Basketball workouts these days have elements of both plyometrics and weight lifting. Weights allow the athlete to gain muscle mass and strength, while plyometrics help improve jumping ability and explosiveness. Our basketball workout routines incorporate the two and will help you dominate the court in no time.
In our exercise library, we have specific exercise routines tailored for basketball players. Check it out as soon as possible. Below is an outline of the various exercises, along with the theory behind why such exercises are used.
Basketball Workouts – An Overview
To jump higher and perform better for basketball, there is an array of exercises and routines which you can utilize.
The Lower Body
To start, basketball players need strong legs in order to be able to “box out” and not be pushed around. A strong base will even allow shorter players to push taller players away from a potential rebound, or can even prevent bigger players from being able to back you in to the basket.
There will be many exercises that we recommend. A couple for strengthening the legs would be leg presses on a leg press machine which builds the quad muscles through inward and outward movements. Static exercises can also help. For instance, if you stand against a wall and slowly lower your back and move your feet out, you will eventually be in a sitting position against the wall. The ideal position is to have your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, with your back straight against the wall. Hold this position.
After doing your quads, another important muscle group you need to focus on is the calves. The simplest and most effective way to work your calves is by raising your toes. Then by utilizing one foot, push up and down. Always remember to focus the weight in front of the foot. Do this progressively and start slowly for it can tear the muscles if done too forcibly.
Of course, after the weight and resistance trainings, it is important to incorporate flexibility and actually practice jumping. Plyometrics will allow you to do both and will not obliged you to have a specific environment to train. In fact, the exercises to jump higher for basketball can often be done in your own house or outside on your lawn.
An example of plyometric basketball workouts would be the two foot jump with the knees to the chest. There is actually a picture above on this exercise. Basically what you do is do 12 to 14 repetitions of jumping up and down while bringing your knees to your chest. This is a basic exercise that will work on your jumping ability and quickness.
The Upper Body
Getting your upper body strong is also very important in basketball. For instance, your triceps are important if you want to gain distance on your shot. Getting big triceps will allow you to launch the ball from a much further distance. Putting muscle on the rest of your upper body is also important. Take your chest for example. Once you get to a certain level, basketball players will be banging with you in the paint, and pushing your chest with your shoulders. It would be good to have a little muscle to keep up with this physicality.
Basketball workouts for the upper body using plyometrics are also important. Plyometrics focus so much on quick explosive movements, and will allow you to grab rebounds faster, explode for a loose ball, and defend better with your arms.
