Adarq.org

well i've decided to change my training dramatically, as is seen in my new journal with 500+ ankle hops with a 45 lb. bar... hah

anyway, i decided to change it because, even though I have made progress in my jumping focusing primarily on hip strength, my ankles remain lacking.. my ankles have improved since I started on this journey, dont get my wrong, they dont sink as much in my plants when I do my running jumps, but they do sink too much.

I want to truly figure this out.. I've attempted in the past, but, i already had an ankle injury at the time, so that wasnt a great time to experiment, and was forced to quit.


I personally feel that dramatic ankle stiffness will improve my vert dramatically, allowing me to use even more of the hip strength I already have... but I'm talking significant gains here in ankle stiffness, not just the "ya it feels better" kind.. im talking about visually noticable differences in all of my movements, plants, and jumps.. and I want these changes to become permanent, not just temporary stiffness like I get from doing stiff leg angle hops a few times per week.



after performing 500+ ankle hops with a 45 lb. bar yesterday, I assumed I would feel horrible today... well my quads,hamstrings,calfs and glutes feel incredibly good.. my back does feel very tight though - which is why i might have to alternate DB variations with barbell variations to take less load off my spine.

anyway, I plan on using only a few variations to target ankle stiffness:
- weighted ankle hops
- weighted alternating lunge hops on balls of feet
- weighted low squat ankle hops
- basketball dribbling explosively
- different types of max effort jumps
- high intensity barbell calf raises to increase my limit strength in the PF's

I plan on using high volume for these sessions:

day 1: bball dribbling, weighted ankle hops @ 10 x 50, barbell calf raise: heavy singles (~5-10)

day 2: rest

day 3: bball dribbling + jumps, weighted ankle hops (2x50), weighted alternating lunge hops (3 x 20 each leg), weighted low squat ankle hops (3x50)

day 4: rest

day 5: jumps, above parallel squat singles, barbell lunge singles, heavy calf raise singles (only a few)

day 6: rest

etc



i mean that's not at all set in stone, but you get the idea of my general template... very high volume on the ankle work, with a 2:1 training ratio of ankle to max strength, while getting more rest.


the barbell squat/lunge singles will probably be around 80-90% max now, not going close to 100% max like i enjoy doing...



i do not think i need depth jumps or depth drops in a routine such as this... i think i will be getting plenty of work already..


anyway, input on my crazy ideas is welcome.


edit: the reason im doing everything weighted, is I want alot more reflexive force production when I land in those positions.. and I can progressively overload (albeit small progressions) those positions and keep increasing my stiffness properly.. If i could reflexively gain more force output in any of those positions, my jumping should improve.. I psyche myself up way too much to jump, I need more tendon power.

You are a crazy guy Andrew

Looking forward to hearing about your results

Yeah, you're crazy, but I'm liking it. I would like to point out that studies indicate isometrics do result in better increases in tendon stiffness than do plyos. Neglecting calf ISOs would probably not be the best idea. And to reduce loading on your back, I'd do them one foot at a time and holding a heavy DB in hand.

Good luck, Andrew. I really want to see how this goes.

How do you do an ISO unilateral calf raise in the stretch wihout falling over!?

Joe, do them on a step and put your free hand on the railing.

Andrew, 30-60 seconds, and make sure you're in the stretch.

What are your thoughts about using a weighted vest Adarqui?  If you're going to jump with weights I would think it would be a lot easier to do it with something like a MiR weighted vest than a barbell on your back or with dumbells.

i used db's today and actually liked them.. but i jump better with a barbell.

i don't have a vest otherwise I would probably use it.. I just don't like how I would use my arms using the vest.. i know I would resort to using them.. I would rather use purely hips/ankles.

peace

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

well, i do think they can be useful..

it's just most people do completely dumb shit in them, like running jumps.. that is just asking for injury.

to be honest, the walking lunges/squat hops/ankle hops in jump soles could probably be very effective.. i mean i see a similar effect just wearing track shoes to do plyos/lunges etc.. keeps you on your toes more and gives you alot more spring.

im posting a video in a bit to show you some ankle-stiffness problems I see with myself doing a single leg rebounding box jump... though it would look better in track shoes.. I will record it next time in track shoes to show the difference between bball shoes / track shoes on the same drill.


how much did it improve your vert? the passive training..

you should take before & after vid on a few drills that really involve the ankles.. so thay you can demonstrate the effectiveness it has on ankle stiffness.

peace man... good job with your site too, really like it.

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

I have a vibration plate in my gym. Not a Powerplate or anything like that. I don't know what brand it is. It is an oscillating plate which is why I went for that one. Most studies are not very supportive. The only reseearch stuff I have found that was really positive was the stuff Bosco did in the late 90's. That said, your observations about pre-workout are similar to what I have found. It is a great way to warm up the muscles and joints prior to the hard stuff in the workout. As I can't do any regular heavy lifting or jumping at the moment I am compromising so I use it with a 60 pound weight vest and a 35kg sand bag for extra resistance. It will be interesting to see how much strength, speed, and jumping, as well as things like stiffness I have lost when I am fully recovered. Who knows, maybe all that theory about preferential activation of FT fibers is true and I end up jumping higher - I doubt it. Sorry for getting off topic a bit.

Cheers

Jack