Rippetoes for basketball/vert

[Shawdowfox]

Sup guys, this is my workout journal to my first ever workout i have done in my life. will be keeping track of progress and feelings like all journals do hahaa

Height: 5'8
Weight: 158 pounds
Goals: to have a better vertical, get stronger, and faster for basketball

dont know my rep maxes yet but will update when i start my workout tomorrow.

little about me..uhh well never really even thought about weight lifting as the myth of stunting my growth scared me ALOT. i was a short kid still am haha. Made the varsity basketball team this year but rode the pine all season. Had decent skills but athleticism was my weak point. Wanted to do plyometrics after the season but had to get a squat of 2.5x my bodyweight, so I figured why not just workout the whole body while im at it.

Been lurking here for a good 6 months obtaining information haha. And now here I am going with Rippetoes for my first workout.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 1 Workout A

**warm up sets wont be included**

Squats

5x95
5x95
5x95

Military Press

5x55
5x55
5x55

Deadlifts

5x100
3x100

Comments
Haha first off woooot for my first workout ! something that stood out was that i have a INCREDIBLY weak upper body or strong lower body. damn i was struggling on the last set of military presses and almost dropped the weights when i was putting them back on the rack. awesome workout though. as i was walking to the locker room my whole body starting aching already. DAMN!
HUUGE feeling tomorrow ill have to crawl out of bed. Total time took around an hour and 15 mins with the warm ups and long rests between sets

[Shawdowfox]

Week 1 Workout B

Squats

5x95
5x95
5x95

Bench Press

5x95
5x95
5x95

Deadlift

5x95
3x95

Comments

Kinda a bad workout. Got too distracted because a bunch of friends came with me and just goofed around the whole time. My first time doing a bench press and i could barely bench 95 pounds haha. Just noticed that i used the same weight with all my excercises. 25 lbs on each side. This morning I was pretty tired still so that probably hindered my performance. Next workout ill up the weights on squats and deadlift by 20

[Shawdowfox]

Week 1 Workout A

Squats

5x95
5x105
5x105
5x105

Military Press

5x55
5x65
5x55

Deadlift

5x80
5x95
5x115
5x115
5x115

Assisted Chinups
1x3
1x4

Comments

Like i said i was going to up the weights on all my excercises and did them without much of a problem except for the military press. Tried doing another set of 65 but i felt like my back was going to rip or something so i took it safe and went back to 55 lbs. Deadlifts i think i did too much...next time ill keep it under 2 sets. Couldnt play ball today because the court was being used for college provincials.

edit://
forgot to put my vert on the main post but when i measured it a month ago it was roughly 12-15 inches.

[infiNatey]

Wow thats alot of deadlifts! I also just started rippetoes 2 weeks ago and when I started I weighed 157, I'm 6 feet tall though so I'm a bit skinnier than you. Anyways, after 2 weeks I'm up ~ 10 pounds, hope you can progress as well. I'll be following your progress, check out my journal if you have time. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=106781721

[JY_21]

yo looks nice but i dont thikn ur supposed to be doing deadlifts 2times..
its like this
workout A
squat 3x5
bench 3x5
deadlift 1x5
workout B
squat 3x5
overheadpress 3x5
cleans or rows 3x5

[infiNatey]

Your definitely right jy6537, your only supposed to do one set. He probably just feels like he can do more sets since the weight is low, I felt the same when I started with 115 for deadlifts. Bump the weight up a lot, you should have no problems doing it and will feel more worked after.

[pu12en12g]

Height: 5'8
Weight: 158 pounds
Goals: to have a better vertical, get stronger, and faster for basketball

Kick ass and good luck !

[Shawdowfox]

thanks for the replies
and yea i still had a lot of energy left in the tank so i did tons of deadlifts. the first few sets were actually warmup sets

[Shawdowfox]

Week 2 Workout B

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115
5x115
5x115

Bench Press

5x90
5x90
5x90

Barbell Rows

5x95 (bad set)
5x65
5x65
5x65

Assisted Chinups
1x5
1x5

Comments

Today i didnt go with anyone so for the bench press i was scared to attempt the same weight i used to do so i lowered it by 5 pounds on the safe side haha. Squats got upped to 115lbs and felt that they were actually taxing on my legs unlike the last few workouts. I felt my form was off though. Not going ATG. Kinda worried too because i could feel my right knee cracking and clicking. UH OH ! and my balance was off so sometimes I pushed off the right leg more and sometimes left leg more.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 2 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115
5x115
5x115

Military Press

5x65
5x65
5x60

Deadlift

5x90 **warmup**
5x115
4x115

Comments

Was first time i had school then went to the gym right after school. was rather tired when i first got there and didnt want to workout but after shooting around i was all energized. My flexibility and form on my squat seems to be diminishing as everyone workout goes by. im not going deep enough. and when i do get to do deep my right knee seems to click. i hope thats not a sign of patella tendinitis. Military press is my worst excercise ever. i cant advance on them and find myself deloading because i cant complete my regular weights. And i keep forgetting to only do 1 set of deadlifts. ARRRG @!!

[Shawdowfox]

Week 2 Workout B

Squats

6x95 *warmup*
5x115
5x115
5x115

Bench Press

5x95
5x95
5x95

Deadlift

5x95 **warmup**
5x135

Assisted Chinups

2x5

Comments

squats are really getting on my nerve. in the beginning my flexibility is real bad so i try doing more warmups to get my quads and stuff stretched because due to this i cant go parallel let alone ATG. in my last rep i start going parallel. DAMMIT!! i would do another 2 or so but my legs were beat. My bench press is getting better. My arms arent shaking as much and i can do 95lbs almost no problem. Deadlifts I tried to use 45s on each side totaling 135. Wasnt really that bad though but didnt feel my hammies or glutes being used more than I thought. Previously I planned to increase weights on my next workout but instead im gonna wait next next workout.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 3 Workout A

Squats

6x95 *warmup*
5x115
5x115
5x115

Military Press

5x60
5x60
5x60

Assisted Chinups

1x8
1x6

Comments

Very good workout today. All my excercises have gotten easier as i think i have gotten the hang of it. But still my warmups on squats are very annoying. My legs are always stiff so it takes some time and quite a few warmup reps to get loose and be able to go ATG. Military press i find that my back doesnt get used as much which is a plus. Next week i will add 10 lbs to my squat and try doing it for another week and 5 lbs to my military press. I totally screwed up on my plan which was supposed to be squats, press and deadlift. oh well next workout im going to do squat,bench,rows

[Shawdowfox]

Week 3 Workout B

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x125
5x125
5x125

Bench Press

5x95
5x95
5x95

Barbell Row

5x75
5x65
5x65

Assisted Chinups

1x9
1x6

Comments

eh not much to say about this workout. my bench is noticably getting better i find. my arms are more stabled and i can do 95lbs quite easy now. That means that ill be upping weights next workout! WOOT WOOOTT!!!!
still takes me quite a few reps to get my legs stretched out for squats.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 3 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x125
5x125
5x125

Military Press

5x65
5x65
5x65

Deadlift

1x135

Assisted Chinups

1x10
1x6

Comments

GOD. that was the most brutal workout i did. I played a longgg game of pickup ball and i was pretty tired when i went to workout but i missed 4 days because i was too busy with other things. Pushed myself on these excercises and felt they were really lousy and not good form at all. WHen i try to go ATG the side of my quads seem to be really hurtin. Military press was done half assed as I felt my lower back was getting used more than ever again. Deadlift was all good.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 3 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x135
5x135
5x135

Bench Press

5x95
5x95
5x95

Barbell Rows

5x65

Assisted Chinups

1x10
1x8

Comments

Increased weights on squats and they actually felt heavy for once. I liked it though because the other weights were either too light or just not heavy enough. Bench press i think is injuring my left shoulder. I'm probably just having a bad form on it. Barbell Rows i decided not to increase weights until next couple workouts or so.

[Shawdowfox]

WAS ACTUALLY WEEK 4 WORKOUT B ^^
Barbell Rows
5x65
5x65
5x65

Week 4 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x125
5x125
5x125

Military Press

5x60
5x60
5x60

Deadlift

5x135
3x135

Assisted Chinups

1x13
1x8

Comments

Once again missed my last few workouts because i was too busy juggling multisports. Decided to turn down the weight and start working up again because im a bit rusty from the long rest. All the excercises felt wonderful. The squats were great. The Military Press I put my feet side by side and it made a big difference. Either than or the lower weights.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 4 Workout B

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x135
5x135
5x135

Bench Press

5x95
5x95
5x95

Barbell Rows

5x65
5x65
5x65

Preacher Bicep Curls

6x15(each arm once)
6x15(each arm once)

Seated Calf Raises

10x20
10x20

Comments

Today was a good day. I had lots of time so didnt rush anything and with the spare time did some accessory excercises like the biceps and calfs. I just realized that my grip on the bench press was too wide or something. It was a bit wider than shoulder width. Thats the reason why there were pains in my shoulders while doing the Bench Press. I think im going to raise the weights by 5 lbs.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 5 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x145
5x145
5x145

Military Press

5x70
5x70
4x70
5x65

Deadlift

5x135

Comments

Missed yesterdays workout because gym was closed Today I raised the weights on everything and it was pretty tough. My squat form was getting worse farther on this workout. Lowering back to 135lbs next workout. Military was good. I see some improvement but the last set was death. Failed the last rep so I re-did it but took off 5lbs. I felt that putting on the weights and putting them back on during the deadlift was more heinous than the deadlift excercise itself hahaa

[Shawdowfox]

**1 Month Progress**

Squats
95lbs ------> 145lbs

Bench Press
95lbs ------> 95lbs

Deadlift
95lbs ------> 135lbs

Barbell Rows
65lbs ------> 65lbs

Military Press
55lbs ------> 70lbs

Assisted Chinups w/ 30lb assistance
3 reps -----> 13 reps



Comments:
Well its been a rocky first month. Honestly just getting the hang of going to the gym regularly and getting the right macros and ensuring I get a good value of proteins everyday was pretty tough. Had to balance all this with loads of school work and timing it with taking the city buses. First couple of workouts I kept on doing deadlifts and not barbell rows so it really screwed up my whole workout plan and whatnot.

Most of my "leg" excercises like squats and deadlift went up but the rows and presses kind of stalled. I guess I made the mistake of starting out to high.

Overall I feel a bit stronger doing my excercises and my vert has either gotten higher or I just feel more explosive jumping up. I can finally slap the backboard !!!

[Shawdowfox]

Week 5 Workout B

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x155
5x155
5x155

Bench Press

5x100
5x100
5x100

Barbell Rows

5x70
5x70
5x70

Assisted Chinups

1x10

Concentration Bicep Curls

10x17.5 (each hand)
10x17.5 (each hand)

Comments

All excercises felt legit today
Increased weights on every excercise and they werent even that hard! My squat was a little tough though. I find that when going up I dont feel it in my quads anymore or anywhere in particular actually. When im going up its mostly in the shins/calves. Weird...
Bench and Rows went up and felt great. I feel like i can increase them by another 5lbs.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 5 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x155
5x155
5x155

Military Press

5x70
5x70
5x70

Deadlift

5x115 *warmup*
5x145

Assisted Chinups

1x15


Comments

Wow scary day today. During my last rep of squats I almost failed. First time I ever got stuck during the excercise. I felt like I had to let go and climb out the power rack in shame but I fought on and used all my energy and finished it. WHEEW!! Military Press I did 70lbs and thought I couldnt do it but the next set I used a closer grip and it seemed to work my shoulders more and my back is less stressed. Think ill stick with the close grip. Deadlift form feels like its coming along.

[sepandee]

nice man. I'm on the same workout and have been working out for over a month, just like you. The only difference is that my numbers are a little bit higher, but I regret that now and I wish I had started at lower weights, just like yourself. It's kinda hard right now to maintain a correct technique of deadlifts at 205lb. I might actually do a reset but first, I'm going to take some videos and see how good/bad I'm doing, and i'll act accordingly.

Reps for the journal. <subscribed>.

[pu12en12g]

Goals: to have a better vertical, get stronger, and faster for basketball

Awesome, maybe we can share notes

Swing by my journal for insanity and shenanigans

[Shawdowfox]

Week 6 Workout B

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x155
5x155
3x155
2x155


Bench Press

5x100
5x100
5x100

Barbell Rows

5x70
5x70
5x70



Comments

FUKK today i was almost injury prone. First off played a lonnnnng ass game of basketball and i was BEAT from it. When I went to do squats, I had a really hard time doing them. Failed a couple of times and sacrificed form just to finish them. Gonna drop the weights by 10 pounds back to 145lbs. My shoulders were also hurting from the last set of Bench Press. There was like little clicks INSIDE my shoulder so I was pretty scared. Think my barbell rows can move up a couple pounds though

[Shawdowfox]

Week 6 Workout A

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x145
5x145
5x145


Military Press

5x70
5x70
5x70

Deadlift

1x95 *warmup*
5x145 *3 of them had bad form*
3x145

Comments

Working out on Fridays are so sad. Theres no one at the gym maybe a dozen compared to like close to a hundred. Literally. So lonely haha. Anyways decreased the weights on squats to 145lbs. Felt like I did a better job on them. I dont think I went ATG on 6/15 of those squats. Have to work on that next time. Military press feels fine. I think im progressing better now. On the deadlift my form has changed since last time. Last workout my form was almost flawless but today it feels fukked. Maybe I didnt warm up properly =\

[Shawdowfox]

Vertical Update

Today I was outside dunking on my basketball net. It was set to 9 feet give or take. And after a couple of jumping warmups I dunked on it for the first time. WOOOOOTTT!!!!!

So I measured my reach which was 7'7 so im guessing my vert is 17 inches? So finally I have a set number on my vert. My goal is to dunk on an official 10 foot rim by the time September comes. That means I must get a vert of around 33-35. WOWAAA!! Double my vert in less than 5 months. Lets see if the impossible is possible =O

nice man. I'm on the same workout and have been working out for over a month, just like you. The only difference is that my numbers are a little bit higher, but I regret that now and I wish I had started at lower weights, just like yourself. It's kinda hard right now to maintain a correct technique of deadlifts at 205lb. I might actually do a reset but first, I'm going to take some videos and see how good/bad I'm doing, and i'll act accordingly.

Reps for the journal. <subscribed>.

thanks man. I regret starting my bench press at 95lbs. It took me 3 weeks just to be able to hit every rep in a set with taking breaks in between.

Awesome, maybe we can share notes

Swing by my journal for insanity and shenanigans

haha yea ill be sure to check it out

[Shawdowfox]

Week 6 Workout B

Squats

5x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x145
5x145
5x145


Bench Press

5x100
5x100
5x100

Power Cleans

5x55 *warmup*
5x65
5x65
5x65

Comments

First time I did power cleans and they are so fun! hahaha. Still need to get the technique down though. The weights I was working with are really easy so Ill be progressing on the cleans quite fast until I stall. Bench Press was really screwing my shoulders up. In between the sets I got fed up and did some more shoulder dislocations. Came back and wow my shoulders were fixed like magic! I guess I should do lots of those before I do any shoulder excercises.

Squats were good today except my right knee kept clicking when going up. Other than that It was a good workout.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 7 Workout A

Squats

10x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x155
5x155
5x155


Military Press

5x70
5x70
5x70

Deadlift

5x95 *warmup*
5x155

Comments

Damn whats up with my right knee popping and **** on my squats. Its scaring me. Especially during my warmups when going up only my right knee pops. Ive tried to shift the weight on my left leg but no avail. When I got to my work sets it was gone but still. Gotta get it fixed...

I was supposed to raise my weights on military press but I felt too lazy so next workout I will. Deadlifts all good. Oh yea. Today I bought my first whey protein tub. YAY!!! I mixed in one scoop for a cup and damn it tasted watered down. Next time maybe 2 scoops?

Oh yea for those who want to know what kind of protein I bought, its called Allmsx IsoFLEX Whey Protein Isolate Vanilla flavored.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/all/iso.html
it was only 2lbs as I was just testing out to see if i liked it or not.

[Shawdowfox]

Week 7 Workout B

Squats

10x95 *warmup*
5x115*warmup*
5x155
5x155
5x155


Bench Press

5x105
5x105
5x105

Power Cleans

5x55 *warmup*
5x75
3x75
3x75
3x75

Comments

So during the warmups my knees stopped popping but still a couple of pops in there. Anyways the squats were really good. Sometimes I got just about parallel and not ATG but thats my only complaint. Now the grand master of my annoyances. Bench press FUKING hurts my shoulders. I warm up with shoulder dislocations during my break in between my squat sets and many more before I start the BP. Still my left shoulder feels like theres a pin stuck in there whenever I go up. I find that If I closen my grip to inside those smooth rings then my pain goes away.... its a bit inside shoulder width.

I finally get why I have to do 5 sets of 3 reps during power cleans. During my first set I felt my form really break down so I went to sets of 3. Still trying to get my form down....also today is the first day im taking protein shakes right after my workouts.