congrats! You will get a much better and more complete lower body strength stimulus from squats, once you get used to them.
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squats are much harder!! i was squatting 180 and it was challenging. to leg press 250 was definitely easier. i may not have even been going low enough.
yea, youre not lifting in a vertical path against gravity with the leg press, not nearly the level of stabilization required in the leg press that the squat requires, and much more hip involvement in the squat. Your glutes will take some time to catch up with your quads most likely, and be the limiting factor in your squats for a while. Good thing is, they get stronger in a hurry once you start targeting them more.
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is it bad if i feel pain in the base of my spine? i felt that at some point.
yes, very bad, you need to learn to lock in the LUMBAR spine along with the thoracic. spread the chest AND push your belt buckle down to point directly at the floor before you begin.
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and should i be putting my weight towards the FRONT of my foot, or towards the back?
Keep the weight centered right over the middle of the foot, or the exact area that you tie the knot in your shoe your laces.
sprints: 2 x ~15m stiff leg ankle hops: 3 x 20 MR tucks: DND
jump snatch: 4 x 5 (37.5, 40, 40, 45)
squats: 4 x 5 (100, 110, 110, 110)
RDL: 3 x 7 (80, 85, 85)
lunges: 2 x 10 (60, 62.5)
calf raises: 2 x 15 (115, 115)
bench leg raises: 2 x 15
- didnt notice the weight was wrong on snatch. wanted 3 x 45. - progression frm last session: squats, RDL, lunges, calf raises - a day from my 28th birthday, i'd wanted to dunk on the day as a milestone/present. unfortunate that i had to have that ankle injury, otherwise i was pretty confident i could have done it. oh well
question lance, would it be very different if i did stepups instead of lunges?
nice job on the pr man, if you dont want to lunges for reason then do bss with the front foot far out in front instead, almost everyone that does step ups does them wrong and its a waste of time that way.
ya, thats suited, still very impressive. Hatfields is suited too, though the suits they had back then added very little, look at how flimsy that suit he has on, that 1000 lbs is much more impressive than the 1000lb squats nowadays with the ~300 + lbs some of the suits are giving.
He's done 450 in wraps and belt out of a monolift :O
Holy shit, that's a totally crazy squat. To do 410 kg this quickly, especially without a bounce, is absolutely sick. And it's a double, too...
haha yea, whats funny is he has the raw world record squat depending on what org. you subscribe to, and not many people know of him. Here is a 991 raw in training, hes soooo explosive with those weights its insane...
squats- knees and hips are shifting around forward and backwards, slow down at the top and set each rep up more methodically. Youre also leaning forward at the bottom looking for extra depth, push the knees out a little and you will be able to stay more upright and get the extra depth you need. Using a thick pad like that raises the center of mass and makes the squat harder, giving you less control of the bar.
lunge jumps- stay more upright with your torso, take a slightly more closed stance.
depth jumps- push off the box a little with the back foot when dropping off the box, and dorsi flex your ankles in the air.
rdl- take that pad off the bar and keep it closer to you. Push your hips back more, keep your shoulders in front of the bar, and finish the lift by driving your glutes through the bar while keeping the abdominals tight.
jump squats- need much more ankle extension at the end of those reps, try to drive holes in the floor with the balls of your feet when you leave the ground.
As far as squats and RDLs, the thing I struggle with is making sure I have enough weight on the bar that I can feel it in the required muscles, but not wanting too much weight on it that it destroys my form.
Also, when taking weightlifting in high school, I never took the powerlifts seriously and didn't think they had any benefit for me - smh, how ignorant I was, lol. But, back then, I was under the impression that we were supposed to stay tight in our form when squatting, like legs should be in line with the shoulders. So, to hear/see people say to push the knees out a little bit is definitely an adjustment I'll have to make because my main concern is getting low enough to feel it without getting stuck down there.
You are supposed to stay tight, youre not though, youre knees and hips and moving in several different directions on the way down and on the way up. Pushing the knees out or "spreading the floor" is a cue that activates the glutes and will keep the knees tracking correctly over the big toe. Just stand in a shoulder width stance, push out to the sides of your feet with your weight over mid foot, feel that in the hips? That will keep you tighter, and help you have more of a consistent groove in the squat.
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And with the depth jumps and jump squats, I should really just focus on dorsiflexion on both so that I can feel the flex up through my calves right?
Focus on plantar flexion on the jump squats at toe off, dorsi flexion on any jump in the air or going into the plant.
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All that being said, you don't think I did too bad for just getting back into this?
And should I still get good gains in strength/plyos despite the few kinks I need to work out? I definitely still felt it, lol.
yea you arent doing anything really dangerous or that far off, you just need to make some minor changes so that you can progress and when you get to the heavier weights you wont hurt yourself.
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Thanks for all the tips, I'll try to update my journal with videos from each workout so you guys can see the progress/adjustments as I go.
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max effort jumping, running, standing, one step, etc., just maximum effort jumps. submax jumps can be done in much greater volume.
Any suggested routine for this? How many sets/reps? How many times a week in addition to my two scheduled workout days? I'm willing to do whatever physically in my power to get the results!
I would definitely jump at least 3 times a week if improving vert is your goal, you could add a third day of jumps, 15-30 jumps stopping at drop off, but get at least 15 either way.
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Your diet will determine how much fat you burn off.
keep protein intake very high, from 1 - 1.5 grams per lb of bodyweight, control fat and carb intake so that youre consistently losing weight, but not fatigued all day.
From what you briefly mentioned to me in the chat yesterday about protein, I assume it's to my benefit to use whey protein even on non-workout days... So, I had a protein shake for dinner. Along with an egg this morning for breakfast, 1 at lunch with a turkey sandwich, and 2 eggs with the shake at dinner.
And when you say "control" fat and carb intake, does that mean I should aim to limit it to a minimum or keep track of it if it's mixed in with the protein? Like the turkey/chicken sandwiches for example? Should I try to eliminate bread from my diet altogether for the time being?
Right, control the carbs and fats, keep the protein high. Eliminating the majority of breads from your diet is a great idea if youre goal is rapid fat loss.
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crystal light, coke zero, etc., this makes a HUGE difference over the long haul if you are drinking a lot of calories.
This is gonna be a struggle. I'm worried about all the artificial crap in the diet drinks so in my mind, I'm most likely gonna have to go cold turkey.
thats a big myth btw about the diet drinks, but however you want to stop drinking sugars, do it that way. You can kill your diet by drinking sugars very easily.
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good luck man, train hard, make pr's on the lifts that matter, and be consistent.
Sorry to be such a noob, but does pr mean personal record?
And last thing... You think this program will be beneficial to me and I could see some major gains and drop in body fat along the way?
Thanks so much for all the feedback man, I'll do my best to implement all the adjustments!
np man,
pr= personal record, yes, make sure you are progressively lifting more weight, or doing more reps, every workout. If youre doing a vjb program it will be just fine, your body fat progress is going to have to much much much much more with your diet than your training. You cant outwork a bad diet, so if you keep it in check, for sure you will lose fat.
So, I'm doing VJB Intermediate Strength/Plyos. Finished the first week, and here is what I did:
*Squats 3x6 - 160 lbs - Weds./ 170 lbs Sat. *Romanian Deadlifts 3x6 - 135 lbs. Weds./ 140 lbs. Sat. *Jumpsquats with barbell 3x12 - 65 lbs. both Weds. and Sat. (was supposed to be 10% of max squat, but I'm guessing my max is between 225 and 270 or so, so I just went with 65??? No rhyme or reason, but 10% is useless and impossible with a 45 lbs. barbell) *Depth Jumps - 3x5 from 18" box *Alternating Lunge Jumps - 3x10 each leg *Rim jumps (jumping towards rim) - 3x10
Ok, additionally, I just played ball full-court for about 1.5 hours tonight to help burn off some excess fat. I plan on starting week 2 on Tuesday or Wednesday. Here are my exercises, just wanted to know if they all looked correct for the most part?
2nd set of squats, day 1: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PnYCpfJPOw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PnYCpfJPOw</a> Lunge Jumps, day 2: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaO3q4W99HY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaO3q4W99HY</a> 2nd set of RDLs, Day 1: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zuz_DQO2tU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zuz_DQO2tU</a> Depth Jumps, Day 2: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkqlFoT1yEM" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkqlFoT1yEM</a> Jump Squats, Day 1: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9-uhbqqghQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9-uhbqqghQ</a>
squats- knees and hips are shifting around forward and backwards, slow down at the top and set each rep up more methodically. Youre also leaning forward at the bottom looking for extra depth, push the knees out a little and you will be able to stay more upright and get the extra depth you need. Using a thick pad like that raises the center of mass and makes the squat harder, giving you less control of the bar.
lunge jumps- stay more upright with your torso, take a slightly more closed stance.
depth jumps- push off the box a little with the back foot when dropping off the box, and dorsi flex your ankles in the air.
rdl- take that pad off the bar and keep it closer to you. Push your hips back more, keep your shoulders in front of the bar, and finish the lift by driving your glutes through the bar while keeping the abdominals tight.
jump squats- need much more ankle extension at the end of those reps, try to drive holes in the floor with the balls of your feet when you leave the ground.
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Additionally, I'm currently "skinny fat." My playing weight in JUCO ball was 169 lbs. or so, I'm up to 180 lbs after sitting around the house for the last few years. Any modifications I can make to this program to help burn off excess weight/body fat quicker? I've seen in several of the older journals that you guys suggested jumping days and for people to go all out jumping 15-30 times until their performance drops...
What does this type of jumping consist of? Repeated run ups to a rim?
max effort jumping, running, standing, one step, etc., just maximum effort jumps. submax jumps can be done in much greater volume.
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Would this help burn off fat, or should I add in days of sprints?
Your diet will determine how much fat you burn off.
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Diet-wise, I was hoping to see more results than what I have so far in the last month since I've made a few changes - I was up to 3-7 fast food meals a week for awhile... In the last month, I've probably only had fast food 4 times, so if you averaged it out, once a week.
I've ate more lean meats (turkey, chicken), but usually with sandwiches. I've also started eating organic burritos as they are less processed and they are chicken as well. Should I cut these out also? I know fruits and veggies are vital. But any other suggestions to speed up the "leaning" down process?
keep protein intake very high, from 1 - 1.5 grams per lb of bodyweight, control fat and carb intake so that youre consistently losing weight, but not fatigued all day.
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I also have a pretty big problem with soda...
crystal light, coke zero, etc., this makes a HUGE difference over the long haul if you are drinking a lot of calories.
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Any help would be greatly appreciated Adarqui and Lance!
(all my stats are found in my intro and journal if needed)
good luck man, train hard, make pr's on the lifts that matter, and be consistent.
Unless we talk about Brittany Grittner or whatever it's name.
I do, I see one that has spent a massive amount of time and dedication under a bar, to develop a strong body. You might prefer the ones who spend the majority of their time putting on make up, looking at themselves in the mirror, giving head, etc., but when a female is dedicated enough to achieve something like that it deserves respect.
I really wish people would think a little before they bash people like Brittany Griner, she is a great athlete, has done nothing personally to you, and regardless of this just being the internet, going around calling a girl a "it" or a "man" is hurtful, especially considering that shes still a kid. If you make fun of someone for acting stupid, doing dumb shit, or something that is a CHOICE, thats all fine and dandy. But youre bashing someone who has done nothing to you, for something that they have no control over, its similar to making fun of someone for having a birthmark on their face, being too tall, or the color of their skin.
Do this Raptor, go to any Brittany Griner video on youtube, and read through a page or two of the comments. Guaranteed you will see tons of similar remarks to the ones you just made. Now consider the fact that SHE probably at some point has read some of those comments, from people she has done nothing to, possibly with her friends there, family, etc. If you think thats ok for things like that to happen to a KID, who did nothing to those people, there is something wrong with you.
You don't measure 1 leg vertical from a standstill, the technique requires a run-up. I would advise to stick with two-legged VJ for now.
A progression you can use to learn the drop-step VJ:
1. stand on non-planting leg, arms out in front of you at shoulder height 2. make a BIG step with the other leg, planting far in front of you and therefore lowering your center of mass (COM); swing arms back forcefully at the same time 3. make the last step, putting your non-planting leg slightly in front of the other one; JUMP while at the same time throwing your arms in the air
Do this to practice those most important last two steps. This program has to become automatized and you can easily manipulate how far you lower the COM to get into the mechanically most advantageous jumping position. To learn jumping from a full run-up just add steps gradually, beginning with one, then two, etc.
x 1000, its amazing how many people never do this, and it helps even already good jumpers to go back and drill it from time to time.
Would that be of any benefit at all if I were to do it? Or just a huge chance taking?
haha, well youre still having to do a ton of work, its all you at the top but its a royal pain in the ass getting into gear and learning to use it. The suit helps you out of the hole like a sling shot, the canvas suit literally catches your hips, feels like you sat into a swing. Its kind of like pushing an already moving car at that point, if you keep it moving you got it, you let it slow down and youre fucked. The last time I put on a canvas suit we almost had to cut it off of me, I was literally PULLING down as hard as i could with my hip flexors and still couldnt hit parallel until the weight got over 600lbs. It felt like a toy on the way up though.
You still get stronger in a general sense in bench shirts and squat suits, and one of the benefits is that it gets you used to supra maximal weights and strengthens the hell out of the top part of the lift. The downside is how uncomfortable it is, and if you dont do any raw lifting you get very weak at the bottom of the lifts. Training with very heavy weights in a bench shirt made my triceps grow more than anything Ive ever done. If you wanted to try it, I would definitely go with a single ply ipf legal suit at first, its much easier to lift in and learn the suit.
Would that be of any benefit at all if I were to do it? Or just a huge chance taking?
haha, well youre still having to do a ton of work, its all you at the top but its a royal pain in the ass getting into gear and learning to use it. The suit helps you out of the hole like a sling shot, the canvas suit literally catches your hips, feels like you sat into a swing. Its kind of like pushing an already moving car at that point, if you keep it moving you got it, you let it slow down and youre fucked. The last time I put on a canvas suit we almost had to cut it off of me, I was literally PULLING down as hard as i could with my hip flexors and still couldnt hit parallel until the weight got over 600lbs. It felt like a toy on the way up though.
You still get stronger in a general sense in bench shirts and squat suits, and one of the benefits is that it gets you used to supra maximal weights and strengthens the hell out of the top part of the lift. The downside is how uncomfortable it is, and if you dont do any raw lifting you get very weak at the bottom of the lifts. Training with very heavy weights in a bench shirt made my triceps grow more than anything Ive ever done. If you wanted to try it, I would definitely go with a single ply ipf legal suit at first, its much easier to lift in and learn the suit.
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progression frm last session: squats, RDL, lunges, calf raises
