Adding 10 inches to your Vertical Jump while adding 80 lbs of muscle
Over the last 4.5 years I have had the pleasure of training Luke Buckley of Walpole, MA. He is one of the most dedicated athletes I have ever seen. He has a contagious work ethic on and off the field.
I first met Luke in early June of 2011. We sat down and talked for 30 minutes about nutrition, hydration, sleep, and how to really take care of one’s body. Luke was entering the summer prior to 9th grade… weighing in at a daunting 107.8 lbs while earning himself a modest 21.5 inch Vertical Jump.
Fast forward 4.5 years and Luke now weighs in at 189.8 lbs, 8% body fat, with a vert jump of 31.5 inches. That is an increase of 82 lbs and 10 inches on his vertical jump.
Below is a screenshot of his performance tests of the past 4.5 years.
Luke Buckley
Senior, Xaverian Brothers HS
Lacrosse, Attack
Committed to Ohio State
6/22/2011
| Weight | Vert Jump | Hang Clean | Chin Ups | DB Chest Press |
| 107.8 | 21.5 | N/A | 8 | 35 |
1/14/2012
| Weight | Vert Jump | Hang Clean | Chin Ups | DB Chest Press |
| 124.6 | 22 | 95 | 10 | 45 |
1/4/2013
| Weight | Vert Jump | Hang Clean | Chin Ups | DB Chest Press |
| 139.2 | 23.5 | 115 | 12 | 55 |
1/10/2014
| Weight | Vert Jump | Hang Clean | Chin Ups | DB Chest Press |
| 169.4 | 26 | 165 | 14 | 70lbs |
1/5/2015
| Weight | Vert Jump | Hang Clean | Chin Ups | DB Chest Press | 40 yard dash | Body Fat % |
| 189.8 | 31.5 | 230 | 18 | 95lbs | 4.6 | 8.2 |
This is all well and good, but how did Luke make these gains? My athletes roll their eyes at this point since they have heard me preach the following hundreds of times:
Anyone can go into the gym and throw weights around and run sprint, only a few can really commit themselves to a consistent A+ diet. You only spend 5-6% of your life actually dedicated to training; a very small percentage. What are your doing with the other 94-95%?
Lifting weights and running sprints is all just a stimulus. Getting bigger, faster, stronger is the adaptation. You will spend 5% of our life creating the stimulus and 95% is spent adapting to this stimulus. Maximizing this 95% completely depends on your ability to optimize your individual nutrition, hydration, and sleep. My job is create the stimulus and give out the tools to maximize the adaptation. It’s on the athletes to execute this recovery and preparation plan.
Below is a sample outline of what Luke Buckley has been eating for the past 4 years. Granted, I have modified and tweaked this nutrition plan over the years but you will get the idea. (Note: There are many strategies used to getting bigger, faster, and stronger. The goal here for LUKE’s specific nutrition plan was to eat like an absolute monster during his off-season (Aug 1st – Feb 1st) and facilitate big strength and power gains. During the pre-season and in-season sessions (Feb 1st – spring lax – summer recruiting tour lax) Luke ate for athleticism, utilizing his strength and power gains as tools to build speed and explosiveness.
OFF-Season Nutrition
- Breakfast: 8am
- Vitamin
- 4 egg omelet, 1/2 cup spinach, cheese
- 4 slice of bread with 4 tbsp almond butter
- dash of cinnamon on bread
- OR
- Protein Shake, containing the following:
- 8oz water
- 2 bananas
- 2 cups blueberries or strawberries
- 4 tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
- 1-2 cups of granola or oatmeal
- 30g of casein protein powder
- Alternative Options
- “breakfast pudding” put the following in a blender
- 2 frozen bananas, blended until creamy
- 1/4 cup of almond milk
- 30-40g of casein protein
- 2 squares of cacao chocolate
- with side dish:
- 4 pieces of whole grain toast
- 2 tbsp of almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 tsp of creatine in coffee or green tea
- Snack 10:30
- 2 cups of granola
- Chobani Yogurt
- 1 cup blueberries/strawberries
- 1 fish oil capsule
- Lunch 12:00
- 12oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 2 cup brown rice/quinoa
- 2 cup veggies
- Snack 2:15
- PBJ with a piece of fruit, or…
- 1 wheat wrap
- 1 banana
- 2 spoons almond butter
- Workout 3:15
- 40g of grass-fed whey protein/20oz water
- 3 cups of any fruit
- Recovery 5:00
- 16oz of lean meat
- 3 cups veggies
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut
- 2 large sweet potatoes or baked potatoes made any way you like
- Rebuild 7:30
- 8oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup veggies
- (based on goals, carb optional)
- Snack 930
- 2 tbsp of Almond butter
- 2 celery sticks
- Pre-Bed
- 1tbsp flax oil
- 500mg magnesium (2 tablets)
Non – Workout Days(Training 3:15-4:45)
“Moderate Calorie Day”
- Breakfast: 8am
- 3 egg omelet, 1/2 cup spinach, cheese
- Vitamin 2 slice of bread with 4 tbsp almond butter
- dash of cinnamon on bread
- OR
- Protein Shake, containing the following:
- 8oz water
- 1 bananas
- 1 cups blueberries or strawberries
- 2tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
- 1-2 cups of granola or oatmeal
- 30g of casein protein powder
- Alternative Options
- “breakfast pudding” put the following in a blender
- 2 frozen bananas, blended until creamy
- 1/4 cup of almond milk
- 30-40g of casein protein
- 2 squares of cacao chocolate
- with side dish:
- 2 pieces of whole grain toast
- 1 tbsp of almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 tsp of creatine in coffee or green tea
- Snack 10:30
- 1 cups of granola
- Chobani Yogurt
- 1 cup blueberries/strawberries
- 1 fish oil capsule
- Lunch 12:00
- 12oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 2 cup brown rice/quinoa
- 2 cup veggies
- Snack 3:00
- PBJ with a piece of fruit, or…
- 1 wheat wrap
- 1 banana
- 2 spoons almond butter
- Dinner 6
- 12oz of lean meat
- 2 cups veggies
- 1 cup sauerkraut
- 1 large sweet potato or baked potato made any way you like
- Snack 9:30
- 6-8oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup veggie
- Pre-Bed
- 2 tbsp of Almond butter
- 2 celery sticks
- 1tbsp flax oil
- 500mg magnesium (2 tablets)
Pre & In-Season Nutrition
Workout Day (Training 5:00-6:30pm)
- Breakfast: 8am
- 4 egg omelet, 1/2 cup spinach, cheese
- 2 tbsp of Almond butter
- 2 slice ezekiel bread or oatmeal
- dash of cinnamon on bread
- 1 Vitamin
- Snack 10:30
- 2 cups of granola
- Chobani Yogurt
- 1 cup blueberries/strawberries
- 1 fish oil capsule
- Lunch 12:00
- 8oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 1 cup brown rice/quinoa
- 1 cup veggies
- Snack 3:00
- PBJ with a piece of fruit, or…
- 1 wheat wrap
- 1 banana
- 2 spoons almond butter
- Snack 5:00
- granola bar
- Workout:
- 40g of grass-fed whey protein/20oz water
- 1 cup of melon
- 1 cup of blueberries
- Recovery 6:30
- 10oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 1 cup baked potato (or beans)
- 1 cup veggies
- Rebuild 8:30
- 8oz of lean meat (fish/turkey/chicken/beef)
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 cup veggies
- (based on goals, carb optional)
- Snack 10 (if needed)
- 2 tbsp of Almond butter
- 2 celery sticks
- or 1 cup veggies (pending goals)
- 2 tbsp hummus
- Pre-Bed
- 1tbsp flax oil
Non-Workout Day
- Breakfast:
- 3 egg omelet/scrambled
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup diced pepper
- oatmeal
- 1 scoop peanut butter
- 1 dash of cinnamon
- Snack 1:
- 1-2 cups of granola
- Chobani Yogurt
- 1 fish oil capsule
- Lunch:
- Garden Salad
- 6 oz of lean meat
- balsamic/olive oil/vinegar
- 1 cup of sweet potato
- Snack 2:
- 1 cup of almonds
- Dinner:
- 6oz of Lean meat
- 1 cup of veggies
- 1 cup carb(pending goals)
- Snack: (if needed)
- 1 cup veggie
- 1 tbsp hummus
- or
- 2 tbsp of Almond butter
- 2 celery sticks
- Pre-Bed
- 1tbsp flax oil
TRAINING
Luke’s training consisted of the following (strategies/volume/intensity predicated upon training season): We used progressive overload, de-load, off days, active rest days, rest weeks, etc… in a well-balanced and strategic training program. Below is a brief illustration of Luke’s training over the years, and I apologize in advance for the ambiguity of the program description. Often times we would have multiple types of training on the same day… some days would just be speed work/agility and conditioning.
Example Training Session: 90 minutes Start to Finish
- 10-15min Warm Up – Myofascial Work – Dynamic Stretch – Corrective Exercise/Activation
- 10-15min Speed Technique – Speed Work
- 5-10min Plyos/Core Work
- 45min Resistance Training (Lift)
- 10min Conditioning: Bike Work or Sleds
- 10min Foam Roll – Static Stretch
Strength/Power Training:
3-4x week for 45 minutes. The following were all used as “tools,” and pending the training season we would move the training pendulum toward one tool more than the others. Utilizing Olympic lifts, power lifts, and “functional training.
Speed/Agility Training:
2-3x week for 20-30 minutes
Balance/Core/Corrective Exercise/Flexibility:
Worked in throughout every training session and off-days
Conditioning: 2-3x week focusing on anaerobic output (note the lack of “classic long distance training”)
Pending the day of week/phase conditioning included the following:
- Circuit Training 10-15 minutes max
- Shuttles ranging from 5-50 yard segments and 50-300 yard total distances during one set.
- Sprints 10-50 yards
- Bike Work (great for low impact conditioning on lower body days)
- Sleds (all shapes and sizes) never pushing/pulling for more than 60 yards
- Slideboards (never longer than 30 seconds at time)
INJURIES
- 2011 – Rolled Ankle, minor sprain
- 2013 – Rolled Ankle, moderate sprain
- 2014 – Shoulder Subluxation, grade 2
Take Home Notes
This cannot be stressed this enough: any athlete can go into a gym, lift weights, and run sprints. Not many people have the dedication to maximize the nutrition, hydration, and sleeping portion of the program. A “training program” isn’t just lifting and sprinting. It is preparing food for yourself throughout the day, planning ahead, getting to bed early, taking advantage of off-days (insert myofascial work and stretching here), being smart enough to take REST WEEKS, incorporating a deload week every 4-6 weeks.
Enjoy the process. Training for sports performance is a journey. Sports are fun. The training process promotes personal growth, provides structure, improves mental toughness, builds character, and helps establish personality. This journey is yours, you ultimately decided where it takes you.
Joe Drain CSCS