Adarq.org

Damn i really want to add some DJ's into my training. Just like 5x1 or something, but all max effort. Low box. Im in a strength building phase right now. 5x1 will do a good job of potentiating my squats and keeping some jumping efficiency.

But heres something thats been bugging me. And i seriously believe it needs to be addressed. I havent overanalyzed in a long time, but bare with me: Are DJ's worth your training time if youre naturally decently reactive?

I just feel like is more economical training wise for me to increase my squat:bw ratio rather than focus on plyos EVER. How long do your plyo gains stick around??? This is very important. When i lift for strength, if i take a few weeks off i lose some strength right away. It takes a few weeks to get it back after that. But most of the gains REALLY stick around. I mean if i go from a 200lb to 300lb squat and then take a few weeks off, i may hover at 270lbs so im still benefitting from having increased my squat even though i havent squatted in a while. Another important fact is that max strength has a very high ceiling. But not only that, increasing max strength increases RoFD as well!!!

Three iportant things to take away: after not squatting for a while you still benefit from having squatted for a long time preceding the hiatus. The high ceiling on max strength. Increasing max strength increases RoFD. These three make it "worth it" (highly economical) to increase relative strength.

Movement efficiency has a very low ceiling. As an analogy, say i play a lot of bball from January through March. Say i dont play basketball from March through July so my vert suffers. But say i continue to make relative strength gains the entire year. When i start playing ball again in August, my vert starts going up again and by October Its is higher than what it was in January due to the relative strength gains i made since January.

So Would it ever be really necessary to waste time keeping that movement efficiency from Jan through Oct really? I mean, do basketball players stay conditioned in the off season? Not really. Its quickly lost and quickly gained, so why stay conditioned in the off season when you can just condition yourself for a couple weeks before the next season starts?! Like conditioning, feel like the ceiling on movement efficiency is hit pretty quickly so theres no real need to keep it up in the long term. Just get it back when you need it.

But what about DJ performance? If you are regularly doing 5x5 from a high box, then youre kicking ass at them because thats tough. But lets say you take a few weeks off from doing that. How long until you get back at the same jump heights on that highbox?? If it takes very long to get it back, then that sucks and its not so worth busting your ass with them (if youre naturally decently reactive). If you can get it back quickly however, then thats similar to the movement efficiency analogy i gave and it may mean DJ's have a low ceiling. So again it may not be sp worth it.

So where does that leave us? Well it sucks if DJ performance takes long to get back that sucks. But if it can be regained quickly that means it may have a low ceiling... Then the most important question is.... Much like increasing your max strength... If you increase your reactive ability from 20 units to 100 units, and then dont train it for a long time. Does it drop back to 20 units, or does it hover around 70 units so you are still benefitting from having done DJ's? Or is it more like movement efficiency, where you can go from 100 units and down to 20 units, but very quickly back up to 100 units ahen needed. That really is the golden question.

This brings up SO many questions in terms of programming. I have a hunch that at least for athletes like me (naturally decently reactive) depth jumps should pretty much be saved for peaking phases. Its not worth making them a big part of my training when it means my strength will stall during those phases and the DJ gains have a low ceiling, are quickly lost, and do not be efit me anymore if i were to have stopped doing them for a few weeks. I mean how much is my squat going to increase when im DJing 4x10 twice a week? Fuck that id rather just focus on building max strength.

Then when i have to focus on strength again... Ill have to cut back on the DJ a lot but then ill probably lose DJ performance, you know? So its like... I made those temporary gains, but now that i want to increase my squat:bw ratio and make aome permanent vert gains, DJ take a back seat.

With my limited knowledge i conclude (but really shouldnt; my assumption is based on the idea that depth jump effienciy is quickly lost and doesnt benefit you for long when untrained, much like movement efficiency) that for people naturally decently reactive, and for long term gains (so ignore peaking phases), DJ's should be limited to being an excellent potentiation exercise before heavy squats. And they will do a great job of improving and keeping jumping efficiency damn high. Anyway, lets not forget, increasing your max squat increases your RoFD by a significant amount -- especially if every rep is performed at 100% effort. Remember, its not the bar speed, its the intended speed that counts. This makes an even greater case to train moreso for relative strength than to focus efforts on DJ's -- no need to have strength take a back seat to increase RoFD when heavy squatting does that too (admittedly to a lesser extent, but dont forget DJ gains are lost).



At the end of the day, i wont play basketball for months right. So my very will drop from 36" to 30". But then ill make great relative strength gains. And my vert will be at 32". Then when i play a ton of ball again, my vert will shoot to 38". Over the years my training has gotten simpler: figure out what micro and macro cycle set ups help improve my squat:be ratio the most... And then go out and jump. If i were to think long term, DJ's should only have their place when (1) my squat:be is so difficult to improve past a certain point that its more economical to focus on reactive strength, or (2) increasing squat:bw ratio fails to yield an increase in vertical thats worth the effort, its time to focus on DJ's since they will be more economical at that point.

In other words, by the time it makes sense for me to focus on DJ's from a long term, holostic perspective of my training career (ignore potentiation for squats), i will be using them to reach only the pinnacle of my jumping ability.

Oh another thing

I think a long time ago an article was posted about why exactly a plyometric movement leads to more strength output. and it said it's mainly caused by the tendons stretching so that the muscle can contract isometrically for a moment rather than concentrically the whole time. the advantage this gives is that muscles can contract with more force eccentrically, then isometrically, than concentrically.

anyone know what I'm talking about? its very interesting and makes a lot of sense

Sent the guy at http://b-reddy.org/ postural photos as well as my Xrays. He will respond with an assessment of my body, or more likely ask for some vids from me doing various movements if he needs to see more.

So from him I'll be told what is short, long, dormant, active, and how to correct all of that. And why those methods are effective for my specific issues. That's the most important part! I'm really impressed with his write-up on the best way to stretch the IT band, as well as many other things he's written about on his site.

When I get a response I'll update.

Shit your calves are strong. How do you do those calf raise? Do you do them at a deficit? Do you pause at the top/bottom?

Got my free Xrays from the chiropractors/sports massage office:





Looks like my spine bows to one side ever so slightly.

I will update with postural photos soon. My natural posture isn't so good. Practically, my posture is decent because I put in a conscious effort all day when I walk around to walk upright. But when I'm fully relaxed, its' not so good.

Week 90

Tuesday - 12/15/15
191.4lbs

-= Workout Log =-

Pull ups
BW x 5                             >> 60sec rests.
+25lbs x 8
+25lbs x 7
+25lbs x 5
+25lbs x 4
+25lbs x 4

Lateral Raises
35's x 3                             >> 60sec rests.
40's x 2
45's x 1
35's x 12
35's x 10
35's x 8
30's x 8
30's x 5

Cable Rows
140 x 5                         >> 60sec rests.
180 x 3
220 x 1
180 x 12
180 x 10
180 x 8
160 x 8
160 x 8

Ab Pulldowns
95 x 5                             >> 60sec rests.
120 x 12
120 x 12
120 x 12

Rear Delt W Flyes
20's x 15                             >> 45sec rests.
20's x 15
20's x 15 PR

Damn I'm starting to look good again. I look more cut because I have my pump back from lifting. I don't mean the pump during the workout. I mean the week-long pump you get when you lift consistently. I have a vein on my lower abs showing again.

Who was gary... that sounds familiar

there is a vast, oceanic difference between calling someone a scumbag and calling someone a cunt. sorry she was making you uncomfortable, but degrading her and 50% of the people on earth is a gross response.

didnt know calling someone a cunt was such a serious thing (though i was born and raised in USA, english is my second language and i actually never heard someone call someone else a cunt so i never really learned much about the word)

what if a girl calls you a dick or a prick?