Basketball Weight Training

If you're already a keen basketball player then you'll already know that basketball is undoubtedly one of the most fast paced, physically demanding professional sports that exist today. In many respects to football, basketball has always required a very high level of aerobic fitness through the form of jogging and running for sustained periods of time without rest. Gaining this level of aerobic fitness often develops naturally over time simply through playing the game. Increased motor skills and improved technique also tends to follow suit. Whilst these are all important, developing muscular strength and power should certainly not go overlooked and is something that many

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Aside from the positive gains in strength and muscularity, a well designed weight training program can significantly boost your muscular endurance, allowing you to play for extended periods of time before succumbing to muscle fatigue in the legs and arms which will ultimately slow your body and performance.

Other great benefits of basketball weight training include:

• Improves your posture
• Diminishes any muscular imbalances that you may have
• Tones and shapes your body
• and boosts self esteem and confidence

Do you think it's worth implementing into your workouts? Of course it is.

Lets take a look at the type of weight training that works for basketball and also some programs to get you started.

Basketball being a seasonal sport (If you're competitive that is..) requires different styles of training at each of the various stages of the season.

The following training is broken down into 3 phases to give a clear distinction between the different training styles.

These are:

Pre-Season training, In-Season training and Off-Season training.

The training programs of each phase are designed with one sole intention; to maximise your performance and results during the in-season matches.

Pre-Season Training

Take a look at the following pre-season basketball weight training program.

The duration is 10 weeks of training and is designed to take you right up to the start of the in-season games.

The primary focus?.. To build a high level of anaerobic power and endurance to be fully prepared for the games.

Some important points to note:

• The aim isn't to lift as heavy as possible. By keeping your reps at 10-15 you'll be building a significant amount of strength and good muscle endurance.
• How many times should you train a week? 3 Max. This gives more than enough time for rest and recovery when basketball weight training and gives you time to work on your cardio to build aerobic fitness.

In-Season Training

So the in-season has begun, matches are getting under way and you as a player are expected to step up to the plate and demonstrate your skill and ability in competition.

Apprehensive? Don't be!..

The pre-season training has ensured that you're fully ready to perform at a high standard. It's enabled you to build both muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness both of which will prove valuable for the in-season matches.

For the in-season, basketball weight training will be slightly different. It will all be about maintenance of fitness.

We're using up loads of energy for the games and in order to compensate we'll need to back off the weights and keep the sessions light. Not easy by any means but lighter sessions.

There's a couple of important reasons for this..

• It gives your body more energy and time for planning basketball.
• It reduces the risk of injury which can be a result of weight lifting and minimises any threat of overtraining.

Have a look at the in-season basketball weight training program below.

It's made up of 4 stages to cover the entire length of the in-season.

Some important points to note:

• Limit your training to twice per week. Why? As mentioned earlier, we're trying to keep the sessions light so by dropping a training day this will aid recovery.
• Ensure your 2 basketball weight training workouts are spread evenly over the week to maximise your bodies recovery time.
• If you're uncomfortable performing a particular exercise then try swapping it for one that you are which targets the same muscle group.
• You can boost your aerobic fitness by integrating some cardio into your weights routine. But.. Be conscience not to stray over one hours train as this can lead to overtraining.

Off-Season Training

So the season matches are now over for the year and it’s time to give your body a well deserved break from basketball weight training before doing it all over again!

The off-season period runs from season end and continues through until 10 weeks before the season starts and your pre-season training begins.

The first 5 weeks should be largely spent relaxing and recovering you may be glad to hear. Giving the weights and cardio a break is a good idea to help clear your mind and gives you time to focus on other things you didn’t have time for whilst training.

After this time out period it is time to ease back into your cardio workouts and after a couple of weeks start to incorporate the weights back into your routines.