Blog #6

I am really glad that I got to do the genius project because I was able to learn a lot of new things. I can't pinpoint something big that I learned, but I did learn a lot of useful skills. I learned about nutrition, and about what I put in my body and how it effects my performance on the court and at school. I learned how to work out at the gym, something I have become extremely fond of. Lastly, I have actually increased my VERTICAL. I think the biggest challenge with the genius project is maintaining a fairly healthy diet. I have said this before in previous blogs but I think it was the biggest challenge. Being a kid, I didn't think that I would be able to fully give up candy, so what I did was come up with a compromise. I allowed myself 4 sugary meals every week, such as, cake at my cousins birthday party, getting ice cream with my friends on a hot day, and etc. Below is an app I used on my phone to keep track of what I ate everyday. It is called, My Fitness Pal, and when you search foods on the app, you are able to see all of the nutritional facts for all the foods.

I am pretty excited to show my friends the results. I mean I didn't increase my vertical by a foot or something crazy like that, but I made good progress. Also I think I have done a really good job with sticking to my plan. This week I haven't really been going to the gym though because of all the projects we have due this week and next week. Like I said in blog 5, I want to maintain this workout routine and diet through out the rest of the semester and summer and keep track of my results.

Blog #5

The genius project is going fine so far, we need to start working on our video though because we want to make a video of our progress from the beginning of the project to the end of the project. The things that have since my last entry is that I have gotten stronger and I have been increasing my hops, I can touch rim now. I am personally proud of the dedication I have kept to both my fitness and diet. But I feel like I can do more, like there are so many more ways to workout besides just the gym. I think that our final product will be a video of our progress. An example of this in the following video:

I think I am going to continue this project throughout the summer, but I wont want to work on just jumping. I want to work on all aspects of my game, my shooting, my handles, my defense. I struggle in a lot of aspects of the game so I want to improve those aspects so that I can help out myself and my team. I think the hardest thing will be finding gyms. I can play outside, but I would also want to get some practice on an indoor gym. Also, I think I will have my friends join me in this so that we can all get better together but also motivate each other and push each other to get to our goal. I am pretty sure the biggest issue with all of this is staying motivated and not giving up on myself. I need to first self motivate myself so that I don't fall short of my goal and give up.

Below are some locations that I can start going to to work on my game:

Blog #4

I think that the biggest success and the biggest thing that I become very fond of is going to the gym and working out. I go 4 days a week and I look forward to going to the gym after schools now. Before I didn't really like going to the gym, I saw it as a chore, but now, I have developed a great passion for it. Also my gym is down the block from my house so I can go whenever I want, and it is very cheap so it isn't taking a lot out my allowance. Below is the gym I go to and an image of what the gym looks like:

Some disappointment that I have found is that it is very hard to maintain this diet. I have already stated this but it is a little difficult trying to eat healthy with a small amount of money and always being surrounded by junk food. I have made progress in both my vertical and my strength. I can see a change in my game because I not only jump higher in games but I am able to box out bigger guys more easily (like the loser Justin Robles). My plans haven't changed that much and they are going pretty well. I did a really good job on my plans so I don't need to make any more plans. 

Blog #3

We didn't have to present our Public Pitch to anyone in my class, but I think that my video was pretty good. It was a video of my group giving examples of our workouts and plans for success. My group members came over to film the video at my house and I edited the video. Thinking about it more, I think I was absent the day we had to present public pitches so I didn't receive any feedback from it yet. Currently, I just need to work on maintaining a healthy diet. I have started to enjoy working out because I am at the point where I can see the changes my body is going through because of working out. But I am still surrounded by junk food at home so I have caved a few times and ate junk food. I invested some time in learning about Eli Merling's genius project and I am thoroughly impressed. His workouts has inspired me to do more research on my workouts and change them so that they are more effective.

Here is the video my group made:

Blog #1

          I am pretty excited to do this project because I have never done a project that involved me coming up with the idea, steps, and final product. I have never done a project that takes up a whole semester and is led by just me. I think it will be a fun and unique experience and I cannot wait to start it. I am curious about pretty much everything. This project allows me to have complete freedom and the capability to choose to learn about whatever I want, as long as it is school appropriate. Currently, I am interested in improving my skills as a basketball player and I am interested in learning how to increase my vertically and hopefully be able to dunk. My group and I are inspired by both Nate Robinson and Spud Webb because both of these players are not only under 6 foot, Spud is 5'7" and Nate is 5'9", they have won the NBA Slam Dunk Competition. They may be grown men, but they are proof that anyone at any height can dunk as long as they have the motivation and passion to achieve that goal.

Blog #2

          The project is going well so far. I have all of my workouts planned out for the rest of the year (listed below) and I am doing a good job staying on track with the workout routine and diet. When it comes to my workout routine, I have both been getting stronger and looking/feeling more in shape. But something I could work on is my cardio, because lifting just mainly helps your strength, not your cardio. Diet wise, like I predicted in my plan, I am able to eat eggs and such for breakfast, a sandwich with fruit and granola bars for lunch, but dinner is always a surprise. It has been a bit difficult because my house has a lot of sweets and chips in it, so everything is pretty tempting. I won't lie, I have had a piece of candy or two since my diet, but I am pretty sure there wont be any drastic effects from consuming that candy. I am feeling pretty excited about my project and I cannot wait to start seeing results.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/the-benefits-of-post-workout-carbohydrates.html

Workout Routine

Day 1:

Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 10

Incline Bench Press - 4 x 10 

Pull-ups - 4 x 10

Seated Cable Rows - 4 x 10

Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 3 x 10

Upright Row - 3 x 10

Side Lateral Raise - 3 x 10

Lying Tricep Press - 3 x 10 

Dumbbell Bench Press - 3 x 10

Crunches - 3 x 15 per section

Day 2:

Barbell Squat - 4 x 10

Seated Leg Press - 4 x 10

Power Clean from Blocks - 3 x 10

Barbell Step-up - 3 x 10 

Barbell lunges - 2 x 15

Stand Calf Raise - 2 x 10

Back Extension - 3 x 10

Crunches - 3 x 15 per section

Day 3: Rest

Day 4:

Barbell Incline Bench Press - 4 x 10

Barbell Bench Press - 4 x 10

Lat Pulldown - 4 x 10

Shoulder (Military) Press - 3 x 10

Barbell Shrug - 3 x 10

Bench Dip - 3 x 10

Close Grip Barbell Curl - 3 x 10

Concentration Curl - 2 x 10

Crunches - 3 x 15 per section

Day 5:

Leg Press - 4 x 10

Seated Leg Curl - 4 x 10

Power Clean from Blocks -

Dumbbell Lunge - 4 x 10

Standing Calf - 3 x 15

Back Extension - 3 x 10

Crunches - 3 x 15 per section

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Rest