The great Dr. Yessis on the state of plyometrics today

I'll admit I am guilty of over broadening the definition of plyometrics. I actually committed said sin in the previous blog post about box jumps, and a reader kindly asked about my word usage (I believe I tagged the post with "plyo jumps"). I didn't fully understand the meaning of his question, but now I do.  I'd go back and edit my blog entry and shore up the language, but word has it that is immediate grounds for blacklisting in the competitive world of blogging. We bloggers are effing hardcore.

I must admit I'm a bit ashamed for being guilty of this, as I have often scoffed at "p90x athletes" and fitness class whores for talking about the sweet plyos they do. Such is life.

Watch the video, and listen to the man. Dr. Michael Yessis is a legend and knows what he is talking about.

Musclin' Up with Mango

Oh the videos we come across when searching for something else. I happened to find this fantastic instructional piece when searching for vids on the reproductive cycles of unicorns. Everyone meet Mango. He's going to teach you how to do a muscle up.

Okay back to my important research.

Working on my hops

I used to be able to jump. Not so much now. Well, I used to be able to do a lot of things that I can't do now, but that doesn't keep me from trying to get back to that point or close. I've really worked on improving my maximal strength and accelerative strength in my lower body. It's slow going, but I'm getting closer to where I want to be.

Last week I was finally able to consistently hit 45" on the box jump. I know that isn't high compared to others you've most likely seen, but again this is only a step towards my end goal. I've seen some pretty funny rigged box jump setups on youtube. Here is mine:

No that mat behind the box isn't to stop me from falling. It's to help cushion my knees jumping down since I'm training in minimalist shoes. My knees are currently taking the brunt of the stress during this transition. Here's the vid of me completing the jump. I suggest turning your speakers way down since my buddy decides to go all raging hormonal cheerleader on me:

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO JUMPING YAY!!!! I'm going to shoot for 50" next week, but I'm going to have to setup shop outside or somewhere with higher ceilings. Yesterday I was able to complete the same exercise, but with a 45" plate underneath the mat. Sound precarious? It is, but I just have to remain focused and everything is fine. If my mind isn't right then I step away from the box and reset. I figure that's way better than falling and hurting myself.

Some new toys, and knee discomfort is uncomfortable

Well, one of my favorite sites for really expensive workout equipment FINALLY got their resistance bands back in stock. That would be EliteFTS. Sure there are plenty of other bands out there that are fantastic, but I like to support certain companies and this is one of them. So I immediately ordered a couple "average" bands. They naturally went on sale for 25% off the next day, but I'm so incredibly wealthy that I scoff at such handouts. I don't want your charity! I mean, you can tell my over abundance of wealth just by the mere fact that I have a Blogger blog and not my own domain. Tremble before my wallet which may or may not be falling apart. All jokes aside (which will undoubtedly be taken seriously by someone, here is the average band compared to the light:

That's a hefty band. Here is their band calibration chart just in case anyone is interested:

I'll be using these for sprints, rows, presses, core work, isometrics, and stretching. They're such a fantastic tool. If I had a large reader base I'm sure I'd receive comments like "BRO WHY R U NOT USING THE BANDS FOR BENCHING AND SQUATTING? THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE MADE 4 BRO. STAY 2TRU." Well, fictional reader powerlifter guy (sorry PLs I know all of you aren't uneducated neanderthals), I literally have no way to use these at my gym for either movement as my gym's bench press benches do not have pegs nor do the power racks. Oh wait, my gym doesn't even have a power rack. I used to leave that as a suggestion in the suggestion box daily. My words have so far gone unheeded. I should be used to that by now.

I did discover another goal: I'm not even strong enough to do a one arm OH press with the average band, so I'll certainly be working on that.

Mix up your training people. Break up the monotony that some of our daily routines unfortunately inflict. In a later blog I'll show you how and where I use these tools. I'll even provide photographic evidence. Does that make your pants excited?

I almost forgot about my knees. For the first time, that I can remember at least, my knees are sore and making me slightly tentative. I have been putting them through hell the last several weeks due to my training for mastering the pistol squat, but I feel that has been doing nothing but strengthening them. Well, on Tuesday I did some heavy plyometric exercises. The one that pushed me over the edge was the plyo box jump, jump down, and immediately explode into a long jump. I've been able to go deep on squats (ass to floor, or hammy to calf. whichever) for quite awhile now, but nothing has stressed my knees like the aforementioned plyo exercise. Wow. Next time I'm going to use a mat.  When I jump off the plyo box I went deep on my landing, and same goes for the landing after the long jump. My knees are literally up at my chest.

So, live and learn. Plyometrics are no joke and I know that. I should have cushioned my landing with a mat while doing this exercise. My knees are just a tad sore and that's it. It'll go away, but let this be a reminder to not immediately go into hero mode before you're ready!

If any of you are wondering when I became such a proponent of full squats, and I know ALL of you are, it was after watching a training session with Dirk Nowitzki and the great Holger Geschwindner. Dirk has an amazing ability to recover from knee injuries quickly, and that is largely attributed to his training with the German mad scientist. Holger has Dirk do court long ass to floor long jumps. It looks awfully silly when a 7 footer is doing it, but that workout has conditioned his knees to perform and remain stable through the full range of motion. That's necessary in basketball, and most pro sports, as awkward falls are the norm. I fully realize that doing that is not ideal for everyone, and it's certainly something that no beginner should ever attempt. You have to work yourself up to the point where you do have that flexibility and strength in the knees to get that low. Otherwise you could be facing massive injury, because knee injuries are nothing to joke about unlike most every single Presidential nominee for the next term.

Stay hard, Dallas.