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!