11.14.03
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Q: Joe,
I saw on your website you were doing dumbbell
bench presses on a stability ball for high reps, (22 I think
it was). Why do you do these? For balance, tendon strength,
endurance, muscle hypertrophy? Do you think they are useful
to a football athlete like me, because it seems kind of
opposite from doing the explosive bench press.
Also, when I bench press my elbows
flare out to a 90-degree angle. Is
that a problem?
Thanks for your time and knowledge,
Solomon Rexius
A: Solomon,
You’re correct. Dumbbell benches on a stability ball
for high reps are the opposite of explosive/ballistic benches.
They both have different purposes in training. I usually
cycle the high-rep dumbbell benches on the stability ball
into my routine about every 8-10 weeks. I’ll perform
3 sets to failure with a sub-maximal weight and minimal
rest between sets. I’ll do this once a week for 3
weeks and try to perform more repetitions each week. This
exercise would replace my “max-effort” exercise
on my heavy upper body day for 3 weeks. You can definitely
benefit from this lift as well. Here’s why:
-
It acts as restoration by giving your
body a break from always lifting maximal weights for
low reps.
-
“Shocking” your body
with this form of higher rep training is a great way
to build some extra muscle. It promotes a high degree
of growth hormone production, which promotes muscular
hypertrophy and strength.
-
Training on an unstable device (if
not over-used) can promote strength gains of your “weak
links.” This can lead to greater force production
when you return to more “traditional” lifts.
-
This lift will increase your muscular
endurance.
As for your second question, your elbows
are flaring out at 90-degrees because you are a “pec
bencher”. This is usually because your triceps and
upper back aren’t as strong as they should be. Your
upper arms should be at a 45-degree angle in relation to
your upper body when the bar is on your chest in the bottom
position of the bench press. Get those triceps strong by
performing more dips, dumbbell and barbell extensions, rack
lockouts and close-grip benches. The best exercises for
your upper back are chin-up variations and barbell, dumbbell
and cable rowing.
Train like a madman!
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
I’m a high school freshman basketball player and I’m
obsessed with my vertical jump. I’ve read all of your
articles, programs and comments on vertical jumping and
I’m very impressed. You’re very knowledgeable.
My question for you is how much does your diet affect how
high you can jump? I’m no stranger to fast food and
the lunch they serve at school isn’t healthy (cheeseburgers,
pizza, french fries, pretzels). I want to dunk by the time
I’m a senior!
Help.
Conor
A: Conor,
Sometimes pictures can tell a thousand words. Below you
will see two of my dedicated athletes. They are both 17-year-old
high school basketball players here in New Jersey. John
is 6’01” and Jake is 6’02”. They
can both dunk a basketball in their sleep!
 |
 |
| John Iannuzzi – 37” vertical
jump |
Jake Podhurst – 35” vertical jump |
Do either one of these kids look like
they eat fast food? Of course not! It’s also not a
coincidence that both of them can jump through the roof.
They have achieved such great results in their training
because they have made sacrifices. If you don’t want
to be average, you must also make sacrifices. This means
that you shouldn’t be eating like an average high
school kid. Be a leader – NOT a follower! If your
school doesn’t serve a healthy lunch, make your own
lunch! If all of your friends are going to Burger King after
school, go home and make yourself a healthy lunch and then
meet up with them.
If you want to be explosive and jump through
the roof, you can’t be built like the Pillsbury doughboy.
Clean up your diet, hit the weight room and out-work all
of your teammates on the court. You’ll be dunking
in no time.
White men can jump!
Joe D.
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Q: What exercises
do you credit for rehabbing Dhani Jones' knee?
Colin
A: Colin,
I didn’t do the initial rehab, I
did Dhani's "post"-rehab. There’s a difference.
I met him after the doctor who performed the surgery gave
him the "green light" to workout. When I met him
his leg was still weak/unstable. Sometimes the physical
therapy that follows the initial knee rehab is too “generic”
to get the job done – especially for an advanced athlete.
When Dhani came to me the VMO of the knee he had surgery
on was non-existent and still very weak. I knew it was time
to take the “rehab” to the next level.
Although the program I designed for him
was very in-depth and contained strength, speed, flexibility
and plyometrics, I'm assuming you want strength exercises.
The BIG 2 that I felt made the biggest difference were:
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Low pulley split squats
with the front foot on a wobble board - (This
exercise has to be performed in a very specific manner.
You actually want the knee of the working leg to travel
PAST the toe.) We would start each workout with this
exercise to activate the VMO so it was more likely to
“fire” during subsequent exercises during
the workout.
-
One-and-a-half rep single
leg squats with the back leg elevated (a.k.a.,
“speed-skater" squats).
These 2 strength exercises were key components
in getting muscle back on his VMO and getting him back on
the field.
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
I have looked at a lot of websites over the years and this
is maybe the
best/most informational one I have encountered. I have a
lot of questions but I'm sure you're busy so I'll just ask
this one.
What does a normal week look like
for your athletes in terms of lifting and running? How many
days a week do your guys train (training frequency)? Do
you lift full body together or do you use an upper/lower
split and how often? How does the frequency differ in the
off-season as opposed to the in-season?
Thanks a lot.
Solomon
A: Solomon,
Your question is very general. The training frequency and
the training split are different depending on the level
of the athlete, the athlete’s sport and the time of
year (in-season vs. off-season). I’ll give you some
general guidelines, though.
Obviously you have to cut down on the total
volume of your training during the athletic season. This
is because most of your time and energy must be spent on
the technical component of your sport (a.k.a., practice).
You shouldn’t neglect training altogether, though.
Like I’ve said time and time again, “What good
is it to be big, strong and fast in the off-season, if you
are going to let yourself get as weak as an 8-year-old girl
when it counts the most (during the season)? I usually cut
most of my athlete’s training volume down to 1-2 training
sessions a week during the season. The duration of these
sessions is shorter as well. The sessions usually last anywhere
from 15-45 minutes during the season. I usually perform
full body workouts during the season with my athletes. No
extra running/conditioning is performed with me because
most of my athletes get enough conditioning during practice
and games.
During the off-season, most of my athletes
strength-train 4 times a week (2 upper body and 2 lower
body sessions), work on flexibility 3-6 times a week and
either run once a week or not at all. Nutrition/supplementation
is also addressed and taken very seriously during this time.
Six to eight weeks out from the season, we cut back slightly
with the strength training (usually 3X a week) and start
running/conditioning 3-5 times a week. “Double-sessions”
are performed on certain days to get all the workouts in.
Remember that these guidelines are VERY
general. Hopefully it paints a little clearer picture of
what I do here with my athletes. If you have any more specific
questions, let me know.
Joe D.
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