Apologies

Hi People,

I just want to apologise for not posting recently, the reasons being, I am just soooo dam busy with University work, and hence I haven't had time to train or post. Next week will probably be the same too, because of a stupid fat module. Basically this module with my other classes takes up a huge portion of my time.

So going to wait out training and posting for a while... unless all of a sudden I have more time. Sorry about this.

And post ya laters :o)

Week 4. Training Day 10. Pump it Up!

Hey peeps, my legs are pumped and ready for Week 3. I just finished my training and dam do I feel good. My legs have this warm glowing feeling, telling me that I worked out good.

Anyways Week 2 over and only 12 Weeks left of the program. So I will see you on thursday with some results.

Peace out.

Week 4 Training Day 9. Weak at the Knees

Hi guys, no sign of weakness in my knee even after training, which is a positive sign. I did however find a weakness in my thigh muscles though, some of the exercises in the last couple of sets where hard going, but I managed to pull through. Only one more jump session to go then its rest followed by the next stage… Training Week 3, yippee!

I noticed something the other day too, the basketball ring doesn’t seem so far away these days, its like I have grown taller or something (which I blatantly haven’t grown any taller), or it seems like it’s a more a achievable goal now. Either way I hope to hit the rim soon ;o)

Week 4. Training Day 8. The Return.

Hi people, sorry I have been away for so long… but you will be glad to hear my knee feels a lot better. So this morning I resumed training as normal. However as I missed a week (last week) I have decided to start Week 2 again rather than progress straight to Week 3 of the program. I did this just to condition myself and get my legs back into jumping.

Well this morning jumping wasn’t too bad, and just before 2 hours of badminton I tested my jump. Unfortunately I could only just spring 42cm today. But no worries that’s still better than what I started off with, which was 40cms. Also because I did jump training before testing my jump this could have affected my result.

Anyhow onward and upwards hopefully.

Week 3, Training Day 7. or Not!

Today I have some good news and some bad news. Hum…. Which to tell 1^st… I guess starting with the bad news, well I have hurt my knee whilst playing sport. Good news is, only slightly, but unfortunately it means I cannot participate in Air Alert program this week. Instead I am going to have to rest my knee til next week, and if its all clear, I will carry on with training and documenting as normal. So...sorry about that to any blog followers… but now for some really good news :oD

K the good news, before hurting my knee I did however test my vertical jump using the Jump “N” Reach measuring device…. and ladies and gentleman your not going to believe this…. Yes I have improved my jump but not by 1, 2, 3 or 4 cms but in fact a whole 5 cms. Woowho, How cool is that, I was pleasantly surprised and 5cms just in two weeks, amazing! I guess this program is definitely taking me in the right direction, that is up :o) So I cannot wait to get back into my regime…

Ok guys, keep training and drop by next week or alternatively if your bored and you want to check out my weightloss progress go here www.jonsatkinschallenge.blogspot.com :o)

Week 2, Training Day 6. Hey Hey!

After Saturdays duo of both Volleyball and Air Alert, I must say, even with a rest day yesterday, dam my legs felt like lead weights. Nevertheless I still completed the final day of Week 2. That makes it 13 more weeks to go :o) Am looking forward to Thursday too, so I can test my Jump again :o) & of course to begin Week 3 ;o)

Starting Wednesday I am also undertaking a strict eating plan, because as you may be able to tell from the video’s a little weight loss here and there… might just help me jump that little higher.

I think I will just keep this journal on the lighter side today. So till Thursday, post ya laters.

Week 2, Training Day 5. Switch…

Well today I did a Volleyball training session and the Air Alert training. This was because Volleyball was switched from a Sunday to a Saturday instead. I was a little concerned to be honest to do both Air Alert & Volleyball training in the same day (because of the risk of over training) but luckily Volleyball training wasn’t as demanding as usual, and when I eventually arrived home, I was already nice and limber ready to go ahead with the plan.

I managed to do all exercises fairly easily but I am starting to feel the burn more on some of the last sets of exercises, which is great, because No Pain No Gain, and I want to gain a lot :oP

By the way, what I mean by Pain is, I know my muscles are being slightly worked, not pain as in ouch this really hurts, I can’t do anymore but I will carry on trying!!! If any of you are following along or will be attempting a jumping program and you start to feel pain in your joints, tendons and muscles either slow down or stop, take a rest day and perhaps seek some advice. Pushing threw pain barriers when it comes to joints, tendons and muscles pain could lead to serious injury.

Anyways lucky me, because now I have an entire rest day tomorrow :o)... Puts legs up!

Week 2, Between Day 4 and Day 5. Resting Day…. Are much better :o)

Ok, I know this recording isn’t the best but I hope you will enjoy it. It shows proof that my current jumping height is not abnormally high, and it’s a way for me to show, document and prove hopefully by following the Air Alert program, that any one can achieve a higher vertical jump. I will try to catch and record my leap every two weeks on video as a way of presenting my results. Furthermore I will continue to test & record my standing vertical jump and post the results on my blog.

Standing Vertical Jump on the Jump "N" Touch Board

Standing Vertical Jump Next to Basket Ball Ring

Running Vertical Jump Next to Basket Ball Ring

Additional information you may also be interested in knowing is…. About my other activities I take part in. During my average week and to improve my fitness and along with the Air Alert Program, I also participate in other sports. I have tried to summarise this into a table found below:

Click the table to enlarge the image.

By the way, to clarify, the values are in minutes in the table, except for where it says 11.25 which is in Hours :oD

On average I do about 11.25 hours a week of sport. Badminton and Volleyball twice a week, along with Air Alert three times a week.

Some of you who may have purchased the Air Alert program might be wondering why I am training on AA during Thursday, Saturdays & Mondays and not on the proposed days, for instance, Monday, Wednesday & Friday during odd weeks and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, during even weeks. Well I do this to prevent myself from over training, because Tuesday through to Thursdays are my sports club nights, and the original plan would really conflict with my AA training, plus Training regimes should be tailored and well suited to the participant, not the other way around.

As some of you may or may not know, over training increases the risk of injury too, hence why my training patterns are slightly different to the AA system. Saying that however I do stick to the proposed sets and reps as advised.

On top of this schedule, especially when the weather is good, occasionally I walk to University, which is a roughly a 6 mile round trip on top. This can be upto 5 times a week.

Week 2, Training Day 4. How low can you GO?

Hey hey, well today’s training went rather well and its great to be hopping again, the session was a little more challenging in comparison to the 1^st week. The reason for this is due to more repetitions and sets added. Therefore it wasn’t a surprise to find that on some exercises I could feel the burn nearing the last repetition or so :oO nevertheless I still managed to complete the training and am looking forward to the next session.

I also tried to arrange a recording of me jumping today, but it didn’t quite go to plan. So I will try again tomorrow. I did however get to test my leap again, using one of those vertical jump wall meter things :o) I am told the technical name for these are Reach "N" Jump devices.

As mentioned earlier in my blog… and as predicted by the Air Alert documentation, my hops would decrease a little during the first 11 days ….and so today I only managed a 0.38 m or 1.25" standing vertical jump. That’s a 2cm loss in leap. Hopefully this should only be temporary :oS

In nerd mode & using my trusty tape measure, I also managed to work out how much Leap I needed to reach my goal .

Well currently my full height including hand span, and on tip toes, I can reach 2.365 m / 7.76" And my highest standing vertical jump recorded so far is 0.40 m / 1.31" high. Therefore by adding my maximum height + jump together minus the basketball hoop height we can work out how much height is required for me to reach my goal. Apparently the basketball hoop is roughly 3.05m / 10" high from the floor.

So taking all this information into consideration;

2.365 m + 0.40 m – 3.05 m = 0.285 m <-- In meters

7.75 + 1.31 - 10 = 0.94 " <-- In feet

So I just need to gain 0.285 m or 0.94" extra in vertical leap. That said this is a standing vertical Jump, without a run up, so perhaps my jumping height is a little more with a running start, thus I might only have a to gain 0.244 m / 0.8" or so more height in my leap ;o) I guess easier said that done right…but will see :o)

Oh & 1 more thing Happy Valentines Day :oX

Week 1, Training Day 3. JUMP JUMP JUMP!!!

Ops, yesterday I did a volleyball session during my rest period…but I will say this… Dam I felt like I could jump, in fact I tested my jump a few times after the game, by jumping and seeing how far I was off the basketball hoop. Erm… still no where near the rim I might add, but I was catching the lower end of the backboard with ease. But hey this is cool…besides I wouldn’t have thought my jump would improve too much by the 2^nd Day. Actually during the first 11 days of the course….a person’s jump should be declining rather than improving, due to muscle overuse. Then the muscles are supposed to get used to the physical activity and become stronger, and hence height should increment, so the theory goes ;o)

Anyways how was Day 3 you where probably wondering :o? In a nutshell very well. Again it took me around 45 minutes to complete the training, with of course an adequate warm up, stretching and cool down :o) Plus plenty of water too!

As you intelligent people probably know… Water is vitally important especially during exercise as we lose so much via sweating. Hydrated muscles and our bodies also perform better... and lots of water can prevent dizziness and overheating, but this should make sense, after all our bodies are made up of 80% water :o> So make sure you drink plenty, before, during and after exercising :oP …Like google, water is also your friend!!!

Well that’s training over for week 1. To summarise this weeks training hasn’t been too bad, challenging but fun. As I suggested before, it seems to be the right level of workout for me and it seems to gradually become more difficult each week, so am looking forward to working harder, and progressing further.

I hope you will join me for week 2. Feel free to post your comments and questions.

Ps. I will try to get a video up of me this week to show you my current vertical Jump… But no laughing... OK :oD

Week 1, Training Day 2. Its Not So bad!!!

Wow today’s work out was great…am really feeling pumped :o) To be honest I haven’t really found the program difficult so far, just right, which suits me fine, because I prefer to be able to exercise comfortably. In fact the workout plan is cleverly designed to gradually get more difficult each week. Week 15 looks immense :oS But am sure once I reach this stage it won’t seem so difficult as I should be a lean mean jumping machine :oP haha

Something I have noticed though is a proper warm up and cool down really makes the difference. I think I’m starting to appreciate this more now. In the past after exercise I wouldn’t stretch at all and I would be really sore during and after that day, but now I have noticed proper stretching really does work, little to no more soreness! So if I can give you guys any advice… do lots of STRETCHING before and after exercise :o)

Week 1. Training Day 1. So far so Good :o) 40cm Vertical Height

Hey Guys & Gals,

To start off with I have a cool Video for you all to watch... I was searching on youtube for some cool jumping videos for inspiration, to keep me committed and motivated on this program. I think this video is awesome, the Guy in the video is very similar to my team mate when he jumps (Although my team mate is alot shorter) but just check out how much height this guy achieves. I hope it inspires you like it inspires me.... cause dam I so want to be able to do this :o)




Soon I hope to get a picture or video of my current jumping ability, just so I can document and provide evidence of my results.

I also tested my vertical Jump today. I can currently Jump 40cm's vertically, from a standing Jump. I will try to test my Jump every week, so we can see how my jump fluctuates over the next 15 weeks. Don't be suprised though, if my jump is less than 40cm next week. This is normal, after 11 days into the program apparently my jump should then start increasing :oD

My 1st day on the Air Alert program wasn't to tough, but I could feel my calfs afterwards. It took me around an hour to complete, but I did spend alot of time stretching, probably 30minutes just on this to really limber up. I also watched each exercise seperately, to really grasp my jumping tasks. Luckily though the stretches they provide you with really help to reduce stiffness in the legs, so its a great work out.

If an hour seems long, I can assure you it could be done quicker, I was trying to stick with their guidelines with resting after each set of exercises. They normally say rest 2-3minutes after each set. But to be honest I don't think its that neccessary. Also the 1st time you do something it always takes the longest :o)

Feeling great though and looking forward to day 2.

Background Information

Hi Everyone and thanks for landing on my blog.

This is a diary about MY personal journey to achieve a higher vertical jump. You maybe wondering why I would like to do this... well by heart I am a keen volleyball player and am not exactly blessed in height for this game @ (1.76 metres or 5'77" ) as you can imagine a vertical jump is very important for attacking and defending in volleyball, especially as the net height for mens is 2.43m or 7'97". Jumping has never been my strongest assesst due to my other hobby long distance cycling (which kind of decreased my vertical leap, but this will be no longer an issue as I will stop riding for a while) so hopefully with alittle hard work this is about to change.

I have been playing volleyball since Secondary school, through my College years to now at University level. My favourite position on the court is reverse hitter / opposite setter at position 2, although these days I mainly play outside hitter at position 4 :o]

My inspiration to work on my vertical leap came about, by witnessing a team member virtually being able to fly and smash the ball with incrediable skill. He is alot shorter than me @ 1.70 m or 5'57". Its enjoyable to see his amazing ability, and it made me appreciate how important a vertical jump is in this sport (especially if your on the shorter side, you have to compensate somewhere ;o). It also tells me if I can improve my jump I to can also achieve spectacular hits and blocks.

To give you an idea how high my team mate can jump, he can litterally dunk at the official mens basketball height of 3.05 m or 10'00". I can merely touch the net of the hoop, therefore I have alot of work ahead of me, but like I said, if my team mate who is shorter than me can dunk, whats stopping me from achieving such heights.

I did lots of research on Vertical Jumping to find out what exercises are neccessary to increase vertical height, I looked in many exercise books and searched online. But most information I found was very conflicting, a simple example of this is, views on whether to train with ankle weights or not, some supported it, some not! One common theme I did realise though is plyometric exercises. All coaching programs suggest this is one of the best natural ways to improve vertical leap and fast.

There are many training programs out there... in fact I am currently writting up a report on the various ones available. As soon as am finished I will post them on my blog for viewing.

Some advice I would give though, before taking part in any training course, always seek Professional Advice whether from a Coach or from a Professional Training Program Organiser. Also get yourself checked over by your local Doctor. Its probably not a good idea to take on such a strict exercise regime if you have bad knees too. If you cannot find a personal trainer or a coach, I would definately advise investing in a Jump Training Program, as this will take out the guess work of whats safe, what produces results and what reduces risk of injury.

In the end I decided to invest in the Air Alert 4 program, basically because this one seemed very popular, especially with the BasketBall players, and it was at the right price ;o) The other great thing about this product: if you don't get the results expected, you can get your money back, as they have a money back garuntee. I don't think anyone can argue with that :oD

The Air Alert 4 Program, is actually quite easy to follow, especially as it has interactive videos teaching you the proper techniques. I would say this program is so simple to follow even a kid could understand and participate in it. There are several stages, Warm Up, 6 simple but effective exercises to follow and a Cool Down. All the program requires is your personal commitment of 3 sessions a week over a duration of 15 weeks. And they suggest as long as the athlete has kept to the program and worked hard, they should enhance their jump by an additional 9 - 14 inches.

One of the tasks in the Program is to set Goals.

Therefore here are mine:

1. My goals are to Complete the Course.
2. Work Hard on the Exercises
3. And ultimately, Increase my vertical Height, so that I can at least touch the Basketball Rim or Higher.

So I hope you will follow my Blog for the next 15 weeks. During these weeks, I will post my results, ideas, inspirations, thoughts and videos and will document if this Air Alert 4 program truely lives upto its reputation.

Ps. If you have any questions feel free to post and ask away. I will look forward to hearing your views :o)