I WILL DUNK

Goodbye, ACL

2010-02-27T22:15:00.001-08:00

On January 20th, 2010, I played my first pickup game in over a year. Halfway through it, I caught a pass across the lane and spun towards the basket.

POP!

My right ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) completely tore. My knee immediately swelled - to the point that the next day they had to drain 75ccs. It turns out my MCL is severely sprained, I got a slight sprain in my LCL, and I had several bone contusions - which dramatically increased the swelling.

I'm learning a lot about this injury. The ortho had me doing rehab less than a week later. The idea is to gain almost full flexibility in my knee before doing surgery. Surgery is to take a CADAVER ligament and replace my snapped one - this is crazy! My injury has been labelled "extensive", and it's taking a lot of rehab (six weeks now) to get flexibility back. I'm also still not sleeping well due to the pain (doctor does not want me to abuse vicodin).

So now my quest is definitely postponed. But I say here, the quest is not over! I will return!

One day.

Update

2009-11-30T00:16:00.000-08:00

I gained 25 pounds after about 8 months of my daughter being alive. I have since lost 10 of that, but working out is sparse. I am drowning at work, and babies take out a chunk of time that always used to be there.

There will be no quest resuming for the time being. I'm talking years. Currently, if I can jog more than 3 times a week, that is a victory.

However, I enjoy watching everyone else's progress. KEEP IT UP UP UP!!!!

Thanks

2008-11-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone and their nice comments. I haven't checked this blog in 2 months because I was sad about not achieving the dunk. One day...like if i win the lottery, I'll do it to it.

Quick note: I now jog less than once a week. I'm not sleeping much, and I don't eat as well. So OF COURSE I weigh less than I ever did whilst training, at 188! Of course, my legs and upper body have visibly less muscle mass. It feels like a little trick the workout gods are playing on me.

Keep training everyone!

Week 80.1

2008-10-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

QUEST SUSPENDED
I have had a beautiful baby girl, at 3:30 am on September 27th. What this means is my life has now radically changed, starting with sleep schedule and deprivation, and constant diaper changing.

Thanks to so many of you who supported me and gave excellent comments and insight. It was awesome.

I did manage one more jump test on a wood court, and easily grabbed rim, but it wasn't enough.

My quest is only suspended, because I know this is achievable, at least till age 50. That's just how I feel.

Good luck to everyone out there, and feel free to hit me up with questions. At the very least, I can direct you where you need to go.

Week 78.1

2008-09-19T00:02:00.001-07:00

OVER?
I don't know what to say. It's been 3 weeks since I've even posted, because it's sad.

I had become so overwhelmed with the move, work, a pregnant wife - I simply had no time to workout. And I can feel it. I tried jumping this weekend, and it was pitiful.

I think I've lost another 5 pounds somehow tho? Not sure on that yet.

If my wife doesn't go into labor this weekend, i will try one more jump, but it could be hard to even get on a wood basketball court. But I haven't done anything properly in the last month that one would expect for this quest.

At the end of the day, and I'll say it again, at 36 years old, I needed to play bball about 3x a week, on top of the jump training. Without that, I kept hitting a wall.

Sigh.....

Week 75.1

2008-08-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

Dazed
I don't know how i'm managing to even workout, but I did squats and deadlifts on Monday.

I'm moving on Thursday, still putting in 10+ hour days, plus other crap. I'm gonna try to keep working out one more week, then take another 1-2 weeks off, then do my final test.

Week 74.1

2008-08-17T23:39:00.001-07:00

Chugging
I've just been barely managing to do weights 2x a week, maybe jogging 2x a week.

I hurt my back a few weeks ago, so I've only been going up to 185lbs on squats, up to 10 reps. After 2-3 weeks, my legs weren't getting sore after each workout. I decide to do light deadlifts, and boom, my hamstrings and ass got sore again. A good sore.

My life is just getting busier and crazier with a home move, a baby close to birth, and 10-12 hour workdays. Wish it were different. That's where the lottery comes in.

Week 71.1

2008-07-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Brokeback Vert Up

The day after shooting my last jump test, I wrenched my back doing squats. I wasn't even going max, but it felt like crushing and tearing. Somehow, i was able to stand back up, which meant my legs still had the strength at least. I could barely sit for 2 days, but my back improved enough to tell me it wasn't spinal. By Sunday, my back was still sore, but curiously it didn't hurt when I jump. So I did a little one-on-one, and another jump test...Here ya go...

Week 70.1

2008-07-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

OY ACCELERATED
My vertical has actually increased up to 2" in the last 4 months. I've been playing b-ball the last 2 weeks, and it's hurt and helped me. It's given me some spring, but also made my joints and muscles hurt. I'd need a month of regular ballin' to get in good shape - and that's never gonna happen.

So today's jump test sucked. Time's running out. I will persevere for 6 weeks or so, until the baby comes.

Here's the video. Music is Beastie Boys "The Move"

Week 69.1

2008-07-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

More Ups
First, thank you to everyone giving my tips and comments. There's been a flurry lately, and it's much appreciated.

I was gonna do a jump test this weekend, but my knees were still hurting, feeling a little like wet noodles, from the pickup game on Wednesday. I was disappointed, and worried about my knees, but happy that I'm clearly jumping higher.

I am now consistently getting the rim below my knuckle, which is kinda a big deal. That's about 29". My last test was at 28", but this just feels like more. We'll have to measure the rim height for sure.

Mickey and I played one on one tonight, and at the end when I was exhausted, I got good rim. Good stuff.

I'd also love to jump on a wood court instead of concrete, but that could be hard, since Mickey and I don't belong to the same gym. That's a stupid reason, but oh well. I'm not so close to dunking that an inch would make the difference, YET, so I'll be fine.

My shin muscle on my left leg is really sore, which is where my sore knee is too. Gotta keep it stretched.

Week 68.2

2008-07-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

Wood Court
Played basketball today on a wood court for the first time in probably 4 years. It continues to slap me in the face that constant basketball playing would help immensely. Needless to say that despite my regular jogging, I was winded after one game.

While waiting to play, I tried about 10 jumps until (gulp) my knee started hurting. I first tried 2 feet and didn't get very far. Then I tried one foot, and got rim at the top of my palm! This made my non-ball playing aspect even more frustrating, because I'm confident that with 1 hour+ a day, I'd weigh 180 and be damn near close to dunking!

Thus, I think I'll try my test this weekend on a wood court. If my knee stops hurting and my big blister isn't too bad.

Week 68.1

2008-07-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

Home-ish Stretch
Well, this weekend will be my big vert test after 8 weeks of plyometric/weights training. I'm taking this week "off". But that means I'm still jogging, which isn't ideal, and I'm trying to play basketball on wednesday. I really should be playing ball 3x this week. But lemme tell you, I have so much going on in my life, that's a joke. In case I haven't fully explained my constraints.

1. workout = 1-2 hours, 3-4x a week
2. day job = 9-11 hours a day
3. sometimes night job = 1-3 hours
4. pregnant wife needs love and attention
5. house hunting

Then there's usual bills and chores and stuff. I'm not saying I'm a martyr, I'm just saying I've clearly made the choice to prioritize other aspects of my life before ballin'. What's sad is I want the dunk so bad, I'm even willing to play regular ball, despite the 50% chance I injure myself and derail the whole thing. Time's running out, and I'm willing to "pull the goalie".

I'm also focussing extra hard on eating salads this week. My weight was down to 190, but after this bbq birthday weekend especially, i'm back up to 194. If I could get below 190, that will help a lot.

Week 67.1

2008-07-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

Birthday
I turn 36 today, July 4th. So I started this at age 34. Crazy. I only have 2 months left, and then my baby is born and I'll be sleepless and exercise-less.

I'm in the final 2 weeks of my latest jump program with Kelly. This week I'm doing 30 depth jumps, 3x a week. My max height is 38", which is much higher than 24" I was doing the first week. Next week, I do nothing, though Kelly highly recommends playing some ball. To me, that's obvious advice year round, but it seems super important next week. I'm so busy with work and life that it may not be possible. But I'll try, injury be damned.

So a week from Sunday is the big day.

Week 66.1

2008-06-24T00:33:00.000-07:00

Same Ol'
Just doing my depth jumps and squats. That's it. I've shot on video a couple jump tests, and had no vert. But I know my leg strength is there, so it really will just come down to what happens after my recovery week.

Week 64.1

2008-06-12T14:33:00.001-07:00

Feelin Good
Guys, I'm sorry if this is taking too long for you. Believe me, I wish it were going faster. Again, I'm sure if I played basketball 3 hours a day, weighed 175, and was 15 years younger, it would be going better. Such is my challenge. I accept this challenge!

This week Kelly has me doing depth jumps (middle section of clip) from 24"-30"+, 15 times a day. I missed today's workout because of lack of sleep on an overnight project, but I'll resume Friday and Saturday.

I flew to New York for a shoot last weekend, and didn't get a lot of exercise. And I lost 4 pounds! So now I'm at 190. Zoiks! Could 185 actually be a possibility?

Week 63.1

2008-06-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

Chuggin
Today I did 2 sets of 5 in squats at 225lbs...Feelin better about that. The depth drops don't feel like they even work me, but Kelly said not to fear. Guess we'll find out.

I haven't done practice jumps in weeks, as it seems pointless b/c my legs are so tired from squats. But I need to do em a few times a week, just to stay in that frame of mind.

I haven't done a video in a long time, there's just not much to show, since I have no ups right now.

Week 62.2

2008-05-29T01:29:00.000-07:00

Yeah?
I woke up after 5 hours of sleep to workout. I felt a little sluggish, but not much weaker than I have in the past. After my depth drops, I went to the gym for squats. And to my surprise, for my 3rd set of 5 reps, I did 225lbs! After a year of training that's not stellar, but it felt great and I was very pleased with myself. I felt totally energized. I'll be curious to see how sore I get. I usually start getting sore the next day, and the 2nd day is brutal.

Kelly has me doing plyometric depth drops from 10-20% more than my vert, which for me is 30"+. The idea is to shock train the explosiveness aspect. After doing a few months of pure strength training, I should be at a point to take advantage of the plyometrics. He wrote an article about it here.

NOTE: Thanks to everyone who comments. I try to reply, and for some reason my settings don't let me contact people directly.

Week 62.1

2008-05-26T00:39:00.000-07:00

Training
Nothing new to report in the improvement area. Don't worry, I'm still working out.

Kelly has changed me from the Bulgarian lunge workouts to just doing high intensity depth drops. And doing squats 3 sets of 5, 2x a week. I've only completed one week, and it didn't seem to do anything, as far as feeling sore or anything. I've asked Kelly to explain more what's the goal here. Stay tuned...

Week 60.1

2008-05-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Truckin Along
Last week, I had a great session with my lunges...So great, I suppose, that I was super sore again. On Friday I was supposed to start my jump training regimen, but during warmups I strained my hamstring/groin. I decided to bag the day and just did upper body weights.

Luckily, 2 days later (today), I was healed and did the lunges well again. Perhaps our 2 night stay up at a cabin in BigBear, at 8000ft altitude, helped me heal?

Oh, and in a seemingly cool development, my Week 6 video was flagged by a music company - UMG (Universal Music Group)? That's the only info i have, but the 2 bands I used were The Fratellis and Mika. I'm allowed to keep using the songs, so I guess they think it's a good ad for them...hmmm....

Week 58.1

2008-05-01T01:39:00.000-07:00

PUMP
For the fist time since college, I felt the "pump" of lifting weights, in my chest and deltoids....Schwarzenneger describes the "pump" from the movie Pumping Iron:

"The greatest feeling you can get in a gym or the most satisfying feeling you can get in the gym is the pump. Let's say you train your biceps, blood is rushing in to your muscles and that's what we call the pump. Your muscles get a really tight feeling like your skin is going to explode any minute and its really tight and its like someone is blowing air into your muscle and it just blows up and it feels different, it feels fantastic. It's as satisfying to me as cumming is, you know, as in having sex with a woman and cumming. So can you believe how much I am in heaven? I am like getting the feeling of cumming in the gym, I'm getting the feeling of cumming at home, I'm getting the feeling of cumming backstage, when I pump up, when I pose out in front of 5000 people I get the same feeling, so I am cumming day and night. Its terrific, right? So I am in heaven."

Needless to say, it was a good feeling - one that lasted for a good part of the day. I wonder why I never feel it in my legs. It's probably because they're used so much more often, with less recovery time?

Speaking of which, I've lost 4 inches in my vert, I discovered in my jump drills today. I'm fairly confident this is simply because I've started a new round of training. It's never very encouraging, but I feel great about the bigger picture.

Week 57.1

2008-04-25T00:28:00.001-07:00

OUCH
So, i restarted my workouts last week. I did Bulgarian lunges on Friday, and had lost 25% of my strength. By Sunday, I couldn't walk, and getting onto the toilet was an adventure of muscle pain. So I delayed working out until Tuesday, starting with jump plyos and upper body. I didn't get back to Bulgies until today, and it wasn't pretty. As in, I had lost even more strength, and now it's my glutes that hurt. Specifically, my left glute. The silver lining is that I'm obviously working the right muscles.

Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments. I'm often a negative guy, but this quest has been all positive for me (though still can get discouraging). It's amazing how I have zero tolerance for haters. This new found positivity through my quest has spiritual overtones, but I'll save that for another day.

Week 56.3

2008-04-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

NEW VIDEO
It's like a month old now, but finally here's the last video we shot!

No need for music credits on this one...

Week 56.2

2008-04-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

WHAT THE !@#$
So, yesterday I resumed my training, and started with my jump plyos and upper body weights. I had gained 2 inches on my vert! This, after 2+ weeks of no workouts and no sleep!

Look, I get the physiology of it all - that my body somehow was able to rest it's joints from wear and tear, that I may have lost a few pounds because I still ate healthy and ate less....And of course I'll take the gains after many months of no improvement. But it's also frustrating that I made more gains by doing nothing (yes, my previous training was a big part of that gain).

Anyways, it felt like I was on a trampoline. I really felt some spring for the first time in a long time. We'll see what happens now...

Week 57.1

2008-04-16T00:35:00.001-07:00

AND WE'RE BACK
Let's see, for the last 3 weeks, I've gotten about 4-5 hours of sleep a night. For the last 2 weeks, I haven't worked out a bit. Wednesday I resume my 3 day a week training regimen, with cardio in between ( I did a light "hello" jog today).

I have no idea how far back my working hell will have set me. I do know that I probably could have used a break from training, as my knees were feeling raw, and I tweaked my ankle doing Bulgarian lunges. However, an ideal break would include cardio, not sitting 18 hours a day at a computer.

I'm hoping to put my anniversary video up by mid weekend.

Week 56.1

2008-04-08T03:23:00.000-07:00

MORE TIRED
Working on a commercial I directed, now I'm doing all the graphics, as well as my usual Dairy Queen Red Lips stuff...It's 3:25am and I feeling sick tired, like where you wobble around and your eyes fall shut until a queasy feeling wakes you back up.

Hee hee, uhhh....at least my knees might recover a little from all the workouts?

Only 4 more days of this....

Week 55.1

2008-04-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

TIRED
Yup, I'm definitely in the thick of things with work. I've been pulling 15+ hour days. I somehow managed to get my 3 workout days in, plus a jog. But now my body is rebelling. I'm gonna try to get at least 7 hours of sleep tonight. But next week is gonna be even worse. I hope to get at least one workout day in. But I'm not gonna sleep much in the next 7 days.

I just hope i don't lose any gains, or gain any more weight.

Week 54.2

2008-03-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

My knees are feeling a little raw the last few days...I think my jump test on Sunday followed by regular workouts - was probably a little too much. Not sure if I'll do a program workout today, or tomorrow.

The next 2-3 weeks for me are going to be insanely busy. Very little sleeping busy. I'm worried it will cut into my workouts. If so, I hope i don't go backwards.

I weighed 195.5 this morning, up from 193. I'm hoping it's just a light fluctuation.

Week 54.1

2008-03-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

Had a good outing for my 1 year vert test. Video won't be up till this weekend tho.

I've also lost 8 pounds, down to 193! Not too shabby. Three cheers for rabbit food! Strangely, I'm only making trips to the bathroom every other day, if you know what i mean. That can't be good.

Week 53.1

2008-03-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

SWEET SWEET SLEEP
I went home this weekend, and after sleeping a bit on the plane, I took another nap at home . Then I took more naps the next afternoon, and finally got full sleep Saturday night. It's ocurred to me that I haven't slept much in the last few weeks, yet I've been doing my workouts. Oh, and I've been sick. So none of this has probably been good for my improved vert. I'm trying to get more sleep this week.

I plan on shooting my 1 year anniversary video this weekend. Mickey says we should play one-on-one to loosen me up. I have already talked shit that I will destroy him. Keep in mind I haven't played in 2-3 years. But we'll see.

Week 52.1

2008-03-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

NEW VIDEO
I'm back from the Toronto shoot (a success!), but I think I got sick no thanks to jogging in sub-zero temperatures. I only got 2 exercise days in, so I'm sore again from Friday's workout.

I was going to do a high-fa-lutin video with cool graphics and stuff. But 1) I'm just too busy, and 2) since I'm in my ANNIVERSARY week, I will shoot a vertical leap progress video in a couple of weeks. The video below is the one finally showing my customized workout with Kelly Baggett .

You, like me, might be surprised to find it's not super intense, as far as quantity of workouts. The day with jumping kills me on the lunge jumps and the other day kills me with the Bulgarian lunges. Obviously, lunges are killing me, in a good and necessary way, of course.

Here's the video:UPDATE: Baggett watched the vid and told me I should do the lunge depth drops to the side, not forward....
Music by Goose, "Bring it On".

Here's the other videos, or at the link at upper right of home page.

Here's my actual workouts:
(do every other day)
I.
-backwards depth drop x 3
-lunge jumps, 5 per leg
-1 jump
-------repeat the above until the jump decreases: Kelly said to do 5, but it takes me a while to loosen up, so I do about 9
-single leg box jump (jump onto a stair each foot at a time)
-upper body free weights, including bench, chinups, curls, etc

II.
-single leg lateral hops for 10 seconds
-depth drop into lunge, 3x3
-eccentric speed squat
-bulgarian dumbell lunge (back foot raised on bench)
-single leg back raise

So these exercises are more catered to a "overweight" (compared to my high school weight) person with decreased flexibility. And these are just the start. I am also trying to lose at least 10 pounds, and I'm doing this by eating less overall, and eating more rabbit food overall.

Week 51.1

2008-03-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

Holy %#*!

Next week, my quest will be a YEAR OLD!!! I'm sad that I haven't reached my goal, but proud that I've been dedicated for so long. I'll definitely have to get my new video up.

I'm in Toronto this week for a shoot (tomorrow.....by the way, I'm working with legendary cinematographer, Dean Cundey!). I flew a red-eye Sunday night, so any chance of a workout Monday was derailed by involuntary napping. I also found out a one week gym membership in my area would cost $50 -- and therefore ruled that out. I didn't even find out if they had squat racks.

Today I still jogged to stay in shape, along Lake Ontario. In Toronto. Canada. In the winter. I actually did quite well, except the lack of gloves killed me. And I think I froze half of my alvioli (the oxygen receptors on the lungs). So unless it warms up Thursday before my flight, I'm only working out Tuesday and Friday. I just hope I don't lose ground in my training.

Man. A year. I can tell you this, now that I'm working out as much as possible and doing upper body, I look closer to 22. I still have some "gettin older" weight on the sides, but it's less than a year ago. As far as using Kelly this year, I've improved my jump 2 ", but I'm still not where I peaked last May. Things are looking good though....

Week 50.1

2008-02-28T01:41:00.000-08:00

LOSIN WEIGHT
Well, after a month of my new "diet", which consisted of no fried foods and no sugar, I may have lost 2 pounds. This, with increased workouts per week.

So now Kelly and I are moving more hard-core, which can actually be summarized as: no more pasta, bread, or starch for dinner. I'll continue with a protein shake for breakfast, then meat/rabbit food for lunch, and more meat/rabbit food for dinner. I will also try to eat a little less for each meal, and snack here and there.

Kelly believes I'll gain 4-5" with 10 pounds of weight loss....should I bet him on this? However, I reached my max jump 10 months ago, after my first 2 months of training - which was really just conditioning with no weights or plyos. So if I continue my workouts, and diet harder, something good should happen, right?

Unfortunately, it's almost 2am, and I still have work left to do tonight. And it's not even March yet, which is gonna be a super tough month, probably involving some all-nighters, which will wipe me out for days and screw up my progress....

Here we go!

Week 49.1

2008-02-26T00:45:00.000-08:00

Today was not a good workout. I think I'm not getting quite enough sleep, and sometimes you just aren't feelin it. I was also a little late getting up, so I nixed my upper body workout, because that requires me to drive to the gym. Instead, I just did some push-ups and vacuuming (unrelated to dunking, but hey).

My busy schedule has no signs of letting down, and next week I fly to Toronto for a shoot. I'm wondering if that would be a natural break from workouts anyways. I'll try to jog, but I've been doing these workouts for 5 weeks or so.

My partner, on the Dairy Queen ad campaigns we make, is a scrawny 6'5" out-of-shape 3D animator. And he can get his elbow to rim. I met another guy just like him today...Once again, I'm sick and tired of meeting all these dudes who can dunk, who most likely aren't as strong as me. I get the physiology behind it all, but it's still frustrating. And there's people who claim to have gained 10" in 5 months or something.

WHATEVER!

Week 48.1

2008-02-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

BILLS
Working 4 jobs at once is not easy, and Friday I'll probably miss my workout. I just have too much going on. And I gots ta pay the billses.

However, I think I've lost a couple pounds (better than nothing), and I'm re-gaining towards my meager max vert (better than nothing). On Wednesday, I worked out in the basketball gym at LA fitness, and almost got to the base of my knuckles. I definitely think that working out almost everyday is helping, as I feel a little springier.

And I think the lunges are helping. I'm getting better at them, and feel some added flexibility. I'm not utilizing my glutes as much as a good lunge should, but I'm headed in that direction.

I ran out of battery power the other day, so couldn't film all of my workouts yet. Not that I'd have time to do work on my next video anytime soon. Maybe once 2 of my jobs die down...

I'm gonna workout on Saturday instead, if I'm not too exhausted.

Week 47.2

2008-02-14T00:06:00.000-08:00

For the record, I'm rooting for Gerald Green in the dunk contest, because I'm a Timberwolves fan (poor me).

I rarely watch the dunk contest anymore as it has become mundane and lacking in energy. I guess there's only so many dunks one can do, and ever since Dominique got robbed by Jordan's home judges, the contest has been illegitimate.

I just want one teeny little dunk for myself!

Week 47.1

2008-02-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

Wow. Not only have I been busy, but I got socked with a deblitating cold on Saturday as well. Today, Monday, I was miserable and useless at work (don't tell my bosses!). My eyes hurt, I couldn't breathe, and I just wanted to sleep. I didn't even workout, but I'm hoping to workout tomorrow, even though I'll still be sick. If I can go to bed early tonight......(it's already after 10pm).

I'm not losing weight. I can't wait to see what pain-in-the-ass diet Kelly puts me on. I've already tripled my intake of salad rabbit food. I think it comes down to not enough cardio. Kelly reluctantly says I can jog, but suggests that I do graduated sprints of 100 yards x 6 reps or something. The thing is, when i jog, I don't feel "warmed up" and ready to go until the 3rd mile.

Another solution would just be to play more ball. Sadly, I only play maybe once a year. The ankle and shoulder injuries just got too prevalent, and would certainly derail my quest.

Looking forward to making next video, even though my vert is still poop.

Week 46.1

2008-02-08T00:48:00.000-08:00

Man, I got hit with some busy busy because of work. Sleep is hard to come by, and it's gonna stay like this until Wednesday. It's actually been a while since I've been this busy, as I'm coming out of "retirement".

Meanwhile, my legs have been really sore for a week. The various lunge exercises I'm doing are really killing me. I hope the soreness reflects strengthening, and not injury. Kelly gave me a couple new warmups that should help with flexibility. We'll see how it goes. I'll provide details of my workouts soon. I'll do it in the blog, and in the video too.

I'm thinking that I shoot my next video in a week, during NBA All-Star weekend. And post it soon after. Maybe I'll edit during the dunk contest....HA!

Week 45.1

2008-01-29T22:24:00.000-08:00

I started with Kelly's tailored workout. It's still a combo of plyos, like depth drops and depth jumps. The major difference is I'm doing many various forms of lunges. I happen to be very weak at lunges.

I asked Kelly about the fact that I'm doing zero squats now. He said the current workouts should really help me in squats once we return to that part of training.

I'll try to have a new video up in a couple of weeks, once I don't look so amateur while doing the lunges.
Note: Kelly warned me my jump could decrease for these first few weeks. Should make some for some great footage.

Week 44.1

2008-01-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

I AM NOT ALONE
Got a note from Mike Teverbaugh, who is also keeping a blog about his dunk quest, and he's 50! He's training with Gil Thomas, a dunk training guru out here in LA. I'm of course going with Kelly Baggett, who lives in Missouri - go figure. I'm only a week into it with Kelly, b/c of my injuries and illnesses.

It's still hard not to get frustrated due to my 8 months of stagnation. I really want to see improvement!

This week felt only OK. Kelly has me doing really basic stuff, to gauge where I'm at. But it hardly pushes me, and I told him so. So hopefully he'll get me working hard from here out. One thing he's told me is I need to lose a lot of weight. I agree. He had me take a test here, and it said I was "overweight, moderate risk"!!! Gimme a freakin break. I could lose a few pounds, but I don't need to go on Richard Simmons!

Let's DO THIS!!!

Week 43.1

2008-01-17T22:56:00.000-08:00

I'm back in my new "first week" with Kelly Baggett advising me.

Always one to complicate things, I've been replacing a few posts of my neighbor/tenant's fence. No easy task, as I had to take down the fence and dig out the old posts, 3 feet down, to pull out the cement blocks. The sprinkler line literally touched the cement blocks, so digging became an adventure. Naturally, I did a lot of bending and squatting, and my legs are really sore now, certainly not something Kelly would advise.

For my first couple weeks with Kelly, he just wants to have me do some explosive plyo training, to gauge where I'm at. Then the real workouts should begin, and this blog might get interesting.

Of course, at that time, I'll get hurt and land a time consuming sleepless music video and have to suspend my workouts....

...Until then, viva verticalogy!!!

Week 42.1

2008-01-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

Food Poisoning
Sunday night, I had a hotdog at Commerce Casino. Monday afternoon, I had a Subway Sandwich (cold cut trio with southwest sauce). But all I know is I felt funky Sunday night, and my workout Monday morning was poor. By Monday late afternoon, I wasn't feeling right. By dinner time, I was making many bathroom visits. This continued into Tuesday.

Then Wednesday night, I thought I was clear and had spaghetti. Thursday, I was back to the bathroom. My whole week was basically lost.

I did a little jog Friday and resumed my plyo's today on Saturday.

So since I hired Kelly Baggett as a trainer, I've hurt my foot and gotten food poisoning, thus wasting the first 2 weeks.

And my vert today, after hardly eating all week with food poisoning, was the same as it's ever been. So I'm more confused.

Week 41.2

2008-01-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hooker Trannies
Darndest thing happened this morning at 6am. I awoke to my dogs barking and the sound of a woman screaming. My wife usually gets up around 5:30am to jog and go to work.

As soon as I became coherent, I threw off the covers and raced for the front door. In my head, I was worried that my wife had just been attacked, or was being attacked. So I didn't just explode out of the door, but opened it carefully for cover. Standing there was a tall black woman screaming.

I should point out that while I live on a beautiful tree-lined street in Hollywood, I also live a couple blocks south of tranvestite hooker central. She seemed like a woman, but my intuition was saying "man". He/She screamed "I've been robbed" as an SUV tore away. "He stole my phone!". I was thinking, that's it? You just woke me up for a phone? I'm standing in front of a strange He/She in my underwear?

I got my celly and called 9-1-1. They asked to speak to He/She. I looked down at my foot and noticed a huge golf ball size knot had swollen up. When I jumped off the bed, I slipped and my foot smashed into the bed and adrenaline kept me from noticing. I got an inch and a half laceration on my foot that was already turning blue. Damn that Tranny!

But I was happy my wife was OK (she was in the bathroom). She dressed the wound, and I tried to sleep an hour before my workout. Amazingly, because the knot was on the middle outside of my foot, it doesn't hurt that much and I could do my workout! It hurts more now, but I hope it's fine come Monday.

Week 41.1

2008-01-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

THE FINAL CHAPTER BEGINS
Well, with a final push from Adam, one of my internet supporters, I contacted theVertical Jump Bible guru: Kelly Baggett . I've hired him to cater a specific workout for me. I've plateaued for about 6 months now, and i'm sick of it. So it's now or never. I had done Kelly's 12 week "novice" training program 2 times already, so this is it!

Allow me to summarize my quest thus far:
1. Mickey, "the black guy", is really just my friend. He's not really my trainer. Don't blame him for my lack of ability. Yes, he can dunk.
2. In highschool, i got rim just above my wrist. If i had better mechanics, I'd probably already have dunked and I wouldn't be here. I thought I could get my high school vert back in a few months....I was wrong.
3. My dunk quest summary: first couple of months i got in shape. I actually got rim on the palm of my hand. Then I started various workouts including the VJB. My vert fluctuated between tip of my fingers to my palm. I never got higher than my 2nd month, which is highly frustrating.
4. To all you haters, I'm doing my best. The ability to dunk is not something everyone can do, or something gained in 5 months. Shut your pieholes.

I'm gonna find out from Kelly how much I can show of my workouts. Since he might consider it proprietary, I may not be much...

Week 38.1

2007-12-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

Well, if i was overtraining and needed a break, i think my 3 weeks off took care of that.

In fact, I did squats on Monday (dropped 40 lbs of my sets), and could feel the muscles hurting. Now 2 days later, my entire P-chain is sore and it hurts to walk. Getting out of a chair is a true achievement.

I was supposed to do deadlift tomorrow, but I may delay it to Friday, since i'm so sore from being out of the game.

Thanks to the readers who have offered support. I think I will train more on lower rims....

Week 35.1

2007-11-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm taking this week off because we're going to Italy for 10 days. No training. No overtraining. We'll see how I am after I return, loaded with focaccia bread and gelato.

Week 34.1

2007-11-14T23:47:00.000-08:00

Good news! On Monday, I squatted 2 sets at 215. So I've moved up another 10 pounds there, and I'm feeling good.

My wife bought me an outdoor hoop, which was really generous. I don't know when I'll set it up, but it will be better to practice jumping with, than the hoop attached to the garage (which I always run into garage wall when jumping).

I haven't contacted VJB's Bagget yet. Dunno why yet. Maybe I'm scared he'll lay into me harder than people on youtube.

Week 33.1

2007-11-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

So one of my jumping buddy cohorts online, ScoobyChau, told me not to bend my knees over my toes so much when I do squats. I became so self conscious, now my knees have hurt all week. Thanks Scoob ;-).

However, my deadlift felt strong, and I'll try moving up another 10 pounds to 275, and up to 225 in squat, finally. I started at 225 but wasn't squatting deep enough. 3 months later, I hope to be back at that weight with the proper form.

I actually feel a little exhausted, but don't want to take a break quite yet because I'm going to Italy in a few weeks and I want that to be my break.

I'm also thinking of paying to consult with the VJB master, Kelly Baggett, because I'm sick of this plateau I've been at for 5 months.

Finally, yes, I could lose more weight, but it's not due to diet, but age. The body simply takes on more fat, and it sucks. Technically, I can always workout more, but there's the time issue. Then again, I'm not supposed to "overtrain". So I'm damned either way.

Week 32.1

2007-10-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

Finally, a new video is up. I think I'm starting to creep out of my many month's plateau...

Music by Arctic Monkeys

Here's the other videos, or at the link at upper right of home page.

Week 31.1

2007-10-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

Wow. Didn't even post last week. Luckily, i haven't skimped on my workouts.

The good news is I think I've added 2" to my vert! In my unofficial backyard rim, I grabbed just below my knuckle! Looks like I've broken out of my 4 month plateau of misery --- by the way, I measure my vert by 1) measure my standing vertical reach, then 2) measure how far down my hand the rim gets on my jump 3) add that amount over 10' of the hoop, and 4) the difference of my standing reach to my leaping reach is my vert....

MAJOR NOTE: I have unofficially changed from a 1 foot leap to a 2 foot leap. After going crazy on the 9' hoop, my leaping left leg was shot and it took weeks to fully recover. In the meantime, i kept 2 foot jumping, and had to admit to myself i'm not a "light" jumper, which 1 footers need to be. So I'll still try some 1 foot leaps, but will now focus on 2 feet.

Last week was awesome in the weight room as well, as I did 2 sets of squat at 205. And I boosted deadlift up to 265. I'm now starting Phase3 of the novice workout, and it calls for a little lighter weight with more sets, so i won't be pushing my limits of max strength for 3 weeks.

I have no choice but to shoot video this weekend. Of course, by then, I'll be tired and have an off day and who knows what.

Week 29.1

2007-10-12T00:02:00.001-07:00

Did deadlift of 8 reps at 255 today! That's a new record. Felt good. Well, the last few reps in the moment didn't feel great, and then i collapsed to the floor right after, but emotionally, it felt really good.

Earlier this week, my squats didn't go so well. I had done 2 tough dog hikes over the weekend, so my legs were shot on Monday - I only squatted 185 - a 20 pound drop off.

Nonetheless, I'm feeling pretty good, and might shoot some video this weekend.

I feel good, but as far as jumping, i'm far away still. Thinking it might be time to pay some extra $$$ for a private consultation with VJB author.

Week 28.2

2007-10-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Squatted WAY low on Monday, and increased 10 pounds to 205 (my new high with proper technique!). 2 days later, my quads and inner thighs were sorrrrrrre. But a great sore.

Today, with deadlifts, some dude was working out way to close to me in an empty gym, and it pissed me off. Which helped my strength as i did 3x8 at 225 with ease. I should have done more weight, but the intensity was good.

Not sure when the next jump test will be. Not this weekend. Maybe next?

Week 28.1

2007-10-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

I start Phase 2 (of 4) of Novice plyos/weights tomorrow on Monday. I'm repeating the whole Novice program.

My knees are starting to be sore in a squatting-causes-arthritis sort of way. Just a hint of that, but oh well. Not bad enough to stop yet. I just wish things worked in my favor more often on this quest.

Week 27.1

2007-09-27T00:12:00.001-07:00

Nothing to report, other than my knee was hurting during squats.

Still just lifting and plyo-ing. I've decided to start jump rope again. I gotta have some minimal spring action.

My Training Videos

2007-09-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 10
Week 12
Week 13
Week 17
Week 22
Week 23
Week 32
Week 49
Week 53
Week 70
Week 71

Week 25.2

2007-09-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Week of Weights
Monday, my main workout was squats. I did 3x8, at 155/165/175lbs. I didn't want to overdo it after my 2 week hiatus - and i was still sore the next day.

Thursday, my main workout was deadlift. I did 3x8, at 185/205/225lbs. Again I went "light", but I'm amazed at how my deadlift seems stronger. Though I think I read somewhere that deadlift is supposed to be stronger than squat. Still, it's cool.

My ankles and achilles are a little sore, so even jogging was hard. I'm aware that jogging isn't "ideal" for jump training. But neither is being out of shape with less flexibility. But I will try to do some light plyometrics with the jogging too, if i can.

No videos for a while.

Week 25.1

2007-09-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Started another round of weightlifting on Monday, after a 2 week hiatus. Now my inner thighs feel like they've ripped apart. Yeah, it's a good feeling.

So, my jumping has gone nowhere. My one legged jump has decreased back to square one, and my leaping leg feels fatigued.

Meanwhile, my 2-footed leaping has increased 4 inches.

What's this all mean? Well, 1), i'm going to keep pursuing my quest.

2) I'm gonna jog more. I was getting input not to jog too much, or "overtrain". But the fact is, I had cut down on jogging, and was getting out of shape, and was feeling less flexible. So now I will jog more, and possibly even play some ball, but that's just a big invitation to injury.

Week 24.1

2007-09-03T23:23:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm.

Well, this last week i took a break from plyo/weights and just jogged. Sunday was supposed to be my big day of jumping gains. It probably would have helped if the day before, I didn't spend 10 hours sanding/staining my deck -- which consisted of squatting over all day, with tons of kneeling and manual labor.

When i tried jumping off one leg, I stayed kaput at the same 25" I've been at for 3 months. And my legs definitely felt exhausted - no doubt from the previous day. Quite frustrating and equally embarrassing, both in planning and lack of production. I'm at a loss, but I'll still keep working out, because that's still healthy.

VERY INTERESTING NOTE: I also jumped from 2 feet, and also got 25". That's a 3-4" gain from whenever I last checked! Clearly, my gains in squats are a big factor. Whereas, my non-gains in explosiveness aren't helping my one legged jumps. Many people have written in to say trying 2 legged jumping. I did this in high school, when I couldn't quite dunk, which is why I've tried the 1 legged approach. At this point,

it behooves me to train a little in both.

Tomorrow, I restart the novice plyo/weights from Vertical Jump Bible. Stupid bible.

Week 23.1

2007-08-26T01:10:00.000-07:00

Mickey and I took it to an elementary school, and practiced mechanics on a 9 foot rim. I had been skeptical of this approach, but it went really well. It definitely helped me work on mechanics, and it also was FUN. It was good just to be out there dunking, and it was a good inspiration -- seeing how I've had disappointing outings of late.

Music by The Pointer Sisters (finally, I know...this had to happen sooner or later).

Older videos:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 10
Week 12
Week 13
Week 17
Week 22

Week 22.1

2007-08-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest video. Wish I could say it was awesome with great progress. Alas, i forge on undeterred.

Music by Peaches

Older videos:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 10
Week 12
Week 13
Week 17

Week 21.2

2007-08-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday will be my first jumptest day in well over a month. I didn't run Friday or Saturday as planned, because my right knee has been hurting, under the kneecap. Two culprits, besides the obvious strain from squats and deadlifts, are 1)my desk at work was incredibly awkward, and 2) Muscle Milk.

Yes, I drank muscle milk for the first time, and my knees hurt hours later. Another guy at work reported the same issue. This is still purely anecdotal, but I'm just saying, I won't be drinking Muscle Milk anytime soon.

So i feel a little out of shape, hopefully not too much heavier. But my knee is feeling better, so better safe than sorry, I hope.

Hope my test goes well!

Week 21.1

2007-08-13T17:19:00.001-07:00

Great news! I have tried to touch the rim in my driveway before, from a standing position. I was always an inch or two too short. I don't think it's regulation, but that's immaterial to this story.

Yesterday (sunday), as i was preparing for my jog, i stood under the rim. And jumped. And I got 2 inches above the rim! This is huge. Especially b/c I haven't tried touching a rim in over a month. I've just been doing my plyos and weightlifting.

Weights are going well too. I squatted 195lbs the RIGHT way today! But for the first time, my knees hurt, so I don't know whatsup.

Anyways, I'll shoot a video test this Sunday, and post online next week.

Week 19.1

2007-08-02T21:31:00.001-07:00

Fear not, my friends! I am still doing the training.

Great news today! I did 4 sets of deadlift, but the final set I went up to 245 pounds! Not too shabby. And for squats, while i've reduced the load so I can go all the way down, I've moved from 165 to 175 pounds....

I've also had some gruelling and odd work hours, but I've been able to get in weights 2x a week. I'm starting my final phase of the Vertical Jump Bible novice weights/plyos, but I think I am just going to repeat the regiment until I get close to 1.5x my bodyweights in the squats.

I haven't tried to touch the rim in weeks.

Obviously, my posts have slowed down, again because there's not much to say. So I've made an executive decision to mark my posts by week, instead of day. Huzzah!

Day 119-127

2007-07-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Back around, Sunday
OK. So obviously, I'm not blogging as much.
1) The excitement of blogging ain't what it used to be
2) Dunking seems to be much farther off than I had first entertained

I've stopped most of my entries, because it feels weird to write "lifted and jumped today", or "didn't do anything today, but I had a protein shake".

Maybe I'll just comment on video post days. But that might only be 2x a month if that?

Hmmm....But rest assured, I am still training. I did less weight on my squats this week, but went all the way down. SORE!!! But a good sore, that meant i was really "accessing my P-chain".

Day 116-118

2007-07-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

The latest video is below.

I was having a good weight session on Thursday until I strained my achilles on my left jumping foot. Uh oh! So I didn't do the plyo. I'll try that tomorrow if I feel OK.

Here's a video of some of my workouts, though I've moved on to Phase 3 of the Vertical Jump Bible workout.

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 10
Week 12
Week 13

Day

2007-07-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

Day 103-115

Fear not! I have been working out all this time. it's just nothing to see or talk about...or at least, that's how it feels.

My strength is increasing with free weights, but any time I try to jump, i can barely touch the rim. Nonetheless, I forge on with the Vertical Jump Bible training regimen.

I really need to do the video edit of my workouts....

Day 102

2007-06-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday
Had a zillion errands today, plus work. Which is OK because this was an off day But I wanted to try touching the rim, to work on timing. I felt light today too. Oh well.

Blogging will be lighter for the next 2 weeks or so. But I'm still hoping to get a video up tomorrow night. 35% chance.

Day 97-101

2007-06-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Workouts seem to be going well. However, after Saturdays plyometrics, I barely got rim. I attribute this to having tired legs, mostly from weightlifting.

Picked back up with weights and plyo this Monday and Tuesday.

Hopefully there will be a video up later in the week, showing my plyo and weightlifting. There won't be another video for a few weeks after that.

Day 96

2007-06-21T23:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday
Weights today. Did 3 sets of deadlift @ 205lbs. I thought that was pretty good. I feel good overall, though my lower back got a little sore.

I've decided to not take 3 days off a week. I need to do cardio - it doesn't feel healthy not to. Then again, do i want to get up early tomorrow?

Day 94-95

2007-06-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Wednesday
Tuesday I did the VJB plyo workout, which included a drop jump and broad jump. It didn't feel like a lot, but then I tried jogging with the doggies, and could barely move. Keep in mind, I also had lifted the day before. But I'm hoping some great strength is building!

Today was a day off, tomorrow is Workout B of weightlifting. It includes Split Squats and Deadlift.

Day 93

2007-06-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Monday
Had a great weight session today. Even though I went to bed at 3am, and was tired, I lifted 225 with relative ease. I couldn't have done more, but I just felt stronger. I did 4 sets of 6 reps at 225! Caveat: I don't quite go as low as I should, but that flexibility is also increasing with time.

Other news
-My lower back isn't as sore. I was optimistic about this, because the soreness always appeard mostly muscular, and not spinal
-Today was my first day of the VJB training program. I also did squat jumps with 135lbs, where you do a full squat and then burst up and jump if you can (I could). That one felt good simply because anything with jumping feels like the right direction.
-I am now doing deadlifts and squats on separate days

Tomorrow is my first "new" plyo day, now according to the VJB novice setup. It recommends only working out 3 days a week, with one plyo day the same as the weights day. I don't know that I have time for that (today I did). So I'm going with an alternate program of 2 days weights, 2 days plyo, 3 rest per week.

I'll list my workout regimen in a future post.

Day 90-92

2007-06-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Whoa...90 days...that's very official.

I got throttled at the poker tables in Vegas. It feels like mojo getting sucked out of your ears. I did manage to workout Saturday morning at Caesar's $20 a day facility....so I could jump rope.

Sunday I was dead tired from a late night poker throttling. Amazingly, at the end of the weekend, I weighed 193...Well, I didn't drink or pig out, but it 's still impressive!

I'm gonna be up late tonight writing a music video pitch. Yet I need to read VJB about my new weightlifting program for tomorrow... Oh time, so fleeting.

Day 89

2007-06-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday
Free weights today. Squatted 225 again. I'm not getting quite as low as i should, but still getting low pretty good. Then I did deadlift at 205, which is an improvement from Monday.

My left hip is sore. I'm hoping that means I worked something right.

Vegas this weekend, no workout or video.

Day 87-88

2007-06-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Wednesday
I've been on the quest for about 3 months now, and overall, not as far as I wanted to be. I feel like every passing week of working out is a bonus, since my industry could tear me away from exercise (or a life) at any moment.

I just read the well regarded Vertical Jump Bible and it is filled with good information. One major thing it addresses is fewer workouts, with more days off, which seems counter intuitive. It seems that if I work out almost everyday, I'll get farther. But VJB says the opposite. It makes a lot of sense, and after 3 months of stagnation, I need to do something different.

I'm almost, but not quite, ready to succumb to the VJB philosophy. Figuring out which program is right for me is still a little confusing, and requires multiple reads. I'm due for a weight session tomorrow, so I don't think I'll officially start until next week. In fact, this weekend I'm going to Vegas with my wife, so that will be a perfect time to train with "days off"!!!

Oh, today I did a normal workout, but added depth jumps and drop jumps. No idea if I did them right. As an aside, this morning I weighed 197. For a variety of reasons, all i had to eat before my afternoon workout was a bowl of cereal and a cliff bar. After the workout I weighed 189! Then I drank water and a protein shake, and went back up to 192. Kinda funny.

Day 86

2007-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Monday
Great in the weight room today. Did 2 squat sets at 225lbs. My back wasn't hurting as much so I also did deadlifts up to 185lbs. Of course, I added one more pullup (7 total). Obviously I need to keep lifting as much possible weight at fewer explosive reps.

Getting a lot of comments about my lack of explosiveness. Of this, I am quite aware. Hopefully the Vertical Jump Bible will put me over the top.

Here's this week's video. It's really nothing, but I figured I'd post something.

Here's video recaps from the past:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 10
Week 12

Day 85

2007-06-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday
Workout day, a little lighter than yesterday -- so less running, less jumping.

I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. But I finally bought Vertical Jump Bible which many people suggested. Maybe it'll maximize my workouts better.

Weight room tomorrow. Gonna try to do squat reps at 225.

Day 84

2007-06-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

Saturday
Benchmark day (usually Sunday)....Jump training. Mickey put me through some good stuff, I felt good. I was jumping benches like never before.

We tried the rim at the end, but I was already tired and didn't get very far. That's ok. I'll have video up soon.

Day 83

2007-06-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Friday
Off Day.

A fascinating thing about this blog and my videos is that I've been hearing from people all over the world, and receiving tons of different suggestions: Strength shoes, single leg squats, sprints, no jogging, lose weight first, ankle weights, and to follow the Vertical Jump Bible. It's overwhelming, and hard to parse.

A common suggestion is that one needs to take days off so the body can recover. So today I felt good and had energy, but I didn't workout. Is this right? Is it wrong? Who knows. But I'm taking 2 days off a week (i take it easy after weight days).

Also, I get a lot of response that makes it sound like everyone in the world can dunk, which unfortunately is discouraging. It actually pisses me off. I'm pissed right now. I'm just saying. Feel free to tell me you can dunk. Tell me your little brother could dunk in the 9th grade. Fine. I'll just channel my rage into positive leaping energy. I will now visualize myself dunking over everyone who can currently dunk, with my foot in their face.

I have a right to be pissed. I'm approaching 90 days of my quest, I'm only to the base of my fingers, and I make a youtube fool of myself almost every week. All fuel for the fire.

Day 82

2007-06-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday
A pretty good weight session, considering how sore I was yesterday. My lower back is still sore, so I cut my deadlifts short. On the squats, I discovered that if I do the first 2 reps halfway, there's less pain and then I can do full reps after that.

I feel confident about upping my squats to 225 next week, from 205. Also, I gained another rep on my pullups, to 6. I wish my legs showed as rapid improvement as my upper body.

Thanks to everyone who gives me suggestions. I'm a little behind on researching/incorporating everything. Hopefully next week I'll have a little more time. This was supposed to be the week, but work got more intense than expected.

Day 81

2007-06-06T23:58:00.001-07:00

Wednesday
SORE! Yesterday was my day off, but today i felt it in my quads, glutes, and calves. I guess my 30 jump Sunday mixed with weights on Monday really got me. Hopeully, this soreness means i'm hitting the right spots.

Day 80

2007-06-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Tuesday
Day off. My neck is sore from pullups at the end of yesterday.
Here's the video from Sunday:

Here's video recaps from the past:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 10

Day 79

2007-06-05T00:49:00.000-07:00

Monday
Weight Training today. Pretty much a repeat of last week, though my back hurt a little less. I did reps of squat at 205lbs, and deadlift at 165lbs.

The woman next to me at the squats was the wife of Will Smith In Enemy of the State. She was squatting 135lbs with incredible ease.

I did one more pull up than last week, to raise me to a total of 5. Or, as I like to put it, a 66% gain over 2 weeks ago.

Video up on Tuesday.

Day 78

2007-06-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday
Had a very unfocussed workout today. Not sure how i feel about the result yet. Video up in next couple days.

I am gonna be working late into the AM tonight. This could screw up my workout, not just tomorrow, but for the whole week. Luckily, I'm working from home, so I'll try to squeeze in an early afternoon weigh session.

Day 76-77

2007-06-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

Friday, Saturday
Friday was day off.

Saturday, did some good plyo jump exercises. Everything felt a little springier. Just a little. Teeeny tiny bit. But it was nice nonetheless.

Day 74-75

2007-05-31T23:34:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Thursday
Wed - good plyo workout, feeling a little weaker overall from weights I think. The Irony never ceases to escape me.

Thurs - Squats, Deadlift, etc. Did some more sets at 205lbs in squat, but only up to 165 with deadlift. My lower back was hurting pretty good. Not hurting too much, but definitely saying hello. I feel like I'm doing the exercises correctly, so maybe I strained it last week when I was doing the GoodMornings as well?

Friday will be an off day (trying to take days off after the weigthtlifting day), then on into the weekend.

Should shoot a video this weekend.

Day 73

2007-05-30T00:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday
I'm starting to think my days off should be the days after lifting. Sounds logical, eh? I jogged today, and thought about doing all the plyo, but my knees were saying no. Nothing of a crisis, but just causing me to think, "why push it". I'm sure I'll be fine Wednesday.

Thanks to good feedback, I will continue to hone my workout exercises and schedule. For now, I'm staying with the current regiment where I do squats, good mornings, and deadlifts on the same day. That will probably change starting next week.

I weighed 200lbs this morning. I ate a lot on Memorial Day, so I hope it's an aberration. But my body likes to make muscle, and my body likes to eat.

Day 70-72

2007-05-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Saturday - dog hike, then a light jog and plyo and situps

Sunday - dog hike (rest day)

Monday - lifted weights. Felt weaker, but still lifted the same if not more. I got up to 5 reps @ 205 with squat, and got up to 5 reps @ 165 with deadlift, i think...i need to write this stuff down as I do it so I can chart my progress...I didn't do good mornings (bend over more than squat) because my lower back was pretty sore and I don't want to push it.

As for diet, cityofsteel wanted to know what i'm eating. I must confess, my diet could be better, in that, i'm not doing one set official thing. In fact, I've only lost 10 pounds in 2 months. I'm at 194, and I weighed around 180 in high school. I CAN say that I haven't had fast food since my quest began, and i'm eating more salads. I hate salads. But when I eat them, I feel better. But today (Memorial Day), I had 2 burgers and a hotdog. In sum: NO FAST FOOD, MORE SALADS.

Oh - since I've been lifting, my appetite increased. I'm thinking of doing the protein shakes for the first time. Stay tuned.

No video this week. Next week looks good for that. :-)

Day 69

2007-05-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

Friday
Back in the weight room today. My body needed less weight, which I expected. I stopped at 185 on the squats, but did 135 again on the deadlift. I was definitely feeling it in my glutes.

On the good mornings, i felt it in the right parts again. I feel that my form is good, which I expect since I lifted weights for 6 years back in my virile days.

Thanks to folks for their input. John commented in the last post that I shouldn't do deadlift and squats on the same day...which makes sense overall, but if I only plan to lift 2x a week, how would that work? Seems I'd have to do 4x a week if I want to split things up.....John also commented on my jump style, which is cool. If only John left his email... :-)

Tomorrow is plyo day. I think I'll have more energy.

Day 67-68

2007-05-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Thursday
Wednesday I simply missed my workout. I overslept a little, had to take the dogs to the groomers - boom - no workout. However, I did yoga with my wife for 30 minutes at night. It was the third time I've done yoga, and it felt like a good thing to do, since I was feeling sore from Tuesday's weightlifting. I was mostly sore in my shoulders and trapezius, from the cable pull workouts. My legs/butt were surprisingly unsore, but I'm in good shape down there.

Thursday, i did the jog, plyo, and abs. But I had no energy. I had to cut short some of the plyo because I just didn't have the gas in the tank. I want to think this is good in that Tuesday's weightlifting really got me.

Tomorrow, Friday, I'm back in the weightroom. As measly the amount I already lifted, it will probably be less tomorrow.

Day 66

2007-05-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday
First, what you really care about, the latest video:
Music by JUSTICE

Also, you can see the previous weekly recaps here:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7

So, today I went to the weight room for the first time in 6 years. I did squats for the first time in 14 years.

I decided to do the 10-15 minute jog to LA Fitness, up on Hollywood Boulevard. It is something that a healthy human just shouldn't do. Hollywood Blvd in the morning is like crawling on your dorm room floor after an all-night party with incoming freshman. Only it's stale, old, and dirty. For a moment, I felt like dropping my quest and instead writing an ethnography on the culture of bums and strung out partyers who inhabit this area. Including the students of Hollywood High, 2 blocks away. Their mascot is the Sheik. Sheik! There's a fun post-9/11 mascot for ya.

I didn't want to kill myself on any of the free weights, and rip my body up. I started with squats. I began with just the bar (45lbs), and then worked up. I got to 1 set of 5 @ 195, which is my bodyweight. My ego wanted to do 2 full plates on each side (225lbs), but I held back sans injury. --- To be in proper leaping conditioning, I'm supposed to be able to squat 2x my bodyweight, or 400lbs!!! That's crazy, but I'm sticking with my quest nonetheless.

Next, I did deadlift, working up to only sets at 5 reps of 135lbs. I really didn't want to mess up my back, so that was that.

Then I did "goodmornings", which are like squats, but you almost bend your back parallel to the floor. It works your lower back more than your legs. Here, I got up to about 135lbs.

Then it was on to various exercises I got from API, with the contraption where you pull a cable from the side. I finished with chinups, of which i could do only 3.

Eventually I'll get visual reference to explain all these exercises. The whole workout took a bout 1.5 hours. I think I can do this, about 2x a week. The other days with be plyometrics and conditioning. API would have me 4 days in the gym, but I don't think I can do that. We'll see. I'm in the gym, finally, so it's a victory!

Day 64, 65

2007-05-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Monday
Good workout Sunday, the video will do the talking. But overall, I felt that I could have worked out harder, although we weren't sure what more to have done...

Monday I took the day off.

Tuesday I'm actually going into the gym!

Day 59-63

2007-05-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Sorry for the lack of posts (don't worry, I've still been working out). It's a combo of being discouraged and embarrassed. Discouraged is understandable, but I'm embarrassed because of some of the response I'm getting. Lemme explain.

A few weeks ago, I started to get an occasional email telling me I'm doing the wrong workouts, and jumping poorly . I kinda had an idea on both points, but the emails confirmed it. It didn't help that the emails were from kids in high school, or half my age. Not to mention that I jumped highest in highschool, and now I weigh 20 more pounds, and have less flexibilty.

Then the unthinkable happened. Last week my music video for Kennedy "Your Mama" (best version at my website greentowel) was posted on the mainpage of youtube. You see, it was mothers day and Kennedy just signed with Cordless Records, a division of Warner Music. In less than a week, I got a million hits, and also a second chance to make it in videos. Anyway, because of the exposure, I started to get a few more emails about my dunk quest.

Many emailers were part of the user group at terminal vertical. In summary, it's been made clear that I need to hit the weights, and change my workouts more for strength, as I've been doing endurance training. I think it's a blessing that I've done endurance training though, because I got back into shape without injury.

Also, a lot of people recommend the Vertical Jump Bible. So I may as well get that too.

I gotta run, but I hope to show a lot better exercises from tomorrow's video, and I hope to get more great suggestions!

Day 58

2007-05-15T00:39:00.000-07:00

Monday
Started more jump training, just a little.

Walked out to see I had a huge flat tire, so there goes Tuesday's workout, as I'll be at Sears Automotive.

Got some good comments from people via youtube. All these kids out there who are well on the way to dunking. They're gonna give some advice about dunk training. Will communicate this to the masses once they do to me.

It's time to turn up the explosive training. Are you ready, knees?

Day 53-57

2007-05-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Wed-Sun
Sorry for lack of posts....Be assured, I have been working out hard.

However, this weekend I didn't work out, as we took the dogs up to a cabin in Big Bear. I did hike 25 miles on Saturday, and 8 miles today.

Tomorrow, I am adding 1 and 2 step (as in stair step) jump drills.

There will be no video again this week, but definitely we'll have one next week, for the 2 month benchmark!

Day 52

2007-05-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

Tuesday
Worked until 5am, slept a few hours, went back to work. So nothing today. Start afresh tomorrow.

Day 51

2007-05-07T23:28:00.000-07:00

Monday
Only an hour workout today because I overslept. I overslept because I was up late working.

Tonight I'll be up even later, on a music video pitch. So I already know there won't be a workout tomorrow. This whole week might be tough, but this was bound to happen. I'll workout as much as I can, and the quest remains strong.

Day 48-50

2007-05-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

Friday, Saturday, Sunday
I looked in mirror, and can see visible change in my physique. Yet I continue not to lose weight or gain in vertical.

Nonetheless, I continue to workout hard. Today, on my "day off", I did a really steep hike in Runyon Canyon. Mickey was working today, so no benchmark day. Maybe Tuesday morning, or we may just wait till next week.

The fight goes on.

Day 46-47

2007-05-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Thursday
Same ol. Get up. Exercise....

Though today, the security alarm people didn't show, so I was too pissed to concentrate. Then my dog Zoe attacked a cat under a car, literraly pulling it out with it in her mouth - the cat taking swipes all the way. And Zeke was at it too. In the end, Zoe was bleeding above her eye and had blood in her mouth, but the cat got away (luckily). So I couldn't concentrate further.

Feel like I need to work out harder, and at a gym. Not to mention, my working life feels like it's about to get more crazy, for a long time. I had these 2 months to fulfill my quest, and the window is closing. I hope to keep working out as much as possible for the months to come....

Even the 6-pack abs program is 4 months, not 2.

Day 43

2007-04-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday
Today was disappointing. I'm moving backwards in my vertical. This, despite the fact i had a good week of working out and had felt lighter on my feet. Mickey and I agree my mechanics are crap. Maybe the core exercises are messing with me?

I'm not motivated to do a video, but I guess I should, to be consistent...

it's gonna be hard getting out of bed to workout this week. It's one thing to hit a plateau, but to drop backwards is a deflater.

Day 40-42

2007-04-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Nothing new to add...My workouts are slightly longer as I add core workouts, but I haven't added as many as I should.

I've felt good this whole week. Hopefully it will translate to more vert.

Day 39

2007-04-26T00:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday
Had what felt like my best workout in a couple weeks, as far as energy. Strange, because I got up an hour earlier than normal. Let's hope it continues.

Looking forward to integrating my new core exercises. Hope to get it all down for the Sunday benchmark, so I can show people what they are.