Hey Coach Joe, You are my guru,keep it up and thanks in advance.
I am using the Westside template fo 4 month now and I got much stronger through it, but my jumping and my quickness decreased, why is that and what can I do? I am a basketball player at 27 am 5-9 , 185 lbs , vert 26 inches now 25 , bench increased from 87Kg to 105Kg 1RM and Low boxsquat 120Kg to 135Kg 1RM (all since westside). My nutrition is not perfect, but does not suck as well and I just started a strict diet. My relative body strength is not as good as it should either (from a feel).
Do you have any ideas or template changes for me to turn my weaknesses into strength? I would do anything.
Help me please!!!
Hey bro, don’t mean to butt in, but I wanted to ask what kind of “strict diet” you’re on? The reason is if you are on a very low carb diet your muscles could be very glycogen starved and your explosive strength could have gone down because of that. The increases in your maxes could have come because you simply “got better” at doing the lifts, or your core and stability is better. Just a thought…
bigbugga
Thanks man, actually, I used to do that low carb stuff, but now it just a no Junkfood and sweets diet, since I used to be a junkie for that. It?s a diet where I eat healthy. I used to train the bodybuilder way before I got introduced to westside, and I very very slowly got stronger if at all, but since westside I have a strength boost. But no speed or vert increases…
You probably need to do more work for velocity and reactivity. To give you an idea think of your speed and jumping ability as measurements of power.
Power = strength x speed
If you increase either “strength” or “speed” or both you will see an increase. Since it’s generally easier to increase strength that’s why strength training serves as such a foundation for speed dominant athletes. However, how efficiently you convert that strength into power is key and this will be determined by how much strength you can gain before you start to detract from your speed. In your case the added strength has likely caused a decrease in your speed so go to work on the other side of the power equation. Maintain your strength but focus on RFD and reactivity.
Kelly -
Why would strength detract from speed?
[quote]FootSoldier wrote:
Kelly -
Why would strength detract from speed?[/quote]
strength could theoretically detract from speed if you are consistently lifting only heavy weights, which in turn means lifting slowly. (e.g. how much faster can you move a bar with 50% of your 1RM as opposed to 90% of your 1RM?) always lifting heavy/slowly means you’re training your muscles to fire that way. i’ve made tremendous progess lately by incorporating speed days where i use a small fraction of my 1RM and move the bar as quickly as possible.