyes above, and my nose level with the 8 foot netball rims. Which means, getting head into a 8.5 feet net is pretty easy now. Head to 8'8" off a step = 34+ inches.

Running 2 handed jump is finally up. I've been stuck with wrists an inch above the 9 foot backboard level for a while now. Today I finally got my wrist 2.5 inches over the bottom of the 9 foot backboard, putting my fingertips 2.5 inches under the rim. Should be able to hang on that 9'7" rim court with 2 hands. Another 4 more inches and it's time to go dunk it

Pretty pleased with how things are going right now. I'm eating a lot more, but I'm not getting fatter. Strength is going up, and while I'm heavier, bloated and feel like a whale, I'm still quick and explosive around the court and jumping higher than before!
I can pretty much get to the rim anytime I want now, even when I'm not trying that hard. When I was tired today after many jumps, I could still touch the rim. Another 12 inches and I'm set.

 

[coolcolj]

good 10 hour sleep last night, can't complain

feel ok, a bit groggy, but no feelings of being sapped/stale. Body a little achey, mostly my upper trap/back and arms. Feet/calves not getting so beat up now, ISO calf raises have helped. Things will just get better as I get stronger on em.
Legs and hips not really that sore either.

may go for a short walk for active recovery.
May head to the gym tommorrow and train. Not ideal, since I BBall/jumped a day late, but I'm reseting things and changing my weights setup once again as my needs dictate

 

[coolcolj]

Tuesday 9th spetmber - Micro Cycle 9 - Week 9 - Day 2 - Workout A

Workout went better than I expected just 2 days after BBall/jumps session.
Legs felt good, and I felt strong. Left the gym feeling barely worked...thanks to the workout setup

Foam rolled at home before heading to the gym

Body weight at gym - 198lbs in winter clothing
Workout time - 1.5 hours
Workout rating - 8/10

General warm up -

3 min moderate speed walk on treadmill

1 set each of my usual dynamic mobility exercises
behind the neck band pull aparts - green mini-band help 3/4 length 2x8
lateral deep lunge x8
situp complex on swiss ball
single leg RDL mobility + psoas activation walk
2 short runs of low effort prime times (stiff legged runs)

A few sets of hops in place - 2 legged and then single legged
3x10 seconds rope skipping - 2 legged then 5 reps single leg, each leg, then alternating legs - 30secs rest

45lb oly bar complex - slow clean pull, GM onto toes, high hang powerclean, military press - 5 reps each


Low bar Full Back Squats - shoulder width stance - no Belt - Nike Free 5.0 Trainer + Oly shoes

warmups - 45 seconds rest between double sets on the same weight. Then 2-3min rest between each weight increase

in Nike Free 5.0 trainer - BWx8, 95lbs x4, x2, 135lbs 2x2, 185x2, switched to oly shoes 205x2, 225x2, 255x1, 285x1, 315 x 2 sec support

controlled - 2.5 mins rest
1) 315lbs x 2 (84% of estimated 1RM - 375lbs)
2) 315lbs x 2
3) 315lbs x 2
4) 315lbs x 2 --> slower and more strained
5) 315lbs x 2 --> slower and more strained

Felt surprisingly strong today. Everything 285lbs and under felt so much lighter, after I fully warmed up. 315lbs still felt pretty heavy though, and a bit unstable on my back.
Up 10lbs from last time, and dropped a set to reduce overall volume. Also no longer going up to 90% on first set. First set felt the hardest.
315lbs still feels pretty gut busting, don't think I could do 8 reps with it just yet.


Upper body/shoulder prehab stuff

Low incline dumbell face pull to forehead - elbows at 90 degrees, palms facing with a hold at top - 2x3kg x3, 2x4kg dumbbells x 14 (+1kg + 1 rep)(2-3sec rest between each rep)

6kg dumbell x14 (+2 reps) (2-3 sec rest between each rep)
single arm seated Cuban rotation into press
single arm lying on back/floor subscap rotation


dip shrug - 5sec hold + 5 reps, forgot to do the main set....

Single leg standing calf raise machine

warmup - BWx5, 2 plates x 3

1.5 mins rest between each side
1 rep + 20 sec ISO hold at top x 5 plates
up one plate, -10 sec on ISO. Pretty hard and shakey.

Lat machine situp
warmup - each rep progressively lower - 3 secs rest between each BWx10
BW+15lbs x 3, BW+35lbs x 3, BW+45lbs x 6 paused middle and bottom - up 10lbs -2 reps. Brutal!

 

[coolcolj]

feeling sapped and stale, a sign cortisol is up. No morning wood today either, so testosterone is down - I've been getting morning wood on all the other days of the week so far

moderately sore all over, which usually turns into heavy soreness later today

short walk for active recovery planned for today

 

[coolcolj]

Made a nice discovery today -

had to go vote at a nearby school, across the road from my house.
After doing that I took a wander around the school yard and noticed the good old BBall rims there, they replaced the old crap ones with nice thick rimmed orange jobs, with nets. Problem is the backboard is right up again the pole... no leg space for landing and they're all fairly high. There used to be a low rim there around 9'3" that I used to practise on, but it broke from all the dunking

I keep walking and then noticed a new BBall rim further back, with proper offset from the pole, nice thick orange rims, with net, and it looks a little lower. Putting my hand up to measure it against my reach and the net looked to be around 12 inches over my reach of 7'4". So it's about 3 inches lower I think. Now the court surface is sloped 20-30 degrees downwards towards the ring. So if you take off a metre out it's probably as low as 9'6" and maybe even more!

Sweet, I'm going go test it out today. Probably not low enough for me to dunk with a full sized ball just yet, but enough for me to practise my jumping with a small ball. And it's only 150m from my house which makes it even better!
Nice, I think I found my new place to hangout every Saturday when I just want to jump and not fart around without shooting, or want to drive