If you have ever witnessed an NBA game you have probably noticed the sheer size of the players. Genetics play a huge role in the pure size of the players, but it is the work ethic and how they use their attributes that separates them.
Basketball is a game of power, positioning, agility and strength. All of these areas can be developed in the gym.
Professional basketball player’s workouts must find the right balance between gaining power and strength, while staying agile. What is the point of adding a ton of mass if you are not functional in the basketball setting?
NBA workout routines focus on large compound movements. For the legs, we use deadlifts, front squats, back squats, clean-and-jerks, lunges, box jumps and sleds. For the upper body, we use bench press, dips, pull-ups, presses and push-ups. For structural and mobility work, we focus on single leg movements and core.
When focusing on power, we like to use jumping and sprinting. These are the most transferable to the game of basketball. Here is a sample workout: 5×2 long jumps, 5×2 straight leg box jumps, 10x100m sprints, 30-meter all-out sled sprints and 8×2 squat jumps with 30% bodyweight. All of these should be protected with 2-3 minutes of rest to ensure max height and speed.
We train strength with 4×4 at 70-80% one-rep-max and 6×1 at 90% one-rep-max. The rest should be around 3-4 minutes depending how comfortable you are with the lifts. Again, use the big lifts (dead lifts, back squats, front squats, bench press and presses) in these types of sets to give you the biggest bang for your buck. You can use the same lifts if you want to add mass and strength endurance. Just change the set format. We have had great success using the 10×10 with 1-1:30 minute off between. Usually pick a weight around 50-60% one-rep-max. We also like training to failure every once in awhile. If you do this, be conscious of the recovery time.
To correct imbalances and keep the athletes healthy, it is important to add in structural movements and core. Some of our favorite exercises include Turkish gets ups, single leg squats, split stance lunges, overhead lunges and stiff leg deadlifts. For core work, we like to use overhead squats, overhead holds, planks and the glute-ham-developer machine.
All of these workouts can be set up in a proper program, which also includes recovery, nutrition and time on the court. The key is combining them in the right way to make the biggest gains. If you have a shot at being a part of the NBA draft, don’t waste precious time doing the wrong exercises.
