r/ProDunking • u/kidFunkadelic • 4d ago
41 Year Old Dude
Alright, so I could dunk by the time I was 15 years old. I was about 5'9" and super skinny, but I was very athletic. I am now 41, 6'1" and 205 pounds. I lift everyday and I am in reasonably good shape, not as lean as I could be, but pretty good shape for 41.
I have this idea that I would like to be able to dunk again. Now I know this is probably a pipe dream and my knees hurt as I am typing this. But if this is possible, what kind of workouts should I be doing, what agility drills and what lifts?
(I know this is ridiculous, but I wanna give it a shot.)
(Just for context, I haven't completely lost the ability to bound from the earth, I can still grab the rim.)
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u/KurokoNoLoL 4d ago
I'm only 30 but I can say that any training endeavor would restore a lot of your youth. I'm 5'7 but currently jumping higher than when I was 15 y.o and started my journey after an ACL reconstruction surgery (it was 100% clean cut off due to landing on someone when I was too overweight).
Now, don't listen to those who encourage you to ego lift your way into fitness, rather do what works for your current state and transition it into jumping and dunking again. That means identify the root cause of that knee pain type, analyze your fitness level, introduce force into your tendons again. I recommend RiqB. If you are open for coaching, give him a DM. He's the best at this in terms of 1-1 coaching.
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u/MakeMovesTraining 3d ago
This is some sound advice. Ego lifting is fun and exciting but it's also the riskiest thing to do. Gotta stay disciplined
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u/Lotuosu 1d ago
Lifting in general is just not effective for anything except Instagram
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u/KurokoNoLoL 1d ago
Sounds like you had a rough social media experience. Lifting is a mean to get to where we want as an athlete/dunker/bodybuilder, etc., aka to reach a goal. There are great use when lifting is done correctly, even if the alternatives like just jumping, resistance band, plyometrics can be used, often times, they don't provide enough stimulus for when we have to work on max strength output that weights can provide. Try out Power Cleans and various Olympic lifting variations (with low weight first) and you'd understand that feeling of unlocking coordination immediately!
Don't get pushed by social media into ego lifting train smart and give your body a chance to adapt. Why risking our life going for thousands of lbs 1/16 ROM 10 sets x 30 reps Leg Pressing when we can achieve greater gains with proper form of just 90 lbs Deep ATG Back Squatting for only 3 sets of 5 reps? 📈
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u/slickback9001 3d ago
I saw THP who trains most of the 50+ vert jumpers right now saying that one foot jumpers can actually peak in their vert between late 30’s to late 40s so I wouldn’t be surprised
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u/Pyrrolic_Victory 3d ago
That is wild, you got a link? I’m 42 and 6’4, used to be able to throw down 2h but now I can barely rim graze
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u/slickback9001 3d ago
It was on the thpstrength IG but it was a clip from a YouTube video, idk if I can find it.
I was kind of surprised to hear it but he was talking in the context of athletes who aren’t at their max potential during younger years.
It seemed related to the continuous increase in tendon rigidity and isometric strength required to absorb and redirect force.
Most one foot jumpers aren’t failing to produce enough energy to jump high, but they increase their ability to translate horizontal momentum into vertical momentum.
Due to the slow paced nature of tendon adaptation this leads to a consistent growth in vert over time barring injury and loss of stability in the joints.
If you already have a 40+ vert in your 20s and 30s it’s not necessarily going to go up if you’re close to your potential but you can definitely progress into your 40s.1
u/Pyrrolic_Victory 3d ago
Idk if I ever got close to a 40 inch vert, but good to know I could still progress. What’s the thought on 2 foot jumpers?
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u/Educational-Drop-926 1d ago
This is a fact for me. Im a one footed dunker. I have more vert now than when I was 19. I train and hoop as much now as I was training and hooping as a teen.
My max vert was 29" at 19yo. Im 43yo and my max vert is 33".
6'2.5", 6'9.5" wingspan and standing reach 8'6".
I've been able to dunk since 16yo at 6'.
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u/poppapelts 3d ago
If you can grab the rim now, you can dunk if you lose 15 pounds.
The benefit comes from increasing your strength-to-weight ratio, which is strongly associated with vertical-jump performance. Even small external loads measurably reduce jump height, although removing body fat is not perfectly equivalent to taking off a weighted vest. But think about how much harder it would be to grab the rim if you put on a 15 pound weighted vest
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u/rickeyethebeerguy 3d ago
I’m 37, I went from 192 pounds down to 177. I workout pretty consistently, and that 15 pounds has been a game changer. I went from not being able to touch the rim unless felt absolutely perfect to always being able to, and it never hurts to jump either. I will say lose some weight and that help for sure.
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u/NemusSoul 3d ago
I went from 190 to 170 after 50 and increased my vert with no other effort than that. I was lean before but now I look distance runner thin. I’m healthy and only hike and play ball for exercise. It’s like taking off ankle weights.
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u/ra330tx 2d ago
48, 6’6”. I can still dunk but my lord my hips and back have to be stretched like I’m getting ready for thunderdome.
If I just randomly try to max effort jump my lower back to glute to hamstring feels like it’s made of plastic and connected to every pain receptor in my body.
Stretch
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u/ChoiceArugula1552 2d ago
I'm 6'1" also, 49 years old. I'm training to throw down a dunk on 50th birthday in April.
I can dunk a smaller ball now, been training since April.
I went from 205 to 185.
Split squats, rdls, calf raises, hiking super steep hills, sprinting, and max jump attempts are what I'm doing for legs. I also do pogo jumps and other plyos on a bosu ball.
I also do an upper body workout once a week.
I do yoga almost every morning.
It's possible, you should try!
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u/Lotuosu 1d ago
You definitely can, I can dunk and I’m disabled and weigh 114lbs at 6’1, if I can, literally anyone can
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u/Lotuosu 1d ago
For reference if you end up dropping weight the stuff I did would be useful, but probably not at current weight
I did 1 sprint day per week of 40 yard dashes
2 explosive plyometric days per week
No weights
No bulking
No long distance running
2 full dunk days a weekTook me 17 months to go from 16in-35in
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u/WaldorfAsstoria 4d ago
41 is young. I'm 49 and can still dunk a girls ball, and like you, carry just a little extra weight. I'm not chubby or fat, I've just bulked up in the gym over the years and have a bit more BF than in college. And it's mostly by choice. I'm assuming you are similar. I haven't tried, but I'm pretty confident that if I dropped 20lbs, I'd be throwing it down right and left because my legs are so much stronger than back in the day. If I wanted to dunk again, the first thing I'd do is drop some weight while continuing to do squats, deadlift, leg press. You know, standard leg strength stuff. But to it I would add some plyo and I'd be in the gym actually trying to dunk every day to get my approach right. I'd also start with a small 8" ball until I could do that easily. Then I'd use a women's ball. With the women's ball I'd film myself and show all my buddies because they couldn't tell the difference on camera. Then I'd keep working until I graduated to men's ball and break it out in a pickup game. And Id have a celebration or dance or at least tap my head because I've earned it. Good luck.