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!