The Basketball Player’s Gym Workout Programme

Continuing with our series in which we look at the differing approaches that different athletes have in the gym, we turn the spotlight to basketball. Predominantly known for being an American sport, its popularity continues to grow on this side of the Atlantic Ocean and no player is more synonymous than Michael Jordan.

Jordan, with the Chicago Bulls, dominated the NBA in the 1990s by winning six championships during the decade – winning three titles on either side of a brief retirement from the sport, during which time he played Minor League Baseball. During the hugely popular Netflix series The Last Dance, Jordan explained the difficulty of undoing his work in the gym of training his body for baseball to retraining it to suit the constraints of elite-level basketball.

To have any sort of chance of playing basketball to a similar level as Jordan, who routinely racked up 30 and 40-point games at the peak of his powers, you will require great lower, core and upper-body strength, as well as agility. Combining all that will make for the ideal basketball gym workout, replicating the likes of which made Jordan and the Bulls legendary.

Gym Exercises for Basketball Players

Everything that a player does on the basketball court involves the core in one way or another. Whether they are dribbling the ball or intercepting a rebound or pass, the core is engaged. Abdominal muscles, as well as obliques and erectors, must be strong for good overall strength and speed. Weak and slow players will soon be found out, especially in what is a five-a-side sport.

Our first couple of basketball gym workout exercises, thus, will focus on working the core muscles:

Sit-Up with Medicine Ball

The first exercise we introduce is the simple sit-up with a medicine ball held with both hands. Perform this as you would a normal sit-up (anchor your feet down either with a piece of equipment or ask a friend to hold your feet down) and carry out the exercise whilst retaining the medicine ball in your hands.

Russian Twist with Medicine Ball

The medicine ball is your friend when it comes to working your core muscles, and while the sit-up will work your abdominals and erectors, performing a Russian twist will strengthen your obliques. Begin in a seated position on the floor with your legs bent at the knees in front of you and hold the medicine ball out in front. Slowly, move the ball from side to side and engage your core – you will feel this working almost instantly. Make sure not to perform the exercise too quickly as holding and controlling the exercise is where the benefit is. This exercise can also be performed using dumbbells if you do not have a medicine ball to hand.

Squat on Balance Board

This exercise, whilst still working the core muscles, works the lower body while demanding balance and stability. The squat on a balance board was a particular favourite of Jordan’s, forming part of his infamous Breakfast Club morning training regiment, so if you are looking for an exercise to increase your vertical jump in basketball, look no further than the same one utilised by ‘Air Jordan’ himself.

Deadlift

The deadlift is a simple yet effective exercise that will work your core and lower body muscles. The video above shows the exercise performed with a barbell, but it can also be performed with dumbbells or a medicine ball. With any strength-training exercise, form is important and that is certainly the case when it comes to the deadlift – not just in terms of getting the most benefit, but to avoid injury. 

Bench Press

When it comes to building strength in the upper body, the bench press is a highly effective exercise. Grab your dumbbell or barbell and weight bench and pump that iron, building and strengthening muscle in the chest area. Again, the key is in performing this exercise correctly with perfect form, otherwise you will risk incurring a serious injury. With the barbell held just above your chest and your hands on the bar roughly shoulder-width apart, slowly push the bar up until your arms are straight and hold the weight for a second or two before gently lowering back into the starting position. Developing strength in your upper body means that you can play killer passes with more efficiency, as well as increase your shooting range for those game-changing three-pointers.

Bicep Curl

The final exercise that we will highlight is the faithful bicep curl which, for many, is a staple of their normal regime and is one of the more popular weightlifting exercises for basketball players. Your gym plan, if you are hoping to develop your basketball game, should naturally feature the bicep curl to complement your upper-body workout, adding an extra layer of physicality to your game. Make sure to perform this exercise with the full range of movement, bringing the weight right up to your chest and lowering your arms until they become straight. A fateful mistake made by many is to perform this exercise by not using the full range of movement which, while it will make the bicep curl easier to perform, your biceps (and triceps, to a lesser extent) aren’t being worked nearly as much.

Perfecting Your Basketball Gym Plan

These are just a handful of exercises that basketball players will include as part of their gym plan, but this will give you a good feel for the types of exercises and muscles that you should be targeting to perfect your game. You will also notice that not a wide array of gym equipment is necessary, with the above exercises possible with a medicine ball, barbell, dumbbells, bench, and balance board.

If you would like any more information on the range of equipment available from our website, please contact a member of our team today.