During the basketball season, you may not have much time to strength train, but the off-season is ideal. Focusing on strengthening your legs and back and becoming more explosive in the process will help you shoot farther and jump higher. The conditioning you build will also reduce your risk of injury. Consult your physician before beginning a diet or exercise program if you have an underlying condition.
Squatting
The barbell squat is a foundational exercise for any basketball player. To a degree, your leg strength can determine both how high you jump and how explosively you run. Make sure you are squatting below parallel, meaning lower than the point where the top of your thighs are parallel to the floor, and never round your back. After you have developed proficiency in the squat, learn to squat in a dynamic manner by lowering yourself under control and then attempting to accelerate the bar on the way up. This builds explosive power and can contribute to your vertical leap.
Power Clean
The power clean is another foundational exercise that every basketball player should use to build his program around. This exercise builds explosive power and strengthens most of the muscles in your body. Begin by gripping a barbell with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and bend at the knees and hips. Arch your back slightly, then smoothly pull the bar off the ground. When the barbell reaches mid-thigh level, accelerate the bar by jumping with the legs and shrugging the shoulders upward. As the bar continues to rise, rotate your arms and bend your knees slightly, catching the bar on your shoulders. The power clean is an assistance movement for weightlifting and has a great deal of potential to increase the vertical jump.
Strength Movements
As a basketball player, you also need strong shoulders and a strong back. The military press trains your shoulders and triceps and recruits most of the muscles of your upper body while you are pressing the bar overhead. Chinups and rows build a strong back and help stabilize your shoulders during training. You do not need to spend time doing curls or cable pushdowns. Instead focus on compound movements that use multiple muscle groups and force your body to work as a unit.
Program
Your program should consist of training three days a week with at least one day of rest in between each session. This will allow you time to recover and time to practice, as you still need to keep your skills sharp for the court. Train your entire body each session. Squat for three to five sets of five to eight reps, followed by power cleans for five to eight sets of three to five reps. Chinups, rows and presses follow, all for three to five sets of five to eight reps. If you are new to resistance training, start with the lower numbers and gradually increase your volume.
References
- "British Journal of Sports Medicine"; Strong Correlation of Maximal Squat Strength with Sprint Performance and Vertical Jump Height in Elite Soccer Players; U. Wisloff, et al.; June 2004
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Knee Biomechanics of the Dynamic Squat Exercise; Rafael F. Escamilla, January 2001
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Short-term Effects on Lower-body Functional Power Development: Weightlifting Vs. Vertical Jump Training Programs; V. Tricoli, et al.; May 2005
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