vongSTAA's Training Log

[vongSTAA]

Stats
- 16 Years Old
- 57kg
- 167cm

Current 5x5 Lifts(29/07/09)
- Squat: 25kg
- Bench Press: 20kg
- Deadlift: ?
- Overhead Press: ?
- Barbell Row: 17.5kg

Current 3XF BW (29/07/09)
- Dips: 7/4/4
- Pull-ups: ?
- Chin-ups: ?

Goals by the end of 2009
- 65kg+
- Dunk a basketball/increase vertical jump

5x5 Lifts:
- Squat: 1.5xBW
- Bench Press: 1xBW
- Deadlift: 1.5-2xBW

[vongSTAA]

I had my first StrongLifts 5x5 session for the first time today, I was previously on the SL5x5 Dumbbell version for about two weeks as I was unable to access a gym.

Workout:
- Warm up with dynamic stretches for 10 minutes
- Squat: 25kg
It wasn't too challenging, but I wouldn't say I breezed through it either, I made sure to concentrate on form but can't be sure if it was good or not. I think I might increase the weight by 5kg next session and then afterward I'll increase the increments by 2.5kg.
- Bench Press: 20kg
I think I went good today in terms of form. However the weight did feel a little light at first but I was starting to feel it a little by the last few sets.
- Barbell Row:17.kg
It wasn't too bad as I tried to maintain a straight back.
- Dips: 7/4/4
I think I should concentrate more on technique next time.
- Reverse Crunches: ???
I lost count after first few, but I think it was something like 10-15/7/7
- Cool down with static stretches for about 5-10 minutes

I should be able to finish updating my "Current Lifts" by Friday when I complete Workout B for the first time, I'll probably update the other lifts too when I increase the weight. It'll be my first time deadlifting and doing overhead presses (I've only done dumbbell versions) so I'll just try to remember everything I've seen and read on technique/form, any more pointers guys?

[vongSTAA]

Workout B:
- Warm up with dynamic stretches for 10 minutes
- Squat: 35kg
I miscalculated the weights from last session, I was actually squatting 30kg the previous workout lol. I'll only increase weight by 2.5kg after next session when I attempt 40kg or once I feel it's starting to get hard.
- Overhead Press: 17.5kg
- Deadlift: 60kg
First deadlift ever, terrible form. Some guy saw me and gave me some pointers and tips. After my initial set I just tried to do some reps on getting form right with him, but it wasn't going too well. Hopefully I can do better next time and I'll probably decrease the weight (I only chose that much so I would have the right height but I guess that was a stupid idea lol was probably half the reason why I couldn't get my form right either) and place the bar on some weights or something to get the right height.
- Pull-ups: 8/5/5
- Ab Work:
I did a combination of crunches and prone bridges.
- Cool down with static stretches for 5-10 minutes.

[Nilan666]

Hi vongSTAA! I profusely apologize for replying so late. I was caught up in a most ridiculous internship this month, and so never got time to come online here. I've written about it in my log...

Ok coming to your question. So you want to increase your vertical jump? kewl! it's good to see another crazy fella like me in here

I will tell you this beforehand though, that unless one is already very good at it already, it will take a lot of hard work and a lot of frustrations to get upto the mark,as i'm seeing it for myself. Have you heard of Kelly Bagget? I'm a big fan of his and his methods are simple and straightforward. I'd recommend you straight away buy his Vertical Bible, if you are very serious about your training. It's probably one of the only products in the market that work and don't steal your money!
If you haven't heard of Kelly yet, you can do so by reading his articles and understanding all about the explosiveness and the requirement of efficient and functioning glutes and hams. http://www.higher-faster-sports.com. Go to the articles section on the left, go to the very first article at the bottom and wok your way up to the top. That way you would know what this guys is all about.

2 questions i'd like to ask How much is your current vertical jump? And are you efficient on you feet? To answer the 2nd question, what you should do is jump back and forth over a line on the ground as fast as you can. If you can get 60 hops in 10 seconds or under you are good to go. If you have trouble counting(as i did), just count the forward hops till 30.


The reason why i'm not recommending plyos right away is that plyos are largely useless unless one has a base strength to derive them from. I'm referring to the real deal plyos of depth and drop jumps.

Otherwise let me know how the line hops go. If that is excellent we will go to more powerful plyos, but of course not as much as depths and drops. Or you could go by my recommendation of Vertical Bible
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/products.html

[vongSTAA]

Hey Nilan,

Thanks a lot for replying to my message! I can understand if you're really busy at the moment and that you weren't able to reply earlier, so no worries there.

I'm not too sure about my vertical jump at the moment but I will say that it's nothing spectacular, probably pretty average as I am not a serious or competitive basketballer (compared to other people I know who play at a much higher level than me e.g. "Representative" basketball playing for different region clubs or a higher level of highschool basketball) and only playing friendly games with friends and also once a week on Friday nights for a "club" competition.

I tried out the hopping thing a few times (does it matter how far I jump? Or as long as I get on the other side of the line, it will be counted as a hop?) and I counted somewhere between 20-25 forward hops so I guess I'm not that efficient on my feet? lol.

I don't mind that I may not start off with pylos straight away, or that it is very basic stuff, as long as there is improvement and I am willing to put in some hard work and time to increase my vertical jump and hopefully one day dunk a basketball lol.

Can I ask, what do you mean by a "base strength"? Would the amount one could squat be considered one's "base strength"? And what do you think about implementing Power Cleans into my workout to build power?

What would you recommend I do at this stage? I shall definitely check out that site when I have time and consider buying that book if I find the articles convincing enough.

Thanks for replying and the help so far!

[vongSTAA]

Workout A:
- Warm up with dynamic stretches for 10 minutes
- Squat: 40kg
Starting to getting harder and I only realised today there aren't any 1.25kg weights for the olympic barbell, any ideas on what I can do guys? I may buy my own weights and bring them in but until then I'm not sure what to do. Would it be okay if I did something along the lines of Mon - 40kg Squat, Wed - 40kg Squat, Fri - 45kg Squat, etc until I can bring my own weights in?
- Bench Press: 25kg plates (bar and collars may be around 5kg in total)
I started to struggle on the last two sets but managed to push out all 5 reps. I will most likely increase the weight by 2.5kg now.
- Barbell Row: 20kg
- Dips: 8/4/4
I may have been able to push out another rep in the last two sets but didn't, my triceps were really dead after though! Oh and I only realised I could of just put a dumbbell down on the lever (I do dips on the assisted dip/pull up machine because they're the only bars I can dip on) to make it stay down instead of dipping juss behind, stupid me ><
- Ab Work: 1xCrunches, 2xBicycle Crunches, 1xLeg Raises
I tried something different today for my abs and they were definitely sore after!
- Cool down with static stretches for 5-10 minutes

[Nilan666]

I'm not too sure about my vertical jump at the moment but I will say that it's nothing spectacular, probably pretty average as I am not a serious or competitive basketballer (compared to other people I know who play at a much higher level than me e.g. "Representative" basketball playing for different region clubs or a higher level of highschool basketball) and only playing friendly games with friends and also once a week on Friday nights for a "club" competition.

If you have some chalk/ink, dab a little on your fingers. Next stand next to a wall sideways and extend your arm(the one towards the wall) as much as you can. Mark the position with the chalk/ink. Next after some light warmup/skips/sprint whatever, stand next to he wall sideways again and jump up as high as you can explosively and quickly mark the point on the wall with your extended arm.
Next measure he distance between the 2 marks and voila you have your vertical jump measured.

I tried out the hopping thing a few times (does it matter how far I jump? Or as long as I get on the other side of the line, it will be counted as a hop?) and I counted somewhere between 20-25 forward hops so I guess I'm not that efficient on my feet? lol.

No it doesnt matter how far forward you jump, as long as it is rhythmic and you should be doing it on your toes. 20-25 is not bad at all friend. First time i tried it, it took me 16 seconds to do the 30 forward hops. Practice this drill a 2-3 times week for 3 sets and you should see pretty rapid improvements. You should aslo find that your 3rd set is the best. I would take 1-2 min rest b/w each set. It's a basic movement efficiency drill and once you will be able to do the require number of repetitions, you WILL feel very light on your feet(ie walking, running, climbing stairs etc will feel much more effortless)

Can I ask, what do you mean by a "base strength"? Would the amount one could squat be considered one's "base strength"? And what do you think about implementing Power Cleans into my workout to build power?

A good base strength is a 1.5xBW squat for few reps(2-3) at least. Depth jumps and drop jumps are effective only then as depth jumps make your body take 6xbodyweight force during each landing and drop jumps are even more than that. Such huge amounts of force will cause tendon damage if your try them now.
However you can still do basic drills. Those line hops are one of them.

It seems to me as if you are a raw beginner right now. Is that a good thing you may ask. I'd say hell yes Best way for you to increase your jump is to increase your squat and keep practicing the vertical jump. If you want to know how much you should be able to squat to jump a certain height or how much you should be able to jump if you squat so much, go to the following link:
http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/ver ... lator.html

[Nilan666]

Power cleans wouldnt be very useful for you at the moment simply because you don't have a lot of horsepower to draw from. Think of it in this way.You have a car with a 50HP engine and it's default transmission. Suppose you do nothing to the 50HP engine but change the transmission to those found in F1 cars. Test the car. Do you think there would be much difference in the output?

Next take the 50HP, throw it out of the window and replace it a with a 500HP engine. Do nothing about the transmission. DO you think there would be an improvement? Hell yea!

Now what if you change the transmission to that of a F1 car. Think it might help now? Hell yeah!

See my point? Power cleans help you transfer what you already have(transmission) but without enough base strength(squat,deadlift) they aren't gonna do you much.

[Nilan666]

Starting to getting harder and I only realised today there aren't any 1.25kg weights for the olympic barbell, any ideas on what I can do guys? I may buy my own weights and bring them in but until then I'm not sure what to do. Would it be okay if I did something along the lines of Mon - 40kg Squat, Wed - 40kg Squat, Fri - 45kg Squat, etc until I can bring my own weights in?

It was hard for me as well to get those plates. I unhook them from the dumbbells They aint 1.25kg exactly but they are serving me so far.They are 2.5lbs each. Otherwise buy it if you can afford it.

If not with a slight modification you could do 40kg mon, 45 kg wed, 45kg fri. DO 45kg twice. it would be bloody hard onw ed but you'd adapt by friday. Keep in mind this is just for emergency, maybe for 1-2 weeks. You'd have to buy those small plates eventually. I suggest you ask/search the forum under the "Gym Equipment" section.

[Nilan666]

Ab work i suggest you build your core first. Do planks untill you can hold them for at least 2 minutes in prone position and 1 min 30 s on the sides for 2-3 sets. They will build your abs faster and more efficiently than crunches/leg raises. Crunches have their worth no doubt but you are better off building strength as fast as you can.

[vongSTAA]

Hey Nilan, thanks again for all the help! I really appreciate it aye. I'll try to measure my vertical jump soon when I have the time.

Okay well I'll definitely perform those line hop drills until I can consistently get 60 hops in 10 seconds, thanks for that. Are there any other basic drills you recommend me do for now or should I just work on those for now and wait until I get a better base strength? I don't mind keeping things very basic for now until I can do a 1.5xBW squat.

As for the weight plates, I may try using the standard barbell plates (there are 1.25kg ones) and attaching them to the spring collars which is what someone suggested in a thread I read. If not I'll try what you said or resort to buying my own plates.

I guess I underestimated the worth of planks, I had tried them before but I could only hold for about 45 seconds at most. I did find that my arms would give in before my abs did though. I will definitely use these instead and I read that once they starting getting easier, you should add weight? e.g. getting someone to place a small weight plate on your back. Should I just stick to only doing planks on both workout days for now?

[Nilan666]

Planks i find most people don't do it inspite of its worth. Even i am surprised. But then again not everyone needs a strong core like athletes and for most of the part heavy deadlifts and squats achieve the same effect. But since heavy weights are some way off for you, you could potentially benefit by incorporating planks regularly.

I do not believe weighted planks are useful simply because the purpose of plank is to teach you to stabilize your weight for as long as possible. I believe the single arm and leg verisons of planks will serve you well at advanced levels(ie raise one arm and opposite leg, raise the arm and the same leg(excruciating!))
Weighted versions should be good for increasing strength but you cannot hold it for long , which in my opinion defeats the purpose of the plank.

Function of abs is to stabilze you. The longer you can, the better.

[Nilan666]

As for plyos, there are a number of them. But no need to complicate things. Master this drill, then do the sideways version(laterally instead of forward and backward) of it also.

In the meantime, do visit the site and read his articles. Everything i am saying or will say will be directly taken in some way from Kelly Bagget only.

It is important that you yourself start reading and discovering things.

[vongSTAA]

Alright, I will stick with planks and then progress to the harder versions later.

I'll just keep doing the hopping drills and then the sideways version as you suggested. I'll definitely start checking out the site as well, thanks a lot!

[Nilan666]

No need to thank me. Thank Kelly. Great guy.