Basketball Strength Training Work Out Routine

Basketball requires strength and speed.

For any basketball player, strength and speed are necessary. If you are quick, you can get down the court before opponents do. With explosive power, you will make shots and jump higher. Strength training is critical, but only if it incorporates functional, power and plyometric moves into the routine. According to The Coach's Clipboard, strength training will not increase injuries for basketball players or add excess body weight as once believed. Also, strength training workouts should vary depending upon what part of the season it is for best results.

Maximum Strength

How much weight you can lift once is a measure of maximum strength. To build this kind of strength, you need to consistently work out with weights and try to increase the resistance as you progress. According to Sports Fitness Advisor, basketball players can increase speed and power with time. Building maximum strength is a worthy goal for off-season or early pre-season because it takes more time in the weight room.

Coachlikeapro.com recommends weight training two or three times a week with at least a day of rest in between. The strength training should focus on a total body routine with exercises like bar dips and leg presses. The website offers a sample three-day-a-week training schedule that claims to train strong and aggressive players.

Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance is about lifting less weight more times. Building endurance gives basketball players stamina and energy over the course of a long game. This type of training is for both on and off season. In the off season, focus on functional strength according to Sports Fitness Advisor, so that you can correct muscle imbalances, prepare ligaments and joints for the season's wear and tear, and balance both sides of the body and muscles that extend and flex. Muscles to target include the abdominals and back because you are expected to do a lot of twisting, turning and explosive jumping. During the season, work to maintain the endurance you have built.

Plyometrics

To build explosive power allowing you to jump higher and faster, plyometrics are key. However, you need to be careful about when you do your plyometric training. According to The Coach's Clipboard, this kind of training is better for the late pre-season. Explosive moves can overwork the nervous system and fatigue you unnecessarily during the season.

Sports Fitness Advisor also recommends that you perform plyometrics like depth jumps and medicine ball exercises with proper skill and form. Quantity is not the goal. When doing plyometric sessions during season, limit it to once or twice a week for a shorter period of time (20 to 30 minutes).

Multi-joint Exercises

Multi-joint exercises require joint action in several areas at once. Moves like squats and deadlifts are multi-joint in nature because both the hips and knees are involved. By performing these exercises during season, you can improve strength in a shorter timeframe and more effectively.

Incorporating several multi-joint moves into a routine is more effective than long sessions for lower body only, according to The Coach's Clipboard. During season, the goal is to maintain the strength, endurance, power and speed you have gained in the off-season. You will likely be in the weight room once or twice a week doing multi-joint routines.

Flexibility

Flexibility is a critical component that helps you avoid injuries and stretch out muscles that are consistently contracted during strength training. Stretching after a workout is more effective than before according to basketball-plays-and-tips.com.

After-strength stretching can improve joint range of movement and reduce the chance of joint or muscle cramping. Guidetocoachingbasketball.com suggests performing slow, passive (no bouncing) stretches and offers flexibility suggestions for each muscle group.

References

• Sports Fitness Advisor: Strength Training for Basketball
• The Coach's Clipboard: Basketball In Season Strength Training
• CoachLikeAPro.com: Basketball Strength Training Program
• Basketball-Plays-and-Tips.com: Weightless Workout-Strength Training Without Equipment
• GuideToCoachingBasketball.com: Suggestions for Physical Training on The Off Season For The Basketball Player

Resources

• BodyBuilding.com: Basketball Strength Training Workout