Selected Goal
Aaron DUNKs
October 04, 2012
In any case, for those of you (1?) who are interested, my findings are below (warning: charts!)
The dips represent travel weekends with a mixture of late nights and cute, little naps before heading to the airport at an ungodly hour.
Grade: A-
My goal here is to minimize the time that the red curve stays at zero, which grossly simplifies a catabolic state.
You may notice that the curves pop up around 4AM Tuesday and Wednesday. Yep. I woke up to eat. Sort of. I set an alarm to take some Branched Chain Amino Acids, which stave off catabolism, then went back to sleep. I won't do this unless I'm in the swing of things.
Travel is tough, but regular weekends continue to be a problem, so I'll have to focus on those.
Grade: B-
Granted, this takes into account some rough travel weekends, but overall, I'm about 2/3 compliant, with some room to improve for sure. This is the one I feel the most regardless of data, but data keeps me objective.
Grade: B- (taking in account traveling. C+ otherwise.)
There. I'll be continuing this habit, and it surprisingly doesn't take much effort to log with a google spreadsheet and its ability to create web forms (plus some analysis overhead). I definitely encourage you to log what behavior you want to improve.
October 01, 2012
October 01, 2012
I've been reading up on single-leg jumping technique, and I think I've been doing it wrong all along, probably ever since middle school high jump.
It turns out that the widely accepted technique for an optimal running jump is a proper penultimate step. Specifically, this second to last step needs to be longer than the ones before, with the final step being short and quick. I somehow wound up doing the opposite, with my final two steps being short-long.
This is good news. It represents some relatively free, untapped potential once I get the hang of the proper jumping technique. I'll have to correct a bad habit, but project DUNK is essentially an exercise in habits. I've already begun incorporating penultimate drills into my dunk-specific and plyo workouts, and while it was tricky and disappointing at first, I can already tell it will be beneficial movingforupward.
September 13, 2012
It happens a lot.
I get it, though. Having to put in your email can be a bit of a commitment, and little as that may seem to ask of someone, even for a friend, it's a barrier.
If I can find more than a few hours every several weeks, it'll be done in no time.
Next after that will be adding a facebook login using omniauth, which seems simple, but may be tricky for users who have already signed in with email. More facebook integration to follow, perhaps, but other features may compete for my attention.
September 12, 2012
The point of this post is not to simply complain or to boost sales of DUNKbonds.
The point is to verbalize the notion that There Will Be Rough Times, and therefore convince myself to look past the current bummer and stick to the plan with some long-term optimism.
Schedule wise, falling out of the routine doesn't justify the inertia of laziness. I need to keep finding ways to work around the disruptions. As for injuries, I've seen numerous minor, troubling injuries come and go since I started training, and I have to listen to my body and adapt accordingly. The important thing to remember is that this is a long term project, and I do still have a lot of potential in all three aspects: relative strength, elasticity/reactivity, and body composition.
Keep on keepin on, self.
*Results have remained roughly between tennis ball and softball, though last night (9.11.12) I couldn't get even the tennis ball down. Granted, I lifted pretty damn heavy the day before, so what would I actually expect? Still, it was disappointing, especially given the return of the shin pain.
Reviewing Sleep and Diet Data
About six weeks ago I posted about how I wanted to improve some of my habits by logging and reviewing the data. Well, I should probably log how often I review data, because I finally got around to what I thought might be a weekly check-in.In any case, for those of you (1?) who are interested, my findings are below (warning: charts!)
Getting Enough Sleep
Earlier in the summer, I decided to start trying to get about eight hours of sleep most nights. I started slow and built my way up into the habit. So far, it has been reasonably successful. Most nights I'm getting between seven and eight hours (not to mention, I feel pretty great as a result.)
Grade: A-
Remembering to Eat
A common problem for muscle recovery is reaching what's known as a state of catabolism. In short, if you don't supply yourself a steady stream of protein throughout the day, your body starts to break down muscle tissue. Solution: eat every 3-4hrs. I created a simplified, linear model based on how much food I eat and when and can visualize the data in a timeline chart, excerpted below:
My goal here is to minimize the time that the red curve stays at zero, which grossly simplifies a catabolic state.
You may notice that the curves pop up around 4AM Tuesday and Wednesday. Yep. I woke up to eat. Sort of. I set an alarm to take some Branched Chain Amino Acids, which stave off catabolism, then went back to sleep. I won't do this unless I'm in the swing of things.
Travel is tough, but regular weekends continue to be a problem, so I'll have to focus on those.
Grade: B-
Food: Compliance to Plan
I try to eat in a manner in which I get by on mostly good fats & lean protein most of the time (plus non-grain veggies), and save my quick glycemic index carbs for the period after a workout. This is the "plan." I'm trying to get to about 85% compliance. I rated each meal on a good/bad scale from +3 to -3, and here's how I did.
Grade: B- (taking in account traveling. C+ otherwise.)
Conclusion: It's working. You should do it, too.
There. I'll be continuing this habit, and it surprisingly doesn't take much effort to log with a google spreadsheet and its ability to create web forms (plus some analysis overhead). I definitely encourage you to log what behavior you want to improve.
October 01, 2012
Halfway There
It's October. I've only got 5 months left. New bonds are down to $5.00!October 01, 2012
The Wrong Jump
A few of my friends have a saying: "You're doing it wrong."I've been reading up on single-leg jumping technique, and I think I've been doing it wrong all along, probably ever since middle school high jump.
It turns out that the widely accepted technique for an optimal running jump is a proper penultimate step. Specifically, this second to last step needs to be longer than the ones before, with the final step being short and quick. I somehow wound up doing the opposite, with my final two steps being short-long.
This is good news. It represents some relatively free, untapped potential once I get the hang of the proper jumping technique. I'll have to correct a bad habit, but project DUNK is essentially an exercise in habits. I've already begun incorporating penultimate drills into my dunk-specific and plyo workouts, and while it was tricky and disappointing at first, I can already tell it will be beneficial moving
September 13, 2012
What's Coming Soon on dunkbonds.com
People tell me they visited the site and read the story. They may even say they like it, and that I may have explained the concept well. I appreciate that, even if they're lying, and my next question is whether they signed in and checked out the insides. "Oh, no. I didn't sign up yet."It happens a lot.
I get it, though. Having to put in your email can be a bit of a commitment, and little as that may seem to ask of someone, even for a friend, it's a barrier.
Guest User Functionality
The simple solution is the guest user, so folks can easily get in, poke around the site, and read up on the goal and blog posts from within www.dunkbonds.com (rather than through blogspot, which has been a confusing but necessary evil thus far), delaying registration until a user is really ready to support the goal and buy a bond or two.If I can find more than a few hours every several weeks, it'll be done in no time.
Next after that will be adding a facebook login using omniauth, which seems simple, but may be tricky for users who have already signed in with email. More facebook integration to follow, perhaps, but other features may compete for my attention.
September 12, 2012
There Will Be Rough Times
The last few weeks have not been ideal for DUNK training. A bit of travel threw a wrench into my training and cooking routines, not to mention the sleep schedule. I wound up with a cold which took me out for another few days. I also think I may be nursing some shin splints, or some other lower leg problem. When I have found time to get to the court to practice jumping, I've not been satisfied with the rather stagnant results.*The point of this post is not to simply complain or to boost sales of DUNKbonds.
The point is to verbalize the notion that There Will Be Rough Times, and therefore convince myself to look past the current bummer and stick to the plan with some long-term optimism.
Schedule wise, falling out of the routine doesn't justify the inertia of laziness. I need to keep finding ways to work around the disruptions. As for injuries, I've seen numerous minor, troubling injuries come and go since I started training, and I have to listen to my body and adapt accordingly. The important thing to remember is that this is a long term project, and I do still have a lot of potential in all three aspects: relative strength, elasticity/reactivity, and body composition.
Keep on keepin on, self.
*Results have remained roughly between tennis ball and softball, though last night (9.11.12) I couldn't get even the tennis ball down. Granted, I lifted pretty damn heavy the day before, so what would I actually expect? Still, it was disappointing, especially given the return of the shin pain.