In Other News

Having taken about a week off from doing anything with my hip outside of walking, including only going to the gym twice, I did a bit of "running" yesterday. While playing frisbee. So at most I sprinted for 5 seconds a couple of times. But having walked to and throughout the park, I found my hip was starting to pinge some. It felt like I was back in the early stages of recovering from the surgery, when I could jog or use the elliptical but was very limited. Additionally, I've been getting some weird pain on the outside of my knee. I think it's due to how my right leg/foot is being used while walking; I must be stepping incorrectly. I plan on going to Big Peach running or some similar store that videos you on a treadmill and can make recommendations regarding gait and appropriate shoe.

I did a TANITA BODY COMPOSITION ANALYZER FOR BEST HUMANS reading on Friday. On 1/11/10, I weighed 164# and had 10.6% body fat. On 4/8/10, I weighed 166# and had 8.4% body fat. On 8/27/10:

Weight: 164.2# (-1.8)

BMI: 23.9 (+0.1)

Fat %: 9.3% (+0.9%)

Basal Metabolic Rate: 1795 Cal (-24)

Impedance: 447 Ohms (-48)

Fat Mass: 15.21# (+1.2)

Fat Free Mass: 149# (-3)

Total Body Water: 109# (-2.2)

So, I got fat over the summer. I was on vacation for most of it, sick for part of it, and without a schedule to adhere to ate out a lot more than I normally do. So... back to the gym! So I can realize my dream of stepping up to the streets and serving people and dunking: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/thelife/news/story?page=goingviral/082710

Did Iverson Ever Dunk?

The surgeon said that I had tendinitis and would need to avoid any leg exercises for a month in addition to taking a daily dose of super ibuprofen. Of course I didn't listen. I ran a few more times, did some more squats, played basketball and football. And predictably, the symptoms continued.

I finally realized that I have to stop using my legs for any exercise, period, until this pain is completely away. I remember earlier this year, working out 4 times a week, hiking four days in a row, and not feeling this pain. I have to get back to that. Even if it means losing a lot of the leg strength I've built up.

I hate giving that up. I really enjoy being active and athletic. I was running 5+ miles at a time. I want to keep upping my squat (I did manage 200 pounds!). I want to keep playing basketball and football. BUT - at what cost? Would I knowingly return to a state of constant pain because I can't sit still for a few weeks? At this moment my right leg is sore and throbbing. Random muscle fibers are twitching, my calf muscle seizing... who knows what's causing that. My left leg is fine. I'm sure there's some imbalance owing to the surgery and recovery. I hope I'll be smart enough to seek professional physical therapy once the pain subsides.

So, with that in mind, I have to choose: pursuit of dunk, or pursuit of pain-free life? Despite my past stupidity, I'm making a pact with myself to not allow this condition to worsen. I am going on hiatus. I'll return to this and post more once I feel fully functional again.

You gotta dunk that shit!

Dunk-OH

As in, "uh-oh".

I think I may have aggravated my hip injury. The original symptoms I'd had starting reappearing this past week. Before I left for a long weekend in Cocoa Beach (with me ma), I'd done some longer runs and pretty intense leg workouts. I think that the combined stress set off my pain again.

Normally my hip would only feel strange after squats. Other leg exercises - leg press, quad-extensions, hamstring curls, and box-steps - did not have that effect. I chalked it up to the continued strengthening of that joint and switched to performing squats to every other workout. But when the normal soreness did not disappear after 4 days of rest, combined with the reappearance of the traditional pains (outer thigh at knee, back of knee, back of calf), has me very worried. I've made an appointment for August 10th with the surgeon (most likely a two-hour wait and a six-minute meeting). Standard cures are acetaminophen to reduce swelling (has never worked for me), and I'm hoping we can avoid another MRI and instead I'll get an injection of cortisone.

I also hope he'll be able to tell me what types of exercises are OK and which ones are potentially harmful (doubt it, as this would require the doc to pay attention to me). At the very least, I'll stop doing squats in favor of more controlled exercises (although squats are the better workout, I do not want to risk a re-injury).

I've only run twice since returning Tuesday and that hasn't made the hip worse (I think). I can now take a standing jump onto a stone post that is 38 inches high. Hopefully there will be good news on Tuesday...

Welcome Back Dunkateers

Been out and about for the first half of summer, then sick for the second half. After spending 18 of 33 days out of Atlanta, I returned and immediately fell ill for several days. The recovery lasted another full week, and returning to the gym proved another challenge as it'd been weeks since I had worked out. It took another ten days or so to return to form!

But I'm finally back up to speed - the leg press is up to 300#, squat 190#, box steps with 60#, leg extension at 110#... So I'm still making progress in terms of muscle growth. I've also started running longer distances, ~5 miles at 8:30/mile. I end my runs in a park right by my place and squat-jump up retaining walls and posts. I last jumped onto a 35-inch post (they're large blocks, not fence-type posts) and had a lady (sadly, in her mid-40's, not the demographic I was looking for) tell me that was an impressive jump. Thanks, I guess!

The quest continues. I can take a running jump and get my fingertips about an inch below the rim - another foot higher and I'll be there!

Dunking A Football

First, the shin splints have come under control. There wasn't too much helpful information online, so here are the key things that helped me get past them.

First, shin splints are the muscle on the front of your shin becoming separated from the bone. It connects the shin to the top of your foot and is anchored along the flat blade of the shin.

• If your shoes are past 3 months of use and the splints have started, go ahead and get new shoes. Buy from a store that has "experts" watch you run.
• After a run, stretch the each muscle by pointing your big toe at the ground and trace the alphabet with your toe.
• Follow this immediately with ice (in a ziploc, wrapped with a dish towel) for 30 minutes.

Rinse and repeat. Other sites recommended Advil or some antinflammatory medication, but I found that didn't do much to fix the problem.

Quick meathead update: Yesterday I squatted 175# and did 270# on the leg press. Progress!

Today I did a "strength and conditioning" workout with the football team. I have decided that words cannot adequately describe how much this sucked. I didn't finish. It reminded me of the first time I went into the weight room, back in September 2009. My body was so unprepared for that level of intensity that I threw up afterwards. Today was similar, minus the vomit: I simply was not prepared for an anaerobic workout of that level. I'll be back there Monday to try again though!

This is the goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjZOb-1nj2w

Dunking Away Again in Dunkeritaville (I hate Jimmy Buffet)

With a mostly functional left shin and a new pair of shoes, I'm looking forward to reinvigorating the quest for the dunk. I got back in the weight room yesterday for the first time in 10 days (Warrior Dash, camping trip, else) and squatted 135# x10, 155# x10, and 165# x6. I think in the future I'll start in the 150 range for 2x10 and aim for upping my max squat by 5# a week (4-5 reps at max weight). I'm concerned that I'm leveling out. That may be a function of hitting a natural plateau, or that the past few weeks have been screwy with finals and the camping trip.

I'll be out of town, and therefore not working out, for 15/30 days in June. Epic month in terms of vacations, less so in terms of dunk questing. To be sure, there is something to be said for letting the body rest and recover, as I noted earlier. But taking half a month off won't be doing me any good. On the plus side, I can run now (new shoes!) and that can be done about anywhere. I suppose with that I can add in "jump-squats", where one jumps from a squat position and pulls one's legs up to one's chest while one is in air. Fun!

Lord of the Dunk: Return of the King

And by "return", I mean my leg is healed and I can run/jump/play again! And by "king", I mean someone who plays 3 games of 5-on-5 and misses every single shot. AWESOME.

We then played a game of 3-on-3 and then 2-on-2, and I fared moderately better there. And to be fair, I made 2 baskets in the last 5-on-5 game, but they were lay-up put-backs on fast breaks. For most of the game I was getting schooled: on 3 consecutive possessions I turned the ball over by having it bounce off my hands or crotch, a player drove past me by bouncing the ball over my head, and I airballed a 3. I'd like to chalk that up to it being a month since I last touched a basketball, but regardless that was pretty shameful.

I'm glad to find my leg is working two days before Warrior Dash. Although I found yesterday while playing full court that my stamina is gonna be the largest factor in determining my success at the race. I haven't run since early March, and now I'm tackling a 5k with obstacles. Almost immediately following, I go on a 5 day hiking trip. So needless to say my legs are going to be so happy with me through the next 7 days.

As far as the quest goes, I did manage to get my squat up to 165# for 6 reps and leg press at 250#. I've held off the squats because they've been straining my hip and I need to be in the best shape going into these two events. I have been doing leg extensions instead, 55# on each leg, and hamstring curls at 70#. The sorest part after a 2-hour basketball session turned out to be my calves.

All in all, I'm looking forward to running again - although I'm sure I'll be feeling differently halfway through that 5k.

Dunk Another Day

I'm still hobbled by this shin splint / bone bruise / voodoo curse in my left leg. I've sworn off all impact activities for the next 3 weeks in a desperation move to heal before the 5k Warrior Dash on May 22, followed by a week of hiking and camping in the north Georgia mountains. As such, any notable progress on actually dunking is, as always, postponed until this damn body gets its act together.

Despite the injury occurring the first week of March, I have not done myself any favors by continuing to play basketball on Fridays and, occasionally, football on Sundays. A week ago today, I ran 3 laps on a track. 3. My left shin was throbbing for hours afterwards. Unbelievable.

So... it's just more exercise. Through most of January, February, and March I was working out 3, 4, or even 5 times a week. Sticking with my 5# weekly increases on the squat finally caught up with me, and the punishing workout schedule was not allowing my body to recover. It got so that I was always sore and never feeling at full strength. I felt I had finally peaked at 155# on the squat and was starting to trigger some old soreness in my hip. The 3-lap fail last Sunday was the last straw. I've been pushing my body too hard. Combined with the injury to my shin, I haven't been able to adequately recover and continue increasing weight in my exercises.

With that realization, coupled with a week of hiking I need to be healthy for, I've scaled back to 2 days on, 1 day off. Weights, cardio, recover. Repeat. Having been through this new cycle twice now, I can already feel the results. My body is in much better overall shape, and I plan on sticking with this lighter cycle until I return from the hiking trip. Tomorrow is my first attempt at squatting 160# - 5 more pounds and I'm squatting my body weight! That's gotta be a milestone or something, for scrawny guys. Anyway, because of my inability to run/jump, there will continue to be few posts here. Once I'm fully mobile again I'll start re-measuring verticals, running jumps, and things of that sort. Until then, sleep, perchance to dunk!

I'm Bone Dunked

Well, it's been just over a month since the shin bone collision that's slowed my progress. The X-ray turned up negative, the weird bump is slowly going down since I've been rubbing it several times a day, and aside from some discoloration the first week there's been no outwardly physical signs of damage. I spoke with the training staff and they conclude, since the X-ray was negative, that the most likely culprit is a bone bruise. Confirmation of this diagnosis would require an MRI, but the last time I had that done it cost $300 and I'm not THAT curious.

"What can I do to speed up the healing?", I asked politely of the head trainer. "Jack", came her succinct response. "Can I injure it more by playing sports on it?", I inquired. "Nope" she eloquently answered. It takes anywhere from several months to a year for a bone bruise to heal completely. FUCK. THAT. I just got my body back into kickass shape, and now I'm laid up because of this suckass injury. Well, at least I know I can't make it worse by continuing to exercise.

I played my worst game of basketball last Friday morning, going 1-for-5 and turning the ball over twice. Awesome. My team lost all four games. I'm definitely not nearly as mobile, but having not shooting around in a month has really deteriorated whatever shot I thought I had. Sunday I played football and because of stupid leg got to be all-time QB and surprised myself, completing long and short passes regularly. I managed to suck it up and play receiver on a third of the plays and did well there too, although I couldn't start fast off the line as I couldn't push off my leg.

Today in the weight room I did my first squats at 150# and finally met a fail point! On my third set of 10, I could only do 6 reps. Ach! I'm not too worried however, as it was my first set on a new weight and I hadn't done lifting since Thursday previous. I'm confident this Thursday I can knock out the entire 3 sets of 10 at 150#. On cardio days I've been increasing my time as well, and on Monday I did 44 minutes on the Death Machine. Of course I would murder to be able to run outside - 75, sunny, no humidity - but this damnable leg won't let me.

So for now, I'm going to keep trying to play through on Friday basketball and Sunday football. The leg is s l o w l y feeling better, and I'm sure if I laid off the weekend sports it'd heal faster, but I just can't do it!! I'm also going to dedicate an ibuprofen routine, 400mg 3x a day, one glass of milk a day (strong bones!!), and icing the leg when I get home. With an estimated recovery of several months, I can't really gauge when I'll be 100% again... but the build-up of dunkness continues unabated! If I can keep this squat-weight increases up, by the end of the month I'll be squatting my body weight - how cool is that? I mean, for me?

Sleek Dunks

The Return of the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer TBF-300A Maximum Comfort Tentacle Wonder!!

Initial Analysis 01/11/10 (difference)

Weight: 166# (+1.6)

BMI: 23.8 (+0.2)

Fat %: 8.4% (-2.2%)

Basal Metabolic Rate: 1819 Cal (+10)

Impedance: 447 Ohms (-48)

Fat Mass: 14.01# (-3.4)

Fat Free Mass: 152# (+5)

Total Body Water: 111.2# (+3.4)

Explanations of these metrics.

Hell and yes. It would seem I've gained about 5# of muscle while losing 3.4# of fat, accounting for my slight weight gain. Being poor pays off - I can't afford to eat out a lot, and don't buy any snack foods or mayonnaise, so I'm kinda healthy by default. These numbers aren't super impressive by any stretch of a meathead's imagination (and there's not a lot to stretch to begin with - zing!), but I'm not looking for big gains in muscle. In fact, adding too much weight would be a detriment. The only area I'm concerned about is keeping my weight low and my leg muscles up.

I did my last 3x10 of 145# squats today with confidence - this weekend I'll try my legs at 150#. Tomorrow I'm going back in to basketball for the first time in two weeks. My leg no longer hurts at rest, but pounding it up and down the court may result in a different feeling. I'm planning on taking 4 ibuprofen before the game as a preventative measure. It'll be an interesting Friday, as tonight I'm going to a concert that most likely won't be over until near midnight and I have to get up at 5:30 for basketball. Ah, life: how tremendous!

Just a brief how-do-ya-do.

The pain in my shin has subsided somewhat. It has moved a little further down and a little deeper. It feels closer to my ankle. But it is not significant, and is fading slowly each day. Another week off and I should be OK.

I have been using the Death Machine, and added the leg press to my workout for the first time. This was done as a final exercise, so I didn't push for a heavy load but could comfortable do 2x10 reps of 200#. I've done my third round of 3x10 squats at 140#, so tomorrow I'll try 145#. The squat weight hasn't become impossible yet: each 5# addition is noticeable however, but by the third round I'm usually able to finish without having an aneurysm.

Again, nothing super to report, as I'm waiting for this leg thing to go away so I can resume playing basketball. I'll probably give it a shot this coming Friday and hopefully not re-injure anything. I'll also try and get another body analysis done. I've been eating less-than-ideal recently, mostly out of laziness/time constraints, so I'll be interested to see how that interacts with the workouts I've been doing since the last analysis.

In other news, the Hawks continue to frustrate with their glaringly inept leadership, there are 6 weeks of school left, and baseball opens today. So now I can watch 4 uninterrupted hours of fat guys hanging out on a lawn, getting paid more than the GDP of South America. Neat.

This is an athlete. If it approaches you, do not smell like a cheeseburger.

Dunk-Ray

Good news! It's not a broken tibula! Slipped into the X-ray today after work and it came back negative. So despite this rockin' hard bump and my inability to bear significant weight without pain, I apparently have the worst case of shin splints ever. The cure? Do nothing. How helpful.

So I drove back from the imaging center and went into my workout as usual, because I don't have time for this weak-ass tibula to "heal fully" or "be functioning". I'm still rolling with my 5# / week increase on squats, and I'm up to 3x10 reps of 140#... I know it's not a lot by meathead standards, but I started at 115# five weeks ago so, hooray?

There has been tangible progress! I played Friday basketball (because, you know, fuck that leg) and on a running jump my fingertips were just below the rim! That's probably 2-3 inches above where I was the last time I checked. But I have to caution myself - bulling through an injury is what led to the hip surgery in the first place, and I absolutely do not want to repeat that mistake. So for the time being, no more basketball or running. The senior-faculty game is at the end of April and if I want to have a chance at being full strength I really need to give my leg the best chance to heal. However, I've found that I can still use the exercise bike and Death Machine for cardio, so while I am insanely jealous of everyone running out in this perfect weather, I'm gonna bite my tongue for a few weeks and hope for a more athletic summer.

So for the immediate future, I can't offer any updates on the progress of my quest for dunking glory. I simply can't use my left leg for any impact. Updates will probably remain at one a week until I'm back on the court.

Also, how badass is it that we call it the "X-RAY"? You know when they discovered what it could be used for they thought it was the damn science fiction future come true, so they gave it the most futuristic name they had at the time. Our naming technology has come a long way since then, of course: iPod, iPad, iTouch, iPhone... wait

Dunk Splints

I know it's been a while since I've updated this here b-log of my quest for dunkation, but that's because the past few weeks have been rather uninteresting from a dunk-related standpoint. To review: 3 Fridays ago (well technically Sunday but I'm counting Fridays here as a rhetorical device so work with me here, jeez). I bashed the crap out of my shin. 2 Fridays ago I tried to run on a treadmill and aggravated the ever-living crap out of my shin/ankle, and stopped cardio exercises. Last Friday I nutted up and played basketball in high-tops, and well actually it felt more or less the same afterwards. Today it felt almost healed; I could put even weight on it throughout the day. So when in the weight room this afternoon I attempted some box steps. The first two were really rough, but I figured that's because I'd just upped my squat weight. But after doing five on each leg my shin/ankle started hurting again so I stopped to prevent setting back whatever recovery I thought I'd achieved. An hour later it's still throbbing - I'm assuming at this point it's a slight crack in the tibia, since it's been damn 3 weeks and this is the same leg I broke 5 years ago that started this whole mess. In reality it's probably just a severe bruise, like shin splints, but there's a lump on my shin that hasn't gone down... I don't know. I'm very frustrated because 1) I'd just started running in earnest again after 4 months of recovering from the surgery and the weather is starting to get awesome, and 2) I can't do shit in terms of jumping. I can work my leg muscles, but no cleans, no jumping, no running... Having felt near 100% for the first time in 5 years, burning through 3 mile runs, playing basketball and football, hitting the gym 5 days a week, and now having to step back again and lay low is VERY FRUSTRATING. During the winter it was easier because the weather sucked and sitting around is about all you'd want to do. But as we're hitting 60 and 70 degree sunny days, I want to run around outside and revel in my returning athleticism. But I know that laying low and hanging back now is key to being ready to go later on...

Nah, it wasn't this bad.

At least I didn't use the picture taken from the opposite side.

Friday morning's game was 4-on-4, courtesy of two students joining in, one who happened to be one of my student. Lucky for him he was on my team, so every assist he got me was a bonus on his test. His brother however played for the other team, and how excited was I that 5-inches-taller-than-me sophomore blocked 3 or 4 of my shots. I did get him back though, chasing him down and blocking a breakaway layup, crashing him into the bleachers. That was awesome. I again hit about half my shots, mostly close jumpers. I definitely outlasted my defender in the air again, which was great and I think a good indication that my leg muscles are building.

As for weights, I've raised my squat weight to 135# (3 sets of 10), increased the pulley weight on biceps/triceps to 100#, 3x10 "shrugs" of 40# in each hand, 3x20 forearms at 10#... umm... sit-ups... other weight things...

Dammit I want to go running. Le sigh.

My Body for a Dunk

Sunday March 7th was a great game of football - I ran, passed, caught, pivoted, etc. with no complaints from my hip. Near the end of the game however I really whanged my left shin into another player's knee or something. I sat out a couple of plays but made it in to finish the game. I could tell it would bruise but having had a similar shin-smashing earlier didn't think it would be significant.

And for a while it wasn't. I did weights on Monday, Death Machine on Tuesday, took Wednesday off, weights on Thursday... and although my shin still felt a little off, I just chalked it up to the bruise. There's zero protection between the bone and the skin - no fat and just a small muscle - so I figured at worst I'd banged the shin bone pretty hard. Well, Friday I go in for a run on the treadmill and almost immediately my left leg begins firing off pain signals. From the ankle up to the knee my leg is sending out weird sensations from areas I had never really been aware of until they started hurting. I made it two miles and finally had to stop. As soon as I got off the treadmill my left ankle blew up, forcing me to limp and walk like a couple of nails had been shot through the joint.

Since Friday afternoon I've tried to stay off my feet as much as possible. The pain has subsided but I can only walk a short distance before it flares back up. Just now I was at the store for 20 minutes and my leg is still throbbing. I don't think it is broken, but if the pain is still there Thursday I'll get it x-rayed. Saturday and Sunday I didn't go into the gym and I feel like crap. I've become such a gym monkey that two days off is causing me to drag! I'll make an effort to go tomorrow, but I will not be able to do any cardio workouts (runnning or Death Machining) until this thing is healed. I'm pretty sure doing squats won't be helpful either, but we'll see.

So this is definitely the first set-back. I can keep concentrating on building up my leg muscles into tree trunks, but without the carido break in-between workouts I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm tempted to go back to every other day workouts, but that'll depend primarily on the condition of my leg. Curse this broken body of mine!

Dink Dunk

Friday ended up including 3 different leg exercises: squats/calf raises, box steps with 30# in each hand, and quad/hamstring with 35# on each leg. Friday night didn't end until 2 in the morning Saturday, and Sunday I successfully played 2+ hours of football! A most triumphant return to the gridiron. Yet my ultimate goal lies inside the gymnasium, so it was there I returned this afternoon.

I upped my squat weight by another 5# today. The gain was again noticeable but not beyond 3 sets of 10, although the very last repetition was a struggle and I had to lean forward quite a bit - that's bad form, as it strains your back - but I can see myself keeping up with the 5#/week increase for a while. But I wonder, is that a quick enough gain? That's 20# added to my squatting weight each month, but I've started at basically zero courtesy of my hip, so will I be able to squat enough weight to raise me up to the magnificent throne of dunk before the year is out? Today, each set was ten repetitions of squatting 120# followed by 24 calf raises - I did that three times in all. I also did lunges while twisting my torso with a 10# weight held outstretched. I think I need to find an exercise that incorporates jumping in addition to the squats... shoot, I guess I can just jump. I'll start that Wednesday!

The gym at work is currently filled with gymnastics equipment (go figure), so I haven't been able to play since last Wednesday's morning game. In other news, despite starting three All-Stars (Josh Smith counts) and the likely Sixth Man of the Year coming off the bench, the Hawks continue to flail about and waste their talent under the watch of special education graduate Mike Woodson. With Woodson in charge, the Hawks will probably draft me this year...

This is what a person looks like when they have no idea what is going on.

Putting in Time for the Dunk

Operation GET SWOLL is well underway. I began upping reps and weight Monday, maintained that new level Wednesday, and am doing it again today. Saturday will be a running day (if I make it in - tonight I'm going to the Hawks game and may choose to continue the night's festivities). Sunday I'm going to try and make my football debut, then Monday I'll return to moving weight, but increasing the amount again.

After Monday's workout I bought some protein bars (le sigh) to double up with my milk. Wednesday morning we played 4-on-4 (only 9 showed) for about 45 minutes. Earlier in the week I was joking with another teacher about how I'd need to buy a pair of high tops if we keep playing. He asked me what size I was and said, "I gotcha". Wednesday morning he shows up with a pair for me to use! Having never worn high tops before, I was really pleased about the level of support they offered. It allowed for sharper cuts and stopped the mini-ankle rolls I'd come to expect with my running shoes. Afterwards I set them by his desk in the office, but he told me to keep them! So now I've got a pair of bonus high tops! How great is life?

We played 3 games, and I won 2. I shot okay, 3-7 (all jumpers), but missed a really great breakaway layup. Missing that kind of shot is just stupid. I've found that when charging the basket at a sprint you need to jump much earlier than you'd think, as your forward momentum carries you further than anticipated. I got in and banged around a bit too, getting some rebounds and assists. My one open drive to the basket got kicked away by another player. And I definitely need to work on ball-handling.

This is what I look like when dribbling.

But all that is secondary to the new year's resolution, of course. The squats are definitely giving me a huge workout. I pair a set of 10 with 20+ calf raises, and do that 3 times. I do two leg workouts: squats and either quad/hamstring or step-ups with 25# weights in each hand (although I'll bump that to 30# today). I may try the leg press machine today, but I feel that free weights give the additional attention to stabilizing muscles. I'll re-measure my vertical this weekend and try and get a read on my running jump... time to do work!

Punishment Dunk

So playing 1-on-1 with an athletic trainer on 4 hours of sleep with the waste products of Jameson and nachos still in your system is a great way to grind out any impression that you are in shape. We played two games (one basket, one point), in which I got whipped 15-7 and 11-4. I'd like to think I was in a state - I'd only had a bowl of cereal that morning - that prevented me from playing up to full potential, but it turns out there are huge components missing from my basketball skill set. About the only thing I've got going for me is speed. I'm still pretty light and can get past most of the heavily muscled trainers or older teachers I play against. The trainer that schooled me on Saturday had a fade-away shot I just couldn't defend! We're playing 5-on-5 Wednesday morning, so I'll try and incorporate something new and see how it goes.

I've been doing the same workout routine for a few weeks now - same weights, same number of reps, same exercises. I realized today that I've got to be constantly pushing my limits to see any improvement in my jumping, so when I went in to move weight today I decided I would add 5# a week to my squats until failure (failure being unable to complete 3 sets of 10). Just adding 5# today was a noticeable, but not impossible, addition to my routine. The curls/triceps I do are 10# increments, and I won't be able to jump 10# at a time there so I sped up my 3 sets of 10 (10 second rest between biceps to triceps; 45 second rest between sets). I added more sit-ups and more weight on my quads/hamstrings... and I was definitely beaten down by the end. I think I clenched my teeth so hard they've been rocked loose. And in an effort to, sigh, recover faster and grow bigger, I've downed a Clif bar, glass of milk, and will be having a whole chicken breast tonight.

But during the punishing workout, I realized I've gotten into a HABIT. During the one or two days a week I don't work out, I feel like crap. Tired, lethargic, "off" - I think I've become a gym rat. I guess that's what it's gonna take to get up there to that magical dunk though.. onward and upward!

A Dunk Weighs on My Shoulders

Whew, it's been too long since I put something here. The past week has been busy. Work has been a marathon these past 5 weeks, and at this point I'm stumbling through, staring at the ground, waiting for the weekend or, in five days, spring break. I've still been going to the gym however! I often find myself finishing workouts at 5pm or later now. I started alternating running with weight days, and earlier this week rolled off 3.5 miles on the treadmill... in 30 minutes, but still, that's the longest I've run since Thanksgiving. Once damnable February gets past I'll make a try for outdoor running.

Doing squats more frequently has definitely put a strain on my hip. The muscles in my legs get sore, but it is par for the course. My hip joint is a different kind of sore, like my right femur is in a less stable position than my left one. I suppose that's technically true, as my labrum was cut and resurfaced. The doctors estimated it would be anywhere from 6 months to a year before I would be 100%, but cautioned that I would always feel something different there. And that I would have arthritis later.

The surgery completely cured what it was supposed to. I've been pain-free for months now and it is incredible. No more problems sleeping, uncomfortable sitting, or endless shifting to try and alleviate a hidden pain.

I just hope I'm not rushing the recovery with these squats. My physical therapy and strength recovery has been very gradual, as recommended, and has been an enormous success. In the past I would frequently try and rush through injury recovery and end up making things worse. My impatience would damn me. But this time around I never tried and push through. But as I realize the amount of muscle build-up ahead of me, I know the only way to get there is stepping up the intensity of my exercises. Is it too soon? If it is, what can I do in the meantime to reach my dunk?

I've been dragging ass this morning since I went to drinkin' island last night. Normally I'd be out of the gym by now. I'm headed there after I finish writing, and I'm not sure what I'll do. Hold off on the squats? Less weight? This'll be my fifth trip this week: Monday and Thursday were weights, Tuesday and Friday were runs. Maybe I'll just shoot around.

The Running Dunk

Monday I was still wrecked from the Saturday night concert, so moving weight was not an option. I found myself instead on a treadmill. This would be my first extended running since the surgery. The Death Machine is an elliptical, and when we play 5-on-5 I typically sprint for a few seconds then maneuver in a small space on each end of the court. So this would be a continual pounding on my joints. And I made it! 30 minutes of jogging (6.1 gradually increased to 7.1 mph - I hate doing "standard" speeds) with no pain, twitching, or aggravation in my joint! I felt pretty cocky after that so I did 3x10 squats of 100# and 3x20 calf raises, which turned out to be brutal after my first run, but I grunted through like a true meathead.

Get it?

Tuesday I took off because I had no time during the day and an after school appointment. Today I went in with the sole intention of moving weight. I warmed up with 15 minutes on the cycle, then 3x10 squats of 110# and 3x20 calf raises, 3x10 bi/tris, 3x20 forearms, and then 3x10 of quads/back of quads (35# each leg). The last set was rough - I had to take a big breath before each movement.

Driving home, I realized completing this resolution requires better gains than 1 inch increase in vertical per month. So I think I'm gonna have to start - and I really don't like this, as I've always been an endurance/slow-twitch kinda guy - making conscious choices to increase my protein intake and therefore speed up muscle recovery and gain. Meathead is not my style by a long shot, and making this decision after just learning I can run makes it that much harder. Not to say I can't keep running, and I plan on it to keep me as light as possible, but I've got to essentially double my vertical and that's not going to happen by running five miles a day. With that, I picked up some Cliff Bars (not super protein-oriented, I know, but gotta start somewhere) and think I'll add a glass of milk with dinner each night. I'd like to avoid supplements like protein powder and the like if I can. I'm not sure when the next time we'll play is either, hm...

Georgia plays at Tennessee tonight! It's free to watch on espn360.com - enjoy the Travis Leslie Traveling Levitating Tremendous Dunk Show!

WARNING: A non-dunk related post

Got my ass beat hard last night at the Flogging Molly concert. I am a bruise. Even my tongue is purple. So instead of working out today I wrote this essay about how awesome it is to be insane at my old bloggy blog: http://youareanerd.blogspot.com/2010/02/insane-appeal.html. Absolutely feel free to ignore this, but thought it was cool enough to share. I am shamed by my pride.

Dunk Competition

Josh Smith wins

Starting at 1:30 pm Friday, Atlanta started dealing with some big, fat snowfall. This entails a lot of people driving very slowly for no reason, food riots at Publix, and school being let out at 1pm in anticipation of the aforementioned craziness. That also means the senior/faculty basketball was called off. I sent out an email encouraging some teachers to stick around to play 5-on-5 anyway, and about a dozen showed. Most of these guys were the morning crew, plus a couple of trainers.

Well soon enough there some was complaining, some groaning, and then some a few people sitting out and choosing not to play. Turns out a friendly game of basketball means different things to different people. A couple of the guys are hypercompetitive, calling for screens and help defense and other "serious" basketball things. Beyond that, they run on every play, set some brutal picks, and have no problem hacking you if you're going for a lay-up. And to be fair, there's nothing wrong with that. If you're gonna play, then play. I personally don't mind, as I'm just glad to get out there and get some touches (I hit about half my shots, including a sweet midrange jumper where I out-lasted my defender in the air! I also missed some real easy put-backs and aired a 3-ball though...). I don't even mind too much when the super competitors start giving "suggestions", because to this point it hasn't been mean-spirited. But I can easily see how someone expecting a more casual atmosphere would be turned off by that behavior. One guy left the game while spewing a tirade of "BULLSHIT!" and "FUCKING RIDICULOUS" as he left, referring to the over-the-top intensity of some of the other players.

This is the 3rd time this group has played together, and it's becoming clear that some people take it much more seriously than others. One guy doesn't seem to think any shot he takes is a bad shot and has no problem jacking up 3's as soon as he gets it. Another will bowl you over if you get in his way. This is the type of behavior that should appear in competition, in "game" situations, but can be unfavorable in a casual game. If you're not laughing during the game, like some of the players do, then why would you keep playing? Of course the competitive response is, if you're not playing to win, then why would you keep playing? It's an interesting divide I've noticed, to see some guys go cutthroat while others play it loose. Regardless, I got four games in and was so bushwhacked that as soon as I got home I slept for two hours.

Got back in the gym today, did 15 minutes of cycle to warm up and then 3x10 sets of curls, reverse push-ups, quads, and other side of quads. I alternated 25 sit-ups with 20 lunges using a 15# weight to rotate on each lunge, and then finally did real squats with weight! Not a lot, mind you, just 100# total, but was able to do 2x10 at the end of my workout. Progress! I could definitely feel the huge difference in muscle strain that squats require. Now that I'm confident in my hip's strength on squats, I'll be doing them almost every workout.

Also, the dunk contest is tonight. I won't see it live since I'll be at a concert, but here's an ESPN Top 10 of recent dunk contest highlights (No Josh Smith though!): http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4911247

Butterflies in my Dunk

My hip continues to feel decent as my workouts have progressively become longer and even more leg-intensive. I've begun alternating weight-lifting days with basketball days. For example, last week I worked out on five consecutive days: Wednesday I did a half-hour of Death Machine followed by sit-ups, Thursday I did an hour of weights, Friday I played 5-on-5 for an hour in the morning, Saturday I did thirty-five minutes of Death Machine and a bicep/tricep set, and Sunday I played an hour-and-a-half of 1-on-1. Finally I took Monday off, but started again Tuesday with an hour of weights, an hour of 5-on-5 Wednesday morning, and today I did more Death Machine and sit-ups. Tomorrow, Friday, is the senior/faculty basketball game, which I'll call my workout for the day... but I'll be back in Saturday!

I'm excited and nervous about the game tomorrow, but I get nervous every morning walking up to school and even as I'm walking into the classroom. I learned a while ago that I can't do anything about my anxiety but dive right into the situation, trusting I know what I'm doing. Hours of preparation make this possible of course, and it's the same situation for a game like tomorrow. I've only played 5-on-5 twice though, and I'm not a big guy so I can't just overpower or run over other players a la Shaq. But I've been getting better at creating shots for myself - I knocked down a three and a jumper yesterday morning, six steals, and a couple of assists. Still, I can't help but be nervous, as we're playing in front of the whole upper school. Ah well, at least I picked out a badass nickname for myself: "Mitosis" Morris, cause I split the lane like cell division. Damn straight I said that.

The quest for verticality continues as always, and I've got some real improvement! I finally got around to marking out some measurements on my bedroom wall, and gave it a go just now: I can vertically jump, without shoes on, to 8'8", or 104 inches off the ground. Standing with my arm stretched up, I can touch 7'4", or 88 inches. So, my new vertical leap is... 16 inches!!! That's about an inch greater than in January. Not a big deal, I know. I haven't started any squats (with weight) or leg presses, which would probably offer me a greater increase in leg muscle than what I'm currently doing. I'm confident that my running jump is improving as well. The basketball net is 15-18 inches long, and I can hook the bottom of the big loop hanging down from the rim - call it half the net, or 8.5 inches below, which would make my running jump top out at 9'3" or 9'4", getting me two feet off the ground...

Progress, she is a slow to come, but it's a year-long resolution, and I'm ready to use all 365 days to get there.

Dunk-on-Five

Friday morning I stumbled out of bed at quarter to six, slogged through another cold downpour in Atlanta, and joined the first 5-on-5 pickup game of basketball I've played since probably high school. I got asked to be a body on the faculty team playing against the seniors next Friday, and so I suggested we get a group together for a shootaround or some such. Little did I know that a group of faculty used to play regularly, twice a week, in the mornings before school. The group got itself back together, with the addition of myself and another new teacher, and we rocked a good hour-plus of full court basketball. The head trainer is a 6'5" man-mountain that could just not be stopped, and our Reverend is a little athletic dynamo, leaping for every loose ball. There were all skill levels playing, and I was nervous joining in an established group of players but found I wasn't the worst player. I even managed to knock down a few shots and get some nifty fast breaks. And I won't lie, it was nice to have a couple of the guys tell me "nice play" or something similar. I haven't played a team sport in a long time, so I was glad that I could hang with them.

He died so that we may dunk

My hip did great! I figure this about settles the issue - if a full hour of actual basketball doesn't aggravate it I'm probably 90% healed. Thursday afternoon for my legs I did lunges, calf raises, squats, and step-ups on a two-foot bench with 20# weights in each hand. I could feel the joint get a little squirrely during that last exercise, but I concentrated on my form and was able to avoid too much wobbling. The outside of my ankles and my back are actually the sorest parts of my body today, and I'm still trying to decide if I want to go back in later today and shoot some, or just take it easy. I haven't yet set up a measuring post on my wall, but I hope to get that done this weekend and start getting some data on my jumping. Ever onward!

Dunk Wobbles

I've now gone two consecutive workouts (Saturday and Monday) using the "death machine", a.k.a. an arc trainer, a.k.a. an elliptical with variable incline and resistance. Twenty-five and thirty minutes, respectively, and Monday I followed the half-hour session with step-ups, or whatever it's called when you hoist a straight bar across your back and step up on a two-foot tall bench, raise your other leg to your waist, then step down again. Twenty of those (ten on each leg) and twenty calf raises. While my lunge-balance has improved to only being shaky on perhaps one of ten lunges, the goofy wiggling I did during these step-ups demonstrated my stabilizer muscles were still very weak.

My legs, especially my thighs, were sore and cramping a little after that last workout. I was mainly interested in how my hip would react though. I could feel the joint getting a little inflamed but it wasn't serious. I made myself take Tuesday off, which in retrospect was a mistake because now it is 4:30 am on a school night and I have slept maybe three hours. Yet all day I felt low on energy and almost passed out in the office after school. I suppose the 24 hot wings I threw down this evening could be a contributing factor to my insomnia. I'll certainly be paying that back today.

As far as the leaping goes, I have noticed a definite increase in density and mass of my legs. All the attention I've been heaping on them in the weight room is starting to show some physical results, but I have yet to get an accurate measure of my vertical. My bedroom has ten-foot ceilings and this week I plan on marking off an open spot by the wall for home measurements! I will post that information as soon as I record it.

The Unbearable Lightness of Dunking

I have settled into a pretty solid routine for working out. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday finds me in the gym at work, where I open with 15 minutes of cycling (RPMs > 80, resistance 7/20), 3 sets of 20 lunges (with 10-pound weight extended and twisting with each lunge) and 20 squats, a bicep-tricep set, then 4x20 calf raises and/or quad-hamstring weight lifts. This usually takes 45 minutes. Twice this week I've also put in an hour-plus of one-on-one basketball (Saturday & Thursday), with all the starts, stops, pivots, sprints, etc. that goes with it. Needless to say, my confidence in my surgically repaired joint is high! But my leg muscles and knees are starting to feel WORE OUT. Of course this is to be expected. I haven't put such a concentrated effort on my lower body, well, ever. I wonder how often I should rest the leg workout. Every other day seems fine to me, but adding in the basketball games on the off days might be pushing it. Simply wailing away on muscles won't allow them to recover and rebuild stronger. Or more likely, my legs need to build up some toughness.

Josh Smith ruining the Celtic's evening

Because my hip seems in decent shape, I need to add some exercises that will start providing serious boost to my non-dunking vertical. Thanks to advice from several people, I will soon start cleans (but not the part where you lift it over your head - the "jerk"? - because of my shoulder), squats with weight, box-stepping with weight, leg presses, and of course good ol' straight jumping. And I need to add in a running/cardio aspect for two reasons: one, to help keep my weight down and thus deny gravity its stern grip, and two, because the Warrior Dash is in May! It is expected that axes will be thrown and death staved off for one more day. Sign up quick!

Dunk Impingement

Friday I gym'ed it up again, including a 3x10 set of bench and pull-ups. Saturday was a gift: an hour and a half of outdoor, 1-on-1 basketball! Jumping, running, sudden stops and starts, pivots - I can do it all! Only towards the very end did I start to feel a twinge in my hip, so I backed off and called it a day. Saturday afternoon and evening I took it easy, posting up on the couch and watching Georgia thrash those mouth-breathers from Tennessee, including some serious hate from Travis Leslie, who does everything stupendously (double Leslie highlights - the scissor-kick-one-handed-reverse-windmill and the off-the-backboard-this-is-not-a-pipe assist from McPhee).

Come Sunday I found my left shoulder absolutely blown up. I couldn't use it at all. If my elbow moved away from my body I'd instantly wince in pain. Putting on a shirt became a three minute affair of acrobatic hunching and torso-shimmying, avoiding raising my left arm in any way. I threw down four ibuprofen and glued my arm to my side for the day. Today was slightly better, and four more ibuprofen before work helped get the swelling & pain down to manageable levels by midday. I still can't raise my left arm above shoulder height, and lifting any weight at all with it is impossible. So the workout today took to task my apparently much more recovered hip, as I jumped my RPMs and resistance up again on the cycle, did 4x20 calf raises, and added a ten pound weight with rotation to my lunges.

Post workout I ran into the trainer who's been helping me and I explained how I'd traded one messed up joint for another. He twisted my arm around a bit and concluded confidently that I've got a shoulder impingement, thankfully not a rotator cuff tear. Impingement apparently means, based on the five minutes of interneting I've just done (the description here is exactly what I feel), is that the rotator cuff muscles aren't strong enough and are letting the tendon slip down to get pinched between the clavicle and humerus. The cure is basically rest, ice/heat combos, and ibuprofen. Problem is, it seems to take several months to successfully rid oneself of the inflammation that results from the tendon slipping. I can lay off the bench/pull-ups/pull-downs, but how will this affect my goal? I need to have my hands extended above my head, obviously - will this slow me down? Or can I focus exclusively on jumping for now?

Dunking Out of the Building

I'm pretty sure my surgically fixed hip can handle some more action beyond the lunges, squats, cycling, and quad/hamstring weight exercises I've got going. Tomorrow I'll either add weight to the squats or sneak onto the basketball court and run & jump around some. Today it has been 58 days since the surgery - almost exactly two months - and after finishing the toughest workout my hip has been through yet I felt almost no twanging or soreness in the joint. Nice!

There is one little tweak that still worries me. When doing lunges and leading with my right leg, the one that is recovering, I can't stand up smoothly. I wobble. I usually stabilize myself by dragging my left foot. Sometimes I can finish the lunge with no movement off the center line, but usually my torso begins to swing and sway a little, and occasionally I have to put a hand out to catch myself on the wall. Clearly the stabilizing muscles in my right leg are not recovered, although I'm not where they are and what I can do to help them other than maintaining this PT. What worries me is if I start jumping around the gym I'll lose my balance when landing and send my pelvis careening off the backboard like a grotesque boomerang. But overall, based on the MLK day activities and Wednesday's workout, I'm feeling confident that I can begin muscle-building exercises in my legs.

Here's a recap from the Hawks-Kings game Wednesday night - at the 25 second mark, Bibby throws Josh Smith an alley-oop. Josh Smith's biceps are above the rim. He is 6'9" and weighs 250 pounds. If I had his hops I could jump out of the building.

Marvin Williams / Werewolf dunking

P.S. Talking with one of the coaches, I learned that a labrum and a rotator cuff are NOT the same thing. The labrum is a doughnut of connective tissue around the joints in your shoulders and hips that acts like a plug for the humerus or femur. The rotator cuff is three muscles that surround the joint.

He Got Dunk

Monday was right hip test track day. I did my PT - now with 20 lunges & 15 squats - and a full workout, including weights for my legs, then headed downtown to participate in the MLK march. This entailed an hour and a half of standing, an hour of marching, then another 45 minutes to walk back to my car. Drove up to my parents and then PLAYED BASKETBALL. Yes, the sport that created my new year's resolution hath been played, albeit for only 20 minutes. But I dribbled, ran around, shot jumpers (a lot better than I thought I would, too!), and took a few runs at the basket. I could hook a finger in the bottom of the top-most loop of the net. I'd roughly estimate then my fingertip touched about 9'4", meaning I'm still about two feet below where I need to be. I don't imagine that simply running and jumping endlessly will be enough to get me to dunking level. There will have to be a weight-lifting component, and I'm still hesitant to start throwing my hip into any severe strain. Tomorrow I'm gonna sneak into the gym and try it out indoors. There's more space to jump, since you don't have to worry about a pole and a fence like at the parents. Although I like outdoor balls better, as they have more grip on them. Ah well, we'll see what happens tomorrow! And you can also see Gerald Wallace,, entering the dunk contest this year, throw down hard on senior citizen Greg Oden.

The Right Dunk

My left shoulder is really hurting today. Extra weight on the bench and pull-downs Thursday blew the thing up and it's essentially useless, so today after PT I focused on core and, for the first time, lifted weight with my legs! I kept it simple and light, but it was immediately obvious that my left leg is stronger than my right. Of course this makes sense, as it was my right leg that was operated on, but I could keep equal weight and reps on both legs. I wasn't looking to "max out" anything today, but instead focused on range-of-motion and building up strength. I tried a few jumps (well, 2) and discovered I probably don't know how to jump properly. I suppose you bend down, swing your arms back, and then bring everything up at once, but I couldn't seem to time everything together in something resembling a natural motion. I hope this is a result of not using my lower body for anything but walking since Thanksgiving - I jogged down a hall Friday and it was the first time I'd done anything other than walk in two months - but I would not be surprised to learn that there is a lot I need to learn about jumping proper.

In a non-dunk related note, here's the clip of the Hawks winning last night on a buzzer-beating deep 3 from Jamal Crawford. A few things to note: right after the shot drops, listen to the arena announcer going crazy and screaming "WE WON!!!". At the 1:20 mark, watch Josh Smith hop up onto the scorer's table (AJC later reported he was cheering with the crowd, holding his hand to his ear). And finally, notice that the arena is FULL and going NUTS for the Hawks. Hooray!

Sick Dunk

Sitting down to begin my first two hour tutoring session Sunday, I experienced a sudden head rush. Strangely, this wasn't the normal excited flush I feel when teaching little wiener kids standardized testing. Before I could place the sensation mucus started percolating in my sinus. Shit - I was getting sick. Ten minutes later I was blowing my nose constantly, and it hasn't stopped since then. As a teacher I'm exposed to an infinite sampler plate of disease: take hundreds of underdeveloped immune systems, cram them into a closed building, and enjoy the endless parade of pathogens. I chalked this up to a simple cold, something I could wipe away in 48 hours. Alas, I've wiped away two rolls of toilet power, a box of Kleenexes, and a dozen paper towels, scraping my nose raw.

Monday I figured I could just beat the disease out, so I hit the gym despite a waterfall of snot. Tuesday I wasn't any better, but I could aim for infecting a couple of kids as revenge. By Wednesday exactly nothing had changed. I was still spouting mucus like Ol' Faithful. I considered submitting myself to a medical journal, and I figured sitting out Wednesday's planned trip to the gym might help me finally get over this damn thing. Today, Thursday, I awoke to a whole bunch of the same. I haven't been this sick for this long since I had the damn swine flu in California. About halfway through the day my body erected some sort of barrier in my nose - the flow had stopped! So I went to go punish my body's insolence after school by resuming the same PT exercise, but increasing my RPMs on the cycle and doing an extra set of weights. I even upped my bench weight, clearly letting my body know that sort of delay in recovery is unacceptable.

My hip feels sore, but no worse than it has after previous workouts. It might be time to move from the cycle to an upright such as the Death Machine, a.k.a. elliptical. It's been 7 weeks since the surgery, and while it's been only two weeks into the new year I'm eager to start actually jumping! The lunges and squats are working my leg muscles, but nothing is better than performing the actual motion I want. Someone much taller than me recommended cleans - the staple of meathead workouts - but I'm still weeks, if not months, away from that type of stress on my joint. I'll be back in the gym Saturday to try a few jumps and see what happens... if the next post on here is another shot of me going into surgery, then you know that was a bad idea.

Here's Travis Leslie of UGA's totally ballin' basketball team dropping some serious hate on Kentucky (courtesy of DRob)

BTW, the Kentucky player in the lane (DeMarcus Cousins) is 6'11". Travis Leslie is 6'4".

Dunkin' Donuts

I increased the resistance (by 1 increment) on my cycling today and maintained the 3x15 lunge & squat routine, but sped it up slightly. I actually broke a sweat (two drops) this time, and I can feel my leg muscles getting worked. By the end of my entire workout however I was feeling some stiffness in my hip, most likely owing to the sit-ups I did in addition to some weight lifting. Increased my pull-ups by 1 for the first two sets, but could only do 3 on (instead of 5) on my last one. I know, I'm a pretty huge dude.

I did get the body composition analysis done today though! It is a scale with metal panels for your feet - no socks or shoes. It is made by Tanita: Great Success Athlete. Enter some vitals (height, age, etc.), and five seconds and a "mild electrical signal" later, you've got a body composition analysis! Here's my body, presented by the Tanita TBF-300A Analyzer. Tanita: Where Tomorrow is a Smile.

Tanita Body Composition Analyzer

Body Type: Athletic
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Height: 5 ft 10.0 in
Weight: 164.4 lb
BMI: 23.6
Fat%: 10.6%
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): 1809 kcal
Impedance: 495 Ohms
Fat Mass: 17.4 lb
Fat Free Mass (FFM): 147.0 lb
Total Body Water (TBW): 107.6 lb

An "athletic" body type means by resting heart rate is < 65. This is a nice hangover from my running before the surgery.
The BMR is the amount of energy I need to simply exist. That is, how many calories to maintain normal body functions like breathing and keeping my heart beating.
Impedance is how body fat percentages are calculated: lean muscle (including water) conducts the current, and fat impedes it.
Listed healthy body fat percentage for males under 30 is 14-20%, so booyah to that.
TBW measures exactly what it sounds like: the amount of water in my body. Tanita Body Composition Analyzer: Supreme Joy Enhancer suggests that females remain 50-60% hydrated, and males 60-70%. I check in right at 65%, so double true.

In the quest for dunking, I think these statistics are about right. I suppose I could try and get below 10% body fat to further lighten the load. Before the Tanita Body Composition Analyzer: Power is a Poem program would run, I needed to enter a target body fat percentage, so I entered 10% just to get it to start. Apparently I would need to lose one pound to reach that goal. I don't think there is a correct profile for dunking, other than jacking up my leg muscles. I'll be asking the trainer this week if I can start using weights on my squats / lunges. It's probably still early for that, and I definitely don't want to set myself back by aggravating my hip.

Onward!

Dunk-Ups

Saturday was another round of lunges and squats with no lasting aggravation - huzzah! The only negative during the workout was the gym losing power halfway through, leaving the last half of the workout to be done in the semi-dark. Nonetheless, I added a new exercise: bench press to pull-up (I've been training by doing exercises in sets: biceps to tripceps, dumbbell press to pulldown, etc.). The reason I added the pull-ups is because Dwyane Wade does a pull-up through the hoop before every game and by all reasonable measures he seems pretty decent, even if he makes his money by parading to the free throw line.
Ten reps on the bench followed by four pull-ups. I did that three times without tearing anything. One concern is my left shoulder, which has a torn labrum (rotator cuff), just like my hip did. It has never been as bad as my hip, and it is only painful when I lift my arm out away from my body and above my shoulder. But after hard workouts my left shoulder can't bear any weight for days. With that in mind I'll gradually bump up the number of pull-ups but definitely keep a limit on the total number and how frequent I attempt them.

355 days to go!

Lungin' and Dunkin'

After completing a shorter cycle "workout", I nervously began my first lunges, staying an arm's length from the wall for security. Surprisingly, I encountered no discomfort and could feel my quadriceps and hip joint moving like normal! I finished three sets of 15 lunges and 15 squats with no aggravation before continuing the rest of my workout. I eagerly asked the trainer if I could begin adding weight to this routine, but he squashed that idea quickly. It was then I realized that I won't be able to "max out" any leg exercises for some time yet, unless I want my femur and pelvis breaking up faster than an Elizabeth Taylor marriage. I'm still at least a month, if not more, away from performing any real, muscle-building leg exercises, and this frustrating fact is a little discouraging. But I've learned my lesson - I gave myself the torn labrum injury when I did not heed my doctor's instructions and tried returning from a broken leg too quickly. So as much as I'd like starting some serious jump training, I'll be content working my core, arms, and chest.

On a non-dunk related note, the standard "background" music at the gym is REALLY AWFUL HEAVY METAL THAT IS PLAYED THIS LOUD AT ALL TIMES. This is super annoying. The other day we kicked off with "Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor...", followed by some jackass screaming and counting and double-bass drums going 32 beats per second. This is by a band that found its musical career significantly enhanced by the death of its lead singer. Anyway, I'm meticulous about bringing my iPod, but I'm having trouble finding music I'd like to listen to while lifting weights. When running I usually go with fast rock music, but I've found that the steady beat of a hip-hop song suits weight-lifting, at least for me. But my knowledge of fast, aggressive hip-hop is pretty limited. I've spun through "The Grey Album" on almost every workout, sometimes switching to Aesop Rock. Any suggestions for weight lifting music?

Also: Josh Smith's windmill dunk from the 2005 dunk contest

A Dunk Too Far

Work started today, and I weighed myself and took a very inaccurate measurement of my current vertical leap. With shoes on I weigh 168 lbs. I can't say if this is an appropriate weight for dunking - certainly many dunking NBA players weigh more, but they're also much closer to the rim. Comparing myself to some other under-sized dunk-capable players might help give me some guidance on how I can achieve my resolution, so I calculated my body mass index (BMI) and the BMI of some NBA players:

(height, weight, BMI)

Me: 5'11", 168, 24.1
Spud Webb: 5'6", 133, 21.5
Allen Iverson: 6'0", 180, 24.4
Nate Robinson: 5'9", 180, 26.6
Derek Fisher: 6'1", 210, 27.7

With the exception of Spud Webb, it seems that being lightweight does not offer any advantages - in fact, it looks like I'll be building a lot of muscle. Also, the BMI calculation is skewed against muscular people, such as the players listed. There is a body composition indicator at work which can give me a better idea of what I'm made.

As far as my hip goes, I am able to cycle at the gym for 15-20 minutes with very low resistance. The trainer there suggests I start sets of half-lunges and half-squats, which I will begin Thursday. Today I attempted a single vertical leap, using bricks on the wall as a measuring guide. I jumped seven bricks: about 15 inches. That leaves me 26 inches from the dunk...

A vertical leap isn't the final indicator: Spud Webb listed a 41 inch vertical but is 5 inches shorter than me. A running start will help - but I have no idea how long until I can, let alone put a lot of stress on the joint. I'm beginning to sense how much work achieving this resolution will take, but when I get there, I'm having a poster of myself made.