|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
Yeah, I know this has been done to death in OOT, but I have very specific goals and I'm looking for personalized recommendations. Just ignore if you're sick of these threads.
Background information I'm 6'1" and about 180 pounds at the moment. I think my weight is about right, so I'm not looking to add any. My arms and legs are longer than average. Weightlifting history I was extremely skinny in high school, 6'1" 135 as a senior. I had ridiculous hops and could dunk a basketball. At some point in college, I started lifting weights and added muscle. I stopped lifting for a few years, then started again in 2002 or so and got decently strong. I think I weighed 170 or so and could bench 205 max. Current physical condition I play basketball at a high intensity at least once a week, sometimes more. For a while I was running miles on wednesday as inspired by Alobar in the OOT Run a Mile thread, and I got down to about 6:40. In high school I ran a 4:55 mile, lol. If I had to guess, I could do 8-10 pullups and bench about 180 max right now. Goals As stated, I don't want to gain any bulk. If I gain "weight" due to muscle gain, that's okay, but I'm just not looking to beef up. Here are my goals: 1. Lose "gut." I'm just looking a little soft in the gut these days. I have small love handles. 2. Increase hops. I was still dunking as recently as a year and a half ago. Then I sprained my ankle badly and haven't been able to get up since. The ankle is fine; now I need to get my hops back. 3. Get slightly more "ripped." I don't care about having a rock-hard six pack or anything, but I wouldn't mind having a little more definition in the torso and arms. My biceps are actually pretty solid, but my forearms are very skinny and I never developed my triceps as much as I should have. Recommendations So what do I do? What lifts, how often? How much weight? What should I eat? I figure to increase the hops I need to get some kind of pliometric program going. What do people recommend? What about cardio? Just play a lot more basketball, or am I going to have to hit the treadmill? |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
Ive laid out plans a million times in this forum for people looking to bulk up, so Im not going to help you there, but I dont know if I have ever given out the secret to being able to improve your hops. Other than squatting heavy weight, the two best exercises:
1. Find out your max squat weight, get a spotter or two, put 1..33 to 1.5 X your max (if you can squat 300lbs, put 400lbs on the bar). Take the bar off the rack, and start the squat, but like 6 inches and hold it. Just sit there for 10 seconds, then have your spotters help you get the bar back on the rack. 2. In the squat rack, take a weight you can squat 20 times, ie a lighter weight. Squat down, ass to the grass, explode up, like your jumping (your feed should actually leave the ground a few inches. Regroup, repeat. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
The second exercise sounds very good, but should I really be squatting heavy weights if I want to improve my leaping ability?
Also, I'm not looking to bulk up. I'm already bulkier than I'd like. I just want to get little more ripped. Wouldn't that require different lifts and techniques? |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
you dont squat it, you hold it statically, like 6 inches into the squat.
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
[ QUOTE ]
Also, I'm not looking to bulk up. I'm already bulkier than I'd like. I just want to get little more ripped. Wouldn't that require different lifts and techniques? [/ QUOTE ] Not really an expert, but I think fat-burning/cardio/eating better is the way to do that, not more lifting. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Also, I'm not looking to bulk up. I'm already bulkier than I'd like. I just want to get little more ripped. Wouldn't that require different lifts and techniques? [/ QUOTE ] Not really an expert, but I think fat-burning/cardio/eating better is the way to do that, not more lifting. [/ QUOTE ] So you're saying I should stop eating a donut every morning with my coffee [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Yeah, I figure I need to work on my diet a bit. Right now sugar is a pretty big weakness, and I eat a lot of fatty and salty foods. I avoid almost all processed foods, however. I will never be able to stick to a super strict diet, so I need to be getting enough exercise to make up for it. I figure lifting should be a part of it (I haven't lifted AT ALL in a couple years). |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
static holds = good
plyometrics = good for losing your guy: swimming, running (but not too much) |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
eat less carbs late in day
increase protein in diet but not overall calories. also eating smaller meals and snacking more is better than 3 or 2 large meals for metabolism purposes basketball is great cardio but you should prlly try and get cardio 3 times a week. as far as lifting it all depends on what muscles you are trying get cut. www.askmen.com has alot of good workout advi |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
SC,
Getting ripped (or shredded) is just a matter of losing some body fat. There are plenty of ways you can approach this. As far as improving the hops, jump squats like guids described are good. I don't know about the static 6 inch squat thing -- I'm a bit skeptical. All I know is that the best way to have an exercise translate into sports performance is to have a similar type of movement and muscle recruitment involved in the exercise. Since jumping is a fast, explosive movement, you'd want a lift that is similarly explosive that uses the same muscles. Try power cleans. Alternatively, you could get into the plyometrics thing with box jumps and whatever. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Re: My turn for a weightlifting/fitness thread
cut carbs some and add more protein, run 3-5 times a week is helping me lose the weight
squating is not that great of an idea...for jumping.i was a high jumper in school. At 6"1 my junior and senior year i was duing behind the head 360 dunks, windmills, i even did a few switch handed 360s. i had over a 4 foot verticle. i shattered my ankle 3 years ago riding bmx tho, but the vert was still over 2 1/2 feet 2 years ago (before the knee sugury that resulted from the ankle) Box jumps, and power cleans improved my verticle the most. dunking is mostly about the angle you approach the rim. Do this run with out the ball jump up like your going to dunk with one hand, and more than likely you will instinctly drift towards the back/side of the rim. You lose a fait amount of hangtime doing that. Most people that are close to being able to dunk, if they would focus on going towards the side of the rim, or using the breakaway rim to get it in would do so alot eaiser. cliffnotes: box jumps, power cleans, and jumping rope. I also spent a fair amount of time standing wearing ankle weights to class, and standing under the rim jumping and grabbing it. Dunking is one thing, dunking on someone and doing it with style is another |
|
|