Adarq.org

damn you reply quick. In the notes that will come with my program builder I talk about sleep and recovery quite a lot. For those who train but negelct making the effort to get regular quality sleep - they are just needlessly short circuiting their gains. I did an experiment with some of the kids I work with who play Aussie Rules where for 2 weeks they agreed to go to bed at a time that allowed them to be in bed for at least 8.5 hours per night (1/2 hour to drift off etc). Their results in those two weeks were nothing short of amazing. Their quality of training was great, their strength went up on just about everything, they just improved stupidly. Then I think the latest version of Grand Theft Auto came out and they decided that the early nights had to stop. There is just no convincing some people.

JW

I've used EMS for a few short periods of several weeks and was astonished with the results. I went from not being able to do a single natural GHR to being able to knock out a set of 11 completely unassisted. That having been said, the discomfort, setup time, and the need to shave my caveman legs has stopped me from using it since.

Though I can't remember the exact settings, I used a EMS 7500 @ 120 hZ with the power turned all the way up.

I really should give it another look, leg shaving be damned,

RJ this sums up my thoughts on EMS exactly. I have been doing it whilst I recover from tendonitis and just last week I was able to squat again. I had not done any leg work for 8-10 weeks besides the EMS and soem vibration training and when I tested my 1Rm I was only about 5KG off where I was before I stopped. I was very surprised. Those downsides you mention - sitting around, setting up, shaving - are so fricking annoying. The other one that you didn't mention was that soemtimes when you really crank it up it seems to hurt my skin a fair bit.

I like to multitask though - I play Xbox 360 whilst the machine works its magic on one of the pre-set programs. Nizar I don't know what settings I have been using other than the Thibadeau method of just cranking it up to as high as was tolerable.

Cheers

Jack

The knee tendonitis is probably due to a variety of things. Age - I am 34. Lack of attention to recovery - With two very young children I have been not getting enough sleep and also not paying enough attention to things such as icing, foam rolling and stretching which I used to do far more strictly. And the real killer - doing dumb stuff like jumping on hard surfaces too much and not warming up enough. I have been having autologous blood injections to treat it (they take blood out of your arm and inject it directly into the tendon). This has been helping although I am still a long way from resuming full activities such as actually playing basketball.

I wish I could post some nice photos of my gym. Currently I am operating out of a temporary facility whilst my house is being built. That will be great as I will have a huge space to train people right downstairs that would put some of the gyms on MTV's cribs to shame. My equipment list isn't that crazy though because I don't train large groups of people. Usually a maximum of 2 at a time. When the new house is finished I have a few plans to change that but for now i consists of the basics (a power rack, barbell, lots of weights, a variety of cardio machines which I mostly only let people do high intensity sprints on. I feel bad about charging people good money to watch them ride a bike for 30 minutes), plus a few special toys (various specialty bars such as SS Bar, Trap bar, a bunch of kettlebells, a bunch of bands, the vibration plate, a GHR, various sandbags, several weight vests, a weight sled, gymnastic rings, a landmine etc).

The mental training side of things you mention is interesting stuff. So hard to quantify or test though. But psyching up definitely works so there is something to it.

Cheers

Jack

Here is another thought I just had about improving ankle stiffness. Vibration training. Currently I am doing a lot of it due to jumpers knee preventing me from doing just about everything and have been experimenting with split squats, split squats and regular squats on my toes, single leg 1/2 squats, lots of iso's etc. Certainly getting up on the toes on a vibration plate works the calves and ankles in a pretty thorough way. Anyway I thought I would throw it out there as another suggestion you might try in case the barbell ankle hops get a bit much on the joints and you need a break.

Cheers

Jack

Hi Adarqui

Here is an admittedly strange thought that occurred to me as I read here and elsewhere recently of the sudden rise in calf training for ankle stiffness amongst knowledgable people such as yourself. Isn't ankle stiffness and calf strength something that training in, dare I say it, Jumpsoles, is supposed to improve. And if so, does this therefore follow that Jumpsoles may actually have some benefit to a jumping athlete after all (besides increasing the users ability to tolerate ridicule and possibly shin splints)?

I have reviewed Jumpsoles for my site and tried a variety of different things in them to see if they had any value and just about the best use I could come up with was wearing them around the house a lot with the proprioceptive plugs. This  did improve my ankle stability and strength a lot and as you are hoping to also replicate, improved my vertical particularly off a run. This was the basis for my article on passive training that amazingly sparked a lengthy discussion on TVS.

I like that you are trying different things to address different areas, god knows I have given all sorts of things a go over the years. It is good stuff and on occasion does produce some surprising results (and them sometimes as you know it also produces some stupid injuries). I hope it works out for you.

I would also like to hear some peoples thoughts about whether or not the folks at Jumpsoles may have actually been onto something but perhaps didn't know how to apply their use correctly.

Cheers

Jack

Quote from: Jack Woodrup on June 02, 2009, 07:56:19 pm

Hi Guys

I love your writings and insights so thought I would get on board.

Top 5 favorite exercises

For Strength

Safety Bar Squats - regular and lightened method
Trap Bar Deadlift
Travelling Lunges - uphill is always fun in a brutal masochistic kind of way

For Jumping
123 Drill
Box jumps with a weight vest - simple but effective

Using a combination of these exercises I have seen great results both in my own training and with my clients.

Cheers

Jack

sup jack

never done lunges up hill, but it definitely has to be good... how heavy do you go on them? is this a lighter variation or do you bring the big db's out?

peace

Actually I use a combination of sandbags and weight vests. I try and use a weight I can handle for between 5-10 strides per leg. This exercise never ceases to leave people sore the next day no matter how many times they have done it before. I like using it for some of my younger Aussie rules players if they turn up late.

JW