Creation of an Explosive Mofo - My Training Journal :)

[coolcolj]

Damn, a 40" standing vert, huh? That's pretty wicked. How long have you been training for your VJ specifically?

Not yet, when I get down to 180lbs I'm saying
Goal is 42-44 inches...I want t dunk the BBall standing right under the rim...

It's been a multi-year process. Most of it is taken up by just getting your legs and posterior chain stronger relative to your bodyweight. And that takes time.
They are strong enough, so I just have to get leaner, which is what I'm doing right now
After that the power/reactive work is the easy part.

I like this quote from Kelly Baggett

Wannabebig: I think you’ve hammered home the emphasis on building a strong foundation. What sets your program apart from all the others? Why not just perform plyometrics, squat and practice jumping?

Kelly: What really sets my program apart from others is the individuality. No two athletes are exactly alike, and a cookie-cutter setup only works if you happen to get lucky, so I try to make everything customizable to the individual. Let me give you a few examples.

A. We might have an individual at 6'0" -130 lbs who has lightning-fast reflexes and quickness yet can only squat 115 lbs. This is the equivalent of a space shuttle trying to make it out of orbit with a 2 hp motor.

B. We might have an individual who's 5'6" - 180 lbs and is a state powerlifting champion. He's strong, lean, muscular, and looks impressive - yet he's only able to use his great force at slow speeds - In other words, he looks like a funny car but moves around like a tractor. He could pull you out of the ditch if you got stuck but in a race you'd blow him away.

C. We might have an individual who is 5'9" - 190 lbs. He has good speed and reflexes and strength, yet also has a 20-lb spare-tire hanging around his waist.

Each of those 3 people are going to need, and respond best to, a different type of training.

I fit into group C

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

What kind've power/reactive work do you plan to do?

 

[coolcolj]

What kind've power/reactive work do you plan to do?

What I did a while back towards the end of last year

altitude drops leading into depth jumps
reactive squats, RFI hops on/off a 12inch step, max effort 30-56m sprints etc
jump squats, jumping box squats, and split squat jumps with 10-15% of bodyweight

and lots of jumping off course

that's all you need.

 

[coolcolj]

Feeling groggy. Found it hard to sleep, my hip flexors/external hip rotors are all tensed up. Gonna have to foam roll em. Sore/tight traps as well and ache in my posterior chain.

weighed 90.3kg 198.66lbs straight out of bed in underwear

Getting away from 200lbs now, I'm on a roll, momentum is building
Like to get to 190lbs real quick, and then slowly slide down to 180lbs.

Went for a 12min walk yesterday, and some easy stretching after

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

How much longer do you think it'll be before you're at your target weight?

I'm setting up a betting pool on you.

 

[coolcolj]

How much longer do you think it'll be before you're at your target weight?

I'm setting up a betting pool on you.

who knows the body ain't no machine, but hopefully before the end of year, ready for next summer

 

[coolcolj]

Tuesday 4th April - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 6 - Day 2 - Power - Microcycle 7

Didn't feel fresh today, but not a bad workout. Switched to power work to give myself a break from heavy weights. Left the workout not feeling all that tired. Got stuck into the olys a bit, just in the mood for it I guess.

Bodyweight at gym - 202lbs
Workout time - 1.75 hours
Workout rating - 8/10

General warmup -

20sec ISO holds - quarter squat, on toes, on heels (toes pulled up), hip back wide stance squat at parallel, on side of feet (for ankles), narrow fullsquat at bottom on toes

1) dynamic stretches and swings, rocking on side of ankle etc
2) back extension BWx5 + 4 twisting to each alternate side
3) reverse hypers - BWx8
4) situp complex on swissball
5) adductor/hammie stretch into back tumbells x8
6) usual bar complex with 30lbs
7) various hops

8) worked up to a few sets max effort vertical jumps - A little lower, not quite hyper today.

Rotating Sets between each exercise

Resting 1-2mins on warmups and 3 mins between each exercise on work sets

Full Squats - high bar, medium stance, sitting back a bit more - Oly Shoes - no Belt

warmups - Explosive (fast down) - Bar x 5, 95x4, 135x4, 185x4, 225x3, 255x2, 285x2

Down fast, explode up
Rotation 1) 265lbs x 2
Rotation 2) 265lbs x 2
Rotation 3) 265lbs x 2 --> squat jump before set, went down faster
Rotation 4) 265lbs x 2 ---> vertical jump before set, went down the fastest

Fairly strong and fast, nice solid drive

Olys - Oly Shoes - HookGrip - no Belt

Warmups - Powerclean + hang Powerclean - 89lbs
Powerclean + hang Powerclean + highhang squatclean 89lbs , 119lbs
Powerclean + highhang squatclean + PowerJerk - 155lbs, 175lbs
Powerclean + PowerJerk - 175lbs
Powerclean - 205lbs x1

Rotation 1) PowerClean 225lbs x 1

Reset between reps
Rotation 2) CleanPull - 243lbs x 2
Rotation 3) CleanPull - 243lbs x 2
Rotation 4) CleanPull - 243lbs x 2 --> felt lower, called it a day

Been a while since I did this much olys. Don't feel as tired doing the complexes like I used to - circuit intervals baby!

Powercleans were ok, I'm meeting the bar better so it's easier in the rack even with the crappy bent bars at the gym. 225lbs single wasn't that great, I had to dip a bit, which I never had to do before.

Squatcleans didn't feel solid, upperback rounding at bit, I should go back to my wider stance, I'm much more solid there. Getting leaner makes it easier to hold the bar in the rack after recovering though.

Been almost 2 years since I did a powerjerk, and I just had the urge to do em. I started at 155lbs without even doing em in the warmups, pretty dumb since I haven't had that much weight overhead in a while, but it's just one of those things where you just feel like doing it, because cleans feel incomplete without a jerk
Felt ok though, better than before thanks to my improved shoulder mobility, but I still have much work to do before I can pop it behind my head and dip deeper. Form was best on the 3rd one, dipped a bit, and felt the bar pull my hands up at the top. A bit unstable in the lockout position though

Cleanpulls were better than in the last training cycle. Doing em together with explosive squats seems to reinforce the driving your feet into the floor instead of pulling with the arms. Bar shot up nicely, much better timing.

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Clip of the Olys

right click on link and save first to avoid errors
http://www.members.optushome.com.au..._HangSquatClean_PowerJerk155_175_4April06.mpg

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Cooldown - Upper Body - Prehab

rotating sets between each - 30secs rest

Military Press with hold at the top - Bar x10, 75lbs x 15, 75x8 (narrower grip)
Pullups - BW x2, x8, x5
Scapular Dip shrugs - 10sec hold + 5, BW x18, x15
Chest Supported 45 degree T-Bar rows - 45x8, 90 x8, 90 x6

Elbow On Knee External Rotation - 4kg x 10, 15lbs x 10, x8
Dumbell Curls - 30x9, 30x6

Knee supported Dip/Pushups Stretched ISO hold - BW x 1min
Scapular pullup shrugs with feet on the floor x 20 - more an isometric type rep

bunch of static stretches

 

[coolcolj]

Not feeling to bad, don't feel all that drained right now. And not too sore either
Mostly in the upper body.

weighed 90kg 198lbs straight out of bed in underwear

Yeah baby, 198lbs on the dot
Getting leaner everyday. Change in diet is paying off, cereal = evil, ice cold water = good.
Calories are much the same as before, so a calorie is not always a calorie....

12min walk today, and some easy stretching after

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Calories are calories are calories man. There are a number of factors that could change your intake. Come on, I thought this kind've stuff was put away a long time ago?

 

[coolcolj]

so eating 1500 calories of all simple fast carbs in day will be exactly the same as 1500 calories of protein in a day?

me thinks not!

Different things cause different hormone responces.
I got fat when I cranked up the cereal, I got leaner when I cut it back, and got leaner even faster when I replaced it with the equalient of meat and veges....

I know my body gets fat real fast from big insulin spikes - ala cereal + oat milk...
Maybe some people are just more sensitive to things like these...

I've eating between 1500-1800 calories week after week for almost 2 years now, so I know what my body does to certain things, and I do document everyday too during this time. My details are exacting