Forcing Reps...

You might be wasting time in the gym. As loaded a statement as that might be, it really might be true. And if it's not you that's wasting time, I am certain that others in your gym that are.

How is time being wasted? Well, besides your kickbacks, crunches and time spent checking out the token "hot girl" on the butt-buster machine, you are probably forcing some reps. 

I know, I know.

When you knock out forced reps, whether it's when you're having a spotter, reverse curl the barbell as you try to bench it or when you turn a dumbbell curl into an Olympic lift, you're likely promoting sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, basically storage of glycogen, water and other "energy" related factors, instead of the hypertrophy you're really after, which would refer to your actual contractile proteins.

Why does this happen? Well, when you lift a load normally, that is it's not forced, your eccentric contractions will be more controlled, and it's the eccentric contractions that are most closely related to myofibrillar hypertrophy. 

Conversely, when you're doing a set of curls and after 8 or 10 of them, you start getting your hips into the movement, it's likely that the weight wasn't heavy enough to recruit your fast-twitch fibers until later in the set, the fibers that have the greatest potential for growth. But if you had chosen a heavier load that would only let you get 6 good, clean reps in, it would have supported earlier recruitment of your FT fibers and more myofibrillar hypertrophy. 

Now don't think of this as your magical cure for why you haven't grown in a year. It's just something to keep in mind. There are definitely exceptions to this rule too. For instance, many lifters will tell you nothing made their legs grow as much as sets of 20-rep squats. But, that's an exception, not a deal-breaker. So, keep your reps clean, in the functional hypertrophy zone and don't waste your time!

Online Diagnosis

Diagnosing pathologies online is a treacherous path, but, for a lot of reasons, I'll try and help people out when I can. 

Q: I hooped for like an hour today and then jogged a mile after. Everything was fine. I came home and sit on the couch for 45 minutes, and then when I get up to walk, my right foot starts killing me. No matter what way I turn it, it just kills. The source of the pain is on the top right where the foot bends and hurts when the foot is moved in any direction. Is it a stress fracture. What's going on?

A: I'm not sold on it being a stress fracture. While stress fractures do normally present pain on top of the foot, they are usually found more proximal (closer to your body) on the foot. Where you describe it would be pretty uncommon place to find a stress fracture. 

That, plus you say it hurts whenever the foot is moved in any direction. Quick physiology lesson here: Stress fractures are a bone pathology. They happen when there is there is an unequal amount of osteoclast activity going on, versus osteoblast activity. Basically, you're breaking down more bone than you're building. This is caused by a number of factors including crappy nutrition, old age, low calcium in your diet and most importantly, doing too much activity that you're body isn't prepared to handle, specifically impact-related activities.

Stress fractures normally really hurt upon impact. That's how they're caused and that's when they hurt. You said it hurts when you move it, that's not impactful. 

Truthfully, I don't know if it still even hurts, but it's much more likely to be inflammation of some tissue in there. The treatment for it is the same as a stress fracture ironically, except it'll heal a lot quicker and won't cause all the problems that coming back from a stress fracture does. Come back to activity slowly, if it hurts, don't do it, etc. Don't be stupid and play through it if it hurts. That'll only prolong it. And, of course, ice that baby when you're done.

Making it Happen

I've been helping out my brother for over a year with his training. It's an interesting dynamic, training a family member of yours. They definitely feel much more comfortable to say certain things to you than a normal client of yours, who maybe, didn't grow up in the same house as you.

Stubborn might be a little strong, but we are both definitely a couple of strong-minded individuals. So, when he first said he wanted to be ripped (don't act like you're any different? Every guys wants to be ripped. If they say otherwise, then their pants are probably on fire.), I had an idea of what we needed to do to get there.

I devised his training plan, which he has followed almost to a T, and has added nearly 100 lbs. to his bench press, over 130 lbs. to his squat and 150 lbs. to his deadlift, all within a year, while, dropping his body-fat from somewhere in the 20% range to a solid 11% right now.

But it wasn't all gravy the whole way through. He had his own ideas about his diet, some of which conflicted with my own. The result? He got down to around 14% body-fat and stayed there for months.

Then, finally, about a month ago, he decided he was ready to take the final step toward his goal, and together, we came up with a diet plan, to go along with his training, that would ensure his road to the land of leanness. The result this time? Like I said before, he's now at 11% body-fat and has real, visible abs.

While I don't want to set any concrete expectations, he is nearing his end-goal. He is almost there. "Ripped" is just on the horizon, plus he has maintained all of his strength. (Way to go J, you're just about there!)

So, what's the moral of this story? I'm the Master of the World and can get you six-pack abs in seven days, or your money back.

Okay, seriosuly, the moral is that we all have our own ideas of how things are supposed to happen and supposed to work, and while it's all good and fine, it becomes a problem when these ideas prevent us from giving other ideas or schools of thought a chance.

It's probable there is something in your life that you've been doing the same way for a very long time. And regardless if it's optimal or not, you've stuck with it because it's what you're used to. And that's where the issue lies. Your stubbornness to stick with your way has prevented you from giving another way a shot.

And that other way could be the missing link that you're in need of. It kind of was for my brother. So, while it's good to have your own set of beliefs, don't let it get in the way of opening your mind to other ideas. They just might be the answer you've been looking for.

Happy Holidays

Just wanted to wish all the readers a very happy holidays. I hope the new year is a happy and prosperous one for us all!

Wow

Yeah, kid, this is the answer :)

It's like me buying a How-To-Paint-Like-Van Gogh book, hoping that'll bridge the gap between me and Big V...it's not happening.

The Question Everyone Loves to Ask

How much do you bench? We've all heard it. There probably isn't a question that gets asked more in every gym, across the world. 

Is bench pressing the most important thing in the world for a lifter? No. 

Is bench pressing the only way that someone can get strong? No.

Is bench pressing the key to discovering the secrets of the universe? Probably, but who cares about that?

Regardless, people have feeling, people have egos, and when they answer that question, they'd rather say a bigger number than a smaller number. And while I always stress that people should "learn to fish", instead of having someone else get the fish for them, most people don't care enough to even try and learn. They want answers and they want them now. Right or wrong, it's the truth.

So, on that note, I want to tell everyone about the Critical Bench Program. This isn't like most generic bench press programs. The program, most importantly above all else, is individualized. Based on your training age and current stats, the guys at Critical Bench alter the program so it fits just you.

The program is a thorough, 11-week cycle that guarantees to put 50 lbs. on your bench press. I mean, come on. How many of you have been stuck at a certain point in your bench for forever? Wouldn't you like to add 50 lbs. to that total in less than 3 months?

 Click here to find out more about the program, but I will tell you that if you are dead-set on upping your bench press, then this if for you: The Critical Bench Program

And, if you're not sure about the program yet, get the FREE, 50 Keys to a Bigger Bench e-book right here!

If you want to lose weight...

It might seem like common sense, but if you want to lose weight, you need to spend more calories than you take in. Losing weight might seem like an impossible task based on all the different so-called secrets or miracles people try to sell you, but at its core, it about calories in vs. calories out. 

A really good way to increase your caloric expenditure is EXERCISE. Lifting, sprinting, jumping, running, walking, yoga, stretching, playing any sport, anything that involves you being active is good.

Here is one good way to up your activity: Morphing Into a Fat-Burning Furnance

I Am Pissed...

Yesterday, I was training in my commercial gym near my house, and I was pissed off. Truthfully, it was a good thing since I was squatting and I have no problem with some additional, extrinsic motivation when lifting. 

But, I was pissed, because as I looked around that shiny, sparkly gym, I saw scores and scores of people, for all intents and purposes, wasting their time. Whether it was the guy doing 12 lb. lateral raises or the woman doing sets of 100 on birddogs (glute activation is good, but this might be taking it a little too far), it made me mad. 

It made me mad, because these people were willing to spend time in the gym to better themselves, but they either A) didn't know how to actually better themselves B) are too lazy to do what's necessary.  

I understand A, but I certainly don't accept it. I don't know why people think they know how to train themselves. You wouldn't perform surgery on yourself, right? So what makes you think you can train yourself?  What makes you think you know what you're doing in a gym?

Now I'm not saying training and surgery are equally difficult, but if training was so easy then, why are there so many damn fat and weak people in every gym across America? 

The point is you likely have no idea what you're doing in the gym. Get an intelligent trainer to either train you or help you out. Find someone knowledgeable online and ask them for some guidance. Read any of the gazillion articles there are online about training. The answers are there, you just have to find them.

As for point B, I definitely don't accept it, nor do I understand it. If you really want something (in this case, more muscle, fat loss, etc.), then you should already know that you have to do whatever it takes to attain it. So, if you know you should be lifting heavy weights and running sprints if you want to drop some fat, but are too lazy to do so and instead do a bunch of curls and the elliptical for 20 minutes, what does that make you? A lazy person who doesn't actually want to lose any fat. You just like saying it. 

A Really Cool Training Video

A friend of mine, Andrew Darqui, trains athletes at the Memorial Sports Center in Pembroke Pines, FL. He is the man when it come to trying out new things (of course he's already pretty damn good with the normal stuff too!). Anyways, one of his athletes has been having to lift with his high school football team, leaving Andrew with some limits as to what they could do in their private training sessions. So, he got really creative, put together a bunch of reactionary-reactive type drills and make a sick video of it all. 

Now, just remember, as cool as this stuff is and as cool as it looks, it isn't the optimal type of training for almost any athlete, if it's the bulk of what you're doing. But in a certain circumstance (they can't lift), A-Darq got really creative with it, and put together a system that will yield results and not interfere with his athlete's previous commitments. Not an ideal situation, but a damn good solution. And if you want to be a good coach, you'd have better be an awesome problem solver. 

Now, check this out:

How much is too much?

If you've ever read a training article, then you've undoubtedly read something from the author that went something like, "And be careful not to do more than 4 sets or you'll overtrain." 

I'm sorry, but I have a problem with such a ridiculous and general statement. Maybe it'll be overtraining if you're planning on training that same movement pattern in 48 hours, but what if you have 120 hours until you train it again? You'll have to do more in that first workout, or you'll probably miss your supercompensation point. And then some people recover more rapidly than others. If you can safely do more work without causing issues, then you probably should. 

There's a lot more to it than that, but you should keep to things in mind from now on:

1. Overtraining is a real thing, but you would have to do so much work without ever taking a break for an extended period of time. I'm talking months here. The truth is that I can almost guarantee that anyone reading this is not, nor will they ever be at risk for overtraining (and that's a good thing!). Unless you're training 25-30 hard hours a week at least, you're not even close to overtraining. If you are feeling unmotivated, fatigued, stressed, sore all the time etc., then it is possible that you are in an overreaching state, which is quite common. In that case, skip your next scheduled workout, take some naps, eat some food and relax. That will take care of it.
2. Take everything you read about training with a grain of salt. There are thousands of people out there, whether it's on the web, newspapers, magazines, TV or any other form of medium, talking about fitness or training. Unfortunately, a lot of them are often badly misinformed, and unknowingly, are dishing out useless information to the masses. So, whenever you're reading something about training, don't just take the message as the truth. Question everything, talk to people that you know are knowledgeable in the field and be weary!
   

IT'S HERE!

Highly, highly regarded Strength Coach Elliot Hulse has finally released his long-awaited Gridiron Strongman System. Before I even say anything about the program itself, let me first tell you that anything Elliot produces is basically guaranteed to be terrific. With his personal and professional background, as a former college football player, a current champion Strongman competitor and a strength coach for over 10 years, combined with the amount of time and effort he puts into his business to be the best coach out there, Elliot is the man.

Now with that being said, his brand-new Gridiron Strongman System is a professional, thorough and innovative collection of all the best football training techniques out there, put together perfectly in one program that has only goal in mind: Help you achieve yours. With the system, you get a plethora of information, including info on:

• Weight Training
• Speed Training
• Conditioning
• Diet
• Supplements
• Programming
• Much, much more!

Most products that I have had the chance to look over or review usually fail to meet my standards. I have put out one product so far that I put a lot of time into and it came out pretty darn good (if I may say so!). I expect others to do the same. Unfortunately, most don't. But, this one definitely does.

If you are a football player or football coach, a strongman competitor, or anyone who wants to get stronger, run faster and feel better, then I have no hesitation in recommending Elliot's system. Find out more here: The Gridiron Strongman System

Bodybuilding to Get Bigger?

I read a question today about finding a "good, dumbbell, bodybuilding" routine. Here you go: (Of course the answer doesn't actually include a dumbbell routine. That would be way too easy!)

If you are asking questions like this, then I can all but guarantee you're not prepared for a "bodybuilding" routine. In an attempt to oversimplify and ignore a lot of things for the sake of not losing you here, bodybuilding=focus on isolation=limited amount of weight one can use in a single-joint exercise=less stress placed on the body=weaklings in every gym across America. 

The reason bodybuilders can get as big as they are is because of their "supplement use" and the fact that almost all of them built a foundation for strength using your traditional, compound movements. With the second reason, because they got really strong in an overall sense, they were then able to use more weight when they went to using isolation-type exercises. 

For example, every idiot in the gym wants huge biceps, so they do a gazillion sets of curls. But they're weak to start with and can't curl a lot of weight. Since the weight they can curl is so limited, not nearly enough stress is placed on their biceps to induce the type of growth they're after. But, if they stop doing all their curls, and head on over to the chin up bar, those chin-ups will place a lot more stress on their biceps than curls ever could. And if they get to the point where they can knock out 15 dead-hangers, well, I guarantee they're biceps will be noticeably bigger. 

So, to sum it up, don't look for bodybuilding routines when you're not ready for them. The point is, if you want to get bigger (which I assume is the goal since you mentioned bodybuilders), lift for performance (strength). I guarantee that if you put 100 lbs. on your squat or add 10 chin-ups to your rep max, your muscles will be bigger. If people just worried about improving their strength every workout, instead of how sore they can make X muscle, there would be a lot more jacked dudes walking around. But they don't, and me and you do, so we'll just continue to be one of the few, the proud, the jacked!

New Article

I wrote an article for Lunchtime Banter today. Click the link and head on over there to be hit with some knowledge!

And if you're reading this and haven't signed up for updates to the blog, I ask, "Why the heck not?" It takes two seconds to put your e-mail in the box directly to the right of this post and you'll automatically get updates, e-mails and extra stuff I send out only to my subscribers. And now worries, there is absolutely no spamming or any other extra crap. I guarantee it. So don't put it off any longer. Take the two seconds, and sign up right now!  

Saving Your Shoulders

There was a really good article written by Andrew Paul for EliteFTS (a GREAT website in its own right) about common shoulder issues seen by strength coaches and what to do about them. So if you aren't well-versed in anatomy and don't care to know what the "kinetic chain" is, this is for you. And I got a lot out of it too, so if you do are at all "in the field", you should still find it very useful. Check it out:

Dealing With Shoulder Pain

Oh, and now that my hometown Lions are 0-12, I have to believe if they can manage to lose their last four games, they have got to be the worst team in the history of the NFL. Hey, at least they'd be the best at something, right? 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my loyal readers. I definitely appreciate it. Stay tuned because you can be sure more great, free content is on its way. And enjoy your feast tonight. I know I will!

Setting and Reaching Goals

In training, goals are key. You should always know what it is you're trying to do. It seems so obvious and simple, but a LOT of people just don't do it. If you start a new training program with no goal as to what you're trying to accomplish, what makes you think you would actually accomplish it? If you needed to drive from New York to California, and hopped in your car from NY and just started driving around, with no thought given to direction, you would be just as likely to end up in Bangor, Maine as you are to end up in Cali. It's the same thing with training. If you don't know and specify exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish, why would you think you're going to accomplish it? Why would you accomplish anything? Truthfully, the end goal should probably be the first thing you figure out in your training, before sets, reps, rest intervals, frequency, training attire, straight whey or whey+casein+egg protein post workout, taking a million or two million BCAAs peri-workout, etc. (Ok, the last three are obviously unimportant, but you get the point). 

So what should you do with this information? If you don't already have a specific goal regarding what it is you're trying to accomplish with your training, figure it out and get one. Then, put together an INTELLIGENT plan that will get where you want to go (what constitutes a plan as intelligent? Well, that's what I'm here for! :)  Once you have your goal and plan of action set-up and good to go, put it to use. Go do it. If your goal was something that you wanted, your plan was based on solid principles and you followed through with it, you will have no choice but to, if not completely reached your goal, be a lot closer to reaching it. And all this of simply because you knew you wanted to get to the sunny land of California, instead of the frozen tundra of Bangor, Maine.

Shut him up!

Today's post isn't going to be entirely about training, but it DEFINITELY relates. But even more importantly is if you can take what I am about to tell you and apply it to the everyday happenings of your life.

I was at a presentation last week and I got to hear Molly Fletcher speak. For those of you who don't know who she is, she is widely regarded as the top female sports agent in America (and she's only 37!). She just released a new book, Finding Your Dream Job, and has big-name clients such as Tom Izzo, John Smoltz and Doc Rivers, to name a few.

In her speech, she gave me several great nuggets of information and useful tips I could immediately apply to my life. But none of those have had the impact of one, special thing she said. Plain and simple, it was: 

                   "Ignore the little guy in your head. Whenever he second guesses you or tries to dissuade you, ignore him. You don't need him."

Now, the presentation was free, but I would have paid a lot of money for that tidbit. Her example was when you're at the bar, and see the pretty girl sitting down, are you going to go talk to her or are you just going to sit there, afraid of what could happen and regret it for the rest of your life? Think about it. What's the worst that could happen? She says she's not interested? So what. Big f'ing deal. At least you tried. And, obviously, that's the worst case scenario. There are several other possibilities that could turn out much better.

So, if you see someone who could give you the job of your dreams on the street, will you go up to them and introduce yourself, or listen that inner voice saying it's just too scary and not do anything? 

I've said it here before. I do not want to live with regrets in my lifetime. You shouldn't either. Ignore that inner voice in your head and follow your instincts. He isn't helping you at all. He just wastes time and/or prevents you from doing all the things you truly yearn for deep down. 

I'm going to keep my blog PG-rated, but next time you hear that voice pop-up in your head, tell him to pipe down and go right ahead with your gut.

Close Call

I had a close call today: I almost went for a jog (Yeah, yeah, I know). But it really did almost happen. Today is a cold, but pretty nice day out. It's not too windy, it's not snowing, it's fairly sunny. And as I was walking back from class, I saw a pretty attractive girl jogging (where she was running to I don't know, but that's for another post on another day). And right there, I literally said to myself, "You know, I think I'll go for a run today." And I was totally serious. For a second.

Because a second after that apocalyptic-esque moment, the planets re-aligned, Rose O'Donnell was once again really annoying and my brain started functioning again. I know this because I started to list off all the reasons why running is god-awful. Just for fun, let's list them:

• Overuse injuries galore (shin splints, stress fractures or wrecked knees anyone?)
• Much smaller overall calorie burn compared to anaerobic activities (tell me who's carrying less bodyfat, marathoners or sprinters? 'Nuff said.)
• Basically kills all the hormones that make life fun and increases all the ones that eat away at your muscle and make you look emaciated
• BORING! (how often do you see people jogging outside or on a treadmill? A lot, right? Now, tell me how many of them look like they're enjoying it? BOOM. I rest my case.)

Yea, this looks like a great time. 

So, what did I do instead? I went to the gym and worked on my b-ball game for an hour (anaerobically!). And if you ever want to do take part in fun, calorie destroying basketball workouts, I recommend you check out The Effective Ball-Handling Program.

The PR Song

When you train, what music do you listen to? Do you find yourself listening to the same artists or songs, or are you more of a rebel, who likes to change it up and vary the music you train to?

Listening to music while working out has been proven on numerous occasions to enhance your training session, whether it's lifting more weight, going longer or just upping the intensity and going harder. Finding the right music to keep you on your game, especially on the days when inspiration is lacking, can be huge. 

Personally, I have set songs that I use for certain situations. Most importantly, I have a certain song set aside for when I go for PR's (personal records). I only listen to this song when I am attempting a PR. (The song by the way, is Click, Click, Boom by Saliva) As amazingly motivating as it is, if I were to listen to it all the time, from back squats to bicep curls, it would lose the effect it has on me now. It would get stale. I have other, less crazy songs I use for the easier to stuff, like bicep work. By saving my song for the big attempts, its effect is consistent and awesome.

There is no doubt when I throw on Click, Click, Boom, my strength levels increase. I can literally feel the goosebumps, the increase in adrenaline and other stimulatory neurotransmitters running through my veins when it starts. My focus, my breathing, my motivation, they all hit supra-maximal levels. And in turn, I hit PR's. 

So, if you don't already, find yourself a PR song, use it sparingly, and watch yourself continually progress.

The Vertical Jumping Secret

Recently, someone wrote me a question asking about a vertical jumping program they had gotten from who knows where, wanting to know if it was good, and would have them soaring to the sky.

Here were my thoughts: (unfortunately a little vague, but hey, 1)that's kind of the point (you'll get it once you read further) and 2)it's a blog my dude, not a manual!

 You can't see it as a program, you have to see it as principles. There are a few principles which are tried and true. All the effective jumping programs are based on these principles. They include being strong relative to your bodyweight, have the ability to move efficiently i.e. being light on your feet and being able to absorb and develop forces in a very rapid manner. Instead of me telling you the efficacy of a certain program, take what I just told you and try to figure out how to become very good at those three things. Kind of a teach you how to fish instead of get the fish for you. (NOTE: Although  if you REALLY want some fish, leave a comment or e-mail me and I shall help you out)

My guy Kelly got there because of principles, not some generic program!

Recovery!

People love to talk and discuss different training methods, and sets and reps and different exercises and a million other things. But what a lot of them fail to realize is that you only spend maybe 3-7 hours a week training. There are 168 hours in a week, and at least 160 of those are spent not training, but RECOVERING! So, what's the message? Spend more time figuring out your recovery strategies and less time worrying about the actual training instead of just doing it. 

There are a ton of different recovery modalities including contrast hydrotherapy, ice, meditation, foam rolling, massage, ART, static stretching, dynamic stretching, tempo work and on and on and on. They are all viable options at different times, depending on what you've been doing and where you're at in your training and experience. It's taken me a while, but I've been able to figure out what to use when to use it for best results by listening to my body and being aware of how its operating. I recommend you do the same, apply what you are learning, and see your recovery (and in turn your gains) shoot through the roof.

And now, here's what not to do when taking a contrast shower:

Contrast Shower

Getting Outside the Box...

The more I talk to people about their training, whether they're looking for performance gains or size gains or just strength gains, there are certain trends I notice continually. One of the biggest things I see is people being afraid of trying something new or something different. It's basically a fact that most people fear what's different. 

Prime example: have you ever heard of a guy going by the alias "DB Hammer?" If not, he was a training coach who created an entire training system and released a book about it called The Best Sports Training Book Ever (I kid you not, that's what it was called). Anyways, he had a lot of really good ideas that were a lot different than what people were accustomed to and he used some terminology that went over the heads of a lot of people. And because of these "differences", people seemed to strongly dislike and put down his system, without ever giving it a chance.

Personally, I've studied a lot of his stuff, and while I don't think it's the end all-be all, there's a ton of good stuff that I use to this day. But most people, because they were afraid to give it a shot or a look, won't ever know some of the things I know via DB Hammer. And that's a shame.

Don't get too carried away with it though...

You can't be afraid of what's different. You have to try new things. Give everything a shot at least once. If it turns out that it sucks, then it sucks. You drop it and move on. But if you stick with the same thing over and over, you'll inevitably end up stuck in a rut. Look at this quote I read from Fred Hatfield a.k.a. Dr. Squat today:

"If I keep doing the things I've always done, I'll keep getting what I've always gotten."

If you always do X Program, you''ll always get X results. Which might be good, or it might not be. Maybe at a certain time or place, Program Y would have been the right move for you. But because you were so used to and set on Program X, you were never able to give it a shot. I don't know about you, but I don't want to ever live with regrets, especially when it comes to training. It's way too important to me. 

I'm not afraid, hell, I'm excited, to read about or try new things in my training. Then, after, I can look back at it and see what worked and what didn't. And from there, I keep in what worked and drop the rest like a bad habit. 

This doesn't just go for training. This is applicable to all facets of life. Never be afraid to give something new a shot, if only once. If you like it, great. If you don't like it, that's great too. It's just another learning experience to add to the repertoire. You'll not only be a more experienced person for it, you'll be a better person for it.

Wow, that's a great question...

Recently, someone asked me: Generally, for athletes where it's not just about strength or vertical jump numbers, how do improvements in the weight room and speed/vertical translate to improvements in the actual sport? (Basketball was the sport he was referring to)

My reply: As for weight and vertical improvements transferring to actually getting better at the game is a very interesting question and one I'm going to write in detail about soon. But for now, I'll just say this and give you some insight to how I see it. Let's say getting your squat up 50 lbs. in an off-season could mean one less step taken in a full court sprint (totally pulled that one straight outta my ass). 

Basketball is entirely acceleration. So, when the game is based on how fast your first 3 or 5 steps are, the room for improvement is quite small. And that one less step you gained from upping your squat could be moot in the actual game. But at the same time, maybe you're also jumping 2 inches higher because of the squat gains, and now you seem more athletic and college coaches who saw you as not athletic enough now see you in a slightly different light. Plus, because of all that mental toughness you gained from those brutal squat sessions, you've thoroughly toughened up and you're aggressive as hell on the court and back down from nobody. And that's just the tip of the iceberg...there are other things like the energy demands from increasing your weight room numbers getting in the way of practicing your sport effectively or maybe getting your squat up wasn't what you, the individual, needed to improve. Maybe you could have benefitted from a healthy dose of shock jumps and sprints. Maybe you needed a break from everything in the off-season (there is a reason it's called an off-season!). 

Regardless, everyone is clearly an individual and their training should reflect this. One guy might shoot like Dirk Nowitzki and jump like Dirk Diggler (I actually don't know how high D-Diggs could jump, but he did have, uhh, some extra weight, um, holding him down :) ) And if that guy were to put 3 inches on his vert, he'd see some improvements in his game. Take another guy who can fly, but builds a house with the bricks he puts up on the court, and he won't be getting much better because of 3 more inches on his VJ (not to mention the time it would take to do it for a guy who's already soaring). Maybe that guy needs to forget the general training and get his butt in the gym putting up 500 shots a day to get better. So, while it would be great if I could confidently say, put so and so amount of weight on your "name any cliched compound movement that everyone says you gotta do"  and you'll get "x" times better, I can't. Figure out what your deficiencies and attack. That's as foolproof as I can make it.

The key to improvement...

To improve, you need to rest. Now, there are probably a lot of lazy people out there that will take this the wrong way. If you are one of them , please don't. Actually, let me rephrase that first sentence: To improve, you need to work your ass off, rest and repeat. There, that's better.

There are way too many people out there that are so Type-A that they can't take a day off, can't go easy for a couple days and don't listen to their bodies, when it's telling them to pull it back (I should know, I used to be one of them and I ended up with a stress fracture). Your body doesn't reap the benefits of your workouts during the workout, it needs time after to recover and super-compensate (which is basically raising your baseline levels up a little bit and higher than they were before said workout). That is how people get stronger, how people get faster, how people improve. 

For most people, you are going to need a good 24 hours to recover from a normal workout, whether it's lifting weights, playing pick-up ball or some conditioning work (it should be noted that workouts like these can also help speed up recovery from harder workouts). There are a few exceptions, though. Following a high-intensity workout, which would involve either maximal, fully recovered sprints or plyometrics or lifting maximal (+90% of 1 rep max) weights, most people will need roughly 48 hours to fully recover. These workouts are much more intensive systemically, and your muscles and nervous system need the time to regroup.

Intensive work.

 

Now this doesn't mean you should be sitting on your ass between workouts. There are a ton of things that you can be doing to help facilitate recovery in the meantime. They can include:

• Stretching (whether it's static, dynamic, PNF, etc. just do something)
• Contrast showers
• Ice baths (my personal favorite)
• Hot tubs
• Sauna
• Foam rolling
• Tempo conditioning
• Playing a pick-up sport that you really enjoy (but don't kill yourself)
• Getting the proper nutrition in you starting immediately after your workout and staying consistent with it until your next workout

My idea of a fun afternoon.

Those are just a few of the literally hundreds of things you can do to help recovery.  If you follow those guidelines between workouts and remember to deload  for 3-7 days every 4-6 weeks, I guarantee your results will continue to come in steadily. 

K.I.S.S.

Since this is my first post, I figure I'd start by talking about the basics. And there is nothing more basic to training than K.I.S.S., otherwise known as Keep It Simple, Stupid. Nothing works like the good, old basics. Look at the title of this website: Sprints, Squats, Jumps and Hops. I can personally guarantee that if all you ever did was those four things (and did them right!), you would end up one, athletic son of a gun. 

An athletic son of a gun.

Obviously, there are ways to get to that desired level faster and more efficiently, but training really is simple. If you want to get stronger, you have to lift weights. If you want to increase your speed, you have to run sprints. If you want to jump higher, you are going to need to use plyometrics (and use them how they were meant to be used. Doing 27,000 box jumps is not how they were meant to be used). And if you want to improve your conditioning, you are going to have to run, whether it be tempo, fartlek or any other form of conditioning out there.

It seems like a lot of people out there think they have the secret formula to turning Stevie Nicks into Stevie Nash, but they don't, solely because there is no secret formula. People think running with parachutes on TV is going to really improve their speed (only if they're ghastly out of shape) or running through agility ladders talking about how much quicker it's going to make them (if they're a beginner, yes). Or other people think sitting in a squat position for five minutes a day is the answer (once again, if you're a beginner, injured or in dire need of some mental toughness since those holds are painful!). Or others might say it's all about being flexible (yea, if you have everything else solid and are really tight, getting more flexible will help). Those are all good things. They can all be utilized, but it depends on entirely on the athlete in question. Remember, everything works, but nothing works forever. All those things I mentioned before are quite gimmicky. You can use them. I'd just prefer easier, faster results, which will come in the form of (drum roll please...) the basics. 

So, remember, Keep It Simple, Stupid!