Creation of an Explosive Mofo - My Training Journal :)

[coolcolj]

Thursday 23rd June - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 6 DELOAD - Day 4 - Lower And Upper Pull - Microcycle 2

Lowest bodyweight by far this year at the gym.
Ok workout, especially since I didn't do any energy work this morning, but didn't feel that strong on squats at all.
Will have to go back to my old split, I just feel fresher with a days rest inbetween each workout, but I willl keep back work on this day I think.

Bodyweight at the gym - 215.5lbs (in winter clothes)
Workout Rating - 7/10
Workout time - 1 hour

Warmup - Prehab

1) dynamic swings etc
2) back extension BWx6 + 6 twisting to each alternate side
3) situp complex on swissball
4) Hip abduction/adduction on Keiser air machine - Level 2/2 x10, level 3/4 x 8
(these are really making my groin feel much stronger)

5) warmup complex with 30lb bar - RDL onto toes with shrug, military press, explosive good morning onto toes, snatch grip behind the neck partial press, hang powercleans, powerjerks - 10 reps each, except cleans and jerks, 5 and 4 reps respectively

6) Back tumbles from sitting position x 10
7) Wide mulit-direction lunge - 5 ways each leg, 2 reps each direction, with a pause at the bottom
8) Medium stance lateral steup on a 12inch box - 6 reps each leg
9) Calf raise BWx8
10) side of ankle raises - 45lbs x10
11) toe curls on lying leg curl machine - 1plate x10

Rotating Sets between Squats and one accessory exercise

Resting 1 to 1.5min on warmup sets and then 2+ mins between each exercise

Full Back Squats - in Oly Shoes - RAW

Warmups - alternating set with each type of squat - 45secs to 1min - Explosive
Fullsquats - BWx5, Bar x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 255x2
FrontSquats - Bar x5, 95x3
Wide stance squats - Bar x5, 95x3, 185x3

Explosive
Rotation 1) 285lbs x 2
Rotation 2) 315lbs x 2 - 1 and 1.134 sec concentrics
Rotation 3) 275lbs x 3 - 0.8, 0.866, 0.867 sec concentrics --> feeling tired

Squats felt good starting up, but the worksets felt pretty heavy on my back. The 2nd rep of 315lbs was quite hard. Feeling tired after the 275lb set so called it a day.


Bent over Barbell Rows - Index fingers on smooth - Strict

warmups - Barx10, 89lbs x5, 119x5, 129x5, 155x4, 175x1

Trying to keep back as horizontal as possible and pushing hips back
About 80% AW - Explosive
Rotation 1) 175lbs x 6.5
Rotation 2) 175lbs x 5.5
Rotation 3) 175lbs x 4.5

Felt good. Same reps and total reps at the same % as my 14inch grip bench. But not the same loads though. I need to bring these up a bit to better match my 14inch grip bench, 205-225lbs for the same reps.


Lat Machine Situp

warmups - explosive - BWx8, 25lbs x 3

that's it


Cooldown

External hip rotor stretched ISO hold - 20lb dumbell x 1min each leg

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clip from today

Right click on clip and save to avoid errors

Squats - 315lbs ansd 275lbs

http://www.members.optushome.com.au..._ExplosiveFullSquats_315x2_275x3_23June05.mpg

 

[coolcolj]

Feel a bit crappy, achey all over, but not too bad.
Well I'm supposed to be deloading now, feeling better and peaking, but I'm not. Will have to go back to my old split. My body is not liking the higher training frequency, despite the low volume!
Will do some stretching today

 

[coolcolj]

Sunday 26th June - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 7 DELOAD - Day 1 - BBALL - Microcycle 2

It was raining so I went to a local indoor court. It cost $6 to use it!!!! Feck that's double the price a year ago! Damn, good reason why I don't make a habit of it!

Bodyweight at home - 213lbs
Workout time - 35mins
Workout rating - 6/10

Just shot around and did some jumping and moves. Couple of guys offered a game of 2 on 2, but I declined. Esecpially since my ankles and feet did not feel too good, achey
Shooting was really bad today as well.

Anyway I wasn't able to jump any higher with the springy wooden floors like most people usually do. In fact the springiness put me off a bit. I could tell but how the Ball bounced that it seems to take out the force, rather than enhance it...
If anything I was jumping a lot lower, or it could just be that I'm overreaching, because I sure feel like I haven't quite recovered, despite being lighter! My one leg running jump was about 8 inches lower than my one step jump...!
I seemed to be starining a lot when jumping as well, rather than having it being reflexive.
Plus my shins and ankles started to ache quite a bit after all the jumping and stuff, so I didn't stay long.

Hmm, so after 3 weeks of "deloading" which aren't really such, because I'm actually over reaching now, I'm worst off. Sure I'm lighter, but I'm not a whole lot leaner, so I've lost muscle mass, because I am weaker all round. And I'm jumping lower! There is a lot to be said about lower frequency training...
I'm gonna start eating a bit more, and give myself another 2 weeks to rebound before I call this microcycle a complete bust.

 

[coolcolj]

I pigged out a bit more yesterday, more starchy carbs and feel better for it. Bodyweight has actually gone down, and I am a little leaner. It's like my body is kicking back up a gear...will continue this for today and then back to it. I should start cycling things to keep things flowing

 

[coolcolj]

I did a lot of walking yesterday due to some Stocktake sale shopping
Feel better after it, so I guess it acted like a bit of tempo/active recovery for me, especially for my feet and ankles.

Anyway it was raining today, so I didn't run, and didn't feel like it either.
I got caught yp with some stuff, and my mind was occupied, so I didn't feel like training upper body today.
I think I will take a much needed break anyway to let my body and mind recharge. Something I haven't done in a few months.

 

[coolcolj]

A few days on, and while I haven't been getting that much sleep, I feel so different.

I feel so much better in every way since I stopped hitting the weights. Non-powered steering wheel in the way feels very easy to turn, I can even use one hand, even though I feel tired from lack of sleep. No more soresss and aches, or feeling "muscle-bound" ....I could get used to it

Actually it's been perfect timing for my break, since it's been raining every day for the last week and a bit, will continue to do so up until the weekend, where it gets sunny and HOT for winter! So I can't run even if I wanted to, well not unless your a die hard ;D

I'm still maintaining my fat level % and bodyweight, even though I'm eating a lot more starchy carbs. So It will be a good "shock" for my system when I switch back. I should be getting more "fast-twitch" as I type

 

[d-dub]

Except for your fingers. They are overtrained from too much typing

 

[coolcolj]

Except for your fingers. They are overtrained from too much typing

I did a casual jump today to throw a roll of paper up to balcony 30-40m up.
The spring seems to be coming back, the jump felt good and the paper flew up much higher and easier than it has in a while
Plus my joints didn't complain without a long warmup like it normally does...

fingers are fine though

 

[coolcolj]

Feeling ok, need a nap to freshen up, but I'm ready to rock. Feeling much better on Sunday than I have so far this microcycle. I'll restart back where I left off and finish the deload for this microcycle. BBall today.

Lightest weight by far this year, haven't been eating much, probbaly some fat and some muscle loss. I weighed 211lbs just then in shorts and t-shirt, but I just ate a meal and drank a lot of water soon after, so hopeful it will go back down before I head off to BBall

I picked up a Youth size rubber BBall today (size 5, regulation is size 7). Just something dirt cheap, for my dunk practise
It's big enough to dribble and shoot properly, although it does feel noticable smaller, but I can also palm and hold it in one hand at will. So it will allow me to jump with full force without having to baby and finese the ball. Plus I don't need to get as high to get the ball in. I will pickup up a size 6 (women's BBall) for when my hops improve, and then after that I'll be ready for a real deal.

 

[coolcolj]

Sunday 3rd July - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 8 DELOAD - Day 1 - BBALL - Microcycle 2

Went to my usual outdoor court today with the lower rim. Nice and sunny.
Session went ok, but not as good as it should have been with the week off due to lack of sleep, but I felt OK. Quads and lower back did not feel as tight as they have been, and my feet and ankles were much better.
Didn't feel as tired or sore afterwards as well. Did some stretches before heading home.

Bodyweight at home - 211lbs
Workout time - 35mins
Workout rating - 7/10

Practised jumpshots for 20mins, also to help warm me up. Shooting not good today, but I focused on holding the ball correctly today.

Then 15mins of jumping and dunk attempts with the size 5 ball. I did sets of about 3 jumps/dunk attempts with 45sec to min rest inbetween.
The smaller ball helped, but even then the ball kept bouncing out! I only managed to get one in, and got stuffed by the rim a few times too..

Oh well. One legged running jump was much better today, I took off further out, and used a faster approach run. Shin still ached a bit though - still too heavy...even though I'm down 9lbs from a few months back.

Hip flexors were pretty tight and achey today. After every jump, they would ache a bit. So I stretched them out in between a few of the jumps.
Overall I didn't notice much of a difference from my game jumps, but my standing vertical jump is up a bit, just under half an inch gain or so. Just from the bodyweight drop. All these 1/4 and 1/2 inch gains will add up to something over time

So it looks like with this rate of VJ gains from lowering bodyfat levels, I will have a 35-36inch standing VJ when I hit 200lbs. I was hoping for more with a 20lb drop....