Jump Attack

Do the program exactly as I’m giving it to you and give your maximum effort. That’s it. If you can do those two things, here’s what you’ll get in return: • Explosive athleticism for improved performance • Increased vertical jump, muscle mass, power, speed, and agility • A tighter, leaner physique • Mental toughness and endurance • Effective rest and recovery • Nutritional guidelines for improved performance • Injury prevention • Improvement in your overall ability (Location 103)

Every workout in this program is based on my Explosive Sequences, comprised of exercises that must be done in a specific order. There are fifteen unique sequences in this book, five in each phase of the workout. Each sequence has three parts: • a preexhaustion move to fatigue certain muscles and to loosen the hip area; • a combination of different muscular contractions and plyometrics; • a stretch. (Location 237)

So do all the moves, do the stretches, no matter how many times they appear in the workout. (Location 271)

If you only lift heavy, you end up stronger but slower, without the elasticity needed to snap that rubber band. This is the only program that trains you by shortening and lengthening your muscles (Location 309)

at the same time. In Jump Attack, you’ll be doing three types of work: eccentric, concentric, and isometric. (Location 311)

Anyone can start something; very few people can finish. (Location 444)

For the Force phase, choose weights that are challenging for you, slightly lighter than you normally use for weight training. You can always go up, and you will; increase the amount of weight you lift each week, and between sets if you can, but make sure you maintain your form. If you’re struggling, the weight is too heavy. If you’re not feeling the effort, the weight is too light. The amount of weight you lift is much less important than moving it correctly. • Remember, we’re going for explosive speed; this is not a weight-lifting program. I don’t care how much you can lift, I care about how quickly you can move the weight from here to there. That’s how you become explosive: speed, not bulk. (Location 1127)

If you have to add a little skim milk or berries or a drop of peanut butter to it, go ahead, but remember we’re cutting your sugars, not slathering them over otherwise healthy food. (Location 1916)

If your goal is to lose weight . . . don’t eat after 8:00 p.m. (Location 1947)

If you’re really hungry and need to eat, make it lean protein (chicken or turkey breast, for example) and a big glass of water, not sweets or chips with a soda. (Location 1951)

A full stomach interferes with your ability to get complete rest, and you need that rest. (Location 1953)

I want you to follow all these guidelines, but if I had to stress one point, one thing you can do to improve overall performance, it’s this: control your sugar intake, and learn to understand how much sugar is contained in what you eat and drink. (Location 1956)

If you want to know how much sugar flows through your body, flush it all out for twenty-one days and see how it feels. You have no idea how deeply sugar affects you until you take it all away; the side effects can be intense. You’ll get a crazy headache behind one eye. You’ll get hot, you’ll get cold, you’ll want to throw up. You’ll shake like a heroin addict going through withdrawal because, guess what? You are. It’s a serious challenge. But the results are almost immediate, and it works like nothing else to burn off the fat, reset your sugar levels to where they should be, and boost your performance in every way. (Location 1975)

But it’s a fact that the more sugar you consume, the more you’ll crave . . . so you’ll consume more, and crave more, and . . . well, you get it. If your blood sugar levels are under control, your cravings will be under control too. (Location 1992)

Now, I have no problem with sports drinks while you’re working out, training, practicing hard, as a carbohydrate source to replace what you’ve burned up and replenish what you’ve lost. During a game, during a workout, that’s the time for this. But not as a beverage while you’re sitting around watching TV or having dinner. Way too much sugar. You want to replace sugars you’ve lost, not add excess to your body. (Location 1998)

I promise you, all those stimulants in energy drinks and caffeinated drinks aren’t helping you as an athlete. They throw your heart rate way up, affect your central nervous system and your fine motor movements, alter your mental capacity, get you feeling hyper. (Location 2013)

Reduce or eliminate the sugar and caffeine and see how good you’ll feel and how much better you’ll perform. (Location 2016)

WHAT IF I HAVE GAMES ON REST DAYS? You can compete or do anything you want on Day 3, Day 6, and Day 7 (Rest and Recovery Days); I just don’t want you using weights to work the muscles you’ve been working. On one of those days, though, you should take a complete day off from everything that requires physical and mental focus on training and playing sports. (Location 2067)

Move. The more you use your muscles, the faster they’ll start to flush out the lactic acid burn you get from really working them in a new way (and there’s a lot of that in this program). The worst thing you can do for tired, sore muscles is sit and moan about the soreness; it will take you so much longer to feel better. Use your body. Stretch. (Location 2082)

It’s easy: once a day, ten to fifteen minutes max. That’s it. Waist high; do not submerge the chest or head. If possible, do it within an hour or so after a workout or game, but if you can’t do it that soon, do it when you can. You can take an ice bath every day, and you will benefit more from a recovery standpoint than anything else you do. If ice isn’t available, you can use cold water in a tub; it doesn’t have to be filled with ice. (Location 2111)

good you are, you can always be better. (Location 2231)