Click here to view the embedded video.

I uploaded the video of my UTEP jumps directly to my Facebook Fan Page so head there if you’re interested in checking that out. Next up for me will be a couple of meet in Brazil in May but in the mean time I’m heading to one of my least favorite cities this weekend to support Ayanna at the Penn Relays.

As far as Wednesday’s workout is concerned, it went pretty well in my opinion. Check out the video below of my “cleanest” run through and a short approach jump of the session. For some reason my timing and posture were a bit off as far as my jump phase is concerned so my landing wasn’t as crisp as usual and I kept robbing myself of a couple feet. Don’t laugh at how I ended up sprawled out in the pit. 2 out of 3 phases isn’t bad though especially considering that this is only our second “true jumping” workout of the year and my hop-step is what I have been really working to get down so far. Of course. as always, there’s still room to improve in the hop-step transition and I’m still getting used to this technique change from a month or so ago.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Finally, last week we did some weight room and jump testing. I was slacking a bit and didn’t get any video but here are the results.

• Weight Room
  • Bench Press (arms to 90 degrees) – 315 lbs/143 kgs
  • Power Clean – 320 lbs/145 kgs
  • Power Snatch – 221 lbs/100 kgs
  • Hang Snatch – 208 lbs/94 kgs
  • Deadlift – 408 lbs/185 kgs
• Jump Tests
  • 4 Hops (Right) – 75’9″/23.08m *personal best*
  • 4 Hops (Left) – 73’0″/22.25m
  • 2 Hops-2 Steps (LLRL) – 74’7″/22.73m *personal best*
  • 4 Steps (RLRL) – 75’7″/23.04m *personal best*

In any case, we spent a good amount of time in the weight room last week including a couple of days where I got to go push my max up a bit in the hang clean and hang snatch. My coach and I are fully aware that I need approach/rhythm work perhaps more than anything at this point, but we always like getting some quality time in the weight room during the summer since such lifting opportunities are few and far between when I’m overseas or away at any meet for that matter. Besides, I got some good runway work and a speed session in between the days where I was pumping iron so it’s all good. After a couple of much needed rest days thanks to last week’s volume, it was back to work on the runway yesterday; still working on strength though as  I got to bring out an old friend: my weight vest.

I’ve been trying to sharpen my Windows Movie Maker skills just for the heck of it (and because it’s fun…when it’s not frustrating) and also so I could avoid posting a whole bunch of separate videos. Check out the masterpiece I came up with. The two weight room maxes are on separate days; two days apart to be exact and for those who were wondering.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I probably shouldn’t invest in a copy of Final Cut Pro yet though huh?

But, my strength continues to improve and at this point I’ve hit the lifting goals I set out for the season. At the same time, I actually think my speed has continued to improve through this point in the season as well. That said, the only thing left to do then is end the 2010 campaign with a bang and of course there’s no mystery as to what’s held me back on the runway thus far. Fortunately for me I’ve got at least one more opportunity and Brussels is as good a place as any to get it right; especially considering the fact that the 47,000 seat stadium is sold out!

In the mean and in between I’ll keep training hard although there will be a bit of a taper in the volume and intensity as the 27th approaches. I’ve also been really appreciative of the free time I’ve had in between training sessions since it means I get to let my brain rot a bit with computer games (StarCraft II), movies, television and now Madden since it came out yesterday. I’ve been knocking some things off of my leisure reading list too though so it’s not all bad. Still, I’m ready for football season to get here like everybody else.

Taking into account the fact that I don’t have an indoor facility to use on a consistent basis, my coach suggested that I take these next couple of weeks “easy.” That said, even though when I’m home I definitely still keep my lifting up as much as possible, there’s nothing like having platforms and bumper plates so you can throw your weights around during Olympic lifts. Since I just lift at a family-type gym nearby, I usually have to bring my weight percentages down a notch or two so I can actually catch the weights after each rep and avoid getting tossed out of the place for putting a hole in the ground. Luckily, I don’t have the same problem with squats so I’ll power through in that department in anticipation of things being taken up another level in January.

Aside from hitting the weights relatively hard, I will most likely spend a fair bit of time in the pool over the next couple of weeks. I haven’t done pool workouts since college though so I’m actually looking forward to it. It will most likely just consist of drills and some sprints in the shallow end, which will allow me to get some resistance training in…not very much resistance, but it’s better than nothing. I guess you just have to “make it do what it do” when you can’t put the sprint spikes on and speed down the straightaway. I’m also pretty certain that the pool workouts will help with recovery from the little nagging soreness I have from the intensity of the past couple week’s workouts which consisted of a good amount of box drills and heavy lifting, with some light speed work mixed in.

I also try to link up with my high school coach (Coach Burks) and his team while I’m home. Not to workout really, but rather to spend some time with the kids and share some of the knowledge and experience I’ve gained since leaving Newburgh Free Academy (NFA). Every now and then,  I’ll get lucky and Coach Burks will make use of his connects and get the team into West Point’s indoor facility for a few workouts. It beats running through the high school’s hallways or shoveling snow out of a couple of lanes and hitting the track, which is what we used to do! So, I of course have no problem making the 25 minute drive out to West Point and tagging along with the team for the chance to get a quality workout (even though the pool work definitely serves a purpose during this transition portion of the season). In the event that I make it out to West Point during the break, I’ll definitely try and get some jumping in with the weight vest.

I do have a favorite hill nearby that I like to use whenever the temperature gets above 40-45 degrees during the break, BUT given that the forecast for the next week or so doesn’t mention anything above 35 degrees, I’ll stick to the weights, pool and cross my fingers for an opportunity to head to West Point. I’ll update everybody on how things are going to shape up for the early portion of the indoor season once 2010 gets here. Right now though, all things are pointing towards a January 16th start to my season and I’m looking forward to it. To quote a friend of mine: “2009 was the preparation and 2010 is the execution.” More info to come though…

Happy Holidays folks!

Also, If you know me, you’ll know that I take my lifting seriously. My big weight room goals for this year are to hang clean 300 lbs and hang snatch 200 lbs. I think that these lifts are a good indicator of how explosive I’ll be on the track/runway and good lifting sessions prior to a meet tend to = good meet results for me. Considering how the last four weeks went in the weight room, I don’t think I’ll have a problem hitting those numbers.

I’ve also been doing some light bounding here and there and in spite of the fact that I felt flat for the first week or two things, have picked up very quickly and my body is starting to get back to where it was last season. The triple jump is definitely like riding a bike and I’m fortunate for that since it means I can pretty much pick up where I left off in terms of training and even speed work although I haven’t even looked at my sprint or jumping spikes since starting up. I’m ready to take on more in this next phase of practice though, so onward and upward!